Q & A
This page as an open thread for reader questions, especially questions about personal health concerns.
I am putting this page up as a way to share knowledge — my knowledge with questioners, but also so that others with similar concerns can read the conversation, and readers with relevant knowledge can chip in with their own thoughts.
Please keep in mind that I can’t research questions in any depth, so my answers should be considered tentative, incomplete, and subject to later correction. Also, I am not a doctor, and nothing I say should be construed as a substitute for medical diagnosis and treatment. I am only sharing opinions about disease origins and general therapeutic strategies which may or may not be applicable in any given case.
To get the page started, I’ll put up a few questions from recent emails. Here is an index by disease, with clickable links:
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
- Bloating, acid reflux, anxiety, depression, hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, fatigue
- Lupus
- Depression
And here are my answers.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
Paul,
Been following your work on the PHD before the publication of the book and commented on my CLL and the usefulness of Vitamin D once on your blog and you responded to keep an eye on my Vitamin K intake, which I do now.. Am fortunate in a way to have my form of CLL as it indolent which gives me the opportunity to experiment without the pressure of undergoing conventional treatment. The PHD, I think, is helpful in this regard.
Wonder if you could point anything out to me that may be useful. Anything at all. And I will be happy to share with you my results.
Surely you know of the helpfulness of green tea with CLL. You may not be familiar with research that points out that those with low levels of Vitamin D need treatment for CLL far sooner than those with elevated levels.
Feel strongly that your version of a ketogenic diet would be helpful but also feel I need some direction in this area. Do you have any suggestions?
Warmest Regards,
A
Hi A,
I remember your comment, thanks for writing back. I’m glad you’re enjoying our diet and wish you the best.
Thanks for the tips about green tea and vitamin D. Neither one surprises me.
Most likely CLL is caused by a viral infection. So enhancing viral immunity is probably a good idea. Good strategies may include: (1) low-protein dieting, which inhibits viral reproduction and can promote autophagy; (2) maintaining high vitamin D levels; and (3) intermittent fasting, which promotes autophagy.
Some food compounds have been reported to have antiviral effects. An example is green tea catechins, eg http://pmid.us/16137775, http://pmid.us/18313149, and http://pmid.us/18363746, and this could be why green tea is helpful against cancers, http://pmid.us/21595018, which are usually viral in origin.
I might search Pubmed for herbs and spices with antiviral effects, and use them abundantly in cooking, along with antiviral foods. Turmeric / curcumin is a good choice, this needs to be taken with black pepper to enter the body. See http://pmid.us/21299124, http://pmid.us/20434445, http://pmid.us/20026048.
Coconut oil / lauric acid also has some antiviral properties, so inducing ketosis with coconut oil could benefit you even aside from the ketosis. You could also try monolaurin supplements which may enter the body better and which some people have reported to help viral infections.
You might also try HDL-raising tactics as discussed in this series: HDL and Immunity, April 12; HDL: Higher is Good, But is Highest Best?, April 14; How to Raise HDL, April 20.
Another possible tactic is high-dose riboflavin with UV exposure on the eyes. This requires going outdoors at midday and not wearing glasses or contact lenses. Riboflavin+UV is toxic to blood-borne viruses, and the retina is a location where UV can reach circulating blood cells. Sun exposure will also help you optimize vitamin D.
That’s a few ideas, at some point I’ll do some research to come up with more and do a blog post. Do keep me posted on your results!
Best, Paul
Bloating, acid reflux, anxiety, depression, hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, fatigue
Just came upon your website and had a question for you. I have had some health concerns for the last four years, bloating, acid reflux, anxiety, depression, hypoglycemia symptoms, female complaints (I am in my forties), thyroid antibodies at 333, weight gain around my middle and too tired to work out like I once did. I used to be fikiiled with energy and great health no depression or anxiety. My doctor thinks these symtoms are all from peri-menopause and wants to treat me with Zoloft.
Needless to say I have tried to avoid the Zoloft. I have tired every avenue out there to cure myself. Most recently the Primal type diet. When I eat no grains or dairy I get horrible hypoglycemia symptoms and don’t feel great like everyone else on a low carb diet. I feel weak and more anxious. Do you think your diet would be easier for me with the addition of rice and potatoes?
G
Hi G,
Yes, I do think our diet will be better for you. You should eat enough starches to avoid hypoglycemia.
The key thing for you is treating the infections which are consuming so much glucose and making you glucose-deficient if you don’t eat enough carbs. Whatever pathogen(s) this is, it seems to have infected your gut and caused the various gut problems; circulating pathogen-derived toxins and immune cytokines are probably responsible for the anxiety and depression. Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism may be either due to circulating toxins or a thyroid infection.
I would suspect some kind of protozoal or parasitic infection due to the hypoglycemia, but what I really recommend is getting your doctor to have a stool sample analyzed for pathogens. Metametrix has a good test. Once you know what pathogen to treat, and get on a better diet like ours, you should improve quickly.
Lupus
I am writing on behalf of my mother … We live in Dhaka Bangladesh …
Before her illness, my mom was 105 lbs, 5 feet tall and always 10ft tall in spirit…. When she was diagnosed with Lupus at the age of 30, we were all overwhelmed and out of our depths. My beautiful, athletic mother was in a wheelchair and given 6 months to live….
The doctors has advised her to eat literally nothing, minimum protein (1 small piece of chicken/fish, limited to 20g protein per day), only 2-3 types of vegetable and 2-3 fruits and of course lots of carbs to apparently compensate for her failing KIDNEY and LUPUS. She is on tons of medication, no food except the wrong foods (carbs) and in chronic pain. She currently weighs 139 lbs.
Please advise. — S
Hi S,
I believe lupus is a catch-all diagnosis for a variety of conditions which are probably caused by undiagnosed infections. In the US the infections are usually bacterial. I’ve known several people with diagnosed lupus who were cured by antibiotic treatments – in one case the problem was Lyme disease (Borrelia). I have no idea what the likely pathogens would be in Bangladesh. If she does better on low carb and coconut oil, that indicates bacteria; if she does better on high-carb, that indicates protozoa.
A healthy diet is very important. It is very bad advice to “eat literally nothing,” it is essential to be well nourished. Protein is necessary for healing and immune function, and 20 g/day is too little. Fasting is good, but it should be intermittent – not starvation! She needs healthy fats, more protein, and lots of micronutrients. Eggs, shellfish, seafood, bone broth soups, vegetable soups, and fermented vegetables may all be helpful. Coconut milk is probably good for her. You should basically follow the program in our book.
I would try to put her on a good diet, give her a little time for kidneys and other tissues to heal, and then try antimicrobial medicines. Usually, if they’re not working, then you don’t notice an effect. Any strong effect, good or bad, means they are working. Bad effects mean that pathogens are dying and releasing a lot of toxins as they disintegrate. If this occurs, detox aids (salt, water, and one of cholestyramine/charcoal/bentonite clay; also glutathione supports and vitamin C) will help.
Please stay in touch and let me know how things go.
Best, Paul
Depression
I’ve suffered from depression for decades. A few months ago, I decided to try the Dr. Kruse protocol for jumpstarting leptin sensitivity and 2 interesting things happened.
When I went very low carb – below 50 gm -. I had half-day periods where the depression suddenly lifted (something that has rarely happened otherwise). However, I also suffered from darker than normal periods.
I stopped the Dr. Kruse protocol after 6 weeks, and went back to regular paleo (approx. 200 – 300 gm. Carb/day). I’m now generally more depressed than usual, without the good periods.
These changes seem to indicate that I can have an influence on my depression with diet, but not sure what diet to try. Thoughts?
Hi Jersie,
I think your experience on very low carb is diagnostically telling.
I would interpret it this way:
- Your depression is caused by an interferon-gamma mediated immune response in the brain, probably caused by a viral or bacterial infection. This leads to tryptophan being directed away from serotonin and toward the kynurenine pathway. So you have a serotonin deficiency and kynurenine excess.
- A ketogenic diet is both therapeutic (promotes immunity against bacterial and viral infections) and mood-improving (clears kynurenine).
- However, you are at risk for hypoglycemia in the brain (especially if the infection is bacterial) and hypoglycemia causes irritability/anxiety and can aggravate depression.
So the very low-carb diet had mixed effects (ketosis, hypoglycemia).
What I would do is follow our ketogenic diet advice. Eat at least 50 g/day carbs from starches to get sufficient glucose, plus sufficient protein to reach 600 calories/day protein+carb, but add in large amounts of MCT oil or coconut oil. Also, do intermittent fasting – eat all the carbs within an 8-hour window; eat at least half the MCT oil in the 16-hour fasting window.
Once on a good diet, I might experiment with antibiotics to see if they relieve symptoms.
Please let me know how things go.
via this link:
Hi Paul, I saw my naturopath yesterday (6 month follow-up since my celiac diagnosis). Here are my new thyroid and lipid numbers (my HDL dropped, by the way.) I started GAPS September 1, 2012 (and eating animal protein & fat in general) and switched to PHD November 1, 2012.
Oct 2012 Total: 202, LDL: 96, HDL: 94 and Trigs: 60
Current: Total: 210, LDL: 114, HDL: 84 and Trigs: 60
June 2012 TSH: 0.82, Free Thyroxine: 2.5, T4: 8.1, T3 Uptake: 31
Current: TSH: 1.510, Free Thyroxine: 2.8, T4: 9.1, T3 Uptake: 31
In your opinion, improvement? Thank you so much for looking at this comparison. 🙂
Hi Dede,
I think it’s a slight improvement. Both sets are quite good, but I like the new numbers a bit better. Do you feel better?
I thought LDL’s are suppose to be lower and HDL’s higher. Dede’s are going in the opposite direction. What am I missing. Wonder what her naturopathic dr. says about her new numbers.
Thank you, AGAIN Dr. Paul!!!
Hi Jeri,
In most cases, yes, but Dede’s LDL was a bit low at 96. HDL is good at either 84 or 94, once it gets over 70 there’s no strong evidence that further increases are better. See eg http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2011/04/hdl-higher-is-good-but-is-highest-best/. For LDL and TC see http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2011/06/blood-lipids-and-infectious-disease-part-i/; I’ll probably do an LDL-specific post soon.
I do feel a bit better. My naturopath was also pleased, especially with my thyroid panel, as I had a suspicious low positive for Hashi’s (Cyrex test in August).
I forgot to add that I still show a chronic viral infection since last blood panel in June, but it’s not worse, it’s the same. So, I thought I’d increase my C and NAC. Good plan for viral, right?
I am going to buy your book for my naturopath. I think she’d love it.
Hi Dede,
The thyroid numbers were a bit suspiciously low last time, were you eating lower carb then?
C and NAC are often helpful but no one knows for sure if they will help.
Thank you!
Yes, much lower carb in June. My veg diet was raw vegetable juice for breakfast, avocado in a big salad with cooked veggies for lunch and dinners were another big salad with raw goat’s milk cheeses. Every once in a while I would eat sweet potatoes, but I don’t love them, so it was very rarely. Does that make more sense with the thyroid?
Hi Dede,
Yes. The combination of lower T3, lower T4, and lower TSH suggests carb starvation, and the lower LDL suggests fat starvation. Overall the numbers look like you were starving yourself then, and are doing a better job of eating now.
I have the same question: Dede`s LDL went up, HDL went down. This can`t be an improvement, right?
See http://perfecthealthdiet.com/q-a/comment-page-51/#comment-117255.
Hi Paul,
I saw a gastroenterologist with my Metametrix results, and she very reluctantly gave me Fluconazole 100mg for 10 days, for the 4+ Yeast/Fungi, taxonomy unavailable. Her reason was that I don’t have systemic symptoms and therefore can’t have a fungal infection. And of course didn’t want to treat the Parasite present, taxonomy unavailable. She wanted to treat the SIBO from L. acidophilus (very high) first.
I don’t feel comfortable with treating the SIBO first, because it might mess up my gut even more. Like you suggested in a previous post, treating the yeast/fungi and parasite first, might cause the rest to clear up by itself.
Fortunately I don’t have the typical IBS symptoms of diarrhea and cramping anymore, like when I was diagnosed with it years ago. The SIBO gives me a lot of pain and food sensitivities.
Maybe I can add Undecyn (has Undecylenic acid and Berberine) for the parasite?
http://www.thorne.com/Products/Gastrointestinal-Health/prd~SF742.jsp
Or should I find undecylenic acid without Berberine? Might Berberine kill beneficial bacteria?
When do I start including fermented vegetables? After the Fluconazole, or at the same time? Is it even worth it to take Fluconazole for just 10 days?
I am so glad that I finally found out what is wrong and thank you so much for answering our questions.
Hi Erica,
I don’t know a lot about berberine but I would think it would be OK.
As far as health goes it would probably be best to eat fermented vegetables at the same time. The downside is of starting both at once is that you can’t tell whether any effect you observe is due to the fluconazole or the fermented vegetables. So maybe you should start the fermented vegetables first, and wait a few weeks before trying the fluconazole.
Also, I would avoid eating too much of the fermented vegetables at first. When introducing new species you may benefit by introducing them gradually so your immune system can adapt to them.
Thank you so much, Paul. Just one more question. If I decide to try the fluconazole after a few weeks, should I take something for parasites at the same time or do that later if necessary.
