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The Critical Role of Gut Microbiome in Health and Disease

on Jul 28, 2021| Modified on Dec 05, 2024
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Gut Microbiome

A few years ago, I was writing about how manipulation of the gut microbiome may likely alter (in a very good way) the course of many diseases associated with gut dysbiosis.

Dysbiosis is when the gut bacteria become unbalanced toward more pathogenic disease-promoting bacteria generally seen in sick people with a disease. This would include a rather lengthy list of ailments.

At the time, I concluded that the easiest, fastest, least expensive, and simplest way to prove or disprove this idea was to use a Fecal Microbiota Transplantation ("FMT") on people who have a disease that is well noted for having gut dysbiosis, such as Parkinson's disease.

FMT is when you take a stool transplant (poop) from a very healthy person and transplant it into the colon of a person with a disease and gut dysbiosis for the purpose of rebalancing the gut microbiome away from pathogenic bacteria toward health-promoting bacteria with the intent of improving the disease state.

FMT is already used for a small handful of diseases, such as the following :

  1. Clostridium Difficile (C.Diff) - This is the #1 health issue FMT is used for.
  2. Ulcerative Colitis
  3. Crohn's Disease
  4. Obesity
  5. Autism
  6. IBS [1]

I had to wait a couple of years for a study to complete regarding FMT and Parkinson's Disease (PD) in 2020. Another FMT/PD study completed this year in 2021 and the results, although both studies were small in the number of participants, showed very good benefit in both studies that suggested a greater than 50% reduction in test scores which mirrored a greater than 50% reduction in motor and non-motor symptoms that is better than any other currently available adjunctive treatment for PD has ever shown!

It is interesting to note that the participants in the study only got less than 2 ounces of the FMT (donor stool) mixed in a saline solution and delivered via colonoscopy to the colon, once, at the very beginning of the study, and this transplant showed continuous symptom and test score improvement right up to the end of the 12-week study!

Since FMT in the US is mainly only available for the six listed health issues above, it made me wonder if there is a way that we could somehow try to replicate the results of FMT on our own since nobody knows if or when FMT will come available for a multitude of applicable diseases. This search for such a path turned out to be more complicated than I had realized.

My initial thought is that perhaps with the right probiotics, we can add the needed bacteria to the gut to try and rebalance the gut microbiota toward health-promoting bacteria. I quickly learned that this was not a practical or feasible approach because the gut biome consists of approximately 100 trillion bacteria and a very diverse bacterial selection, while probiotics are generally only available in the billions of CFUs and are not diverse compared to the gut microbiota.

If a probiotic had 20 different species, it would be considered very diverse, whereas the gut microbiota consists of an estimated 300 to 500 different bacterial species! So probiotics are basically underpowered and insufficiently diverse to have the desired effect of completely rebalancing the whole gut microbiota. They can likely help, but not complete the job at hand. [2]

Then I thought, well, maybe the body actually has a way to generate the needed bacteria to rebalance the gut biome, but I did not find such a mechanism in any studies that I looked at.

I knew that the body had a way to let the pathogenic bacteria replicate at an increased rate via the anti-health vicious cycle of oxidative stress and inflammation that promote and feed off of each other and then further the advance and progression of ill health and disease and is reflected by gut dysbiosis. I had always wondered why there was not a Pro-Health repetitive cycle as a healthful counterbalance to the anti-health oxidative stress/inflammation cycle. I thought that if there were such a pro-health cycle that it would have been written about extensively and illustrated a long time ago, but I had never read of such a mechanism in the body and so I never gave it any more thought until recently when I saw the results of the FMT/PD studies.

After reading those two studies and their exceptional results, it got me to wondering about a potential pro-health repetitive cycle again.

Since FMT acts in the gut, I thought that if such a pro-health cycle exists, FMT suggests that it may exist in the gut. So I took the idea that oxidative stress and inflammation in their vicious cycle seemed to promote gut dysbiosis and increased imbalance of the gut toward pathogenic, disease-promoting bacteria, and I tried to look for some mechanism in the gut that could potentially promote the health-promoting bacteria in the gut.

What I found is the commonly referred to in studies, Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs), of which there are three predominant ones called Acetate, Propionate, and Butyrate. Of these three, butyrate seemed to be the most studied and in studies was mainly noted for its usually anti-inflammatory activities, but that did not seem nearly enough to combat the anti-health oxidative stress/inflammatory cycle. But more importantly, where was the component that butyrate and the other two dominant SCFAs could feed off of in a repetitive pro-health cycle and, in turn, it could feed off of them to continue the cycle?

The Role of Melatonin in Gut Microbiota

So my search continued, and as many of you know, I have written extensively about melatonin.

Melatonin is generally present in my forethinking because of its importance throughout the body and in all of the body's organs. I remembered a statistic about melatonin that has always stuck in my mind because I felt it had very significant importance. This statistic says that melatonin is produced in the gut at 400 to 1,000 times the melatonin production in the pineal gland in the brain!  That has to be important for health!

Given that information, I started reading about melatonin and the gut microbiota. After reading a lot of studies, I was beginning to think that melatonin may be the missing component that could interact with SCFAs to form a pro-health repetitive cycle. So I started looking for studies about melatonin and SCFAs.

From the limited literature on this specific subject, I was able to find studies that showed that melatonin and SCFAs tend to decline with age in a similar way to the way age-related diseases increase with age, an interesting coincidence?

I also found that melatonin increases the bacteria in the gut that are needed for the production of SCFAs, and these bacteria are reduced in many disease states. In turn, SCFAs increase gut melatonin production and melatonin receptors in the gut, which are also reduced in the presence of disease.

Another important thing that melatonin does in the gut is activate PPAR-y or PPAR-gamma (PP-y), which increases insulin sensitivity, enhances glucose metabolism, and plays a significant role in metabolic function and energy homeostasis. It is a preeminent player in the gut biome, and the fact that one of the many things that melatonin does in the body is activate PP-y says a lot about the value of melatonin! Many other substances like curcumin can activate PP-y, but melatonin is produced in significant quantity in the gut. It's almost like somebody planned it that way.

