antibiotic recovery protocol - jenngibbons.com

Antibiotic Recovery Protocol

Antibiotic Recovery TreatmentIt’s important to follow antibiotic treatment with as much good gut support as possible. This will lead to a lower likelihood of Clostridium difficile, C. diff, and adverse impacts from antibiotics. I typically suggest plenty of fermented foods, fermentable fiber, soil-based organisms like Prescript-Assist and something with Saccharomyces boulardii in it; either take it alone or in a product like ABX Support from Klaire Labs, which has Saccharomyces boulardii, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bifidobacterium breve. All of these have been shown to support the normal gut flora after antibiotics. I recommend taking them during antibiotic therapy, away from when the patient is taking the antibiotics, so if the antibiotics are taken with meals, the probiotics should be taken away from meals, as well as taking them afterwards for several weeks. In addition to all of this, I’d suggest plenty of bone broth to help nourish the gut, enterocytes, and generally provide a more favorable environment for the re-establishment of healthy gut bacteria.

Jenn Gibbons, MSTOM, LAc - 646.801.6810 - [email protected]

ClassificationofFibers

Thedifferenttypesoffiberhavealsobeencharacterizedintermsoftheirwatersolubility. There are solublefibersandinsolublefibers. The most important thing here is how fermentable a fiber is.

FermentableFibers


Inthediet,fermentablefibersarefoundprimarilyinfruits,vegetables,legumes,starchyplants,nuts,andseeds,butnotallfermentablefibersarecreatedequal.

Resistantstarchmaybeparticularlybeneficial;it’sfoundincookedandcooledpotatoes,rice,lentils,andgreenplantains,aslongastheyhaven’tbeencooked.Theproblemis,wedon’teatmanyofthehigh-fiberwildplantsourancestorsate.Theyconsumedoverahundredspeciesofplantsonaverage,whereasmanypeopleintheUSandEuropeeatmaybe15to20,andalotofthosedon’thavesignificantamountsoffermentablefiber,becauseovertimealotofthespeciesofplantsthatweeathavebeencultivatedtobecomesweeterandmoreenergy-denseandlessfiber-dense.

Sowhyisfermentablefibersoimportanttorestoringthegutecosystem?Well,itselectivelystimulatesalimitednumberoffavorablespecies,inparticularLactobacillusandBifidobacterium.Fiberincreasestheproductionofshort-chainfattyacids,increasestheacidityofthecolon,andmakesitlesshospitabletopathogensandmorehospitabletothebeneficialspeciesofbacteria,whichiswhyit’ssoimportantinthatsteptwoofthehealingthegutprotocol,whichiswherewerebuildandrestoreahealthygutecosystem.Short-chainfattyacidsalsopromotecelldifferentiationandproliferation,theyregulatesodiuminwaterabsorption,theyenhancetheabsorptionofcalciumandotherminerals,andfinally,fermentablefiberalsoimprovesgutbarrierfunctionandhostimmunity.

Prebiotics

Itcanbedifficultinthemoderndiettogetenoughfiber,andmanyofusdon’teatthevarietyofwildfibrousplantsandtubersthathunter-gatherersate.Probioticshavereceivedalotofattention,butprebioticsarearguablymoreimportantasinterventions.Probioticsdon’tquantitativelyimpactthegutfloraovertime,whichmeansthatonceyoustoptakingtheprobiotics,ifyouweretomeasurethegutmicrobiota,youwouldn’tseeanincreaseintheamountsofbeneficialbacteriafrompriortothetimethatthepatientstartedtakingtheprobiotics.That’sbecausemanyspeciesofprobioticsthataretakenaretransientresidentsofthedigestivetract.Theydon’tcolonizethegutandtakeupresidence,sotakingprobioticsdoesn’tactuallyincreasethenumbersofbeneficialbacteria.Theydohavealotofotherbeneficialroles,butincreasingthebeneficialbacteriaquantitativelyovertimeisnotoneofthem.