Hi Erica,
I wouldn’t mix drugs, you want to be able to observe how each one is affecting you.
That makes perfect sense. Will remember that on my road to recovery. Thank you again!
Hi Paul,
Just wondering if you might have any tips…
For skin so dry that it cracks and bleeds, what can be done topically to treat it and promote healing? Should I disinfect it with Tea Tree Oil and put a bandaid on it? Soak in warm water? Vaseline?
The open wounds (1-2 mm)take 2+ weeks to heal. Mostly on lips, hands, and soles of feet.
Hi Monnyica,
I don’t know how well the topical treatments work. I would say important nutrients include sulfur, gelatin/collagen (joint and bone soups), vitamin C, vitamin A (liver), vitamin D, vitamin K, and eating good PHD macronutrient proportions including omega-3 fats.
Thanks Paul. Actually, I am low in most of those. Sulfur is non-existant. My Vitamin D is 35 ng/mL. Is that good enough?
I seem to have been having an increased appetite (not sure if this is related to hormones or possible parasitic infection) and have recently been eating about 5 cups of white rice and 1.5 lb meat/fish per day. This is going over the PHD proportions. Should I control myself or should I satisfy the hunger? I feel like I am eating too much rice…
Hi Monnyica,
Are you gaining weight? It’s possible you just need nutrition and once your are better nourished your hunger will subside.
I would try to focus on nutrient-dense foods. That seems a lot of rice. Potatoes which have more nutrition per calorie would be a better choice. Organ meats and shellfish are more nutrient dense than muscle meats. Try switching your foods to more nutrient-dense choices, but still eat to appetite.
Hi Paul:
Do you recommend safe starches like rice or sweet potato for someone with candida?
Thanks!
Hi Cooper, yes I do.
Hi Paul, thanks for the reply.
If you don’t mind me expanding the question… What should a proper candida look like then? What should the main source of carbs be? What might a typical meal look like?
Right now I only eat 75% lean grass fed beef, organic lettuce, red cabbage, squash, and cauliflower ( all organic.)
Would I be better off ditching the carby vegetables and getting my carbs from rice instead?
Thanks!
PHD + extra low-calorie vegetables + intermittent fasting is basically the optimal anti-Candida diet.
Hi Paul,
What do you think of this study?
Reversing bacteria-induced vitamin D receptor dysfunction is key to autoimmune disease.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19758226
I remember you mentioned in the book that bacteria can cause VDR dysfunction in cells in order to protect themselves.
I really like this idea of possible reversal! The only thing I don’t understand is why the limitation on Vitamin D when trying this approach? I didn’t understand how it would cause further problems…?
Also, along the same lines, but slightly different…. a question about serum Vit D… if someone had VDR dysfunction (either due to bacteria or to wheat) wouldn’t it seem that their serum Vit D levels would always be high? I’m saying that only based on my lack of knowledge here, I was imagining that if VDR are dysfunctional, then less Vit D from bloodstream gets picked up?? I really don’t know the process…
Thank you for your time!
KH
Hi KH,
I don’t believe in their drug therapies, or their vitamin D3 avoidance. I do think that bacteria have evolved ways to interfere with vitamin D, but don’t believe that is fixed by olmesartan.
The other question is a little too hypothetical to answer. In most chronic diseases people have low 25OHD but high 1,25D. Because there are multiple forms of vitamin D and multiple degradation pathways, it’s not simple to say what happens, especially since the way microbes interfere with D function is not known.
A related paper by that group was discussed in this post: http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2010/08/vitamin-d-dysregulation-in-chronic-infectious-diseases/
Ok, thank you Paul. I just skimmed over that older post you mentioned– I don’t think I read that one before… good info, thank you! I’ll have to read it a few times to make sure I get all these things straight!
What got me on this trail yesterday was a search for what’s causing my strange not-vertigo, not-really-dizziness movement feeling symptom (it’s not balance, it’s not spinning, it’s so hard to explain!)… I don’t know if you recall but I had this symptom last year right around this time and I searched and searched for answers, stopped eating potatoes, etc, etc. and never really figured out what had happened, it just went away. So since late last spring, I’ve been fine without any symptom whatsoever. And now, a few weeks ago it started again. Ive got a list of possible ideas but really no clue what is going on. I don’t think it could really be the potatoes because I’ve been eating plenty of them all summer, fall, winter without noticing anything strange. I’m guessing some nutrients might be out of balance, so I thought about the Vit D. Recently, I have only been taking 1000 IU per day so not really a lot. I thought about Vit D as the culprit because that was one of my speculations from last year (last year my doctor had given me pharmaceutical dose of Vit D (50,000 IU per pill) to get my levels higher and I took three of them, two weeks apart around Feb- Mar 2012). In searching for answers last year, I suspected that maybe that super high dose of Vit D caused the (we’ll just call it) “dizziness” but still my theories don’t exactly work out. 1) I have taken 1000 IU Vit D often throughout the year. 2) I haven’t taken any high doses of Vit D at all since last year.
In any case, I’m sadly denying myself potatoes for a week or two and also stopping supplements for this week. I should just do one at a time, but the feeling was so annoying and depressing that I feel desperate for it to just go away.
Ok, thank you for letting me vent on your site! Feel much better! 😀
KH
Hi KH,
Sorry to jump in here, but I wonder if you would describe your “dizziness,” as though the floor sort of seems to move under you.. as though it moved and you just didn’t realize it for a moment? I have had the same thing happen over the years. It definitely wasn’t vertigo or spinning or whatever people generally describe.. it was more that my balance or place in time and space was jolted.. or the floor was moving! It was usually very brief, but deeply unnerving.
I’ll tell you when mine first started and when I have seen it return and maybe that will help to piece yours together. Mine started about 7 years ago when I was in the depths of veganism.. I was also over-drinking and under-eating. I think at the time it was likely an acute electrolyte issue, but also a vitamin B12 deficiency. I finally went to see a doctor about it when it started to get more severe i.e, I would have that feeling like the ground was moving AND my eyes would sort of black out for a moment… not like I was passing out, just they would go dark. So the doctor didn’t have any clues and thought maybe it was neurocardiogenic vasodepressor. Which was ridiculous really because I never actually passed out. So, he advised me to greatly increase my intake of electrolytes.. which I did. It seemed to manage it for awhile, but I would still get it from time to time. Fast forward a few years and I started eating lots of animal products. This made it go away almost completely. The only times I have experienced it since then is recently when I’ve partied too much and been under emotional stress.
Like most other people here I’ve been hacking my health for a little over 2 years.. just trying to get to the bottom of all my issues. With the help of Paul’s website I have been able to greatly improve my health, but still have lingering issues. I am one of those people that feels good and am never sick, but somehow I am still not well. Anyway, most recently I have been dealing with some numbness and tingling, some lingering GI issues, etc. No regular medical doctor has been able to help so I finally went to see a Chiropractor who specializes in functional medicine. He did a blood test and broke everything down for me and was able to describe exactly who I am biologically without me really telling him much of anything. It was quite remarkable. So, he thinks I have a bacterial overgrowth somewhere in the GI tract (although nothing showed on a stool test) and that is causing much of my nutrients to not be properly absorbed/converted. Most specifically he thinks this is true for B12 (which actually shows high on a serum test) and Vit D which I supplement religiously 6000 I.Us a day just to maintain a 38 serum reading.
Sorry for the long response.. I think that you might be on to something with the problems with absorption of Vit. D.. I also think its possible you have a B12 issue? Especially if you were ever veg. Or maybe not.. but hopefully this story resonates somehow and can help further your investigative process.
Best,
Lindsay
Hi Lindsay,
Thank you for sharing your experience! The dizziness thing is hard to describe but I guess for me sometimes it feels like my head is like a fishbowl. See, that doesn’t even make any sense! But it mostly felt like movement in my head or sometimes upper body. Because of that, I thought for sure it must be related to my inner ear, but when I went to an ENT last year when this happened (last year was the first time in my life I’ve ever felt anything like this, and now this would be the second time) he assured me I just had allergies and sent me away with Claritin samples. After I answered all his questions he said it definitely wouldn’t be in my inner ear based on my responses. I’m not an ENT but I felt a little upset that he didn’t even seem to want to investigate at all.
So anyway, I have thought about electrolyte issues– not sure but I know Vit D has something to do with calcium levels. I’ve been looking up hypercalcemia, hypocalcemia, hyperkalemia, hypokalemia (potassium), etc, etc…. you understand I’m sure!
I did have a full iron, folate and B12 panel done last year when this happened and my B12 was within range: 639 pg/mL (norm 211- 946 pg/ mL) and then it was checked again in July and it was 648, so pretty consistent. I haven’t ever been vegan or vegetarian, although I did eat less meat before. But I am in fact out of my B12 supplement, so I’ll consider that possibility! Thank you for the idea.
My blood pressure has been normal, my blood sugars have been pretty normal and steady, so nothing there. I don’t drink alcohol so that couldn’t be it. I didn’t start any new regimen or any new supplements recently (though I did get a new brand Vit D). ??? I still think maybe there’s a slight chance it could be my ears but there’s no way to look at the inner ear. When I was very young I had to get my ears irrigated or something every once in a while at the doctor. Ever since childhood though I’ve never had a problem with my ears. So, if it were my ears, why now? It doesn’t make sense really. So I’m just not sure.
In case I confused anyone about avoiding potatoes, it was speculation about possible solanine toxicity from poorly handled potatoes. Apparently the solanine can block acetylcholinesterase which helps break down acetylcholine, so a buildup of acetylcholine at neurons could damage neurons or interfere with signals or something. So that was why I decided to stop potatoes for a while. But I’ve been eating them almost every day since then with no sign of any symptom like this, so it’s probably not the potatoes.
Anyway, sorry to go on…
Thank you for your input Lindsay!
KH
Ah yes, the investigations and theories we go through! God bless us!
I do recommend seeing a functional med sort of doc if you have one in your area. They really do offer great insight.. it is impressive. Where my previous doc has always said I am a picture of health and everything on my blood panels look good, this functional med doc saw some glaring issues. I guess they look not at standard practice medical ranges (which is essentially the value for ALL people, sick and not sick alike), but at “functional,” ranges which are what is the most optimal. Anyway, something as simple as an elevation of neutrophils and a decline in lymphocytes that would show normal to a traditional doc indicated to my functional med guy that I have a bacterial infection.
That would be my last piece of advice.
Good luck!
Lindsay
Hi Lindsey and KH and Paul,
Your mention of numbness and tingling encouraged me to share something I wish I saw addressed in this and other blogs I follow…
With over 2 1/2 years of Paleo/PHD detective work, I may have finally identified the final piece of my puzzle. After addressing multiple gut infections and micronutrient deficiencies, and embarking on a strict auto-immune protocol, I was still experiencing only moderate success. At night, I regularly had numbness, restless sleep and nightmares.
Out of frustration a few weeks ago, I embarked on a ‘potato diet’ that included only yucca (no nightshades), lime or vinegar, 2 oz. of liverwurst per day and decaf tea. To my disbelief I still experienced symptoms. Finally I did a day with just yucca and lo and behold I felt amazing!
With some research I concluded that the trigger appears to be histamines. Many high histamine foods were staples of my diet: vinegar, avocados, canned sardines, dark chocolate, tea containing anise or cinnamon, and bananas. I had a few bites of pineapple two evenings in a row, and mustard one night and the after-effects nearly destroyed me.
There’s some overlap between foods to avoid when following a low histamine diet and an AIP diet (tomatoes, eggplants, eggs,cheese). I was always confused about the need to follow a strict auto-immune protocol since there’s no indication that I have an AI disease. This realization has allowed me to slowly add back some foods I’ve missed such as potatoes. My hopes is that after a few weeks of not poking at my gut wounds maybe my gut will heal and allow me to add back some items once dear to me such as high fat dairy and egg yolks.
I share this with two goals in mind. First, perhaps I can help other avoid the same arduous journey I’ve taken, and secondly I would love to see this get more attention on Paleo blogs. This condition is barely recognized in the US but seems to be better understood in Europe. The rare web sites found on this topic have conflicting information, and the one book recommended spends much of it explaining the benefits of a whole foods diet—something I know very well by now!
So Paul, I know your list of topics on-deck is long, but I’d love to see a posting on this one day.
Thanks Lindsay, you are definitely right about finding a doctor… I do have to find another doctor. Sounds like you found a good one! I have been dragging my feet in that regard but I just need to go start searching!
Elyse, interesting about the histamines. I’ve heard people talk about that but never looked into it. Just out of curiosity, why were you on a autoimmune protocol? For the tingling and numbness? Just asking because two of my brothers and I have autoimmune diseases (I have type 1 diabetes, 1 brother also type 1 diabetes, oldest brother has Crohns).
(Please excuse the wrong nesting–we’ve run out of room below)
KH –
One by one I identified sensitivities to nuts, dairy, tomatos, potatos. When I learned that the autoimmune protocol covered all these, I figured it safest to eliminate all AI problematic foods.
I kept trying to get to a stable place to test items one by one but never could since I never imagined that items like vinegar, sardines and avocadoes could be the problem.
My food sensitivity reactions have changed over the years. They began as muscle back pain, then burning feeling in back, then numbness if I was not sleeping on my back with all limbs perfectly flat and finally face rashes. The symptoms overlapped and some subsided. Currently, I am left with a very faint rash on my face and occasional numbness as I test foods unsuccessfully.