So to me, this is starting to look really interesting.

Short-Chain Fatty Acid Butyrate Repairs the Gut

I continued reading and found out that the SCFA called butyrate has shown the ability to help repair the gut mucosal barrier. Melatonin has shown a similar ability. Plus melatonin in the gut still has the same very important and potent antioxidative stress and anti-inflammatory qualities that it expresses throughout the body.

Still, it has it in even greater numbers in the gut when melatonin production is up to par! Remember, melatonin is produced in the gut at a rate that is at least 400 times that of the pineal gland.

Melatonin also helps to maintain and repair the epithelial cells beyond the mucosal barrier.

Between butyrate and melatonin, this can stop leaky gut or gut permeability which is an inflammatory process when microbes leak from the gut into other areas of the body where they should not be and are attacked through inflammatory processes that create significant collateral damage and more inflammation and oxidative stress. Melatonin and SCFAs work to prevent all of this ill-health promotion in a continuous repetitive health cycle in direct contrast to the oxidative stress/inflammation cycle.

How to Increase Bacteria That Forms Short-Chain Fatty Acids Depleted By Disease

So how do we stimulate this theorized pro-health cycle? It is currently unknown where this process begins, but it is known that the bacteria that can create SCFAs are depleted or very low in disease states, so replacing some of these SCFA producing bacteria seems like a good start.

1. Clostridium Butyricum

Unfortunately, there is only one commercial probiotic bacteria strain that I have found that can produce the SCFA butyrate. It is called Clostridium Butyricum. But it only produces butyrate and not the other two dominant SCFAs, acetate and propionate. Still, as expected, it can have positive health effects, as noted in some studies, but not nearly enough to correct the dysbiosis in the gut.

2. Fasting, Pistachios and Melatonin

Other methods that are said to increase these SCFA producing bacteria are: fasting of various types, pistachios, which not only increase these bacteria but provide the fermentable fiber that the bacteria need to produce SCFAs. And lastly, there is melatonin.

3. Exercise

Another thought is that exercise increases SCFA gut content, but not specifically the bacteria that produce SCFAs.

I'm sure there are more forms, but I need to do more reading to find them. I will update this article when I do.

Prebiotics and Foods Containing Fiber Feed Short-Chain Fatty Acids

Once we have added more of these SCFA producing bacteria to the gut, they need to be fed with prebiotics and foods containing fiber such as apples, pears, oranges, strawberries, pineapple, and other tasty fruits, but there are many other types of fermentable and soluble fibers and prebiotics that can help the SCFA producing bacteria to actually produce SCFAs. Xylitol, FOS, GOS, and Inulin are popular prebiotics that can feed the SCFA producing bacteria.

By the way, it is worth noting that FMT increased gut content of melatonin and SCFAs, which seems significant in terms of what FMT is doing to improve gut performance.

It is also worth noting that if your health issues are not major, it is likely that you have enough SCFA producing bacteria, in which case just a prebiotic, fermentable fiber, and soluble fiber-rich food intake as part of your diet is likely to be sufficient to increase SCFAs and your health with it!

If you add in starving the bad gut bacteria as part of your plan, such as cutting way back on processed food and sugar intake, results are likely to be more impressive and potentially faster since the harmful bacteria are essentially being starved back. This makes it easier for the health-promoting bacteria in your gut to get back in control. Keep in mind that the diet changes you make may not be needed as much or as often once you have a better gut microbiome balance that is more biased toward health-promoting bacteria. Think of how, in the FMT studies, the one-time transplant of FMT lasted at least 12 weeks in all of the participants, and in the 2020 study, 2 participants had their FMT last over two years, which is as long as they did follow up on participants of that study.

It seems odd to me that the SCFA producing bacteria are known enough now, where some enterprising company could have made a probiotic that contains enough of them already, but such is not the case. Such a probiotic with a significant amount of prebiotic to form a synbiotic would be quite useful to help repair gut dysbiosis and broken health.

Many people have related that supplementing melatonin makes them sleepy the next day.

An interesting fact: melatonin produced in the gut does not cause tiredness at any time! If we can get enough SCFA producing bacteria in the gut and feed them with the right fiber and prebiotics, we can test this theory hopefully all the way to good health!

My Personal Experimentation Results So Far

This is a very simplified description of a highly complex process that science has not yet fully elucidated. I did not include descriptions of many other vital pathways and activities that all play important roles in this entire process in order to simplify the overall processes involved in the gut microbiota. The intent here is to see if we can replicate the beneficial effects of FMT via increasing SCFA producing bacteria and subsequently SCFAs themselves, as well as bring the decreased gut melatonin back up to par to maintain the pro-health cycle.

High-Dose Melatonin and Pistachios

I am currently trying to do that through high-dose melatonin and pistachios, and lastly, I intend to incorporate intermittent fasting as a third option. I already do exercise in the form of a two-mile fast walk each day, and this morning I noticed that I set a new record for myself in terms of elapsed time, and I felt good out there this morning.

High Dose Vitamin B-1 (Thiamine)

I am also supplementing high-dose thiamine/vitamin B-1 because it is naturally produced in a healthy gut microbiome, but this production can be disrupted in the presence of gut dysbiosis.

B-1 is very important for many bodily processes and functions. A recent study suggests that it may have potent anti-inflammatory effects, so I want to ensure it is included at least until the gut biome is brought back to a healthier bacterial balance between disease-promoting pathogenic bacteria and health-promoting bacteria.

Since I have psoriasis, it is easy for me to see when something is working or not working because psoriasis can act as a relatively fast responding visual indicator if something is working or not. I have not incorporated intermittent fasting yet, but the little psoriasis I have left is responding positively as noticeable visible improvement each, to every other day, and I may not have enough psoriasis left to test intermittent fasting, but I can live with that!

I should also mention that I have a fairly stressful personal issue in play in my life right now, which would typically have a negative impact on my health and psoriasis, but this time, such is not the case!