However,prebioticsdoincreasethebeneficialbacteriaovertimebecausetheyprovidefoodforthosebeneficialspecies,whichcanthenmultiplysothatapatientcouldincreasetheirbeneficialbacteriaovertime,stoptakingtheprebiotic,andthosenumberswouldstayincreasedprovidedthey’restillconsumingenoughfermentablefibertofeedthosebacteria.Sowetypicallysuggestrotatingbetweendifferentclassesoffermentablefibers.

Therearethreeclasses:solublefiber,non-starchpolysaccharides,andresistantstarch.Mostinsolublefibersarenotsignificantlyfermented.Alotofgrainfibers,forexample,likeinbran,brancereal,andbranmuffins,areinsoluble,andtheydon’thavethesamebeneficialimpactsofthesefermentablefibers.


Solublefiber

It’sbesttoleratedbypatientswithgutissuesingeneralbecausethey’renotFODMAPs(longerchainfoods/moredifficulttoassimilatefoods)andtheytendtohaveasoothingeffectonthedigestivetract.

Mostsolublefibersformagel-likesubstance,they’remucilaginous,sothatgel-likesubstancecoatsthedigestivetractandthat’swhatcanmakeithelpfulincasesofbothconstipationanddiarrheaandwithotherdigestivesymptomslikegasandbloating.

ThesolublefibersIliketousemostincludeglucomannan,whichiskonjacroot,andpartiallyhydrolyzedguargum.

Glucomannanisverywelltoleratedandhastheaddedbenefitofbloodsugarregulation.PGXisthebrand-namefiberthatyoumighthaveheardofthatcontainsglucomannan,orkonjacroot,anditcanbetakenin capsuleorpowderform,andtherearemanydifferentbrandsbutwetendtousetheNowbrand ofglucomannan.

Partiallyhydrolyzedguargumisasolublefiber,butunlikeothersolublefibers,it’snotviscous;itdoesn’tformthatgelinthegut.Thismakesiteasiertomixwithwaterandfoodandlesslikelytocausebloatingthat’sassociatedwithsomesolublefibers.It’sthebest-toleratedfiberI’veworkedwithofanyofthefibers,especiallyforpatientswithFODMAPintoleranceandwhodon’ttypicallydowellwithfiber.

Otheroptionsforsolublefiberincludepsylliumandacacia.Psylliumiswhat’sfoundincommercialproductslikeMetamucil.ItcanworkwellbutI’vefoundthatitcausesbloatinginmanypatients.Youcanbuypureorganicpsylliumonline,whichIthinkisbetterthanMetamucil,whichhassugarandartificialflavors.

Acaciafiberisfromtheacaciatree.It’salsogenerallywelltoleratedandhaslessofatendencytocausebloatingandgasthanothersolublefiberslikepsyllium,anditcanbepurchasedaspureorganicacaciafiberfromNowandothercompanies.Allofthesefibersarecheapandaffordable,whichisanotherbenefit.

Anothergoodoptionismodifiedcitruspectin.Pectin’sanaturallyoccurringsubstancefoundonthecellwallsofmostplants,andit’sespeciallyconcentratedinthepeelandpulpofcitrusfruits.Pectinisthenmodifiedtobreakdownitslong-branchchainofpolysaccharidesintheshorter,unbranchedlengthsofsolublefibermoleculesthatwilldissolveeasilyinwater.Ithassomedistinctproperties;it’sbeenusedtopreventcancer,metastasis,andbindheavymetals,especiallywhencombinedwithanalginatecomplexlikeinproductssuchasPectaSol.Andlikeothersolublefibers,it’sgenerallywelltolerated,butIthinkyoushouldadvisepatientstostartslowlybecauseofpotentialdetoxreactionsiftheyhavetoxinspresent.


Sowhichsolublefibersshouldyouchoose?

Theycanallhavethedesiredeffect,whichisgrowingbeneficialgutfloraandrelievingbothconstipationanddiarrhea.Butwhichisuseddependsonthepatientresponseandneeds.Sowewillgenerallystartwithpartiallyhydrolyzedguargum,PHGGforshort,orglucomannanifthepatienthasbloodsugarorweightregulationissues.There’snoreasonnottotrymorethanoneandrotate,whichwealsoadvise;it’sareallykeyconcept.

