Hey ,

A colonoscopy? Wauw! Would you like to share with us why you get a colonoscopy? 

Gatorade is used to replace electrolytes, so any supplement containing electrolytes can help, but it would be wise to discuss this with your doctor as well!

Hey ,

It is because it is daily that I am thinking it could be related to cortisol. The primary function of cortisol is not actually related to stress. Cortisol’s primary function is regulating blood sugars.

When we wake up, for example, we need energy. Since we have been fasting for 8 hours after a good night of sleep, we need the energy to fuel our bodies. This is why cortisol peaks in the morning. That peak can in some people be dysregulated: In some people, it can peak too high, in some people the peak is too low. In both cases, it can create health problems which are typically more ‘visible’ in the morning.

A second clue why cortisol might play a role is that anger contributes to the worsening of the symptoms in the morning. Cortisol elevates when the body perceives a threat. The body reasons that a fight or flight might be a possible scenario and tries to create more blood sugars so that we can defend or fight better. When the anger is gone, it can still influence our cortisol levels the next day for 2 primary reasons:
1. It takes time to break down cortisol and bring it back to lower levels.
2. Even when anger is gone, the way we feel and reflect after anger can also influence cortisol levels. Sometimes people might experience that they felt treated unfairly or aren’t being heard for example. Sometimes the anger is expressed, but the anger isn’t gone. Sometimes people might experience that their reaction was too strong and doubts and feelings of regret can still influence our feelings of safety, which means that cortisol levels can still be altered the next day.

These aren’t the only things that influence cortisol levels, but they might come on top of some other dynamic at play which might worsen the symptoms. The initial imbalance in cortisol is in this case a symptom of something else the body tries to manage, for example:
• Allergen exposure (including food sensitivities)
• Too much exercise, or a physical trauma
• Emotional Trauma
• Overuse of stimulants (caffeine, sugar, some people are sensitive to theobromine in chocolate)
• Toxins (inclusive overuse of medications)
• Insulin resistance and obesity
• Inflammation
• Insufficient sleep, sleep apnea and shift work.
• Insufficient calorie intake.
• A low-carb diet (since the body now needs to create sugar and this is the primary function of cortisol)

The art is then to find what causes the dysbalance in cortisol while managing the things that challenge the cortisol levels further.

To help you with that:

The GI symptoms could cause imbalances in cortisol levels and imbalances in cortisol levels can cause GI symptoms. Helping the body digest the food might bring some relief.

There is a handout right here with solutions to bloating. This video here explains how digestive enzymes can help digestion. Burping can also be a sign of low stomach acid. The hydrochloric acid dosage challenge can be something you could do to explore that option.

I hope this answers some of your questions and also provides you with a starting point on how to progress further!

Hey ,

I’m glad to hear that the situation improved! And he is lucky to have a mother like you! The first thing that sticks out for me is that both situations could be related to stress hormones. Since Bernadette knows the case better (and has kids!), she might be able to look at it from a different angle

Why it might be hard to describe the feelings in his core.
Would you describe your son as someone who is well in touch with his feeling? I’m asking because I get the sense that describing the feelings he has in his core is hard for him. Having a good description might help us give a better sense of what might be at play.

There are other reasons why someone might not be able to describe their feelings. He might for example miss the right words. Or he might feel a combination of stuff that might be complex to describe for him.

Here are some questions you could ask:
• The core of the body, depending on who you ask, can be completely different areas. Ask him to place his hands on where he feels the ‘anxiety’ can help you pinpoint better where he feels the discomfort.
• Does he feel there is tension in this area, then muscles are probably related.
• GI distress might be hard to describe sometimes. Does he feel a sort of cramping in the abdominal area? And related to that, how are his stools when he feels his core is like sh**?
• Discomfort in the abdomen may be aching, stabbing, burning, twisting, cramping, dull, or gnawing. Asking more specific questions can help narrow it down.