The health implications for us are huge and would include many significant diseases such as PD, AD, MS, CVD, Cancer, Psoriasis, Diabetes, Pancreatitis, kidney disease, many types of gut issues, Covid-19, and pretty much any disease that is generally accompanied by gut dysbiosis!

I will update this article if I find new and relevant information to improve on this health-promoting idea or to fill in some blanks.

Art

About The Author

Art Solbrig is a researcher who has been reading scientific studies and testing natural remedies for over 30 years searching for useful studies and alternatives that apply positively to human health issues and natural treatments using minerals, vitamins, amino acids, essential oils, herbs, homeopathy, colloidal silver, combination treatments, and other alternatives to improve the quality of life of others by writing about his findings and test results in places like Earth Clinic. He documents and writes about many of his experiences in helping others. Art is a native of sunny California.
The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Article Reviews

11 User Reviews
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Posted by Barb (Ireland ) on 10/01/2024
 ★★★★★

Thanks Art for a well explained researched article!

I do believe high dose B1 plays a very important role in reducing inflammation through my own research.
My question to you, have you ever come across ‘reactive hypoglycaemia' non diabetic? I read somewhere there is a correlation with Dysbiosis and reactive hypoglycaemia.

Interested in your view, I have been reactive hypoglycaemia for 3 year and have been doing strict Keto, it helps but I do find the diet hard sometimes.

Thanks in advance

Replied by Art
(California)
10/01/2024
2340 posts

Hi Barb,

This condition is new to me so I can't offer any input. This Cleveland Clinic article may be helpful in describing several causes that your doctors may not have checked for yet, such as adrenal insufficiency. The article covers hypoglycemia as well as reactive hypoglycemia and offers some suggestions :

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11647-hypoglycemia-low-blood-sugar

Art

Article Reviews
Posted by Simon (Melbourne) on 01/17/2024
 ★★★★★

hi art.love your research, your in depth analysis of health issues and possible solutions.i am a 62 y old t2 diabetes and colitis sufferer.my digestion is currently shot-my stools are either watery or non existent, my rectum feels like it is close to non functional.i am histamine sensitive, was hospitalised with h.pylori overgrowth.please suggest ways to ameliorate these issues-what supplements that are not high in histamine could help increase peristalsis, other ways to improve and/or increase bowel motions?all the best, simon, melbourne

Replied by Art
(California)
01/18/2024
2340 posts

Hi Simon,

Thank you for the thoughtful words!

It would be helpful if you had given a bit more information, but I will try to work with what you did give.

Diarrhea is difficult because it is common in diabetics, but it can also be caused by the very common diabetic drug, Metformin, which you may be taking. If Metformin is the cause, you will have to talk to your doctor about using a different drug.

If the diarrhea is caused by the diabetes, it is often caused by peripheral nerve damage which is generally caused by consistently elevated blood glucose which is very damaging to the body in general, so improving insulin sensitivity, decreasing insulin resistance and lowering blood glucose would be the long term fix. One supplement that can help improve the gut microbiome, reduce glucose levels, reduce HbA1c, help with diarrhea, improve colitis and help with peripheral nerve damage is Berberine. You will have to test berberine because in some people it can also cause diarrhea, but in some people it helps alleviate diarrhea.

You mentioned that you have histamine tolerance issues and one supplement that has antihistamine effects, lowers blood glucose levels, works synergistically with Metformin, improves insulin resistance, beneficial for colitis and has a positive impact on the gut microbiome is Quercetin.

You might also give thought to Zinc at 50 mg/day to see if it is helpful in dealing with the diarrhea.

You might also be interested in the following related articles :

https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/six-supplements-for-diabetes-art-solbrig.html

And this one :

https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/insulin-resistance.html

Regarding the H pylori., I'm going to assume that since you were hospitalized for it, they resolved it and retested after you completed the antibiotic regimen.

Keep us posted on how you make out.

Art

Replied by Neco
(Austria)
01/18/2024

Hallo Simon

Über NARINE informieren... Nejdet..

Article Reviews
Posted by Jake (Harrisburg, PA) on 09/26/2022
 ★★★★★

Thanks, Art. Very good and informative article. Curious as to what your thoughts on lectins are? There is a well known doctor who claims they have a very negative impact on gut health and a major cause of leaky gut syndrome. He also says there are lots of lectins in foods such as peanuts, cashews, legumes/beans, green beans, whole grains and wheats among other foods. If you have time to comment, please do. Keep up the great work. I appreciate you.

Replied by Art
(California)
09/26/2022
2340 posts
★★★★★

Editor's Choice Jake,

Not everyone is sensitive to lectins and lectins seem to cause specific gut issues that can also be seen from causes other than lectins. Some symptoms that some people experience from lectins are the following :

  • Neurological symptoms
  • Skin Rash
  • Hormonal changes
  • Gas
  • Bloating
  • Nausea
  • Abdominal cramps
  • Painful and or swollen joints
  • Allergy like symptoms
  • Fatigue

So as you can see, these symptoms can occur in many health conditions, so how do you determine if they are being caused by lectins or something else? I think if I had some of these symptoms and asked my doctor if he thought they were being caused by lectins, he might look at me as though I were crazy and say something like it is likely IBS or some other bowel issue along that line.

To me if you avoid high lectin foods as much as is practical, that makes sense. What is more important to me though, is why do some people have problems with lectins while others do not, even if they are eating foods known to be high in lectins?

Which brings me to this article that discusses the SCFA, Butyrate and lectins:

https://www.cabi.org/Uploads/animal-science/worlds-poultry-science-association/WPSA-italy-2006/10737.pdf

Here is a relevant quote from the article :

' We can conclude that KB have a clear suppressive effect on feed intake and growth that is greater in the grower than in the starter phase. Due to the addition of SB in starter and grower feeds, feed intake and growth could be restored up to the level of the control group if KB were only used in the starter phase. When KB were used in the grower phase fifty percent of growth reduction could be compensated by the use of SB. '

So this study shows that the SCFA, butyrate, improved the weight loss caused by kidney beans which are high in lectins.

In this next study it is shown that lectins cause intestinal damage :

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25599185/#:~:text=Because of their binding properties, an individual with dysfunctional enzymes.