This looks like an important study, I wish I could read beyond the abstract.
Does this imply those with high serum Vit D levels could be experiencing cellular vitamin D deficiency in the presence of a VDR malfunction?
Chris Masterjohn has recently detailed an excellent overview of A,D,K synergy/balance (as well as Paul in various places including his books). http://www.westonaprice.org/vitamins-and-minerals/beyond-good-and-evil#fig1
Figure 3 explains what a vit D deficiency can do in the presence of adequate vit A. I am wondering if this applies to a situation where serum vit D measure normal but a receptor malfunction exists. Could this explain bone loss among those nutrient replete?
Elyse, What source did you use for the list of histamine foods that you avoid? I have been considering trying this.
One site to check out is thelowhistaminechef.com. She has a decidedly vegan slant but the science and general background is helpful.
The list of foods that I minimize comes from Chris Kresser’s Personal Paleo Code program. I heard him mention in a podcast that his anti-migraine diet included minimization of histamines and two other items. I’m hesitant to post the list here since it seems like I’m giving away proprietary information. Perhaps you can encourage him to list it on his web site.
To Janis, Amy M., Katie G and others interested in histamines…
Check out Chris Kresser’s post today
http://chriskresser.com/headaches-hives-and-heartburn-could-histamine-be-the-cause?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thehealthyskeptic+%28Chris+Kresser%29
Hi dr.jaminet, I was perusing your articles on exercise and longevity and noticed you left out High Intensity training (H.I.T).
Hunter gatherers got most of their exercise from long durations of walking and short bouts of very high intensity exercise (sprinting).
It is unlikely that they would have spent much time jogging as it is less efficient than walking and less effecting than sprinting (at pursuing prey or evading predators).
While long duration endurance exercise has been shown to harm heart health, and shrink the lungs HIT training has been shown to increase lung capacity/mass and increase heart mass. It has also been shown to improve vascular function in heart disease patients (1)
It also increases human growth hormone by 500% to 700%. HGH (often referred to as the ‘youth hormone’) tends to decline as we age and high HGH is associated with longevity.
Additional benefits of HGH training includes –
• H.I.T. increases recovery oxygen consumption (burns more calories) more than prolonged low intensity exercise.
• In comparison to low to moderate intensity exercise, H.I.T. causes metabolic adaptations in skeletal muscle that favors the process of fat burning (lipid oxidation).
• H.I.T. trains ALL muscle fiber types (including fast twitch and super fast twitch) whereas aerobic exercise trains only the slow twitch muscle fibers.
• H.I.T. promotes greater muscle growth than traditional exercise. Greater muscle growth leads to burning more calories which leads to greater fat reduction and numerous other health benefits.
H.I.T. increases bone density
HIT improves insulin sensitivity.
Both HIT training and weights training increases HGH and muscle mass. Larger muscle mass in men is also associated with longevity. Take this study for example –
“The size of a man’s waistline and the muscle mass of his biceps provides a snapshot of mortality risk in aging men. S. Goya Wannamethee and colleagues from Royal Free and University College Medical School (London, United Kingdom) studied more than 4,100 men ages 60 to 79, and found that those with a waist circumference less than 40 inches (102 centimeters) and above-average muscle mass in their upper arms were up to 36 percent less likely to die over a six-year period (as compared to those with bigger waists and smaller arm muscles). The researchers also found the combination of waist size and arm muscle mass to provide a far more accurate gauge of death risk as compared to body mass index (BMI) measurements, which the team found was linked to mortality only among very thin men”
1: Physiological adaptations to low-volume, high-intensity interval training in health and disease, The Journal of Physiology, 2012 Jan 30. [Epub ahead of print]
i watched an interesting doco on the TV the other day, which made me wonder if our ancestors per took in ‘persistence hunting’.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_hunting
“Persistence hunting is a hunting technique in which hunters use a combination of running and tracking to pursue prey to the point of exhaustion.
While humans can sweat to reduce body heat, their quadrupedal prey would need to slow from a gallop in order to pant”
Apparently this is still practised today by a few groups.
The doco i watched showed some African bushman (i think they referred to them as the San people) hunt down their prey over many hours.
The animal finally dropped to its knees from exhaustion.
Hi Marcus,
I’m a believer in H.I.T., I just haven’t gotten to it yet.
It’s a big literature to cover. Thanks for the interesting paper suggestions. I like the waistline-and-biceps as indicator paper.
Hey Paul,
Chris Kresser posted a couple good articles on his blog.
Per Kresser,
Both high-intensity running or bicycling sprints and high-intensity strength training are effective. But I believe high-intensity strength training is probably a better choice for most, simply because the wear-and-tear and risk of injury is lower – especially if the strength-training is performed using weight machines as described in Body By Science.
This is, in fact, the method of training I’ve been doing since April of this year. I admit I was somewhat skeptical about it all before I read Body By Science. But the research and the physiology was convincing, so I decided to give it a try.
The results have been incredible. My workout varies in length between 5 and 9 minutes a week. That’s right, I said minutes. With only a few exceptions, I’ve increased the amount of weight I can lift, the time I can lift it, or both, with each successive workout. My strength has increased and my physique is, if anything, better than it was when I was lifting 3x/week for much longer periods. Here are the links for more info, http://chriskresser.com/how-to-lose-weight-and-prevent-diabetes-in-6-minutes-a-week , http://chriskresser.com/9-steps-to-perfect-health-7-move-like-your-ancestors and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PdJFbjWHEU .
Sounds interesting SC. How would you do HIT training with weights? Do you use heavy weight or light weights with lots of reps?
Victoria,
Heavy weight, low reps to failure.
Here are some links:
The Big 5 workout: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eNBTZiZnLY
Big 5 Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txsd0rIsPR4
Big 5 Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USyj-RgHFl0
Big 5 Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tI4bOiSAaQ
Big 5 Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnDRtLyBFdg
Here is a good video link on the overall concept: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PdJFbjWHEU
SC have you been able to gain actual size with this style of lifting, or just strength?
Hi SC. I looked at the videos, I am actually using this form of weight lifting myself.
Paradoxically the weights version of H.I.T involves super slow movements rather than super fast movements, but it keeps constant pressure on your stabilizer muscles etc. I find it very effective too.
Hello Marcus and SC
I looked at the videos and for some time have been thinking about buying the Body by Science book. Do you know of women who follow this program? I want to increase my strength but not bulk up. Currently I mostly run and feel I need to introduce some strength training.
Thanks
Lindsay
Lindsay, I don’t follow this program specifically, but I can tell you as a woman that I lift heavy weights and I actually try to gain muscle, and it is very difficult to get bulky unless you are eating a TON of food. I lost a ton of weight by stopping cardio (except for one set of Tabata sprints once a week) and doing very heavy leg work (squats, leg presses, deadlifts). Mark Rippetoe’s starting strength is an excellent guide for perfecting your squat form, or you can try The New Rules of Lifting for Women if you are a complete newbie at lifting weights and want a program for it.
Lindsay,
Here is a good link on BBS for woman. “BODY BY SCIENCE” — ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN: http://www.bodybyscience.net/home.html/?page_id=301
Elyse,
Yes, I have gained strength and size with BBS.
Marcus,
I’m with you. HIT/BBS just plain works for me and has surpassed my results from multiple grueling/time consuming workouts.
Lindsay,
There is a bit of conversation about BBS on Paleohacks. I know Elyse says she has dropped cardio, but you will find that what you need to maintain leanness is different from woman to woman.
Personally, I do a mix of resistance training and cardio. I lift about 2-3 times per week, heavy and then do cardio about 3 days a week. I mostly do elliptical or I run outside in the sun when its nice. It is not only that I feel the best when I include cardio, but I also really like to move a lot. BBS I tried for awhile, but couldn’t stick with it because I just like to workout more.
Exercise is a deeply personal thing. I think the take home is that you shouldn’t do too much, but definitely do something and include resistance.
*effective not effecting
-High intensity training only takes about 2-4 minutes of exercise at maximum capacity and has been shown to have the same health benefits as 40 minutes of endurance training, as well as the aforementioned additional benefits not seen in endurance type exercise.
Marcus, anecdotally I know that I feel equally as “worked” from my five 15-second sprints (done over five minutes) as I do from my HIT lifting workout — slo-mo style lifting to failure. My former jogging days (5-15 miles, steady state) came nowhere close to the level of muscular fatigue.
Also anecdotally I like to compare sprinter physiques to those of marathoners.
Thanks for the study info!
The thing about body by Science is that you have to go to a gym. That does not work for me. I recently downloaded
Primal Blueprint Fitness in Mark’s Daily Apple and finally (!) found a plan for body weight exercises that can be individualized with increasing difficulty that will probably work for me for the rest of my life. 15 min twice a week of strength, plus minimum of 3 hours a week walking or something not too stRenuous and one short session of some kind of sprint. Simple. Free. And can do it at home. Happy dance!!!
Hi Lindsay,
Elyse is right, it is very difficult for women to bulk up doing weights because you lack the male hormones necessary to achieve large muscle mass. Weights will do more to tone and sculpt your body than bulk it up.
SC, Great study on women doing HIT.
Thanks Paul, I’ll start right away.
Just one more post if you don’t mind- what should my main source of carbs be, and how many should I aim for a day?
How do I up the fat without going keto?
is fruit ok?
thank you so much!
Hi Cooper,
Main source of carbs — a safe starch. White potatoes are good. See our food plate.
Do you need to up the fat? Just eat fat to taste. Don’t worry about whether you are ketogenic.
Yes, fruit is OK.
Hi Paul:
I just finished the new book. Really enjoyed it. I have a question about the dedication at the end of the book. You mentioned that Shou-Ching’s father died of heart disease. I’m just curious about how his diet would have differed from PHD. I assume it was very low in processed carbs, no industrial oils, low in fructose. What would have been different? My own father died of heart disease and we have a strong family history, so anything mention of heart disease always peaks my interest. Thanks again.
Hi Olga,
He loved alcohol and he smoked. He also ate a lot of wheat, which was typical for the region of northern China he was from (Shandong province) — he loved noodles and dumplings. And soy and other beans. He ate a lot of pork which carries infection risk. But if it weren’t for drinking and smoking, he probably would have lived much longer.
Hi Paul,
Regarding NAC, here is a blogpost someone did:
http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.com/2011/03/problems-i-have-nac-for-that.html
They mention NAC thins mucus, could this be a concern for someone fighting overgrowth?
Hi kimanyd,
It is a concern. Perhaps NAC should be paired with DGL which promotes mucus secretion.
Is there a preference/difference between DGL or Slippery Elm? I was thinking about drinking slippery elm tea before meals, not sure if this has helped anyone with leaky gut or not.
Paul,
There seems to be some evidence that vitamin C supplementation could reduce gains from endurance training (and possibly other exercise?). Do you have any idea what might be causing this, and are there different vitamin C recommendations for athletes (especially endurance athletes)?
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/87/1/142.abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18175748
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16611389
my understanding is that oxidative stress is necessary to get some of the muscular gains from exercise and vitamin C counteracts oxidative stress because its an antioxidant.
That’s my extremely rudimentary conception of it as well, but I have a feeling it’s not the whole story. Maybe the antioxidants:ROS ratio has to be kept close to 1:1, and supplementing 1g/day vitamin C skews it too much towards antioxidants.
If it’s true that it’s simply counteracting the oxidation, that would imply that any level of endurance exercise is unhealthy, though. My gut instinct is that oxidative stress won’t cause issues unless it gets excessive – in other words, you can handle having more free radicals than antioxidants as long as it’s not 100% of the time.
Still, though, layman speculation is worth very little, so I’d love to get a more educated opinion on what’s happening. For the moment, I’m going to avoid directly supplementing vitamin C unless I have a reason to (sickness, etc).
Hi Anon,
I think Marcus is correct.
Here’s a relevant free-access review: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19144121.
hi Paul,
I’m wondering, what’s the healthiest safe starch for one with candida?
My local store offers long grain white rice, sweet potatoes, yams, quinoa, and aramath.
Which is the best? Thanks!
How about white potatoes?
I would say that the ones that have the least fructose are probably best.
Hi Paul,
I think i may react (negatively) to coconut cream/milk.
Just done some elimination testing with some 100% coconut cream (no gums etc).
I also do not like the taste or smell of coconut oil (have tried refines & unrefined & many different brands etc).
However, i do intake MCT oil, probably average around 10 to 15 grams per day.
Am i missing out on much by not doing coconut products?
Lauric Acid comes to mind.
Hi darrin,
As far as ketogenesis is concerned, MCT oil is better than coconut oil.
Lauric acid is excellent against viral infections, but the caprylic acid in MCT oil also has antimicrobial effects so it’s not clear which is better in any given case.
Paul,
What are your thoughts on colonic hydrotherapy (cleansing/irrigation)?
Do you recommend it?
