Next steps for dealing with methane while not actively killing....

While I wait for my antibodies to clear so my nerves can heal and restore function to my migratory motor complex in the small intestine I need to do something to keep the methane at bay.  I tried a 90 day protocol and that clearly didn't do much at all.  So what to do??  I don't want to dive into more killing so I may go back to the (possible) methane inhibitors.

Methane inhibitors
Red Yeast Rice - we know that Dr. Pimental is testing a lovastatin type drug to see if it inhibits methane production.  See here for information, scroll to bottom.  Red Yeast Rice does contain a natural form of lovastatin. I've used it in the past and was able to keep my methane numbers mostly in the single digits.  Once I got them to a certain level they wouldn't go lower but with Primary SIBO (aka the food poisoning induced autoimmune variety), getting the numbers down and maintaining them seems better than having them go up and down. And, it made goats fart less so why not us :) 

"At the genus level, the predominant archaea in the rumen of goats was Methanobrevibacter, 

which was significantly inhibited with the supplementation of red yeast rice. 

In conclusion, red yeast rice is a potential feed ingredient for mitigation of 

enteric methane emissions of goats." 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27467559

The link above is to a brand I used in the past. I might try a different brand this go 'round.

Ideal Bowel Support - this is a probiotic containing only 

Lactobacillus Plantarum which according to Chris Kresser can degrade methane.  I quite literally have a shelf of this stuff in my refrigerator.  Can't hurt!

Atrantil - This seemed so gimmicky when it first came out.  And there were so many "worked like a charm" and "didn't do squat" type comments on message boards that I really was skeptical. But I listened to Dr. Brown on a few recent podcasts and given my current situation (anti-vinculin antibodies negatively impacting motility) I thought I should at least try it.  It made me feel better, lighter.  I don't know how else to explain it.  I should say that I did use it after fasting so I was already feeling lighter and I do have most my digestive symptoms under control but wouldn't it be nice to be able to expand my diet without the usual repercussions. I think yes!  So I'm going to add it in while I focus on boosting motility and supporting healing.

Prokinetics
Cause if things aren't moving you are just generally screwed.  In hindsight I would have started taking these the second I learned I had SIBO.  Keeping things moving through the GI tract is the easiest way to prevent more overgrowth (in my opinion).  And note, not all of these are actual prokinetics, some have a more laxative effect, I realize that.  Slowing anywhere in the GI is just not good, makes you feel toxic, sluggish and ornery.
  
LDN - Low dose Naltrexone, although it really doesn't seem to actually have a prokinetic effect much if at all.  For those with Primary SIBO, LDE (low dose Erythromycin 50mg at bedtime) or Resolor (Prucalopride) seem to be the prescription of choice.  I don't tolerate Resolor because it has a teeny tiny amount of lactose.  Maybe you are luckier than I and tolerate dairy. Resolor is available through Canadian pharmacies.  I may ask for a script for LDE the next time I'm in office but I just hate the idea of more antibiotics even though it is a minidose. So for now I continue on LDN since it's beneficial for autoimmune issues.

Motilpro - Taken at bedtime, helps stimulate the cleansing waves of the small intestine at night.  In the beginning of my treatment it was recommended to take between breakfast and lunch as well but I don't really eat before lunch so I just wait until bedtime. Sometimes I take Ginger capsules in between breakfast and lunch.  The stuff is mega ginger burntastic so make sure to swallow it down with a LOT of water about a 1/2 hour before you actually go to bed.  

Vagal Tone - This shows some promise.  It was recommended by my ND but sadly I am reactive to the chamomile and it gives me a headache within seconds of application. Ugh! Similar to Iberogast in that you use it with meals and at bedtime, only it's external, apply a tiny dab on your occiput.

Magnesium - Most people recommend Magnesium citrate because it's not absorbed well into the system so does the trick. But it's acidic and can burn on the way out. Yikes!  Oxide is also not absorbed well and is not acidic, but I like a blend, that way your body can use some of the more absorbable forms and the rest can do it's job of pulling water into the colon and flushing the system.  I take it at dinner and bedtime so it can go to work in the evening and overnight.