Here is a relevant quote :

' Because of their binding properties, lectins can cause nutrient deficiencies, disrupt digestion, and cause severe intestinal damage when consumed in excess by an individual with dysfunctional enzymes. '

The point being that when you look at the damage that lectins can cause to the gut and compare them to the positive gut health effects of SCFAs, a gut microbiome that is well balanced with sufficient SCFAs, SCFA producing gut bacteria, prebiotics and fiber, the SCFAs plus melatonin may nullify, ameliorate or prevent the damage caused by lectins and this could potentially explain why some people seem to handle lectin rich foods with little or no problem while others may not do so well.

These are fine details of research in this area which is not yet fully elucidated, but this would be my general take on lectins. SCFAs in general have the ability to repair the gut mucosal barrier, tight junctions and the gut endothelium and melatonin seems to add synergy in this endeavor to maintain the gut barrier function and gut homeostasis which should compensate for the negative activity of lectins on the gut barrier function when SCFAs and gut melatonin levels are sufficient. That would be my take on lectins given the available studies. This could potentially mitigate the leaky gut that lectins cause. The following article discusses how lectins can cause leaky gut and the associated gastrointestinal distress :

https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/articles/2017-11-29/the-trouble-with-lectins#:~:text=“For those who eat a, syndrome, system-wide inflammation and

Here is a relevant quote from the article :

' For those who eat a lot of raw, lectin-rich foods – vegetarians or those following a plant-rich diet, for example – the higher lectin intake and the resulting gastrointestinal distress like nausea, diarrhea and bloating can weaken the delicate gut lining, triggering leaky gut syndrome, system-wide inflammation and autoimmune or allergic reactions, ” Lipman says. '

That would be my current opinion on lectins based on the studies I have seen.

Art

Article Reviews
Posted by Rachel T (UK) on 11/03/2021

I have a few questions that Art may be able to answer. Is it true that if we take supplements that these cause imbalance in the gut bacteria? Would this cancel out the benefits of eating fibre, pistachios, fasting etc?

Replied by Art
(California)
11/03/2021
2340 posts
★★★★★

Hi Rachel,

It would help if you can say which vitamins you are referring to, but in my opinion, the exact opposite is closer to accurate. I will give some examples of common vitamins to try and explain what I mean.

Some B vitamins are naturally produced in the gut such as B1, B6 and B12, but in gut dysbiosis, not so much, and this deficiency can contribute to further gut dysbiosis. In the following study it is shown how vitamin B1 plays a critical role in maintaining a healthy gut microbiome and reducing gut inflammation :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC5613172/

In this next example, you can see how vitamin B2 and vitamin C increased the bacteria Blautia and Roseburria. These two bacteria while in the study did not help much with mucositis caused by methotrexate, are well known as short-chain fatty acid promoting bacteria and this is very beneficial for maintaining gut homeostasis in the bigger health picture!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC7823339/

In this next study we can look at how vitamin D can affect the gut microbiome in a positive way as well as help maintain the epithelial, but also have a positive effect on autoimmune health issues :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC6985452/

In this study it is shown that vitamin C, D, and B2 have a positive impact on the human microbiome and barrier function as did vitamin E and vitamin A to a lesser extent:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19490976.2021.1875774

So I disagree that vitamins are not beneficial for the gut microbiome and as far as vitamin supplementation in relation to fiber and seeds like pistachios, they should be synergistic together, and here is why. Vitamins increase the more healthful bacteria, but these bacteria need food in order to grow and flourish. Fiber is the food of choice for these health promoting bacteria and pistachios are another source of these health promoting bacteria as well as the fiber to feed them.

I hope this clearly explains my thinking on this subject.

Art

Article Reviews
Posted by Jeremiah (Spokane) on 09/17/2021
 ★★★★★

Art,

I like you have psoriasis and you're right, psoriasis is a really good way to see how things are working depending on how my psoriasis responds to any vitamin or treatment that I do. I recently have been drinking 1 tsp of borax daily. It has made me feel awesome. It is helping me control my candida and also raise testosterone, and help the parathyroid control calcium production. But, it has made my psoriasis really bad. It has spread all of my scalp and has gotten worse in all the areas that I have psoriasis. Do know of any reason why this is? It is making me feel really good but it made my psoriasis quite a bit worse. Should I discontinue use? Thank you

Replied by Art
(California)
09/19/2021
2340 posts

Hi Jeremiah,

There are multiple ways that people take Borax. You say that you are taking one teaspoon a day, is that one teaspoon of borax powder, or is it a diluted liquid mix? If it is borax powder, then you are taking 4 times more borax than what you should be taking and that dose taken continuously can cause toxicity which could be making your psoriasis worse. Please clarify exactly how much borax and how often you are taking it. Ted only recommended 4 days per week with no borax for the other 3 days of the week. Doing it Ted's way can allow your body enough time to dump any excess borax you may be taking and this can help minimize toxicity issues. If you are taking it seven days each week, that is an even higher dose and of course, that can increase the potential for toxicity even further.

For myself, borax has had zero discernible effect on my psoriasis for good or bad for well over a decade, but it has kept my severe psoriatic arthritis in remission for that same amount of time, which I believe is approaching 14 years. It will probably be helpful to try and first determine if the borax is the cause of your psoriasis exacerbation and the only way I know to determine that is to stop borax at least temporarily to see if your psoriasis starts to improve again. If your dose is high, you should stop anyway to allow your body to dump any excess borax and to also allow your body time to recover from any toxicity issues caused by a borax dose that is too high. When you let me know more about your dose and what else you are using, I can probably tell you more and possibly offer a suggestion or two!

Art

Replied by Ana
(Houston, TX)
11/25/2021

Hi J,

Do you have parathyroid tumors, because it could be the cause for your elevated calcium. Beware of kidney stones also. Good luck.

Article Reviews
Posted by Madelyn (Boise, Idaho) on 07/30/2021
 ★★★★★

An excellent, must-read article!

Thank you, Art, for writing this up and sharing.