Thanks
John
Hi John,
I don’t have a position. I am not a clinician so I haven’t investigated most therapies.
hELLO-
How long is take to fix your health after 2.5 years of abuse?
im 20 years old, birthday is june 7th.
around late summer 2010, i started a habit of going to taco bell everyday. this eventually snowballed into 2.5 years of dietary abuse and junk food addiction.
i kept all of my receipts from 2011 and 2012 from taco bell, mcdonalds, and dominoes. this is how many times i went…
2011:
taco bell- 367
mcdonalds -301
dominoes -356
2012:
taco bell- 398
mcdonalds – 410 (the great summer mcflurry binge)
dominoes – 299
on top of this, id easily go through 2 gallons of soda, whole tubs of ice cream, entire packs of chips ahoy with a galon of milk, etc a day.
I used antibiotics a few times in this period so i suspect possible candida overgrowth
amazingly my BMI didnt go above 25 until about a month ago, although im now starting to add more fat than i should.
i feel so sick. im constantly tired, have brain fog, depression, etc.
so monday i adopted a strict paleo diet with sweet potato. all of my meat is 100% grass fed, im doing interrmittent fasting, and im going to stay 100% pure.
how long will it take to undo the damage and feel normal again?
Hi Saul,
I’m not Paul obviously, but thought I’d leave a few thoughts for you.
First off, congratulations on turning your health standards around by adopting a paleo styled diet.
Secondly, WOW! You nearly ate at Taco Bell, McDonalds, and Dominoes at least once EACH every day for 2 years. … plus all of the other things on top of this.
No wonder you feel sick, have depression, etc.
It’s difficult to say how long it will take to get back to proper health. But this really shouldn’t be your main focus. I believe your main focus should be eating heallthy foods (PHD) at every meal and allow the body to “un-do” the damage it has been subject to on its own accord.
Progess is the main focus you want to have. As time rolls on asking a question like ‘Do I feel better overall than last week/month?’ is a good indicator of progress (as well as medical tests if neccessary).
Once again, well done on choosing a better, brighter and more powerful lifestyle! All of that fast food will begin to taste like cardboard after eating ‘real food’ for a little while.
Best in health,
Kristopher
Hi Saul,
I have no idea how long it will take, it depends on what sort of infections you have acquired.
The key thing is to tend to the process of being healthy, and let outcomes care for themselves. Good health will come.
Try to follow our diet and lifestyle recommendations for ~3 months and then come back and let me know what symptoms are still with you.
hELLO-
How long is take to fix your health after 2.5 years of abuse?
im 20 years old, birthday is june 7th.
around late summer 2010, i started a habit of going to taco bell everyday. this eventually snowballed into 2.5 years of dietary abuse and junk food addiction.
i kept all of my receipts from 2011 and 2012 from taco bell, mcdonalds, and dominoes. this is how many times i went…
2011:
taco bell- 367
mcdonalds -301
dominoes -356
2012:
taco bell- 398
mcdonalds – 410 (the great summer mcflurry binge)
dominoes – 299
on top of this, id easily go through 2 gallons of soda, whole tubs of ice cream, entire packs of chips ahoy with a galon of milk, etc a day.
I used antibiotics a few times in this period so i suspect possible candida overgrowth
amazingly my BMI didnt go above 25 until about a month ago, although im now starting to add more fat than i should.
i feel so sick. im constantly tired, have brain fog, depression, etc.
so monday i adopted a strict paleo diet with sweet potato. all of my meat is 100% grass fed, im doing interrmittent fasting, and im going to stay 100% pure.
how long will it take to undo the damage and feel normal again?
thanks
saul, what is your digestion like? Do you have normal bowel movements? DO you suffer from diarrhea, constipation, bloating etc?
Saul – I’m 47, I abused my body through poor eating habits for 45 years. When I was younger, it was no big deal, but when I hit 40, I went to hell. I had fatty liver disease, pre-diabetic, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gout, and sleep apnea. It took 6 mo of eating right to go from 250lbs to 180lbs and got off all meds in that time, liver fixed itself, too.
At 20, you can handle more abuse than older folks, so you should see drastic improvements within a few weeks.
Hi Paul, I have a question about combining starch and fat together. I am a nutritional therapist in the UK and have read and really enjoyed your book. I am regularly see clients who want to lose weight and there is one point I am unsure on. Several books (Nora Gedgaudas and Zoe Harcombe) claim that to encourage fat loss and to prevent fat storage, you shouldn’t eat fat and starch together as the starch will be used for energy while the fat will be stored away in fat cells. I would be interested in your take on this considering that you encourage fat and starches to be eaten together to minimise blood sugar rise and insulin release.
Many thanks
Emma
Hi Emma,
I disagree. There is a problem with an excess of carbs combined with an excess of fats, especially polyunsaturated fats — this is difficult for the body to handle. But if carb intake is below 30% of energy and omega-6 intake is low, the carbs can go into glycogen, the fat can go into adipose tissue, there is no competition for limited mitochondrial electron transport, and everything is fine.
So the major issue is the overall diet, not the composition of individual meals. There is enough storage space for a meal’s worth of carbs and fat that if the overall diet is healthy, the body is prepared to handle any meal.
Hi Paul,
Thank you so much for all you do!
I have questions about the toxicity of Omega 6 oils. Is it possible that the research that has been done reflects only upon damaged omega 6 fats, (similar to the early research on coconut oil being done on hydrogenated coconut oil)? They are so sensitive, and most are damaged right out of the bottle because of processing. Ray Peat lost all credibility with me because he refers to the “stickiness” of these oils which can be felt on the surface of the bottles after some use. In fact, this stickiness only occurs with processed and therefore damaged polyunsaturates. When they are genuinely correctly cold pressed (which is rare) they are not sticky at all. I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Hi Michelle,
Eating undamaged omega-6 fats can still be problematic because they are subject to peroxidation in the body. They are fine as long as they remain < 4% of energy, but above that they generally cause trouble.
Dear Paul,
I wanted to match my iodine-intake to your recommendations (1mg/day) as I hoped that this would help increase my body temperature which is usually quite low. I started at 200 mcg, which I used to take since starting PHD (about 6 months ago). I am now at 800 mcg since about a month.
About a week ago I realized that my throat is swollen and that it hurts mildly when I squeeze it mildly. There’s a mild back pain too. Also, my TSH did go UP! (I received the results yesterday and it is now at 4.8 . It was 2.7 when I tested it a few weeks ago. Unfortunatly, the lab refused to test t4 and t3 although my doctor ordered it because the TSH of 4.8 is still in the “normal” lab range 😐 )
Is this worrysome? Mario Iwakura wrote in a comment in his article that the swelling of the throat could be a bromine related symptom. That might indeed be the case, as my urine DID get a brownish colouration from time to time since upping the iodine. Would that make sense? Would you discontinue the iodine?
Thank you! 😛
Hi Luke,
Yes, from what I have read both, swollen throat and brown urine, could be symptoms of bromine.
Dr. Flechas talk about brown urine in one interview here:
http://curezone.com/forums/am.asp?i=1012212
How is your salt consumption? Are you supplementing with selenium? Did you see and tried the strategies for bromide detox from Breast Cancer Choices?
http://www.breastcancerchoices.org/bromidedetoxsymptomsandstrategies.html
Ps. Your back pain is where exactly? In the spine or near an organ?
Hi Mario,
I salt my food quite generously and I do supplement with selenium.
I did try the salt loading. However, I couldn’t get down more than half the glass of “sea water” as I was worried that I might have to vomit 🙂 .
The back pain… well, it’s at the height of my neck.
Hi Luke,
Assuming this is bromine detox, I would probably back off the iodine dose a bit, focus on the bromine detox strategies like salt/fluids/vitamin C, and go slower at increasing the dose. You want to try to avoid symptoms like back pain or a swollen throat or brown urine. You don’t want to poison yourself, keep the dose of circulating bromine reasonably low.
I would lower the iodine dose until the overt symptoms go away. If you have to discontinue the iodine to make that happen, then that might be appropriate. But I would think if 200 mcg didn’t generate symptoms, then you probably won’t need to go below that now.
Thank you!
Hi Luke, just a comment on the lab refusal thing,
The same thing happened to me.
The tests came back without the requested ft3 & ft4 (because tsh was within normal lab range).
Anyway, i told my doc i’d pay for them if needed.
He wrote another request for the lab to test for ft3 & ft4. no need for another blood sample, the lab will still have it.
I not sure if we needed the new request form in the end, someone in the doc’s office just rang up the lab & requested an ‘Add-on’ to measure the ft3 & ft4, which they did.
I did not get charged either.
btw, I am in Australia, they no longer do t3 & t4, just ft3 & ft4 (as far as i know).
Hi. In your supplemental foods you recommend 3 egg yolks per day for several different components. Do you recommend RAW yolks or is cooked ok? I like mine gently fried “over easy” i.e. very runny.
THANKS!
Cooked is probably better than raw, but either is OK.
Hi, why is cooked better? Allergenicness? I thought there is *potential* for oxidation to occur…
Yes, allergies, also the possibility of infection, eg Salmonella.
Hi Paul, in the book you recommend eating uncured bacon and smoked salmon. However from your post about multiple sclerosis possibly being triggered by pork meat it seemed that non-raw pork meat would be the safer choice. Am I misremembering?
Also, I’ve often wondered about what the smoking does to the O3 in salmon. I did find a study showing it lowered the levels but that didn’t measure oxidation.
Finally, with puffed wheat more toxic for rats than whole wheat, do we know anything about popcorn or puffed rice?
Hi Wout,
I should have been more specific. I would avoid meats cured with sugar, but meats cured with salt and nitrite are fine and may be better.
I agree that smoked salmon probably is more toxic than fresh, but it does taste good.
Puffed rice might be a concern. It certainly has a much higher glycemic index than normal rice.
Puffed rice might contain acrylamide?
Hi Paul,
I wonder if there is a difference between cold smoked salmon (which seems to be raw) and hot smoked salmon which looks cooked? I buy cold smoked salmon thinking it had it’s fragile fatty acids more intact. Am I wrong in assuming this of the cold smoked?
Also, a post earlier on iodine through seaweed and seafood. I have been buying the seaweed snacks lately plus supplementing with potassium iodide tablets. Is this too much? Is 3 of those sheets equal to 225 mcg of iodine or your recommended dose of 1 mg? Or, is it 3 nori sheets that are thicker and used for sushi?
Thank you!
Hi Dede,
Good question about the salmon. I would think the cold smoked salmon would be better if it was kept refrigerated and sealed after smoking.
Too much is an individual thing. I think both doses should be healthy for most people, but if you do eat lots of seafood then you can lower the dose of the tablets. I think you can find the iodine content of nori online.
Hi Paul,
Thought you might find this interesting.
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2013/01/a-breathalyzer-test-for-bacterial-infections/
Thanks Radhika, that is interesting. We need more good diagnostic technologies!
Hello,
Would you recommend any particular variant or modification of the PHD for somebody with both candida and T2 diabetes?
Thanks!
Hi Eric,
I might lower carbs slightly, say to 20% of energy, but I wouldn’t change much. Type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for Candida, so I might be more inclined to ask my doctor for treatment.
Hi Paul, can Krill oil capsules be taken on empty stomach, lets say before sleep or in the morning?
Are there any bacterial/fungal correlations with Eczema? or Eczema is more of IBS?
Hi Stort,
It might be good to take them with another oil or with a fat-containing food like yogurt, just to help absorption.
I’m not sure about eczema, I would need to research that.
Hi paul;
I found this article on the web, thought you might like to have a look at it.
It specific mentions that starches should NOT be eaten when fighting candida- do you agree or disagree?
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/dont-waste-your-time-why-the-candida-diet-doesnt-work/
thank you very much
Hi Shawn,
I disagree. It is an over-simple view of Candida. I addressed a related question about why ketogenic diets may promote Candida today at Paleohacks: http://paleohacks.com/questions/174190/what-do-you-you-think-of-paul-jaminets-claim-that-ketosis-makes-candida-worse#axzz2IZePARi2. The book explains why glucose supports anti-fungal immunity.
Starches are generally better for immune function than sugar.
Hi Paul, and everyone else out there.
I have never been a lover of fats and cartilage and bone so when I eat meat it is only small pieces of fillet steak and chicken breast. So it comes as no surprise that I have joint, bone and cartilage issues. After reading the book I now want to include it in my diet. Do you require specific bones to make stock ? Once I make the stock can I freeze it ? How long does it keep ?
Thanks
Joia
Hello Joia,
I am not the expert and I hope you get several replies, as everyone has a different bone broth story to tell.
I use an assortment of bones that I get from my butcher, hoping to get connected to a pastured farmer soon. I use whatever I have in the package, up to about 4 to 5 pounds per 4 quarts of water. I always try to include a joint portion — I look for the smooth, shiny, rounded surface, or half of a hoof. I roast the bones that have meat on them for about an hour in the oven. I like roasting the marrow bones, too, and scooping out the marrow to add to soup later. Then, into the crock, along with a coarsely chopped onion, half cup of vinegar, bay leaf, and a few pulverized cloves of garlic. If I have used a bone with lots of meat on it (short rib), I stop the process after three hours and pull out the meat for use in soup later or devouring on the spot. The rib meat is full of fat and it is delicious. Then, I strain the broth into a soup pot and refrigerate it. When the fat has hardened I pull it off and save it for using later. Then I pour the broth or stock into jars and freeze, labeling it “beef broth.” In the meantime, I add fresh water to the bones and let it all go for 24 hours, at which time I pull out the bones and strain the broth into jars for freezing, discarding the fat. I label this one “1st bone broth.” Back the bones go into the crock with fresh water and vinegar. If I didn’t start with good joint bones or a half a hoof, then I add more bones, probably rib or neck, as I seem to get a lot of those. This one goes for 24 to 48 hours, depending on my schedule and the condition of the bones. I freeze all of the stock, but use it up quickly, trying to restock the freezer as I go. If ever a jar stays thawed too long in the fridge, not frozen, I boil it good before making soup. I don’t make chicken broth because chicken is an omega 6 meat and causes me joint pain. So, beef, with some stray lamb bones is what I use. An easy soup is Albondigas (meatball soup). I have a very old recipe that turns out wonderfully with this broth. After dropping the meatballs into the boiling broth I add some veggies, like potato, beet, broccoli, green beans, squash. When I serve it I chop tomatoes and green onion into the bowl before adding the hot soup. Then, I add a couple tablespoons of coconut milk, thick from a can, carefully add three egg yolks and mix well. Then, a good sprinkling of salt. It is food for the gods. Soup was never my forte, but this is incredibly good stuff.