Triphala - My new love.  LOL!  I used to swear this stuff did nothing but made me super constipated (and frustrated).  Turns out you just need to keep increasing to find your optimal dose.  I take 4 capsules at bedtime unless I've indulged and then I take a couple extra. Carbs and nuts do nothing but stop me up but oh how I love the taste of them!

I used Iberogast for a while but it started to not sit well.  It was the chamomile. Now the company has been sold to Bayer and is either being reformulated or completely taken off the market.  Either way pretty sad since I know it's used by many. I also try to use bitters before meals but got out of the habit and now forget a lot of the time.  These things can have a positive impact on motility as well.

Most of us have heard of the physical things we can do to stimulate the vagus nerve.  The vagus nerve stimulates the migratory motor complex so it's important that it's strong and active.  According to Dr. Kharrazian there is (vigorous) gargling, gagging and singing.  I also know from yoga that breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, most notably deep belly breaths followed by restricting and extending the exhale. It's your exhale that stimulate the parasympathic response. It's easiest to do this lying down.

Gut and Liver Support
Zinc Carnosine and L-Glutamine.  That's really all I have found that isn't mucilaginous and doesn't feeds the darned bugs.  I capsule up my own Glutamine because it's cheaper and I can avoid the fillers.  A lot of people drink it in water and it supposedly helps with sugar cravings, I just never liked doing it that way.  I recently added in a small dose of copper when I take extra zinc, apparently you are supposed to keep them balanced and not take zinc longterm on it's own.  Don't ask me where I read this, I cannot recall.

I always taking some sort of liver support because your liver takes the brunt of filtering whatever leaks through the intestinal wall.  If we are permeable and/or killing, your liver could use some assistance cleaning all that garbage out of the blood stream.  I've taken everything from plain Milk Thistle to ayurvedic formulas to herbal combinations.  I rotate formulas. 

Soil based probiotics remain my protocol (I would call it "my stack" but that seems really weird for some reason!).  I still take both PrescriptAssist and MegaSpore. I've done so much killing since my initial diagnosis that I feel it's necessary to support the microbiome in whatever way I can.  

Nerve Support
For those with Primary (autoimmune) SIBO, taking supplements that benefit nerve healing may be helpful.  It may not, who really knows.  I add Lion's Mane and Sunflower Lecithin to my hot chocolate and take Acetyl L-Carnitine in the morning. They talked about using Lion's Mane and Acetyl L-Carnitine at the SIBO Symposium a couple of years ago. 

The other thing I take that may or may not be of any help at all is Fibrenza.  My ND feels it may help remove antibodies in some way.  I have no idea how that would work but the idea of having something that scavenges the body seems good to me.



Please note - I do not make anything off these links I just included them for ease and examples.  All the links are products that I have used and companies I have purchased from.  Make your own decisions with your healthcare provider and buy from someone you trust.  Personally I don't like to buy supplements off Amazon unless I know it's coming straight from the company itself.  There are many rumors of counterfeit supplements out there.

Counting down to school

School starts here on Sept 2nd.  I am really excited to get back into a regular yoga practice. It benefits my mind and my gut, not to mention my neck.  Summer is hard with the kid and activities and travel.  I'm not great at doing a home practice.  I usually end up tweaking something when I do because I skimp on the warmup.

Vacation recovery time

The bugs in me still love the carbs.  I have been trying to get my digestion back on track the last couple of days since returning from vacation and it's just a struggle.  I'm bloated, constipated and annoyed.  I have a love/hate relationship with vacations.  I find them fun but incredibly stressful (to be honest this was probably the most stress filled vacation I have ever been on).  