Anger and anxiety can be related. Anxiety is sometimes described as a low grade of anger. He might not be really upset anymore, but his body still might feel the ‘leftovers’ of the anger. 

Understanding how his anger transforms in his mind can also play a role. Some people feel for example guilty after an angry outburst leaving them with shame or regret. These emotional feelings might end up on top of the physical discomfort making it harder to explain his feelings. If shame is at play he might not want to describe his feelings clearly as well.

Lots of options to explore, I know. But all these emotions can also contribute to imbalances in neurotransmitters and cause him to feel unwell.

Helping him cope with these feelings might be part of the solution.

Stress hormones
Sleep and emotions are both influenced by stress hormones. For example: when we wake up, our stress hormones peak to get our body ready to go. This is called the Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR). It happens after a good night of rest. Dropping back into sleep after you wake up, will lower cortisol levels again. These changes in your regular sleeping pattern shift your body’s neuroendocrine response, which can sometimes lead to nausea.

A second reason why people can feel nausea is low blood sugar and hunger. When he sleeps longer, this could be at play as well.

I hope this helps!

 hard to say with 100 per cent accuracy without current data, but your folate measurement in February 2023 was 5.88 ug/l. That is in the lower half of the reference range. I know it went up after you started supplementing with B vitamins, but not by much.

A higher dose like 800ug for a few weeks is something you could try with such values. But again, without knowing current serum values, I wouldn’t know what to advise exactly.

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I can imagine that the vitamin C could cause the irritation and the heartburn. If you aren’t sure if this supplement is something for you right now, you could also experiment by buying 500 mg of vitamin C and see how that works for you.

If it causes problems, Gastromend is probably not for you.

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I wouldn’t stop it because I added TTFD. When it comes to continuing, that answer would be best answered on the basis of your serum levels. I would especially curious about your serum folate levels.

I don’t recommend TTFD often, but people who do use it often feel it influences their concentration positively. It is one of those supplements you can feel working.

The people I did recommend it often report that they feel more focused after an hour. I personally have the same experience. I also feel more focused in my workouts as well.

The pills are very small and are best consumed with meals for optimal absorption.

Hey ,

Gastromend-HP is a supplement I often recommend for example with H Pylori. It has a nice blend of gut healing nutrients as well. Can you recall how this supplement felt for you? There is some vitamin C in it, which makes it slightly acidic.

Hey ,

Because TTFD isn’t depending on transporters, there isn’t a competition issue going on with the other B vitamins. With thiamine, you can dose between the 25 and 100 mg to correct for a mild deficiency.

When it comes to safety: dosing long-term for 300 mg didn’t show problems in studies with diabetic patients.  The supplement I recommended comes in pills containing 100 mg. You can take it daily. With thiamine, no contraindications are known as well.

Hey ,

I’m so sorry to hear about the Lyme disease. Are you experiencing symptoms? If you do, let us know, and we could provide you with some extra tips!

The good news is that research shows that essential oils can be used to repel ticks. Oils from lemongrass, cedar, peppermint, thyme, and geraniol are often used. A blend like your picture can definitely help.

Some oils might work better against one species and another might work better against another. This makes giving advice difficult, but I would stick to a blend.

This 2012 study compared how a few working components of different oils worked against different species. Carvacrol (found in thyme oil) worked well compared to commercial products, but it gave little protection against the Turkey Tick (A. americanum). Nootkatone (found in oils of the cedar tree) gave better protection.

The chemically synthesized oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) provides also protection. It would be a better choice when it comes to repelling ticks as the natural oil because the working compound is more concentrated.

It is hard to give you some concrete advice on what product would be best. I’m based in Europe and although we have ticks, the market for natural remedies is really small in my country.

Permethrin is a pesticide and can affect you when it is absorbed by the skin or when you inhale it. Really not non-toxic at all. Prolonged or repeated contact can therefore influence your health, but it’s hard to talk about what type of risk you’re taking here. Without alternatives, it is hard to advise you on this since you will have to balance the risk you take with the ticks.