The only fat I keep is the stuff that comes after the first three hours. I learned early on that fat that is allowed to cook longer becomes damaged and gives my joint pain.
Also, it seems to me that broth left in the fridge keeps better if it has a layer of fat on top. But I’m only guessing here.
More than what you asked, but I am very pleased with my soup these days. 😎
thanks Lana, thanks Paul
Hi Joia,
Bones with joint material attached, or near the joint, will have more collagen. Other bones will have more minerals.
Yes, you can freeze stock.
It will last quite a while frozen. I’m not sure how long, we never let it last long enough to go bad.
sorry one more thing. the fat that form during the process must i discard that fat ?
Thanks
Joia,
It might help to read everything , including comments, here:
http://perfecthealthdiet.com/category/food/soups/
When I maken stock I put it in the frridge in half gallon jars, the fat rises to the top and preserves it. It will kneep for many weeks that way. But usually We use it up in one week or two. I put that fat from the top of the broth out in the woods for the animals.
Hi Joia,
Only the first round of stock made has substantial amounts of fat. If you cook the first round briefly, 2-3 hours, then the fat won’t be damaged, and you can make a fat-rich pho. Add new water and cook longer and the next round won’t have much fat.
What’s hard is that there are so many theories, yet not one consensus in terms of what exactly to eat for gut healing and correcting dysbiosis, as well as autoimmune issues
What is your opinion on Dr fuhrmans diet? He has a specific ibd protocol and says that the more nutrient dense food, along with probiotics, u eat, the better, for these foods heal the gut and feed good flora (veg, seeds, legumes, limited fruits and starches as tolerated, optional small serving of animal pro)
Hi Stacy,
Gut disorders and autoimmune disorders are the most diverse health conditions there are, they are actually many diverse conditions with diverse causes, so there can never be a single consensus for how to address them. What is needed are better diagnostic tools that let us understand each individual case.
I just bought Dr Fuhrman’s book but haven’t read it yet. I agree that nutrient dense foods are generally desirable. I wouldn’t necessarily agree that whole grains, seeds, and legumes are nutrient-dense.
how could seeds and legumes not be nutrient dense? These, as well as greens, veg, and fruits, contain loads of vitamins and minerals. And if u sprout them, they Co tain even more.
Please let us know ur thoughts on fuhrmans books. “super immunity” is a great one. Like u, he devotes his life to studying nutrition and it seems that both of u have come to some very different conclusions…. So I would love to see your views on his conclusions, based on his research and patient testimonies
His basic plan is (these are goals to shoot for)
1# raw veg
1#cooked veg
4 fruits
1c legumes
1oz seeds (more if active)
1tbs chia or flax
2oz avo, optional
1c starchy veg or grains, optional
<10% cals from animal pro
Supplements: vit d, b12, efas
No added salt, sugar, oil
Thanks
I obviously am not Paul, but that sounds like a bit of a starvation diet. Or.. at the very best, a restrictive almost vegetarian diet.
Bean and legumes are nutrient dense on their face, but they come with toxic loads. So, sure if you sprout them you will free some of their nutrients, but not eliminate all toxins. Why spend so much time doing intensive preparations when you can get just as much nutrient density in a myriad animal foods?
Also.. this diet is almost fat free. I did that for a lot of years, was a fat-phobic vegan for nearly 13 years. It got me no place malnourished.
It makes more logical sense to me to start with a framework of foods we evolved eating.. as the animals that we are. From there build a science based, nutrient dense diet.
Lindsay, Dr fuhrmans diet is not restrictive nor low fat. The outline above is the minimum requirements and u can increase the fat as needed….most average out to 20-40% fat. He is not like McDougal whatsoever. The diet is based off the ANDI score of foods and how nutrient-dense they are.
Every food has toxins…. Meats and fats have carcinogens and other toxins that accumulated during the lifespan of the animal. The “safe carb” Potatoe has acrylamide when cooked and other substances that can cause joint pain in some people. But overall, animal products contain the most toxins compared to plants. And if u prepare the legumes or grains well, the toxin load is decreased by 80-90% . Heck, even leafy greens have toxins like oxalates. EVERYTHING contains pros and cons, but the way to circumvent this is to eat as nutrient dense as possible and base the diet on plants (ie, Michael Pollan mantra, eat real food, mostly plants)
Dr fuhrman places high value on GBOMBS: greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, seeds, as these contain significant micronutrients, phytochemical, and anticancer properties. High meat intake can raise igf1 and thus is cancer promoting. However, he does recognize that there are some benefits to certain foods like pastured eggs and omega 3 rich fish and small amounts of grass fed meats, which can be used in small amounts in the daily diet
Dr fuhrman has been conducting nutritinal research extensively for many decades and has reviewed literally tens of thousands of studies as well as conducting his own, and treating thousands of patients. His diet is the one we evolved to eat, for meat wasn’t available in abundance for our ancestors. Plus, who truly knows the actual diet they ate… And why would we want to duplicate something that was not longevity – promoting? All research shows that the more meats and fats consumed, the shorter the life span, whereas the more veg, fruits, beans, and seeds consumed, the longer the lifespan and healthier the person is
I don’t have a vegan agenda bc Dr fuhrmans research Does not conclude veganism is our natural diet…. He just is concerned with the high amount of meats, oils, and low amounts of produce in today’s diets. So again, every food has some degree of toxins bc nothing wants to be eaten. But the way u prep the food makes a huge difference. Sprouting beans is easy and fun…. It significantly increases the protein and other nutrients, while nixing most of the anti nutrients. Even simply soaking beans decreases phytates by approx 80% or more. And, the body efficiently knows how to deal with any leftover potential toxins from plants better than animal toxins. The pros of beans certainly out weigh the cons: phytochemical, resistant starches to support good flora, low calorie, protein, slow burning carbs, anticancer properties etcI want
Pauls review bc he and Dr fuhrman are both prominent nutritional researchers, yet both have very different views.
To me, it makes more sense to eat a diet based on fresh produce bc thats where all the nutrients lie. Where do u think ur meat gets its nutritional content from…. That’s right, plants. And many of the nutrients in meats are more readily absorbable /available from eating the direct source, which is the plant itself. So again, I’m interested in how two extremely intelligent researchers can conclude very drastic results. And how one promotes legumes, greens, seeds (and other gbombs) as being some of the best foods u can eat for health, while the other says meats and fats Trump all. Thanks
I guess I’m not sure what the question is.. You seem sold on the Fuhrman diet so that is what you should eat. I do disagree with you on most points.
Yes, animals do eat plants.. you’re right. They eat plants and we reap the benefits.
Good luck with the diet. Report back and let us know how it goes.
So your question is how can both read the literature and come to different conclusions. I think that is a common question in science.
And I’m not the scientist here.. maybe Paul can help with that. I would say that scientific literature is easily misinterpreted as we have seen with many things, i.e., the China Study. Often researchers skew their interpretation to make it fit within the framework that they are promoting. I’m not saying Fuhrman is doing that.. but I am saying that it happens.
Ultimately it comes down to choice. You choose which diet makes the most sense to you and go with it.
Hi Shelby,
ANDI is a poor indicator of nutrient status. Mat Lalonde gave a nice talk on this at the Ancestral Health Symposium 2012, unfortunately it is not online.
Animal foods, especially organ meats, are generally the most nutrient dense foods for humans.
Stacy,
I think if you actually read the book you will find a thorough explanation of why and how the Jaminets have come to their conclusions . That might help clear up some of your questions and help you make an informed decision.
That was for Shelby too, in case that wasn’t obvious.
Hi dr.jaminet.
I came across an interesting study which suggests that traditional LDL measurements are not accurate when triglycerides are below 100mg/dl http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18426324
I found it on stephan guyenet’s website who had this to say –
“LDL is calculated using the Friedewald equation, which is (in mg/dL):
LDL = TC – HDL – (TG/5)
Low-carb advocates have known for quite some time that this equation fails to accurately predict LDL concentration outside certain triglyceride ranges. Dr. Michael Eades put up a post about this recently, and Richard Nikoley has written about it before as well. The reason low-carb advocates know this is that reducing carbohydrate generally reduces triglycerides, often below 100 mg/dL. This is the range at which the Friedewald equation becomes unreliable, resulting in artificially inflated LDL numbers that make you have a heart attack just by reading them.
I had a lipid panel done a while back, just for kicks. My LDL, calculated by the Friedewald equation, was 131 mg/dL. Over 130 is considered high. Pass the statins! But wait, my triglycerides were 48 mg/dL, which is quite low. I found a paper through Dr. Eades’ post that contains an equation for accurately calculating LDL in people whose triglycerides are below 100 mg/dL*. Here it is (mg/dL):
LDL = TC/1.19 + TG/1.9 – HDL/1.1 – 38
I ran my numbers through this equation. My new, accurate calculated LDL? 98 mg/dL. Even the U.S. National Cholesterol Education Panel wouldn’t put me on statins with an LDL like that. I managed to shave 33 mg/dL off my LDL in 2 minutes. Isn’t math fun?”
Might this explain why low carbers have high LDL rather than thyroid function?
Hi Victoria,
It’s true that calculated LDL levels are often wrong. I’m not sure the Iranian formula is much better.
Actually 130 mg/dl is quite healthy, although the doctors call it high.
The high LDL we are concerned about in low carbers is quite a bit higher than 130 mg/dl.
ok, so what do you think is the optimum LDL number?
Hi Victoria,
LDL over 100, HDL over 70, TC 200-240.
Hi Paul,
I know you are a believer in intermittent fasting, however I have been diagnosed
With low adrenal function, so I was wondering if I should not fast while my adrenals
are recovering. I also have some connective tissue disorders which I am in the process of tring to get correctly diagnosed for and read that the fasting would be good for that. I’m very confused about how to eat right now, I just want to heal as fast as possible!
Thank you in advance for any suggestions!
Sandy
not paul (duh) but low adrenal function, hypo thyroid symptoms, connective tissue weakness are all usually connected. chinese medicine has a lot to say on such things. personally i would only “fast” as long as it feels good, and that will be different for you on a moment to moment basis. fasting too long will definitely tax the adrenal system. be sure to eat enough carbs as they are anti stress. of course too much of anything is pro stress. try to concentrate on healing as deeply and as fully as possible. healing “fast” isn’t a useful adjective in this case.
Hi Sandy,
In general fasting has to be avoided with adrenal insufficiency, but you should just listen to your body. Fasting should be comfortable; if you feel a need to eat, then eat.
Fasting is not a cure-all for connective tissue disorders so I would aim for good joint nourishment and minimize the adrenal symptoms for now.
Hi Paul,
I have several symptoms that seem to be gallbladder related. Right side pain, poor digestion, belching and all the trigger foods fit exactly what causes me upset. I haven’t seen a doctor about it. I was wondering, is there any truth or benefit to the liver/gallbladder flushes that you find on various sites? I’d like to give one a go if they do in fact help. Mark Sisson seems to think there is no benefit but I wanted to know your opinion.
Thank you so much!
Claire
Hi Claire,
The gallbladder cleanses can help pass gallstones. Whether this will help you, I don’t know. It is most important to adopt a diet that doesn’t generate gallstones.
Certain supplements, like vitamin C, lemon and lime juice, taurine, glycine, and N-acetylcysteine, may help.
Hi Paul,
Is there any quick and easy way to find places where I’ve posted in the past? I’m specifically trying to look for where I initially posted about my dizziness issue last year, probably around Feb 2012. I looked all through Q&A and found one of my comments (March 12) but it wasn’t the initial one. In that comment, I said that I had posted of my dizziness elsewhere (but I didn’t mention where! and I surely don’t remember now!). I wanted to look back and see what you had recommended back then to see if whatever you suggested might have been what helped me. I’m thinking of Lindsay’s advice above, saying that maybe I’m deficient in B12. I was wondering if you might have also recommended B12 to me last year…?
I need to keep better records!
Thank you for your help!
KH
Google Custom Search (At the top of the site) Using KH B12 :
http://www.google.com/cse?cx=partner-pub-4512995658587905:4215347163&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Author:+KH%22#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=KH%20b12
Thank you Carol!