We were in Whistler and stayed in a condo with a full refrigerator and kitchen.  I packed a ton of food - ground meat, offal muffins, chicken thighs, veggie soup, stir fry veggies, coconut milk, etc.  I ate my usual breakfast of an offal muffin, veggie soup and hot chocolate.  I was doing several hours of yoga workshops/classes for 5 days (Wanderlust) so I would eat nut butter and drink tea at lunchtime, do more yoga and then come home for a dinner of curried veggies and chicken.  My digestion was holding it's own.  Same rigid diet on the same schedule I had been eating at home.

Wanderlust went away and I went back to eating 3 meals a day.  We were doing a lot of biking, hanging out at the lake, having more relaxing days.  I started nibbling on potato chips here and there with meals and ate french fries one day when we went out to dinner with friends.  I drank a glass of wine one night too close to bedtime and ended up a bloated, nauseuos, painful mess in the middle of the night. We packed up and moved into a yurt and everything just trickled to a halt. Bristol scale - 1. I'm not complaining, I thank my lucky stars that things are moving.  I have to admit I am a little envious of the people who easily clear this or move on with life, asymptomatic even though they still have some infection.  For some of us, it's just not that easy, we blink and things just fall apart.  

Came home Monday night and I treated myself to a hot chocolate after nearly 8 hours on the road home.  Again, too close to bedtime and I ended up awake half the night, bloated and nauseous.  Arg!  Oh, and I'm still actively treating (red yeast rice with garlic, oreganol, Biocidin, Olivirex, etc, etc) so what the heck!  Shouldn't all these antimicrobials be taking care of business!  

I started in with this.  Aromatic spice formula, ha!  It feels like squirting fire up your nose.  I have always had sinus issues so I wonder about an overgrowth of commensal bacteria.  I'm too lazy to schedule an appt to get my sinuses cultured (I have an appt in late September) so I thought I'd see if the SinuOrega would make a difference with my symptoms. 

Things I would have changed:

• Taken my probiotics with me and LOADED up.  I took my probiotic tonic but that was not enough.
• Stayed away from the carbs! Knowing that my system was already taxed from stress I should have stayed away from the carbs!  I tolerate them okay when life is easy and good but clearly not otherwise.
• Been a little better prepared before leaving and not overpacked on everything.  This creates more stress because things start thawing and produce starts spoiling.
• Communicate better with my family so we all are on the same page before splitting up or making plans.  To be honest, much of the time it felt like we were on someone else's vacation.  We didn't do enough of the things that we love doing.
• Sometimes you just have to embrace "the hippy shit" as my husband's friend Amy calls it.  My family was doing yoga together and it turned into a big circle lovefest and we ran.  We should have just gone with it, but in all honesty I kinda wanted to go meditate.

I have a week to get my shit together before we pack up and head to Idaho.  Will definitely be better prepared and do things differently.

Fits and Spurts

Sometimes I guess I just don't have much to say.  The suddenly I'll think of 10 things and write a bunch of posts.  Anyway!  I signed up for Wanderlust months ago.  Wanderlust is a big yoga festival that travels all over.  I am in the midst of it now.  In preparation I cut out lunch.  Seems odd, I know, but my Wanderlust schedule has me in classes from 8am to 3:30pm and so I wanted to acclimate my body to that before diving in.  I guess I didn't cut out lunch competely, I eat a packet of almond butter and have jasmine tea (not really what anyone in their right mind would consider a meal!).

And of course the festival doesn't come to my hometown so I had to pack up a CRAPTON of food to bring with me.  Today I didn't have leftovers in the refrigerator when I got back so I whipped up a smoothie.  I haven't tried one in a loooooong time.  I kept it low FODMAP (coconut milk, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, carrot and spinach).  It immediately made me feel sick, thank goodness my body throws up major warning signals to keep me from downing the whole thing and suffering for it..  My body just isn't ready to handle the raw stuff yet.  I recently ate a banana successfully so I don't think it's the fructose.  All I can say is thank goodness for hot dogs :)

My first class tomorrow is a meditation class so I'll be able to eat a HUGE breakfast to sustain me better and I have all the veggies ready to be sauteed up when I get home.  This morning all I could choke down was an offal muffin and a hot chocolate.