Resistantstarchgotreallypopularforawhileinthefunctionalmedicineandancestralhealthcommunity,andpeopleweretakinglargeamountsofitalone.Myconcernwiththatisthatstudieshaveshownthattakinglargeamountsofresistantstarchaloneactuallydecreasesthediversityofthegutflora,whichisdefinitelynottheoutcomethatwe’relookingfor,sorotatingthedifferenttypesoffiberwillmimicanancestraldiet.AsIsaid,hunter-gathererstypicallyatealotofplants,theyatealotoffiber,buttheywereexposedtoalotofdifferenttypesoffiber,notjustone,soontherebuildinghealthygutprotocolhandoutwe’regoingtogiveyouinthepatienthandout,you’llseethatwe’relistingmanyofthesedifferentfibersandwe’readvisingpatientstorotatebackandforth.Theydon’tnecessarilyneedtotakeallofthemeveryday,butrotatingbackandforthisagoodidea.

Non-starchpolysaccharides

SothisisalargecategorythatincludesinulinandFOS,forfructooligosaccharides,whichareasubcategoryofinulin,larcharabinogalactan,galactooligosaccharides,andbeta-glucan.

ManyoftheseareFODMAPs,sothey’rethemostlikelytocausegas,bloating,andGIdistress,especiallyinpatientsthatareFODMAP-intolerant.

Galactooligosaccharides,ofallofthese,tendtoproducetheleastamountofgas,andthey’retechnicallynotFODMAPs,sotheymaybethebesttoleratedofthenon-starchpolysaccharides,and


theyhaveoneofthebestprofilesintermsoftheirabilitytoincreaseBifidobacteriaandLactobacillus.IknowthanGlennGibson,who’saresearcherinthisfield,hewasactuallythepersontocointheterm“prebiotic,”heprefersgalactooligosaccharidesasaprebiotic.

Larcharabinogalactanisahighlybranchedpolysaccharideconsistingofagalactanbackbonewithsidechainsofgalactoseandarabinosesugars.It’sbeenshowntoincreasetheproductionofshort-chainfattyacids,especiallybutyrateandpropionate,andthey’vebeenshowntodecreasethegenerationandabsorptionofammonia,whichisabyproductofbacterialmetabolismandisoftenelevatedindysbioticconditions,andalsoinconditionslikeautismspectrumdisordersandmitochondrialdisorders.Ithasasignificanteffectonenhancingthebeneficialgutmicroflora.Specifically,itincreasesanaerobessuchasBifidobacteriaandLactobacillus.Italsohasanimmune-regulatingeffect;itcanstimulatenaturalkillercellcytotoxicity,enhanceotherfunctionalaspectsoftheimmunesystem,andinhibitmetastasisoftumorcellsintheliver.It’sbeenshowntobeusefulindecreasedimmunefunction,decreasednaturalkillercellactivity,orchronicviralinfection.

Beta-glucan,or 𝛽-glucan,isasolublefiberthat’sreadilyavailableinoatandbarleygrains;alsoin certaintypesofmushrooms,likereishi,shiitakeandmaitake;yeast;seaweed;andalgae,andstudieshaveshownthatitcanplayabeneficialroleinreducinginsulinresistance,dyslipidemia,hypertension,andobesity.Likelarcharabinogalactan,beta-glucanhasbeenshowntohaveanimmunoregulatoryeffect.Somebeta-glucansinteractwithimmunecellsandstimulatetheimmunesystemdirectly,whereasothersregulatetheimmunesystemastheypassthroughtheintestinaltract.Bacteriacanfermentbeta-glucansintheintestinaltract,andtheyproduceshort-chainfattyacidsandhaveanoverallprebioticeffect.

Nextisinulinandoligofructose,alsoknownasfructooligosaccharide,orFOS.Inulinisatermappliedtoavarietyoffructosepolymersfoundincertaintypesofplants,likewheat,onions,bananas,garlic,andchicory,amongothers.Oligofructoseisasubgroupofinulinconsistingofpolymerswithadegreeofpolymerization,orDP,below10.InulinandoligofructosearenotdigestedintheupperGItract,sotheybecomefoodforbeneficialbacteriainthecolon,especiallyBifidobacteria.InulinandFOShavebeenshowntoincreasestoolfrequency,increasestoolweight,anddecreasestoolpH.TheyalsodecreasetriglyceridesandtotalandLDLcholesterol.InulinandFOSareoftenaddedtofoodsasfunctionalfibers,andaswithotherFODMAPfibers,theyarepotentstimulatorsofBifidobacteria,buttheyarealsothemostlikelytocauseGIsymptomslikegasandbloating.