I've just recently been doing some research myself on increasing resistant starches in the diet to promote a healthy microbiome and heal the gut. Green banana flour appears to be very effective at feeding probiotics and increasing their production of SCFAs. I've even found a couple of recipes that utilize green banana flour. Now after reading your article, I'm inspired to take action! Off to go order some green banana flour and finally start taking the melatonin powder that's been sitting on my counter. I do eat pistachios frequently and will continue to do so! Be blessed!

Replied by Art
(California)
07/30/2021
2340 posts

Hi Madelyn,

Thank you for saying so!

I have tested one type of resistant starch before, potato starch. It is very healthful, but in the potato form, it gave me a ridiculous amount of gas which precluded me from continuing the test beyond one month.

It seems like some of the precursors to Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) can promote gas as part of the process, beans would be one example, but fortunately not all of them do. Pistachios do not seem to give me gas and I usually eat 3 little cups of them a day. The cup I use is like the ones that they use at restaurants to serve a side of dressing in. My particular cup holds exactly 4 ounces of water when filled to overflowing. I use it as a scoop to dip in the bag of pistachios and I fill it to a rounded top 3 times a day and that is my snack food. That allows me to get a consistent amount of pistachios each day.

Those two FMT studies that I linked to in the article transformed the way I look at treating health issues because while I always knew that maintaining a healthy gut biome was good for your health, I never truly realized how important it is, until I read those studies! Their results were fantastic by any measure. The sad part is that the US is not really pursuing FMT as it should and it is just speculation on my part, but I suspect it is because FMT would essentially take trillions of dollars away from the pharmaceutical industrial complex. There is so much money at risk for them that I can see where they would go to great lengths to see that FMT never really gets off the ground here. Those two studies came out of Asia, which is leading the world in the research into FMT.

That is why I wrote the article because it may be able to replicate FMT with none of the reported risks of FMT and it would be less expensive than FMT.

Good luck and good health on your journey, Madelyn!

Art

Sue
(VA)
07/31/2021

Great article, Art.

Re: the pistachios, do you suggest the ones in the shells, or already shelled? Thanks!

Art
(California)
07/31/2021
2340 posts

Hi Sue,

Thank you for the compliment!

Regarding the pistachios, I am using the ones with the shells. Regarding the shells, these have nutritional value too and in time I am going to experiment with these hulls to see if I can extract some of the nutritional value from them via different methods such as cold water soaking or similarly to the way you make sun tea and then lastly trying to soak them in hot water such as when making regular tea.

My thinking is there has to be a way to take advantage of the nutrients they contain instead of just throwing the hulls away. Thank you for your question, Sue!

Art

Replied by GertJr
(Madison)
07/31/2021

Art, in your article you say that FMT is used for IBS, but I can't find out where in the US that they do this. My gastroenterologist still insists they cannot for IBS-D and I would jump at the chance to do it. I've been on ibs drugs so long that I'm concerned about the impact on my liver, but what's better, Viberzi or tons of immodium? Even on Viberzi, I take 6 - 10 immodium per week. I've done the probiotics for years, using dairy kefir, with no change. Recently did a food sensitivity test and find I'm sensitive to just about all my usual foods, so have changed that. I truly think if my gut was corrected, all my issues with insomnia, reflux, and now thyroid would resolve.

Art
(California)
07/31/2021

GertJr,

The article isn't about FMT so much as trying to replicate what FMT does since use of FMT in the US is fairly scarce. The most advanced studies seem to be coming out of Asia while the US has not completed just 1 study for FMT and PD. The following link may answer some of your questions regarding FMT availability :

https://designershitdocumentary.com/fmt-treatments-therapies/

Good luck and please let us know what you find out!

Art

Bodulica
(Barrie, Canada)
08/15/2021

I suffered with IBS for years. Solved with energy healing focused on Vagus nerve. Try imagine lighting bolts shooting through the middle of your body, head to toes. Very well known energy healer Adam McLeod held the group therapy for fibromyalgia sufferers. My pains were not gone, but my IBS and tiredness were gone. you can buy his books explaining the procedure.

Betty
(CA)
11/07/2021

Gertjr, Call Dr. Mark Rosenberg in Boca Raton, FL to ask about FMT for your issue. He does the procedure but not sure for what diseases.

Sue
(VA)
07/31/2021

Thank you, Art, very interesting!

Article Reviews
Posted by Clare (US) on 07/30/2021
 ★★★★★

Hello Art,

It would be helpful to know how much B-12, how many pistachios, etc, you are taking each day. There are plenty of us out there who want to experiment right along with you! I've been gut sick for decades.

Thanks,

Clare

Replied by Art
(California)
07/31/2021
2340 posts

Hi Clare,

I am not a doctor so I can only say what I am taking.

The minimum amount of vitamin B1 that I personally take is 200 mg day and I go as high as 600 mg, but mainly average 400 mg/day. I usually take it in two divided doses, one at or before breakfast and the other dose at or before lunch. I try to avoid taking B-1 later than 2:00 pm because in some people it can cause sleep issues, so I use 2:00 pm as my limit. I do take one vitamin B-50 a day to try and keep the B vitamins in balance.

Pistachios are now my main snack food and I use a little cup such as they use at restaurants for sides like salad dressing. The one I use holds exactly 4 ounces of water when filled to the very top. I scoop this into my big bag of pistachios and fill to a rounded top. I eat 2 or three of these small cups a day.

Melatonin as I have mentioned previously, I take a minimum of 106 mg per night and have done so for many months now, but the idea of rebalancing the gut microbiota is to increase Short Chain Fatty Acids and increasing those will increase gut melatonin production so that supplementing melatonin should not be needed in time. I am mainly supplementing melatonin right now, to test whether it can speed the process up a bit. I expect, that similarly to FMT, it may take 3 months to see good benefit. Melatonin produced in the gut does not cause the "melatonin hangover " that some people experience from supplementing melatonin.

I have not as yet started intermittent fasting and may not need to because my results are fairly good so far.

I am eating oranges and will begin including apples to increase fiber. Apples have pectin which is helpful toward increasing SCFAs. I am trying to keep it as simple as possible and I hope this answers your questions.