While I am here I do plan on eating out and drinking a glass of wine here or there so I am taking all my Biocidin, Olivirex, Red Yeast Rice with Garlic, SerraGold and Oreganol for 10 days.  I took a break just before I came but wanted to be a little more lax with my diet (french fries) while here so decided to do another round.

Other than that, life has been same old thing.  Sticking with the diet (for the most part) and treating off and on.  Trying to get my hands on a breath test to see if this latest protocol has made a difference at all.

Oh, and after all the yoga craziness is done I will be adding back lunch again.  With my adrenals as taxed as they are it's not good to deprive your body of meals (and drink caffeine instead).

Up, Up, Up...

For the past 10 days I have been packing on the pounds, like 8lbs!  I haven't changed my diet except for eating jasmine rice 3 or 4 times, maybe a little more honey than I should (still well under 2 tsp a day), certainly not an extra 28,000 calories :)  I've been walking less than usual too, now that I think about it.  I usually walk 2 miles every day.  I've been taking days off here and there.  I'm sitting more with school - watching videos, taking notes, studying. So overall less active.  Still attending 5 or 6 yoga classes a week.  Still not sure that should add up to that much extra weight and when I measured last night I was a full 2" bigger around my belly. Yowza!  No wonder I feel like crud.

The other thing I have done is discontinued the T3 and added in the Adrenomend, Thyrocare and Adrenal PX.  Seems like hormones more likely are having a bigger impact than the above.  I added back in the T3 two days ago as my temps have been too low again (although my temporal thermometer just told me I'm at 100.00 degrees!).  Wonder how long it will get everything to normalize??

And the 3rd thing is the festering infection in my face that I mostly ignored until it started traveling down my neck and up my face. This last screw is a bugger. It just won't heal and I'm sure I'm getting food trapped in the wound so I've become diligent the last several days about using my Hydrofloss after every meal and then oil pulling with MCT and a few drops of OnGuard, Melaleuca and Clove.  I made a topical formula that I am rubbing on the outside of my cheek and on the bottom of my feet every couple of hours.  Thankfully it is resolving because my husband was about to drag my butt to the doctor.  That kind of physical stress can provoke a cortisol response which further messes with hormones.  I have one week to get it completely healed and then they place one on the other side. Hopefully I've learned my lesson with this one and will do better next time.

I think I've got things back under control again and was down 1/2 lb this morning, the first drop I've seen in weeks.  Phew!

The sucky part is with all the new herbals for adrenal and thyroid (6), and the anti-inflammatory supps (3) I've added I am up to more than 20 pills with breakfast.  There is only ONE capsule that is a SIBO killer.  ONE!

Just Breathe

Stick with me here, I am going somewhere.

Exerpts from "Mind, Body, and Sport" by John Douillard
"Humans come into this world as nose breathers.  We are "obligate nose breathers," to be scientific, which means we do not possess the voluntary ability to breath through our mouths.  Mouth breathing is a learned response triggered by emergency stress."

He goes on to talk about how babies breathe through their nose until they get a cold and can no longer breathe through their nose, they panic, then what do they do??  They cry, "which forces air through the mouth and into the lungs".

"The survival response triggers certain emergency fight-or-flight receptors in the upper lobes of the lungs, which help the infant deal with extreme stress.  Also , the lower lobes of the lungs are an abundance of parasympathetic nervous system receptors.  When activated with nasal breathing, they calm the mind and rejuvenate the body."

"Thus it is from an early age we are conditioned so that under the first sign of stress, including exercise stress later in life, we shift into our emergency mode of breathing - through the mouth."