Galactooligosaccharides,orGOS,isacollectivetermforagroupofcarbohydratescomposedofoligogalactose,withsomelactoseandglucose.OligosaccharidesresemblingGOSoccurnaturallyinhumanmilkandmaybeoneofthefactorsthatprotecthumaninfantsfromgastrointestinalpathogenicbacteria.Theypassundigestedintothecolon,wherebacteriahydrolyzeandfermentthem,andthey’restrongpromotersofBifidobacteriaandLactobacilli.They’vebeenshowntoprotectagainstentericinfections,increasemineralabsorption,regulatetheimmunesystem,preventallergiesandgutinflammatoryconditions,increaseshort-chainfattyacids,addbulktothestool,andprotectagainsttoxinsthatmaypromotecoloncancer.Unlikeothernon-starchpolysaccharides,GOStechnicallyarenotFODMAPs,asImentioned,andmaybebettertolerated.

Inmyexperience,thisistrueinsomepatientsbutnotinothers.Itcanstillcausesignificantgasandbloating,sotheonlythingyoucandohereisjustadvisethepatienttoexperimentandseehowtheyrespond.


Sohere’sasummaryofthenon-starchpolysaccharideoptions.Irecommendtwoproducts,BiotaGenandGalactoImmunefromKlaireLabs,andifyoutakebothoftheseproducts,itcoverstheentirespectrumofnon-starchpolysaccharides,soyoucanusethemtogetheroryoucanrotatethembackandforth,andremember,patientswithSIBOandFODMAPintolerancethataren’ttakingantimicrobialsshouldprobablynotusetheseFODMAPs,becausetheycouldcontributetoarecurringSIBOcondition,butyoucouldtrystartingalowdoseandbuildingslowly.Thisisoneofthebiggestchallengesthatwefaceasclinicians,isthatweknowthatourpatientsneedhigherfiberintaketosupporthealthygutflora,andyetmanypatientswithgutissuesarenotabletotoleratehigherfiberintake,soyoureallyjusthavetohavethemexperimentwiththedifferentfibersandchoosetheonesthattheyareabletotoleratemostandeatmoreofthosetypesoffiber,andofcoursecontinuetoaddresstheunderlyingconditionsasmuchaspossible.

ResistantStarch

Thisisatypeofstarchthat’snotdigestedinthesmallintestineorthestomach,anditreachesthecolonintact.Althoughitisastarch,itdoesnothaveanyimpactonbloodsugarforthisreason.It’snotbrokendownintoglucoseanditdoesn’thitthebloodstream,soitdoesn’thaveanyeffectonbloodsugar.AsIsaidbefore,it’saninsolublefiber,butunlikeotherinsolublefibers,whichgenerallyaren’tfermentedmuchbycolonicbacteria,resistantstarch,orRS,is.

Therearefourdifferenttypesofresistantstarch.

There’sRS1,whichisindigestibleandfoundingrains,seeds,andlegumes.

There’sRS2,whichisastarchwithhighamylosecontent;itisalsoindigestibleintherawstatebutbecomesdigestiblewhenit’scooked,andthisisthetypethat’sfoundinpotatoes,greenbananas,andgreenplantains,socookingthesefoodscausesthechangesinthestarchthatmakeitdigestibleandremovetheresistantstarch,whichiswhyyouhearsomuchdiscussionabouteatingcooked


andcooledpotatoesoreatingdehydratedgreenplantainsorgreenbananas,becauseifthey’reuncookedorthey’recookedandthey’vebeencooled,that’swheretheresistantstarchisfound.