Art

Article Reviews
Posted by Earth Clinic on 07/29/2021
 ★★★★★

Many thanks to Art from CA for once again sharing his incredible research and experimentation with us in this new article on Earth Clinic.

https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/gut-microbiome.html

Replied by Madelyn
(Idaho)
07/30/2021
★★★★★

Thanks for posting this! I wouldn't have seen the article otherwise. Smiles and thank you!

Article Reviews
Posted by Tessa (Okanagan) on 07/29/2021
 ★★★★★

Hi Art -

Thank you for such an informative article on the gut microbiome (our second brain, they say).

I'm also very impressed that you are experimenting on yourself and sharing the results!

As you know, I've used your borax remedies with great success and I now take melatonin on a regular basis (still at the low-dose stage, though).

Excellent work, Art.

Cheers,

Tessa

Replied by Art
(California)
07/29/2021
2340 posts

Thank you for saying so, Tessa!

If we can get the SCFAs increased, supplementing melatonin should not even be needed anymore as the SCFAs should build it up in the gut to healthful levels which in turn should also apply its positive effects to the gut and the brain via the gut/brain axis!

Art

Marja
(France)
07/30/2021

I can recommend the web site culturedfoodlife.com, They have a wealth of information for cultured food and pro and prebiotics.

BPC-157

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Posted by Jasonx (Austin, TX) on 01/19/2024
 ★★★★★

I have been taking BPC-157 for 2 months now, and I will say I never in my life have taken something that works so well. I had issues with gut inflammation, irritable bowel and bpc took ALLLL of it away, I never felt this much energy and I havent been doing anything to help my health other than take that. at first bpc was a little rough I would take it near bed time it makes me tired and feel a bit weaker. I guess from die off, however after taking for about a month I felt better and better and better and better. my wife recently got covid and I didnt catch it. everyone around me was sick and I never got sick. turns out bpc 157 blocks covid from replicating in the body. insane... the fda just banned bpc 157 which over time I have realized that is because it heals something they dont want healed in people. I bought mine from some where in Australia and had it shipped, this is the pill form I never did the injectable which I might try soon just because of the results im getting.

Replied by Mick
(ON)
01/20/2024

Hi Jason, That is great I will pass this on to a good friend who is long time suffering from these issues. I am curious if you noticed any erectile differences when taking BPC-157? I had read that it has some positive effects. Thanks

Replied by Madelyn
(Idaho)
04/08/2024

Hi Jasonx,

I've heard great things about BPC-157! How long did you take it for and how much per day? Can you also please share the name of the Australian supplier? Thank you!

Butyrate

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Posted by Frances (Cabarlah, Qld. ) on 11/08/2021
 ★★★★★

I wonder if this link to information about butyrate would interest Earth Clinic readers. It was suggested by an Integrative Medicine site in Canada.

https://www.ihcanconferences.co.uk/butyrates-impact-on-the-microbiome-and-neuro-function-ihcan-conferences-webinar/

pdf of presentation also available. https://www.ihcanconferences.co.uk/downloads/2021/webinars/butyratebodybiowebinarslides.pdf

Replied by Betty
(CA)
11/09/2021

Along with adding more anti-cancer foods for gut biome health I also take a butyrate supplement. Testing on the cancer showed butyrate as very high on the list I needed to address.

Replied by Art
(California)
11/10/2021
2340 posts
★★★★★

Frances,

This is a topic that I am interested in.

Butyrate is one of the three predominant short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The other two predominant SCFAs are acetate and propionate. We can increase SCFAs by eating the right types of soluble fermentable fiber which feeds the healthy SCFA producing bacteria in our gut. Prebiotics also increase SCFAs. Increasing SCFAs in this way increase all 3 predominant SCFAs which include butyrate.

Butyrate interacts with the epithelial cells to increase melatonin production in the gut while propionate and acetate increase melatonin receptors in the gut. In turn, melatonin increases SCFA production in the gut in a pro health cycle that is stimulated by increased fiber intake. Together butyrate and melatonin both help repair the gut mucosal barrier which helps to prevent gut permeability (aka leaky gut) and beyond the mucosal barrier they also strengthen the epithelial barrier to further repair gut permeability. This is very important for maintaining the best health.

The downside is that in some disease states, the SCFA producing bacteria can be very low, in which case SCFA production may be minimal and this can allow the mucosal barrier to become perturbed which allows gut permeability to increase allowing bacteria to escape the colon into the general circulation which causes an inflammatory response by the body to attack these bacteria that the body sees as invaders. This inflammatory response results in significant collateral damage as well as further increased inflammation and oxidative stress which is all bad for our health.

Melatonin and the SCFAs have antiinflammatory and antioxidative effects in the gut aside from their ability to improve gut permeability which is very good for improved health. Unfortunately, SCFAs decline with age and decreased SCFA production in the gut results in decreased melatonin and melatonin receptors in the gut and all of this results in ill health and disease. Exercise increases SCFA production as does fasting.

A few vitamins have shown some ability to increase SCFAs. Fasting can also increase SCFAs. Pistachios can increase SCFAs and also contain significant amounts of fiber. Prebiotics can increase SCFAs.

Art

Betty
(CA)
11/11/2021

I am interested in this as well.

Replied by Bodulica
(Barrie, canada)
11/11/2021
Replied by JJ Gib
(U.K.)
11/12/2021

Grass fed butter is a great source of butyric acid.

Betty
(CA)
11/12/2021

Yes, truth. We only use grass fed butter.

Replied by Bobbi
(Sacramento, CA)
12/30/2021

I understand sodium butyrate is best; could you give some links to find a good product? I see mostly calcium butyrate.

Also, will butyrate help with HPylori?

Betty
(CA)
12/30/2021

Right now I am taking Butyrate by Healus brand. It is a complete biotic.

I have also taken another one called trybutyrate.