He goes on to state that most people breathe through the mouth and in doing so limit their breathing mainly to the chest.  "Chest breathing fills the middle and upper portions of the lungs but doesn't efficiently engage the blood-rich lower lobes...... For chest breathing to supply enough oxygen, both breathing and heart rate must be faster."  You may think, so what, I can't breathe well through my nose so I have to breathe through my mouth.  This is what he has to say: "This shallow breathing soon becomes a way of life, causing the following:

• Activates upper-chest stress receptors (that can actually stimulate a fight or flight form of arousal)
• Activation of stress receptors triggers the burning of sugar and storing of fat
• Denies access to the lower calming, oxygen rich lower lobes
• Compromises waste removal through lower lung breathing
• The ribs and chest become inflexible
• Compromise lymphatic drainage and circulation to the rib cage, breast, heart and lungs
• The thoracic spine, where the ribs attach, become stiff and rigid, which affects spinal biomechanics
• The diaphragm affects digestive function, contributing to indigestion, heartburn and hiatal hernias.
• Neck and shoulders become tight due to excessive upper-chest shallow breathing
• Sinuses become congested from discontinued use
• The sense of smell and taste is affected
• The cranial bones stay supple from nasal breathing and become stiff and rigid without it."

Wow and Yikes!  I can tell you from having sinus issues of my own years ago that I breathed mostly through my mouth for years.  I have a lot of the issues listed above.  I've worked hard the last year to get flexibility back into my neck, shoulders and ribs through my thoracic.  It's not easy.  My nasal passages still feel a bit restricted but I can breathe through my nose now without feelings like I am going to suffocate.  He recommends using Breathe Right strips in the beginning as they can "decrease nasal resistance by 30 percent".  That's a pretty big number.  

It's also fascinating that he states that most mammals that have the ability to cool themselves through sweating breathe through their mouths only in times of stress.  When's the last time you saw a horse or a cow breathing through it's mouth?  They're too busy using it to eat.

Diaphragmatic breathing on the other hand draws air down into the blood rich lower lobes. "There is a remarkable parallel in the calming and relaxing influence of deep, nasal, diaphragmatic breathing on a nursing infant, and on an athlete experiencing the runner's high during exercise."

Even if you are not an athlete, try to be conscious of how you breathe and what it is telling your body.  Take some time out every day to take breaths deep into your belly and push it all the way out, especially right before you eat.  We spend far too much time walking around holding our stomachs in and all this does is force the contents of your intestinal tract up which contributes to crappy motility and constipation.  

Really, there's no reason not to work on this.  Who doesn't have time to breathe?  It's free.

To Be or Not to Be???

So I've been thinking for a long time about becoming a yoga teacher and a health coach.  I knew there were a lot of online options but how do you chose?  Liz and Diane talked about it on their Balanced Bites podcast episode 177 and I thought hmmm, there's a good place to start.  So I started looking into programs.  MUIH - too pricey, but man a getting a Masters Degree in Yoga would be fun.  IIN - Amazing guest lecturers and has a great reputation, but is focused solely on food (and business) and I feel like I would then have to go through another program.  FDN - am I qualified?  It looks like it mostly covers lab tests and treatment.  Does it go over enough of the food and lifestyle stuff?  NTA - local but doesn't start until fall and will the weekend workshops be in my area cuz I won't travel. It does look more comprehensive than all of them.  

The bottom line is, it seems like we need more people with personal experience with SIBO out there supporting others who are newly diagnosed and struggling.  Providers either are not that helpful with diet and lifestyle or have schedules so booked that you can rarely see them.  I had to cancel an appt in Feb with my local ND and the next time he had available was the end of April.

My favorite yoga studio offers teacher training in the fall.  I would love to teach restorative yoga.  Most people go to yoga to get a workout while what they really need is to learn to nurture and listen to their bodies.  None of the 3 studios that I go to offer a slow flow type of class.  I think that a lot of people would be interested if it was available, mix things up a bit.  I know on days when I am feeling low energy it's hard to go through a strong flow class and when I've gone to a slow flow class, it's felt wonderful (although the 90-105 minutes it took to get there in traffic, not so lovely).