RS3isalsocalledretrogradeRS,sincethisisthetypeofresistantstarchthatformsaftertypeoneortypetworesistantstarchiscookedandthencooled,sowejusttalkedaboutthat.Thesecookedandcooledfoodscanbereheatedatlowtemperatureslessthan130degreesandmaintainthebenefitsofRS.Soexampleswouldincludecookedandcooledparboiledrice,whiterice,cookedandcooledpotatoes,andcookedandcooledandproperlypreparedlegumeslikelentils.

Finally,RS4isasyntheticformofresistantstarchthatI’mincludingforcompletenessbutwouldnotrecommend;acommonexampleofthiswouldbehigh-maizeresistantstarch.

Severalstudieshavelookedattheimpactofresistantstarchongutfloraandhealth.Likeotherprebiotics,resistantstarchselectivelystimulatesthegrowthofbeneficialspecieslikeBifidobacteriaandLactobacillus.Italsoincreasestheconcentrationofshort-chainfattyacidslikebutyrateandpropionate,andit’sbeenshowntoprotectagainstcoloncancer,improvemetabolichealth,reducefastingbloodsugarandbodyweight,andimproveinsulinsensitivity.AndI’veseenbigchangesthereactuallywithresistantstarch;I’veseenreductionsinfastingbloodsugarofupto10milligramsperdeciliterormoreinsomecases.Empirically,resistantstarchcanalsohelpwithsleepandmood,sopatientswhohaveinsomnia,depression,anxiety,issueslikethatcanactuallyimprovewithresistantstarch,andthateffectispossiblymediatedviathegut-brainaxis.AsImentionedafewslidesback,somestudieshaveshownthathighintakesofresistantstarchwithnootherfiberscanactuallydecreasethediversityofbeneficialbacteriaspeciesinthegut,whichisdefinitelytheoppositedirectionthanwewanttogo,soresistantstarchshouldalwaysbepartofawiderspectrumoffiberintake.

TheeasiestwaytosupplementwithresistantstarchaboveandbeyondthefoodsthatIjustmentionedisgluten-freeunmodifiedpotatostarch—Bob’sRedMillisagoodbrand—orgreenbananaflourorgreenplantainflour.Soyoucouldaddthistosmoothies,butnotsoupsbecauseyoudon’twanttocookit;thatwouldinactivatetheresistantstarch.Youcanalsoeatthefoodswetalkedabout,whitepotatoes,whiteparboiledriceorlentilsthathavebeencookedandcooled,andthereisacommercialproductcalledPrebioticPluswithpotatostarchandgreenbananaflour.Thedoseofthepotatostarchofthecommercialproduct,actuallyI’mnotsureofthedoseofthecommercialproductbecauseIhaven’tuseditmuch,butforpotatostarchitwouldbetwotofourtablespoonsadayofpotatostarchorgreenplantainflourforamaximumtherapeuticeffect.However,donotstartthepatientthere;youhavetostartreallyslowly,maybeaquartertoahalfteaspoonperday,becauseitcanproduceprettyintenseGIsymptoms;aquartertohalfteaspoonperday,andthemoreGIsymptomstheyhave,themorecarefulandcautioustheyneedtobe.

Thebiggestclinicalchallengeofprebioticsandfermentablefiberisthatthepeoplewhoaremostlikelytoneedthemarealsotheleastlikelytotoleratethem.Thelow-FODMAPdietreducestheintakeofmanyofthesefibersandhasbeenshowntorelievesymptoms,butwhatarethelong-termconsequencesofthelow-FODMAPdiet?Wealreadyhavesomestudiesshowingthatthelong-termlow-FODMAPdietreduceslevelsofbeneficialbacteriainthecolon.Thisisobviouslynotideal;wemayendupfixingoneproblem,likeSIBOorIBS,andcausinganother,whichcouldbeincreasedsusceptibilitytoawidevarietyofchronicmoderndiseases.Soourapproachintheclinicisatwo-stagetreatmentwhereweaddresstheunderlyingpathologiesthatcausethesegutsymptomsandthenwerebuildahealthygutecosystem.Soforexample,ifapatienthasSIBOandthat’scausingthe


fiberandFODMAPintolerance,thenwetreatitandslowlyreintroducethebeneficialfibersovertime.