Art
(California)
12/30/2021
2340 posts

Bobbi,

A few things that are useful to fight H. Pylori are: Mastic Gum Oil of Oregano, Monolaurin Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) Colloidal Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) GSE and AgNPs are both biofilm busters which will be important in a long standing overgrowth Probiotics: L . Acidophilus L. Rhamnosus L. Plantarum

Art

Replied by Jeff
(Daytona, FL)
12/05/2024

I want to ensure that people know that the butyrate supplements currently on the market are dangerous. They added hydroxides to up the pH, and instead of bringing up to neutral, which wouldn't have been needed to start with, they increase it to a pH of 9+. They likely state that this is to "combat the acidity" or something, all the while your stomach naturally has a very low pH as is needed. You DONT want to increase your stomach pH. If you get butyrate supplements, I'd recommend either adding ACV to it before hand to neutralize it, or add the contents to an acidic soup.

Digestive Enzymes

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Posted by Peter (Chicago) on 12/29/2021
 ★★★★★

Art, what is your opinion on digestive enzymes? I saw (a you tuber's) demonstration using digestive enzymes which turn oat meal into almost liquid. This particular brand has ionic mineral blend in addition other enzymes. Is that an indication of good digestive enzymes?

Replied by Art
(California)
12/30/2021
2340 posts

Peter,

I think digestive enzymes can be useful in some instances and I think it is more useful to try and correct the underlying gut issue, but this can be hard and time consuming to determine what the underlying problem is and then try and correct that.

As an example of a simple use of digestive enzymes, a friend had a dairy intolerance issue where ice cream gave him an overabundance of gas which he was able to avoid by taking the Now Brand Super Enzymes before eating ice cream.

In another friend who had the feeling of indigestion with the urge to defecate everytime he ate, those same digestive enzymes were completely ineffective.

Digestive enzymes can also help some people with gluten intolerance. There are many reasons for digestive issues and digestive enzymes will help with some, but they can make others worse.

Art

Elsa D.
(New Zealand)
01/04/2022

Hello Peter

try Triphala

or Eno salt fruit if you have an acidity problem.

love Elsa

Fermented Foods for High Blood Pressure

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Posted by Jon V. (Austin, Texas) on 07/29/2021
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

Hey Everyone,

I have a story of extreme High Blood Pressure (over 200) and how I corrected it within 15 days, returning it to a good healthy range of 117/73. If you find yourself in a situation where you suddenly have high blood pressure where you had never before I suggest you look for outside influences that might have caused the situation. Let me tell you my story and let you draw your own conclusions.

I am a 53 year old healthy male. I do not take any medications and am proactive with my health. I believe that nutrition (from whole food sources not vitamins from bottles which a very high number on the market are of a synthetic nature and just don't work) is the key to good health. When a problem occurs with my health the first thing I do is sign onto Earthclinic and look for solutions based on a whole foods approach. By whole foods I mean as close to grown from the earth as possible. This means herbs, roots, food based vitamins/minerals, spices, vegetables, wheatgrass, (and so many more) and products made from these).

So last year I had some dental problems which necessitated numerous rounds of antibiotics - 3 rounds of amoxicillin and one round of penicillin over the course of a year. I had a recurring infection in a front tooth. I did not want a root canal instead I opted for an implant and was using the year to save up for the procedure. I foolishly thought that antibiotics could handle any flare ups until I could get the procedure done.

When I went into the specialist to get the implant he checked my blood pressure as he would have to put me under to do the implant. At that moment he bluntly told me that he would not do the implant and that I needed to see my doctor immediately. If I did not, I could suffer a heart attack or stroke at any moment. He went on to say my blood pressure was over 200, well in the danger zone. He refused to do the implant until I was on medication and my blood pressure was in the normal range.

I left the dentist office in shock. I had never had high blood pressure. As soon as I got home I got on Earthclinic looking for help. I found a post on how one cup of Kefir (fermented yogurt drink) every day could help lower your high blood pressure and that a compromised gut biome from taking too many antibiotics could cause a wide range of health issues one being high blood pressure.

By gut biome I mean the healthy microbes and bacteria in your gut that helps you break down food and assimilate it for the body's health. At this point I was willing to try anything. I did not want to go on any medication. I decided I would do a test to see if kefir and fermented food in general would work in lowering my blood pressure. I purchased an inexpensive blood pressure monitoring cuff from Amazon for around $25 and headed to Walmart to purchase some kefir (in the refrigerated yogurt section) and a health food market to get some fermented Sauerkraut and fermented pickles (because they are fermented - I.e. live foods - fermented sauerkraut and pickles must be refrigerated. You'll find them in the refrigerator section of a health store where they sell pickles).

I figured the more fermented food the better. I would drink one cup of kefir in the morning, eat 1/2 cup sauerkraut at lunch and dinner (twice a day), eat 1-2 pickles for snacks, and drink one ounce of the fermented sauerkraut and/or fermented pickle juice a day (fermented juice is loaded with probiotics). One word about sauerkraut, I am not a fan of many of the brands on the market except one - I'm not sure I can say the name on earthclinic but it is one word, begins with B, and is seven letters. I found this brand to be very tasty. They also make the fermented pickles, just as tasty).

The experiment was simple. I would consume the fermented foods in the proscribed manner mentioned above and check my blood pressure every morning before any food or coffee. I didn't notice any change in my blood pressure until around the 5th day. That day it dropped two points. and from there it rapidly dropped. After 15 days my blood pressure was 117/72 in the healthy good range.

I continued with the routine for another two weeks then weaned myself off the kefir. I still eat one 1/2 cup of sauerkraut or one pickle or drink one ounce of fermented juice a day as a good health routine. It has been a year since doing this and I feel so much better. I find I sleep better, have less stress, less depression, and a higher overall sense of well-being. I just had a full doctor's checkup with full blood work and everything came back excellent.

The doctor gave me a clean bill of health. So get out there and try fermented foods - they do work.