I kept at it the old fashioned way and found it! 😀
And Paul, you did in fact recommend B vitamins (I had asked you something about gluten antibodies in my post). This was under “Why Wheat is the Concealed Cause of Many Diseases, III…”
Hi KH,
Usually gluten antibodies go away in 6-12 months, but it is a highly uncertain process. Antibodies to infectious pathogens seem to last longer; antibodies to influenza viruses can stay around for a century, as we know from the 1918 flu; about 20% of people infected with C. pneumoniae lose antibodies in 7 years judging from Japanese data. But auto-antibodies should disappear much faster, as the body has a forced clearing mechanism.
Once auto-antibodies are gone, you may need additional time for the brain to heal.
I would try supplementing B vitamins as well as our regular supplements, with an emphasis on vitamins B6 and B12, up to 5 mg B12.
Best, Paul
Perhaps I am somehow deficient in B12…? Maybe I don’t make enough Intrinsic Factor? I will post back after a few days on the B12 supplement (2500mcg Methylcobalamin). Could I take 2 per day?
Thank you all so much!
KH
Perhaps try the sublingual that Chris Kresser mentions here
http://chriskresser.com/what-everyone-especially-vegetarians-should-know-about-b12-deficiency
Thanks Ellen! Great article. I did get the Methylcobalamin form (sublingual) so we’ll see how it goes…
Thanks for the article link– I’m going to ask my doctor if I can get either or both of those other tests that might help determine whether or not I am in fact deficient in B12.
Thank you!
KH
Hi – thank you for your book. I found paleo via DrTerry Wahls and her amaizing story.I have celiac, and hoshimotos and was symptomatic of sjogren’s syndrome but never diagnosed. On top of that I have had IBS my whole life. Energy and mood improved with paleo but then took a turn for the worse about 5 months into it – my IBS got supper bad so I tried the fodmap diet and also incorporated dr. Norm robillard’s recommendation of eating foods with low fermentation potential which ends up being some of the safe starches you recommend. By adding jasmine rice, white potato and chebe bread (manioc) I started getting better quickly. I was looking for a website to refer someone to that illustrated the diet I finally found that I felt the best on and found yours! My question is in regards to nightshade vegetables and egg consumption for people with autoimmune – you don’t really tallk about that and others in the paleo community make a big deal out of it – what is your opion?
thanks! -Ann
Hi Ann,
I’m glad you found us!
I think most people have no trouble with nightshades and some of them (tomatoes, potatoes) are extremely healthy foods. Eggs also are extremely nutritious, although they are a common allergy. I do think people should check themselves for food sensitivities and remove offending foods, but at the same time, sensitivities usually go away after a time if the gut heals. So the offending foods can generally be restored later.
There are enough good sites on food sensitivities that I haven’t felt a great need to write much about it.
Hi Ann, I am grateful for Paul’s recommendation for me to try nightshades like potatoes. I, too was concerned about an autoimmune protocol as I have (atypical) celiac disease (no GI distress), low positive for Hashi’s (but my thyroid has improved since PHD), I also have transglutaminase-6 autoantibodies from the celiac. I have no problems with any of the nightshades thus far. I am enjoying potatoes and tomatoes. I hope this helps you to hear. You will love PHD!
Hi Paul;
If I have candida as I suspect, why do I feel better when doing extending fasting, and lack intense sugar cravings? Could it maybe be something else?
thanks!
I would certainly leave open the possibility that it may be something else.
Hi Paul,
I’m trying to figure out how to translate your fat/protein/carb recommendations when significantly more than 2000 calories are consumed in a day.
I’m 5’10” and 160 pounds with body fat just over 10% but I consume 3600 calories a day currently made up of 224g fat, 155g protein, and 287g of carbs on average over the last two weeks. Other than losing a few pounds initially my weight has been very stable since starting the PHD back in September.
I do two minutes of sprints on Monday and Wednesday and 25 minutes of HIT on Friday otherwise I don’t go out of my way to do any other strenuous activities.
I also have ulcerative colitis but it has been in remission (no urgency, single stool a day) for over a year. After having UC for close to 15 years maybe my digestive system if FUBAR and just isn’t able to extract nutrients as well as a well functioning digestive system.
Anyway, it appears that I’m eating too much protein since I’m exceeding the maximum recommendation of 600 calories. Should I eat more fat or carbs?
I’m just starting to integrate the supplements into my diet so maybe my body will adjust to a lower calorie intake once I get them fully integrated and then this issue would be moot although I have always consumed lots of food my entire life. My wife is continually amazed at my ability to pack it away and not gain weight.
Thanks, Tom
Hi Tom,
That seems like a healthy macronutrient composition.
I would try to increase nutrient density and see if that suppresses appetite.
Also, young people have more appetite than older people, so higher caloric intakes aren’t that rare in the young.
If your stool is not smelly, then you’re not fermenting protein in the gut and I would think your current intake is OK. If your stool is smelly then I would try reducing protein and eating more carbs and fat.
Dear Paul,
I wonder if you have any suggestions for someone who has no gallbladder. Should I start increasing animal fats slowly? Should I stick to plant based fats? Please let me know what you think. Thanks!
Hi Laura,
I would follow the regular PHD advice but eat more carbs — 40% to 50% carbs rather than the 30% or so that we normally recommend. Mostly starches.
You still want fats to be primarily saturated — butter, beef tallow, coconut milk are all good; plus foods.
If you experience steatorrhea, you might benefit from supplements for bile support, eg vitamin C, taurine. You can also take ox bile supplements with meals.
Hi Paul,
Would you have any thoughts or recommendation about infrared sauna. Do you think it would be valuable and useful to use it with PHD for better health condition ? Could sauna bath lead to dehydration and/or loss of minerals ..? Thanks for your answer.Best, July
Hi July,
I think saunas are beneficial but it may be good to alternate hot and cold (eg back and forth between cool shower and sauna) than to stay in one for a long time.
You should drink enough water and take in enough beneficial minerals to avoid dehydration or deficiencies.
Hi Paul,
Just finished reading the book and love how you incorporated so much science and real data into the ideals of a Paleo based eating habit and lifestyle.
I have some questions and would be grateful for your advice.
For the last 3 years i have suffered from a constant foot fungus all over the heels, sides, and toes of just my left foot, random times of increased hair shedding on my scalp, painful acne like pustules all around my mouth area, and progressive neurological issues. I do travel alot, and in August of 2011 was diagnosed with an ameoba infection after not being able to have a bowel movement for days at a time. I took meds for it and felt amazing, but after 8 weeks everything came roaring back. Nothing has really changed since then and I am going to try and reincorporate some of your principles in PHD to help get me on the right path.
Couple questions,
I’ve been using coconut oil for a while now to cook, but should i eliminate it from my diet so that i stop feeding these infections with ketones?Is their anything else i should specifically stay away from?
Which safe starches contain the least amount of fructose, and how much would you recommend I consume each day? I am 6ft 200 lbs and was a very big athlete before all this came about. I was following VLC before but will incorporate more starches if you think it will benefit me.
Interested to get your feedback and help me configure PHD to best suite my dietary needs.
Thank you,
Mike
Hi Mike,
It is hard to answer most of those questions with confidence. I would suggest some diagnostic testing, I often recommend the Metametrix microbial ecology test just because as a DNA test it is very reliable, it doesn’t give false positives.
White potatoes and white rice have the least fructose.
I would stick with the basic PHD recommendations, 30% carbs of which 85% are glucose, until you have a diagnosis that might suggest some other course. I do think intermittent fasting and circadian rhythm therapies are likely to help.
If you have bad reactions to starch, then reduce your carb intake until the reactions diminish substantially.
thank you for such a quick reply Paul. I will look into the test you recommended. My doctor currently has me on Nizoral and Nystatin to try and root out this systemic fungal issue, which is why i am concerned about eliminating coconut oil from my diet in efforts to decrease the amount of ketones in my body. Besides coconut oil, are there are foods that when taken go straight to the liver and produce ketones?
thank you,
Mike
MCT oil, large amounts of leucine or BCAAs. But coconut oil is the only common food.
Hi Paul…
I had some brief exchange with you on the supp recs comment page and talked about my diagnosed liver condition due to chronic HCV.
Turns out the liver bx results were wrongly reported and my liver is nice and jelly wobbly soft as per a healthy adult.
However… the dx of HCV and supposed issues that come with degradation of ones liver meant I was actually diverted from the real reason I felt so utterly worn out fatigued and brain fogged to the max….
Turns out I have chronic H.Pylori and leaky gut and endotoxemia as a consequence…. all missed because the medical fraternity immediately focused on the HCV as the sole cause of why I felt like I did.
It’s taken me to doing a whole load of research and discovering that the digestive tract is the single most important organ we have because if you focus on putting all the right stuff into the gut and ensure the gut has the correct balance of bacterial flora (pro-biotics) then all the macro and micro nutrients get properly absorbed and as such ALL your other organs will flourish and operate perfectly.
So your magnificent ‘Nobel Prize’ deserving PHD in combination with keeping a constant eye on the digestive tract environment is surely the totally obvious way to ensuring one gets to live and enjoy optimum health and the feel good factor that comes with it.
I believe that once I have acheieved optimum macro and micro nutrient levels I will feel and enjoy simply being alive… at the optimum level surely all craving to alter ones state of consciousness by taking mind altering substances of any description will disappear…?
Life is meant to feel wonderful… natural selection would do that because feeling fantastic ensures the desire to live as long as possible… we have adapted slowly to accepting feeling sub-standard as feeling good.
Your incredible research and publication is key to saving the species from self destruction because when you follow thru feeling less than optimum it affects your ability to make optimum life decisions…. surely every negative aspect of every culture and the wars that still infest our species can be traced to what humans are eating.
Indeed we are the product of what we eat and that influences the way we think.
I’m now finding change happening in leaps and bounds and I’ve only been following your PHD for 1 month…. I haven’t even begun the supps yet but they’re on order.
here in the UK I’ve sourced Solgar supps as per your recommended intake and it’s gonna cost me approx £100 for 2 years worth of the weekly supps and £30 a month for the daily supps… this cost is easily recouped from changing to the PHD and excluding all the four major toxic food groups.
I’ll come back and report after I’ve successfully discovered eradication of H.Pylori and healed my gut lining with L-Glutamine and lots of pre and pro biotics.
Takeaway: Don’t stop at the first diagnosis of ill-health or you may mask the root cause. Always look at your digestive tract because there are so many instances of feeling unwell that can be traced to an unhealthy gut environment… learn how to look at your bowel motions everyday… they tell you if your gut is healthy.
Warmest regards… hope to meet you when you get around to visiting the UK.
Nick
Hi Nick,
I’m certain Paul will have valuable feedback for you. I just wanted to reply because, as I’ve written on this blog numerous times, I was diagnosed with H. Pylori last August. I arranged for a test through Metametrix as a direct result of hearing Paul’s presentation and then reading his first book. I had no GI distress at that time.
I can’t tell from what you write if you are seeking specific treatment for the HP. Pam Killeen seems to say that if you balance your copper and zinc, the HP will “leave.” The tales of antibiotics to eradicate this thing are horrible and suggest these drugs are less than 70% effective.
So, I searched and found Amy King’s story of natural eradication. http://amyking.wordpress.com/2009/02/20/im-so-happy-i-have-h-pylori/
In this lengthy blog she shares her journey and discoveries, which include the website for Dr. Marcus Ettinger, which is: http://www.advancedhealing.com/category/hpylori/
I just checked and it looks like he has done a major overhaul of his information on H. Pylori. This is likely because people wanted the information without contacting him for products and procedures. I urge you to contact him, especially if you get lost in Amy’s blog. It is so long. Her protocol is detailed early in the blog. But her procedure did not include the destruction of biofilms. Ettinger’s protocol does deal with that, and I suspect it is especially important for longtime sufferers.
My experience is that HP can create symptoms wholly different from GI troubles, such as: heart palpitations, back pain, and allergy symptoms. I had symptoms of traditional allergies to pollen, grasses, dust, etc., but they never matched my exposure. Three days on an herbal concoction to address the HP and the sneezing and itching eyes cleared up. That was nearly five months ago.
Good luck to you!!
Thanks for the links Lana…
I’ve completed the first line 7 day anti-biotic tx for H.Pylori… coupla days of sharp stomach pains on and off… but generally handled the anti’s well enough to see the course thru to the end… then an immediate change in my bowel motions… back to a single massive well formed nice coloured stool… it was so nice to be enjoying taking a poo 🙂
But from what I’ve read on Amy’s blog a stool antigen test can return a positive result even 2-3 months after eradication…? is there any test that can be done immediately after tx to discover if the Pylori is no more…?
And the big question: How do you prevent a re-infestation when there is an estimated 50% worldwide infection rate aside from having no human contact whatsoever considering the possible transmission routes in saliva and it’s even hypothesised that Pylori can live in the acidic environment of the vagina…?
That is such devastaing news for someone like me who really enjoys the fun one can have playing around in the occasional vagina… should I now ask any potential partner to have a Pylori stool antigen test first… lol… that’s surely gonna spoil the moment completely.