Probiotics

Animportantconcepttounderstandisthatrecentstudieshaveshownthatwhileprobioticsarebeneficial,theydon’tworkbyquantitativelyincreasingthegoodgutbacteria.Wetalkedaboutthisbeforeinthepresentation,butIwanttoemphasizeithereagain.Ithinktypicallypeoplehavethoughtofprobioticsaslikebeneficialbacteria;it’smaybelikethegastankanalogy,likeifyouhavelowlevelsofbeneficialbacteria,probioticswillkindoffillupthetankandtakeyoufromhavinglowamountstohavinghighamounts.Butwenowknowthatthat’snotreallyhowprobioticswork.Theyworkbytransiently,meaningtemporarilyaslongasyou’retakingthem,tuningandregulatingtheimmunesystem,promotinganti-inflammatorypathwaysandcreatingafavorableenvironmentforbeneficialbacteria.Anotherwaytothinkaboutitisthatprebioticsincreasewhat’salreadythereandprobioticsregulatewhat’salreadythere.

Fermentedfoods

Humanshavealonghistoryofconsumingfermentedfoods.AccordingtoProfessorKeithSteinkrausatCornell,“TheprocessesrequiredforfermentedfoodswerepresentonEarthwhenmanappearedonthescene.Whenwestudythesefoods,weareinfactstudyingthemostintimaterelationshipswithbetweenman,microbeandfoods.”Sothesefoods,likehoney,berries,fruit,andfruitjuices,wereconsumedvery,veryearlyon,probablybeforewewereevenhuman,definitelyourprimateancestorsstillconsumedthem.FermentedfoodsareaboutasPaleoorancestralasyoucanget.Withoutknowinganythingaboutmicrobes,ourancestorsrecognizedthetherapeuticqualitiesofthesefoods,andvirtuallyallcontemporaryhunter-gatherersthathavebeenstudiedconsumesomekindoffermentedfoods.


MeasurementsofthechemicalcontentwithinancientNeolithicvesselssuggestthatintentionalfermentationoffruit,rice,orhoneybeverageshasbeencommonpracticeforcloseto10,000years.Therearenumerousreferencestoalcoholproductionduringantiquity,butwealsoknowthatfermentationofcereals,dairy,vegetables,fish,seafood,andmeatswasasignificantpartofancestraldietarypractices.

Fermentedfoodshaveseveraladvantagesovercommercialprobioticproducts.First,asImentioned,hominidshavebeeneatingfermentedfoodsformorethan2millionyears,andwe’readaptedtogettingmicrobesfromthesefoodsforthisreason.Second,there’ssomeevidencethatprobioticbacteriainfoodsmaybebetterabletosurvivethestomachacid.Thisisoneproblemwithmanycommercialprobiotics.Onestudyshowedthat35percentofalllacticacidbacteriaisolatedfromrawfruitsandvegetablescansurvivegastricconditions.Third,fermentedfoodhasotherbenefits;itincreasesthebioavailabilityofmood-regulatingBvitamins,magnesium,andzinc,anditmayimprovevitaminDstatus.

Fourth,theconcentrationofprobioticorganismsissignificantlyhigherinsomefermentedfoods.Forexample,onecupofkefircontainsapproximately2.35trillioncolony-formingunits,orCFUs.Comparethattomostprobioticsupplementsthatonlyhaveafewbillion,andeventhehigh-potencyproductslikeVSL-3orElixathathave500billion,andthisisespeciallytrueforhomemadefermentedfoodsthatyoucanfermentforlongerperiodstoincreasetheirmicroorganismcontent.Finally,fermentedfoodsaremuchcheaperthancommercialprobiotics;youcanmakereallylargebatchesofsauerkraut,andonlyusingcabbage,whichisoneofthecheapervegetables. Someofthemostcommonfermentedfoodsincludekefir,thatcanbemadefrommilkorwaterorcoconut,youngcoconutwater;yogurt;sauerkraut;kimchi;beetkvass;andkombucha.Clinically,Ifoundkefirtobethemosttherapeutic,especiallyhomemadekefirmadefrompasture-raisedorganicmilk,ifpatientscantolerateit.It’srichinbeneficialmicrobes,anditalsocontainsfat-solublevitaminslikevitaminAandK2,andnaturaltrans-fats.Notethatevenpatientswithlactoseintolerancecanoftentoleratekefirwhenit’sbeenfermentedfor24hoursbecausethatvirtuallyeliminatesthelactose.Also,studieshaveshownthatkefirmaybeabletoreverselactoseintolerance;inotherwords,thepatientislactoseintolerantandtheyconsumesmallamountsofkefirandgraduallyrampitupovertime,andtheyactuallybecomeabletotoleratelactose.Soifapatientisintoleranttotheproteinsindairy,however,theyprobablystillwon’tbeabletotoleratekefirbecausethefermentationdoesn’tchangetheproteinssignificantlytochangetheantigenicityofthemilk,buttheycanmakekefirfromwaterorcoconutwaterorotherbeverages.