Replied by Vivian
(Kansas City)
08/07/2021
★★★★★

I too drink a shot of sauerkraut juice every night I also use Keifer in the mornings. I do not eat any wheat at all in anything; I have never felt better. My veggies consist of Bibb lettuce, Napa cabbage, onions, for dressing Apple cider vinegar

Replied by Yasmin
(TX)
08/07/2021

I am glad you shared your story. My BP (after anesthesia at the dentist's office three years ago) has gone up to 190/107 and has never come back to normal, which scared me because I consider myself generally healthy eating fruit, some fish and cheese. I also take food supplements. Nothing has worked so far from bio-magnets, Reiki, massage or diet. I am trying fasting now as a last resort. Thank you for sharing. I will do the kefir tomorrow and then see if I get some sauerkraut juice as well. Blessings!

mmsg
(somewhere, europe)
08/08/2021

Yasmin, you might want to add veggies to your diet and water as per Dr. Batman..

Replied by red
(AZ)
08/07/2021

Make your own kraut. American Indian style (Eastern) is cut up the cabbage, pack in a large jar, and if needed, add water. Press it down in the jar with something. No salt! Do not tighten the cap because it might crack the jar. Put the jar in a bowl, because without salt and in the heat, it about boils in the jar. This is called summer kraut and if the heat is 80+F, you'll have it fermented in a week to 10 days.

Replied by Cynthia
(Orl Fl)
08/07/2021

Thank you for sharing this. I take a low dose blood pressure med but would love to get off. Of course I know I can't stop the med but I'm going to try your exact regiment and hopefully it will lower enough I won't need the med..

Replied by John C.
(UK)
08/08/2021

Well done a hero for the battle against disease!!

Recently I have had tooth pains and associated neuralgia in the head ie various types of headaches engendered by the state of my bad teeth. I have no need for anti-biotics, I just do:

Oil pulling three times a day for a week then twice a day. Also used a strong sea salt solution, swish that around the mouth for about 3 minutes three times a day if you can. Complete cure in 3 days.

Oil pulling can be various oils such as coconut oil then after a couple of days run out of coconut oil so used virgin olive oil, mixed about 20% neem oil in to make it even more powerful. take about one or 2 teaspoons and swish around mouth for at least 10 minutes then spit out.

Replied by Dawn
(Michigan)
08/08/2021

I too, was going to have a procedure to remove a tooth due to infection in the dental office and had high blood pressure. My dentist yelled at me and told me to take a pill. I feel she was more upset about losing a sale than my well being. She let me leave without antibiotics. I am excited to try the kefir and sourkraut. Thank you for the info!

Replied by richard
(TN)
08/08/2021

It is ok to mention the brand. We have the right to choose which is best. thanks.

EC: Yes, if he wants to post it, no problem.

Replied by Madelyn
(Idaho)
08/09/2021

I believe the brand he was referring to is BUBBIES. They make naturally fermented, live culture sauerkraut and pickles. Yum!

Replied by Rick
(Indiana)
08/09/2021

FYI, Bubbies actually kills off a portion of the beneficial bacteria before shipping to give their products a longer shelf life (I believe this is on their website). It's best (and more rewarding) to ferment your own products. There are many books and videos on how to do it.

Replied by Jacksons Mom
(Alexandria, VA)
11/05/2021

Can you please give the last letter of the sauerkraut brand that you recommend? Thank you!

Replied by Jen
(MPLS, MN)
12/17/2022

I was always told that sauerkraut & pickles, are fermented period, whether refrigerated or not?? Is this true? 🙏 Thanks 👍

Replied by Karen
(Australia)
05/10/2023

Make your own fermented foods, its not hard nor does it take a lot of time and its cheaper and better for you. Use organic ingredients. I've made sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, pickles.. Youtube and health conscious sites have tutorials etc

FMT for Diabetes Type I

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Posted by Art (California) on 08/03/2021 2340 posts
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

In the article, I described how manipulating the gut microbiome using Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) had reduced Parkinson's disease symptoms by 50% or more!

I also said I would update as I found new info about gut microbiome manipulation. Many of you may be aware of how serious a disease Diabetes Type 1 is and how difficult it is to treat with treatments oftentimes not being very effective. I came across a human study yesterday that illustrates just how powerful the effects that gut microbiome manipulation can be on human health.

This newer Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) (2021) used FMT as the means to manipulate the gut microbiome of relatively newly diagnosed (less than 6 weeks) Type 1 Diabetic patients.

This is the title of the study :

Faecal microbiota transplantation halts progression of human new-onset type 1 diabetes in a randomised controlled trial

Here is a link to the full study itself:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7788262/

This study and other recent gut microbiome studies start to give us clues of how broad and how powerful the health effects of microbiota manipulation are in humans!

Art

Gut Microbiome and Autism

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Posted by natarajan (mumbai) on 07/31/2021
 ★★★★★

Art,

MY son is autistic. I heard that a bad gut is one of the big reasons for autism and the behaviour of autistic people. By curing a bad gut the behaviour pattern changes to good. Is there any chance of bringing the communicative skills can be improved. Any other suggestions? Please

Replied by Art
(California)
07/31/2021
2340 posts

Hello natarajan,

All we really have to use as a guide is results that have been obtained using the Fecal Microbiome Transplants and benefits have been shown using FMT for Autism. Here is a link to an article that discusses FMT results in patients with Autism that was done at Arizona State University (ASU) :

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190409093725.htm

I would highly recommend contacting the research team at ASU to find out if they have done further studies or if they think that modifying the diet might be helpful. The following link may also be helpful in your search:

https://designershitdocumentary.com/fmt-treatments-therapies/

Please update us on your findings.

Art

Replied by Aviva
(Israel)
08/08/2021

Look into information about the GAPS Diet. It is about the microbiome, the gut and how it affects the mind and the development of the child.

Pat W.
(Orlando, FL)
08/09/2021

By all means look into the GAPS diet. www.gapsdiet.com

Replied by Londa
(Bigfork, MN)
01/21/2022
★★★★★

Yes, we had our son tested for food sensitivities, removed those foods to stop the inflammation in the gut. Then you can start rebuilding the normal flora in the gut. Within 3 weeks we saw significant improvement in our son's behavior, communication, and he seemed to be aware of his surrounding for the first time. We made the change when he was 7, he is now 11. He is behind his peers in school but is making steady progress... if you make these changes you will not regret them.

Best of luck.


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