Onwards and upwards… I’m at an age where priorities change and oral sex can drop off the list in preference to ensuring my gut environment remains parasite free and I feel great as a consequence… there are a few women I know who will be really sad to learn that news about me… 🙂
Regards
i may regret asking this Nick, 🙂
but what were your stools like before you completed the antibiotic treatment for h pylori.
please refer to the numbers in the Bristol Stool Chart instead of descriptions, so we are on the same page,
here are a couple of links to the bristol stool chart (with slightly different pov’s on which number is ideal/preferred)
http://gapsdiet.com/Stools.html
http://www.gutsense.org/constipation/normal_stools.html
thx
I can’t resist responding to the “what do your stools look like?” query, as it takes me back to my macrobiotic days, when everyone obsessed about their bodily effluvia. George Ohsawa (one of the ‘founders”) said this” Your urine should look like “new gold,” your feces should look like “old gold,” and your poop should slide easily out in one long “piece” and (I loved this), “Smile at you.”
Hi Nick,
You pose a very good question — how did we get this thing? I have spent huge blocks of time online trying to find this out. Here are two of my favorite videos, though neither answers this question. The second is about bacterial communication. The third is a paper discussing HP and possible benefits.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpQ8XzBiAgQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVfmUfr8VPA
http://www.ivdbiocare.com/hp.html
One researcher claims HP has been found on the bodies of houseflies, in dental plaque, blah, blah. According to the internet, HP is passed through the fecal/oral route. But I have also read that HP does not survive long once it leaves the stomach, and hasn’t been viably cultured from the mouth. So, go figure. The most convincing avenue (in my estimation) is for a person to be in the same room when an infected person vomits, for as soon as the stomach contents exit through the mouth, billions of quite viable HP become airborne. One woman described an HP eye infection. I suppose it could establish itself in the vagina, but never encountered any literature on that. (However, if you’re a vagina hopper, I would think HP is the least of your potential worries.) 😳
In terms of tests, my doc had me do the breath test right after my first treatment and it came back negative, but in three days I had stomach discomfort, back pain, and itching eyes. Turns out the test must not be given within 4 weeks of antibiotics or bismuth, and no sooner than 6 hours after eating. This was not explained to me and I violated both these requirements. So, while I was diagnosed back in August, I am still treating myself. This is the third treatment and I plan to keep at it until the end of February. It is Ettinger’s protocol, or a version of it, that includes an array of enzymes to bust up the biofilms, Lauricidin, NAC, Xylitol, and very strict diet. I tried continuing to eat my wonderful white rice, but decided it was feeding the HP, as it returned every time I stopped the treatment I was on. If you go to Amy’s site and do a search for “Elena,” you can find what she did to bust the biofilms and kill the HP using Ettinger’s protocol, as it was a few years ago. My theory is that people who get rid of this thing quickly, likely had a smaller and younger population of HP. If you do go the route of biofilm busting, I suggest you stay home for a few days so that you can easily observe your stool. I managed to pass a sizable white worm (think — albino banana slug), but the auto flusher whisked it away. I have to wonder if it was held firm in my duodenum by attached biofilms.
Good luck to you Nick. You sound like you’re doing very well. Oh, regarding the character of my scat (from scatology), the term I decided to use when raising my sons, as I just could not countenance the “p” word. For years I had the mushy pile kind, and figured that was the way of it for me. But then, in 2011 I attended the WAPF conference in Dallas and decided to risk the wonderful food. Had not eaten yogurt in years because it gave me joint pain. I ate everything at the conference and nothing gave me pain. When I got back home I started eating a homemade type of yogurt from our coop. Since then I have had very normal movements.
Apparently, one key is to continue the Lauricidin for several months after eradication on a maintenance dose and to take daily high potency probiotics. I have recently read that while treating for HP, one should drink 8 to 16 ounces of milk kefir everyday.
If your HP returns after your treatment, please do contact Dr. Ettinger, as his protocol includes destroying the biofilms, which are, essentially, condominiums of the shanty town variety, where HP hides during the onslaught of killing substances.
Lana, awesome info. Will this work on intestinal klebsiella pneumonia and yeast overgrowth? I believe I have sibo. Too but Idk the strains
Can u elaborate on ur diet… Ur daily meals and macronutrient ratio? There is such a dichotomy regarding diet… Some say no carbs, some say no fruits, no fats, high fats, high carbs, no starches…. Ugh
@ Lana….
Love the vids… great educatioal stuff thanx 🙂 xox
@ Darren pre tx was no’s 5 & 6
and post anti-biotic tx back to 3 & 4
i see that there are many different strains of the h pylori bacterium,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicobacter_pylori#Genome
i ‘guess’ then, that the effectiveness of h pylori treatment with antibiotics, would depend on firstly identifying the correct strain or strains of h pylori.
Then, secondly, prescribing the correct antibiotic (or multiple antibiotics) & the appropriate term.
Assuming that there is an antibiotic available for the strain/s,
& the strain/s is not antibiotic resistant.
This is for Shelby, as I didn’t have a reply button for her.
I sure don’t know the answer to your question about klebsiella pneumonia. But I googled it with “biofilm” and got 199,000 hits. If I were you, I would check Marcus Ettinger’s site, as he has done so much work with biofilms.
I don’t know anything about candida, except I was diagnosed with it many years ago, just before I went off of all grains. Seemed to clear up on it’s own.
The diet I follow now is pretty much Am King’s HP diet — no rice, nothing sweet except my berries and creme fraiche in the afternoon. Did some organic ketchup once and had back pain the next day. No grains, but that’s my norm. She advocates chicken soup, but I can’t do chicken. She advocates no red meat, but that’s my only option along with fish. So, lots of bone broth soup and ground beef, which I am supposing is easier to digest.
As far as ratios, I try to follow PHD with intermittent fasting, omitting breakfast. Not sure if I should be doing this, however, because I’m wondering about adrenal fatigue. Lots of waking during the night, and stress on the job.
Consider that PHD is not completely consistent with the HP eradication diet, though, and I am very ready to be done with HP. So, I finally gave up the rice and the occasional date or orange. Just nothing sweet, as HP seems to love it. Only fermented dairy. Really nothing special.
Darrin — early on in my research I found papers that discussed the “island of pathogenicity” in the DNA of some strains of HP. Apparently, only those with this “island” cause problems. Except that my HP caused weird problems, and after my attempts to eradicate it, it started causing more troubling problems — stomach pinches and 24 hour back pain. This island sounds fascinating, especially when the discussion touched on the tendency of HP to mutate into different strains to be able to resist antibiotics. This might explain the return of the beasties.
Hi Nick,
I’m glad you’ve made so much progress.
I do expect to be in the UK later this year, maybe in the fall.
Lana, thanks for the recommendations. Very helpful!
Nick, eating a healthy diet goes a long way toward supporting probiotic flora which will help protect your gut from overgrowth of pathogens. It’s hard to say how long it may take to fully restore gut health, but at least you’re on a good path and you should have confidence you’ll get there sooner or later.
Best, Paul
Hi paul
I really need ur advice. I’ve struggled with severe dysbiosis (yeast, bacterial) for numerous year and can’t fully shake it (candida, fungus, klebsiella pneumonia, aeromonas etc)….. Also have ibd, ibs-constipation, fms, cfs, anxiety, and recently discovered I have very low zinc and ceruplasmin, glutathione, and other nutritional imbalances. I also have mal absorption, numerous food intolerances, poor pancreatic functioning, low elastaseand bbutyrate….. I’m a mess
I’vetried numerous ddiets from vegan to gaps to Scd and currently am on a version of the fruit based 80-10-10 diet. It helped at first, but now my dysbiosis is really bad and my pancreas even worse. My body inflames, I get joint pain, and gets edematous when I try to eat proein.
And ill spaee u the gi details
Anyways, what do u suggest I do and take to heal the dysbiosis? I really don’t want to eat meat (ifbi can tolerate eggs, I might do that)… I also don’t know what I should do in terms of my carb and fruit intake. Right now, my diet is very limited and can only tolerate pineapple and Green smoothies made with bananas, dates, and greens. I feel fine at first, but by the end of the day, I literally can feel the toxins released by the pathogenic flora. Please advise…. I’m so confused and miserable.
Thanks
Hi Shelby,
Our diet and lifestyle advice in the book is our baseline set of recommendations. The more issues you have, the more it pays to just follow that, because each different health problem may pull you in a different direction, and our baseline recommendations are generally healthy / optimal for most people.
It pays to clear nutrient deficiencies before going overboard with therapies. You want a well functioning body and immune system.
Sometimes detox aids or other supplements can help, but I think a health care practitioner familiar with your case would be best able to advise on that.
Thanks Paul…. Is it possible to follow ur diet as a vegetarian? Not only is meat hard to digest, but it is a religious/moral restriction for m .
How can I modify the phd in this way?
Also, what macronutrient ratios do u recommend for dysbiosis?
Lastly. Can u explain why legumes (soaked, sprouted, cooked) aren’t ok, in your view? All the research points to their health properties and their added benefit of feeding Good flora, not bad flora.
Thanks so much
Hi Shelby, It is possible — not recommended, but possible.
As a first step, substitute eggs and dairy for meat and fish. Otherwise it is similar. You may wish to eat more carbs.
Every dysbiosis is different so you have to experiment. Experiments to try: Low fructose … low fodmap … low starch … low histamine … low protein / high protein … low sulfur / high sulfur.
I don’t think all the research points to health benefits of legumes. They are toxin rich.
Ihi paul
I have tried nearly all those diets and money helped much. I am allergic to dairy and have maldigestion with proteins, carbs, fats. It’s frustrating
Oddly, I digest Food for Life brand brown rice tortillas well but not any other starches. Why is this?
I honestly don’t see how legumes are toxic… Can u please elaborate? All the research points to their numerous benefits. Sure, eating them raw is not smart, but neither is eating a raw Potatoe. If u prep it and cook it, 80-90%of the toxins are eliminated and u are left with a food high in micronutrients, proteins, and resistant starch that supports good flora. So, I’m confused. Thanks
Lastly, how many servings of fruits, nuts or seeds, avos, do u recommend? How much coconut oil is beneficial for dysbiosis?
Hi Shelby,
Rice is the lowest toxicity grain. White rice tortillas would be even better.
Legume toxicity is discussed in the book. They have a large number of compounds which inhibit mammalian digestion. If you are going to eat them, soak them at least overnight and cook them thoroughly, eg in a long-simmered soup.
Different amounts of coconut oil will be appropriate for different people. Try using coconut milk in meals for a start.
Typically 1-3 servings of fruit per day is good. Similar amounts of vegetables. Nuts and seeds are not a necessary part of the diet, more of a “pleasure food”, say 0-1 servings. Avocados can be eaten to taste.
Hi Shelby,
I feel very bad for your situation, and so hope you find improvement. There were a few times, years ago, that I tried to be a vegetarian, but it never lasted more than a few days. I began joking that my vegetarianism was situational. When I began getting joint pain, that governed all my food decisions and red meat and salmon were my best friends.
Paul is so wonderful at respecting personal preferences. I will try to do the same. I just want to say that in all my years (quite a few, actually) I have never known a longtime vegetarian who didn’t have significant health problems. A teacher at our school, who is veg, struggles with constant health issues. In the space of two months she broke both her ankles while in the daily care of her young children. She is absent more than any other staff member. At the Weston A.Price conference in Santa Clara a woman who shared my room described herself as a “recovering vegetarian,” explaining that she had been a vegetarian for over 24 years before switching to a WAPF diet, which she had been following for about a year when I met her. When one shares a room with another, it is unavoidable to become very familiar with each other’s personal habits and functions. Every time this woman used the bathroom her body made loud and unpleasant noises; and, I soon discovered, she left the toilet in great need of cleaning a few times a day. Surely, along with her other issues, she has gut dysbiosis.
I am not in a position to diagnose or treat anyone. All I know is my own experiences. It seems the natural treatments for HP that I’ve found include l-glutamine for gut repair. My doc says that l-glutamine, curcumin, and good probiotics will heal the gut. He adds that when my gut is healed my list of food allergies will be greatly diminished. But, of course, the cause of gut dysbiosis has to be eliminated, and the PHD explanation seems to be working for me.
I like the comment: “eat what you are.” We are likely more like animals than soybeans.
Highly recommend you attend the WAPF conference in Atlanta next November.
Many blessings and good luck to you, and forgive me for bossing you around.
Hi, my daughter has been diagnosed as fructose intolerant but a low fodmap diet has done little over 4 yrs to stop the pain , gas and bloating. Her reaction to foods like onions looks more like an allergy as she has no tolerance at all. Blood and stool tests have not found any other cause. We’ve started the PHD diet this week but she is still having pain every day. I have a few questions I’m hoping you can address….1. Given her fructose intolerance, can I use honey (I’ve been told it isn’t absorbed well)? 2. How long would you expect it to take before some symptoms /pain lessens? 3. Should I continue to limit her serves of fruit to 3 per day and which fruits/veggies should I particularly avoid?4. Are there other issues I need to be aware of in implementing the PHD diet while balancing the fructose issue? Many many thanks for your help, I’m hopeful the PHD diet will be the answer we need.
Hi Phil,
Another possibility is that onions are sulfur rich and sulfur metabolizing bacteria may be present.
Honey is fructose rich but give it a try and see how she does. Use fresh honey with all the natural antimicrobial compounds, they might help.
If honey is not tolerated, you can also try dextrose powder or a safe starch syrup like tapioca syrup. These are simple glucose-only sugars which may be tolerated if the problem is fructose intolerance.
Those are both good experiments to do because you want to determine if she has a SIBO / small intestinal infection, and if so which nutrients feed it.