FermentedfoodsprovidehugeamountsoflacticacidbacterialikeLactobacillus,BifidobacteriaandStreptococcus.We’vebeenconsumingthesestrainsformillenniaandthey’realsoverywellstudied.Fermentedfoodsareamoreconcentratedsourceofthesetypesofbacteriathancommercialproducts.

Aboveandbeyondthelacticacidbacteria,I’drecommendaproductwithsoil-basedorganisms.Upuntilveryrecently,allhumans—andstilltoday,mosthumansthatliveinruralareasonfarmsandinthedevelopingworld—consumedmilligramquantitiesofthesetypesofbacteriathatarefoundinsoilandwater.TheyincludespeciesfromtheBacillusgenus,whichisagut-adaptedendospore-formingbacteriathatsurvivesthestomachacidcompletelyintactandhasnumerousbeneficialeffectsincludingantimicrobialproperties.It’snotaseasytoconsumetheseinthedietasitistogetlacticacidbacteriathatwegetfromfermentedfoods.Youcouldeatunwashedfruitsandvegetablesandalittledirt,butthat’ssomewhatproblematicgivenallthetoxinsthatarefoundinsoiltoday,soIthinksoil-basedorganismsthathavebeenisolatedareabetteroption.


Thereareseveralproductsoutthere,thingslikePrimalFlora,PrimalDefense,AOR3,andPrescript-Assist.Prescript-AssististheoneI’vehadthebestsuccesswithandhavethemostexperiencewith.It’sabroad-spectrumprobioticwith29differentstrains,it’sshelf-stablesoitdoesn’trequirerefrigeration,veryeasytotravelwith,survivesthestomachacid,it’shigh-potency,itcontainsaprebioticcalledleonardite,andit’ssupportedbylong-term,peer-reviewed,double-blind,placebo-controlledtrials,whichismorethanmostprobioticscansayforthemselves.Notethatsoil-basedorganismsingeneralandPrescript-Assistinparticularareoftenwelltoleratedevenwithpatientsthatdon’tdowellwithlacticacidprobiotics.AgoodmaintenancedosewithPrescript-Assistisonecapsuleperday.

Prescript-Assistmicrofloraarerecognizedasclass-oneetiologicalagents,whichmeansthey’renon-toxicandnon-pathogenic.Morethanadecadeofuseasasupplementhasrevealednoadverseeffectsand/orsideeffects,includingreportedlypatientswithimpairedimmunesystems,aswellastheinitialdemonstrationswithrepeatedconsumptionsofdosesamountingto500timestherecommendedhumandoseforordinarydailyuseinanimalstudies,bytheway,withnoilleffect.Incaseswherepatientscan’ttoleratefermentedfoods,youmaywanttosuggestalacticacidprobioticforongoingmaintenance.Ther-BioticCompletefromKlaireLabsisagoodchoice,it’sabroadspectrumofbacteria,relativelyhighpotency,thoughnotashighasVSL#3andElixa,whicharemoretherapeutic-strengthprobiotics.VSL#3inparticularhasbeenverywellstudiedininflammatoryboweldisease,ulcerativecolitisinparticular,andothergutconditions,anditcanbeveryeffectivewhenpatientstolerateitwell.Theseproducts,becausethey’relacticacidbacteria,dorequirerefrigeration.


antibiotic recovery protocol - jenngibbons.com

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