Dalton (Analyze & Optimize)@Outdoctrination
🚨GUT MASTERCLASS🚨
7 KEYS to fixing your digestive issues:
1. BACTERIA
Probably the most important thing to address.
Issues with gut bacteria (dysbiosis) will directly worsen everything else on this list.
Dysbiosis will drive:
⬩Pain
⬩Gas
⬩Sensitization
⬩Bloating
⬩Poor motility
⬩Food intolerances
⬩Inflammation
⬩Diarrhea
⬩Poorly formed stools
⬩Constipation
2 key easy and free ways to tell if you have dysbiosis:
1. Coated / white tongue in the morning (especially in the back)
2. Consistent foamy urine
Both very common signs of bacterial issues.
Stool testing is nice if you're really stuck, but if these are prevalent along with other gut symptoms - you can bet dysbiosis is an issue.
3 primary levers to pull to fix dysbiosis:
⬩Diet
⬩Antimicrobials
⬩Probiotics
For Diet: Starting with a low residue diet that limits bacterial fermentation.
Animal protein/fat: all cuts of beef, lamb, bison, etc. + eggs, seafood, dairy as tolerated (cottage cheese and Greek yogurt the least offensive typically)
+ easily digestible carbs like fruit juices, cane sugar and honey.
A low FODMAP diet can be effective if the problem is more upper GI (belching, upper bloating, lack of appetite).
& NO MATTER WHAT: keep polyunsaturated fats LOW (seed oils mainly).
+ Avoid food additives: added iron, colors, gums, dyes, etc. It's all terrible.
From there, in general, the least problematic foods to add back in order seem to be:
⬩Whole fruit
⬩Very well cooked potatoes / rice
⬩Toasted / non whole / cooked grains (sourdough)
⬩Very well cooked green vegetables
The better you get, the more you ought to expand the diet to make the gut more robust over time. You don't want to have a restrictive diet long term.
In general - over or under-eating will make things worse. Listen to your body.
For antimicrobials: low dose, safe antibiotics can be an absolute life saver.
⬩100-200 mg penicillin, 3-4x a day for 1-3 weeks
⬩25 mg doxy/minocycline, 2x a day, for 1-3 days
have been the most reliable in my experience.
Some natural antimicrobials:
⬩Oregano oil
⬩Allicin (garlic/onion)
⬩Mastic gum
⬩Pau D'Arco
⬩Rosemary
⬩Thyme
⬩Activated charcoal
⬩Wormwood
⬩Camphor
⬩Carrot
⬩Berberine
One herbal protocol that was studied: 2 capsules each of proprietary blends (you can get these online) FC Cidal + Dysbiocide or Candibactin-AR + Candibactin-BR, 2x a day for 4 weeks
PROBIOTICS: I wouldn't start with these if the problem is really bad, but I think the closer you get back to normal, the more important they become.
Probiotics:
⬩Have antimicrobial/anti-biofilm effects
⬩Essential for gut immunity
⬩Enhance gut motility
⬩Can metabolize food components
In general - multi strain, long duration is the key to success. At least 2 months is a good starting point.
I like the Ruscio triple therapy, MegaSporeBiotic and Seed products.
2. GUT MOTILITY
Absolutely vital to keep things moving. If you don't:
⬩Greater bacterial fermentation
⬩More inflammation from food lingering
⬩More gas production, retention (bloating)
Some tools to enhance gut motility:
⬩Coffee
⬩Cascara
⬩Triphala
⬩Raw carrot
Walking consistently is also essential here, as is maintaining consistent sleep / wake times, since gut motility is coordinated by the circadian rhythm.
The most important aspect of gut motility is vagal tone - the primary governor of the "rest and digest" nervous system that allows things to flow along well.
Which brings me to...
3. STRESS
Stress will destroy digestion. It:
⬩Worsens gut immunity - allowing for dysbiosis
⬩Slows motility (but can also cause diarrhea)
⬩Impairs energy production
Obviously, solving stress is a massive puzzle, but supporting the vagal cholinergic system here is paramount for the gut.
⬩B1
⬩Choline(rgics)
Are vital nutrients.
⬩Pregnenolone
⬩Progesterone
⬩Humming
⬩Acupressure points
⬩Breathing practices
⬩Sunlight
⬩Maintaining circadian rhythm
⬩Grounding
Are all important levers to pull for increasing vagal tone.
Deficiencies of pretty much any nutrient can cause stress, but the most noteworthy anti-stress nutrients IMO are:
⬩Magnesium
⬩Vitamin D
⬩Carbohydrate
⬩Salt
⬩Potassium
⬩Vitamin C
4. ENERGY
If your metabolism sucks good luck digesting anything.
You need energy for:
⬩Stomach acid
⬩Digestive enzyme secretion
⬩Motility
⬩Immunity
⬩Maintaining "good" bacterial balance
Some keys to enhancing energy production:
⬩Thyroid optimization / supplementation
⬩B vitamins
⬩Copper
⬩Limiting polyunsaturated fats
Eat ya liver and oysters.
5. SEROTONIN
Something NOBODY talks about but is VITAL to target.
You WILL have excess gut serotonin if you have these issues. It directly drives:
⬩Nausea
⬩Pain
⬩Sensitivity
⬩Diarrhea
⬩Bloating
⬩Loss of appetite
and more.
Serotonin is primarily the result of dysbiosis and gut irritation, so the bacteria / diet notes apply here as well.
Some tools that can directly lower serotonin and give immediate relief:
⬩Ginger
⬩Lysine
⬩Vitamins A & D
⬩Zinc
and some drugs:
⬩Cyproheptadine
⬩Benadryl
⬩Zofran (Ondansetron)
⬩Famotidine
This is so so important I will link my post on it below.
6. INFLAMMATION + LEAKY GUT
Inflammation is what directly facilitates a lot of these symptoms.
The breakdown of the intestinal barrier, or "leaky gut," is a common underlying theme in all digestive problems that drives inflammation.
Everything mentioned above plays a key role in driving or managing inflammation and the intestinal barrier,
but some good foods to directly target it:
⬩Gelatinous meats / bone broth (glycine + hydroxyproline)
⬩Raw milk
⬩Orange juice
Good supplements that directly lower inflammation:
⬩Lactoferrin
⬩Zinc Carnosine
⬩BPC-157
⬩Glutamine