Another angle to attack are various aids to a healthy mucus layer. Let me recommend DGL (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deglycyrrhizinated_licorice) which promotes mucosal secretion and liver which provides vitamin A which is important for mucosal immunity and vitamin D which is required for antimicrobial peptides which provide mucosal immunity. Make sure her serum 25OHD level is near 40 ng/ml and supplement D3 to achieve that. Have her eat liver regularly and supplement vitamin K2 in the MK-7 form, 90 or 100 mcg daily. A little vitamin C may help too.
Finally, you can experiment with digestive aids. If she digests food, especially protein and carbs, better she will probably have less bloating and gas. How old is she?
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the speedy reply. I haven’t read through the section on supplements yet so will do this and consider your suggestions. My daughter is 12 and has had IBS symptoms since she was 8. I’m hesitant to give her supplements (although I know they are a central part of the PHD) because I don’t understand enough about the science. It’s clear her gut isn’t functioning properly but without a diagnosis as to what is actually wrong, I’m worried about using substances – the impacts of which I don’t understand. She did have a breath test 4 months ago regarding SIBO. The test found she was clear of this. The Gastro specialist didn’t have any real answers for me, he suggested a low level laxative to clear possible upper track constipation -but this hasn’t improved the situation. Does her age affect your earlier suggestions? I’ll continue with the reading and try to get my head around it. Thanks
Hi Phil,
Our supplement recommendations are optimized for the major causes of death (cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes) rather than gut ailments, and generally in gut disorders less supplementation is better. The ones you should still follow are the A/D/K2 noted above; possibly iodine/selenium/C. Tissue healing support from bone & joint soups and other foods are desirable.
No, those supplements are fine for children.
Why would less supplements be better in gut disorders? 😯 Do you mean Biofilm-formation? Which supplements should specifically be avoided?
Hi Luke,
Microbes need nutrients too. In many dietary nutrients, eg iron, the body reduces absorption to avoid an excess; this makes excess nutrients available to gut microbes, promoting their growth. Starvation of microbes is a good immune defense, see Chap 39.
Hi Paul!
Just wondering if canned wild salmon is acceptable to meet some/all of your recommendations in terms of the weekly salmon quota?
Also, I’m so curious every time I open your site that I just have to ask where are you and Shou-Ching in the photo at the top of your page? It looks so similar to where we summer on the Georgian Bay of the Great Lakes. Fingers crossed it’s nearby and we could all share a PHD dinner sometime!
Cheers!
Tami
Hi Tami,
Yes, canned wild salmon is acceptable.
That photo is from the Middlesex Fells reservation in Medford a few miles north of our home.
Paul, my son and his wife live in Melrose, and my wife and I live in Amesbury. Happy you live n Massachusetts!
Hi Paul,
Do you think there’s any biological relevance to plant miRNA’s? Please have a look at this link:
http://evolvify.com/rice-wheat-potatoes-interfere-with-gene-expression/
Hi Olga,
I think they are probably not biologically relevant, but if they are, then we are probably optimized for an intake of plant miRNAs similar to the ones that Paleolithic humans ate, so a natural whole foods diet is best.
Hi Paul,
My family and I have avoided wheat, for the most part for about 12 years now. Occassionally we eat white flour containing foods for social reasons or simply because it’s the only starch availale at the time. I believe it’s a poor source of nutrition, and may be harmful as you state in your books.
One thing I am curious about is if anyone has studied if all the toxic effects of wheat, grains in general, and legumes, etc. are the same depending on how they are eaten. ie. Is the digestion process the same if pure startch is eaten alone, or is it different if it is eaten with protein and fats, which require a more complex digestion process, likely with more acid production by the stomach. In short, would the harmful components of grains be nutralized or rendered less harmful if they are combined with the other macronutrients.
I wonder this because, some people seem to be able to eat wheat without ill effects. Most if not all centenarians in grain consuming cultures would have eaten wheat over their lifetime. Is it the way they ate it, do they have a natural defence to it? I think these are quesions worth answering since so many people eat wheat and it won’t be easy for them to give it up. How bad exactly is white flour, which is mainly starch, when eaten as part of an otherwise healthy diet?
Hi Paul,
I have a hard time finding organic veggies or meat here. Are chemicals/pesticides… from veggies /legumes/meat affected by cooking in a way or another? Like increasing their toxicity …My guessing is they are. Do the way of cooking affecting them more than other ways of cooking: Is eating them raw better from this point of view?
What should be the less harmfull cooking method?
I recently retry some supplements and some trouble with them came again. For example I took NAC (Biotics research) and broth. Each time I took them something is fermenting in my bowel like crazy bloated and i become constipated. The same with broth. I found that gelatine is common. Any ideea if gelatine is de-composed in somethign wrong on some pathogens feed on it? It happened also with other supps containing gelatin (they said natural gelatine). or maybe sulphur is the problem.
Up in the gut digestion of fats and proteins is impaired by low Hcl and pancreatic insufficiency. I have Hpilory, giardia and candida already diagnosed.
Many thanks,
Dave
Hi Dave,
If you rinse vegetables before eating or cooking the pesticide residues should be low.
I think gentle cooking (eg boiling/steaming/microwaving) is better than either raw or harsh cooking (eg roasting/barbecuing).
Interesting, seems like a reaction to the protein. Not sure why that would appear. Does it happen with meat?
Presumably once you get the right infection treated the problem will go away. Giardia would be a good target I think, it’s the most likely to benefit from NAC or gelatin.
Paul, would sauteing in olive oil or a saturated fat qualify as a gentle cooking method for vegetables?
Hi Paul,
Thank you for the insights, slow cooking make sense. Have 2 more concerns maybe your scientific mind could help me more (especially for the second one) :
A) I try treating giardia which seems to be in my gallbladder and liver since long time.? ?Togheter with antigiardial i try to protect liver with herbs. But Found out that giardia is benefiting from bile salts and colesterol? (?some said is feeding on? ?/? ?some said is helping it to encystation and thus make it hard to be distroyed?)?.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0020751995000292?
Do you know any alternative to protect liver but not producing more bile? (?at least during the treatment?)? ?Flavonoids and antioxidant vitamins would help, glutathione???
it seems liver protect herbs stimulates the bile more: milk thistle for example, marigold the same…
B) I’ve read that giardia is vulnerable to vit.C, oxygen and Coconut oil? VCO. but just the living form not cysts (of course).
http://cat.inist.fr/???aModele=afficheN&cpsidt?=?17146659http://cat.inist.fr/???aModele=afficheN&cpsidt?=?17146659?
“some of the naturally derived,? ?medium-chain,? ?saturated fatty acids? (?MCSFAs?) ?possess anti-microbial and anti-parasitic properties? ?.? ?dodecanoic acid? (?C:? ?12?) (?common name:? ?lauric acid?)?,? ?is anti-giardial,? ?with an LD50? ?concentration comparable to that of metronidazole,? ?the drug of choice in the treatment of giardiasis.? ?Dodecanoic acid appeared to induce trophozoite death by accumulating within the parasite cytoplasm resulting in rupture of the cell membrane.? “
My question is a general question for every antiparasitic,? ?anticandida…supplements. would it be better to take VCO alone before meals or with meals to enhance the effects?? VCO does not need bile right?
http://schaechter.asmblog.org/schaechter/2009/01/giardia-i-did-it-my-way.html
This is really interesting short article but too much scientific for us 🙂
“Giardia it also does without functional mitochondria, making do with mitosomes?mitochondrial relicts that lack a genome but carry out the mitochondrial function of assembling iron-sulfur protein clusters.}
is it using these kind of proteins or what :)? i mean when I’m eating this stuff does it benefit form them?
?Thank you again,
?dave
Hi Dave,
As a protozoal parasite Giardia can eat fats. So yes, there is a risk that high-fat diets leading to bile production might promote Giardia in the gallbladder. If that is your problem, perhaps you should eat more carbs.
MCT oil or the medium-chain fats in coconut oil may help, as they impair the function of cell membranes and some microbes are not good at keeping them out of cell membranes. I don’t know if that is the case with Giardia, it may be.
I do not know how to treat Giardia. I would suggest seeking a doctor’s help.
Best, Paul
I was doing some reading about gelatin (gelatine) the other day.
I have used Now Foods 100% beef gelatin powder in the past…& i was wondering if it was ‘disagreeing’ with me. I was just adding the powder in to shakes now & then. I also wondered if the powder is hard to digest ‘straight’ & that it may be best to mix in hot water first?
Anyway, in my investigations,
i saw mention that as gelatin powder is a (highly?) processed product that it will contain MSG in the form of ‘free glutamic acid’.
So if you are sensitive to MSG, gelatin could also be a problem.
here was one link
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html
that indicated that gelatin contained free glutamic acid, not sure how substantiated the claim is.
Hi Paul, I read an interesting book ovet the weekend by author Catherine Shanahan MD called Deep Nutrition. She also advocates eating simple foods, fats, meats etc. However she makes a statement in the book that for health we should avoid seed oils like canola etc and sugar. If we stay away from those we should be healty. She also mentions that starch is indirectly a sugar and should also be avoided. Potato and rice are just sugar to the body. they are no different from table sugar. My question is , is that true ? On an elemental level are they all equal ? Or is the body ok with potato ? In many of my reading many people indicate that white rice and potato will increase your insulin levels ? Your thoughts on this would be great. THanks Paul.
Hi Joia,
I agree about the whole foods and avoidance of seed oils and sugar. I disagree about starch. See our book. It’s also been discussed on the blog, see “safe starches debate” in the Google search box.
Hi Paul,
Trying to decide if I should see a doctor (it would be one of these family care clinics since I don’t have a regular one.)
For about a week I’ve had some mild discomfort in my abdomen – little intermittent “twinges” occasionally, mostly on the left, sometimes the right. (Just below where you feel the point of the ribs.) It has varied in intensity. During this same week I had a cold/cough (coughing up phlegm) that has subsided somewhat. During this time I’ve had low appetite, although usually when I do eat (at mealtimes) I start to enjoy the food and have some taste for it. But today the stomach pains and no appetite has been causing me anxiety (which I am prone to) and while preparing dinner had a mild panic attack due to some odd sensations: chill in my feet, sudden headache. But it passed and I tried to eat. Then I felt a pain I guess in the middle of my torso, as if the food I was swallowing was not moving through or something. I waited and it went away, then ate a little more. Now that I have eaten (a small meal) the bloating seems to have subsided, but there’s still some odd discomfort on my right side.
I plan to take some activated charcoal in 3 hours. Looking on WebMD, my best intuition (if it’s something that bad) as a fit for the sypmtoms was diverticulitis. I have had bouts of 2-3 days of constipation at times so that makes me wonder if there’s some tear or something amiss.
I apologize for the rambling.
ps. I showed my dad your book (old edition) and he’s interested in borrowing it, so you may have another convert.
pps. I just did a search on “lithium orotate side effects” because I started taking this a couple weeks ago, and somebody does report stomach irritation and loss of appetite as possible side effects. However, I have already reduced the dose to 1/4 or 1/3 tablet, since the 1/2 seemed to have too strong an effect on my mood – it made me a little giddy.
I have been using a Berkey gravity filter, with fluoride filters, for a year, so I may have been very deficient in lithium?
I guess I will cut out the lithium to see if that impacts my appetite and the abdominal discomfort?
Hi Tim,
I don’t know what it is but I do think you should see a doctor.
It’s not a bad idea to stop supplements for a while, including the charcoal. Charcoal has the potential to cause gut problems as well as clear toxins, so it should be used with caution. We can live just fine without supplements, so stopping them is a sensible experiment to run when you suspect them.
Hi Paul,
I’m wondering, how many carbs a day should I eat to treat candida? I’ve ready different numbers given for grams or calories per day, but have trouble translating this into everyday amounts- what would be an example of the actual food that would cover an optimal carb level?
Also, what do you think is the best source of carbs?
Thanks!
General rule of thumb is 4 calories = 1 gram of Carbs. The rice I buy is 44 carbs grams per cup (44×4=Carb calories). 8 oz of steamed sweet potatoes without skin is 45 carbs (45×4=Carb calories). You want somewhere around 400-600 Carb calories or 100-150 grams of safe starch carbs per day. This Carb count does not include fermented veggies or other low calorie veggies. You should have some of those with your meals but that doesn’t go toward the 100-150 safe starch doubt. Safe starches for PHD and candidaare listed on Food section on website. I am treating candida right now and diet has been extremely helpful. I can’t do much rice as causes some gut discomfort. Sweet potatoes, white potatoes and plantains have been awesome to help candida, contrary to other websites saying eliminate them. I did for 3 months and gained 10 pounds straight belly bloat, my skin and scalp looked like cheese grater went through it and my body odor was horrid of eating 25 carbs ad high protein. PHD eliminated my skin and scalp issues and bloat is slowly going down. Dr. J’s s plan makes so much sense. Follow his basic plan outlined his book.
Oh and I don’t stink anymore!
Hi Jack,
25% to 30% of energy. 85% as glucose / 15% fructose = 70% of calories as starch, 30% as sugars.
Which translates to: about a pound per day of safe starches, a pound of beets/carrots/fruits/berries, plus some low-calorie vegetables eg leafy greens and seaweed, no added sugar.