When the oils give you enough protection, I probably wouldn’t use Permethrin. Below I have added the hazardous substance fact sheet of Permethrin so you can make a better educated choice there.

[3422.pdf]

Hey ,

Your friend is lucky to have you! We have a lot of content on H. Pylori on the platform as well, so we can provide you with a lot of guidance.

Details to your friends specific situation will make the guidance even better. Do you know for example what type of test she did to diagnose H. Pylori? Was it for example a breath test, a blood test or a stool test? Another important piece of information that will provide more personal answers are her symptoms and if she is using medications.

To help you, you could ask her for example if your friend is experiencing symptoms like acid reflux, indigestion, bloating, nausea and vomiting. Pherhaps she is having stomach ulcers as well.

With longer exposure nutrients like iron, vitamin B12 and zinc can be depleted in te body. When iron and vitamin B12 are depleted, people might experience fatigue, concentration problems, hair loss, tingling sensations in the arms and legs, dizziness/lightheadedness, mouth ulcers or an inflamed tongue. A depletion in zinc can also cause concentration problems, slow thyroid symptoms and/or frequently getting sick.

These symptoms could also give more specific information to what your friend should be eating to replete these deficiencies.

Let’s address H. Pylori

There is a video right here that goes into what herbal remedies you can use with an H. Pylori overgrowth. Personally I like to use Matula Tea. GastroMend-HP from Designs for health (click here) is a good supplement that can help reduce H. Pylori. It contains ingredients like Zinc L-carnosine, Mastic Gum and DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice) which are all ingredients that are researched in patients having an H. Pylori overgrowth.

Foods to avoid
Some foods can irritate the stomach lining. Things like alcohol, coffee, soda for example. Spicy foods are foods I would recommend to avoid as well. Think of hot pepper, curries, salsa’s, miso paste, spicy mustard.. stuff like that. Other foods are more acidic in nature and should be avoided as well. Not only vinegar, citrus fruits, but also cooked tomatoes should be avoided.

Foods to consume
Focus on organic choices and unprocessed foods. Foods that can help with H. Pylori infections are fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut and kefir. Garlic, ginger, turmeric, Omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and can help as well. Broccoli sprouts provide you with a compound called sulforaphane and have been shown to help protect against the free radicals caused by the H. Pylori overgrowth.

Like with every infection: make sure the immune system is working effectively. Most people are vitamin D deficient. Zinc and vitamin A are also important nutrients for the immune system.

This handout talks about acid reflux and might also be worth looking into.

I hope this provides you with some clarity on how to address an H. Pylori overgrowth!

With neuropathy, it would also be a good idea to check her vitamin B12, folate and vitamin B6. A lack of these vitamins can also cause neuropathy.

Hey ,

Vitamin B1 has been shown to help with diabetic neuropathy. With neuropathy, the nerves get damaged and this can influence the speed of the emptying of the stomach.

The absorption of vitamin B1 works via transporters that are located in the gut lining. The vitamin B1 from food is freed by enzymes (intestinal alkaline phosphatases) but the rate-limiting step for absorption is determent by the saturation of these transporters.

The mononitrate and hydrochloride forms of B1 are salt forms and have a low bioavailability (between 3-6% according to this article). This has to do with the rate-limiting step I described earlier.

Benfotiamine is fat-soluble and as a result, it is much more bioavailable. Because it is fat-soluble there is some evidence it can cross the blood-brain barrier, but it is debated.

But the evidence for TTFD (Thiamine Tetrahydrofurfuryl Disulfide) to penetrate the blood-brain barrier is much stronger. The absorption isn’t as dependent on the transporters in the gut since it can travel through the cell membrane because of its chemical structure. It also has a high bioavailability. If you look for the benefits of the penetration of the blood-brain barrier, this form is the best one.

A clean TTFD supplement (free of binders and fillers) that I like is Thiamax from Objective Nutrients. It only contains a capsule.

I hope this information will make your choice easier.