[Daniel]

Hey ,

As a person who mostly looks calm and feels ‘in control’, I have learned that this isn’t the same as having balanced stress hormones. In fact, feeling a lot of responsibility for things in life can make you vulnerable to stress.

But the body can leave signs. Here are a few I check if I am unsure:
• If I put my hand on my chest and belly and I feel my chest moving and my stomach is still, I know I have some form of tension or stress going on.
• Tight muscles in the shoulders/neck and a feeling of elevated shoulders are the second ones.

If you are more looking for things you could measure:
• A resting heart rate (this means sitting down being 5 minutes in rest) that is around 75-80 is a sign of stress as well. Of course, if you don’t have time to measure your resting heart rate because you can’t sit 5 minutes is a sign as well ;-). The ideal number for a resting heart rate is a little bit depending on age, but I aim with my customers at 55-50 beats per minute.
• Blood pressure at rest (again have a seat for 5 minutes and just sit. No talking, no social media, etc) with a diastolic pressure near 90 can be a sign of elevated stress hormones. The systolic pressure near 140 can be a sign of elevated stress hormones as well. I aim with my clients a resting blood pressure between 75/115 and 80/120. If the blood pressure at rest is continuously elevated other dynamics can be at play as well. If you are going to use blood pressure as a temporary tool to evaluate your body’s stress levels be aware that• Feeling excited or scared about your blood pressure is going to elevate it. Doing 3 measurements after each other most people will see a drop in their blood pressure – although not everyone. Take a few days of practice before you judge slightly elevated blood pressure.
• Drinking a few cups of coffee can elevate blood pressure but also heart rate. The morning would then be the best part of the day to measure although if you drink a lot, it doesn’t become an indicator of mental stress.
• Smoking will elevate blood pressure – because it is a chemical stressor. If I have a new client and I see a blood pressure around 90/140 find that a strong clue for smokers. This method will not work to evaluate mental stress with smokers.
• If you are able to use HRV (Heart Rate Variability) as a measurement, the higher HRV is, the better. Low numbers around 50 can be indicative of your body reacting to emotional stress.

 

[Daniel]

Hi ,

Sometimes ulcers on tongues can happen because a kid had bitten on its tongue. Ulcers can also be caused by a virus. But stress, allergies and vitamin deficiencies can play a role as well.

Manuka Honey
Honey has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and can give some relief when applied topically.

Chamomile Tea
which can be held in the mouth, swished, or applied as a wet compress (via the tea bag)

Baking Soda Rinse
A little less tasteful, but a Baking soda rinse might help as well.

Ozonated oil
Some holistic dentists use ozonated oil as a treatment. Personally, I do not have experience with this. Sesame oil seems to work as well according to this article.

Acid foods
Try for the time being to eliminate acidic foods like tomatoes, Pineapples, oranges, lemons, and limes.

I hope this helps!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Thank you for sharing this! You are right, food sensitivities(The most common ones are sensitivities to eggs, milk, peanuts & nuts, corn, soy, yeast or gluten/wheat), intolerances (for example to fructose) & allergies can be a cause of bloating.

Eliminating those foods with an elimination diet and then reintroducing them is the most accurate way to test for food sensitivities.

You can find a protocol here. In the world of food intolerance testing, there isn’t a calibrated standard test. KBMO has a food intolerance test that is pretty good because it also measures inflammation as a reaction to foods.

Low Stomach Acid & Digestive Enzymes
Other reasons why you can feel bloated are due to a lack of production of stomach acid and digestive enzymes. Having good eating hygiene (chew well, eat calmly and stress-free) plays a role in the production of these enzymes. Doing a baking soda test (click here) could provide you with some clues on testing if you are having low stomach acid. Supplementing with betaine HCl might improve digestion and reduce bloating.

Using digestive enzymes might help as well. Thorne has a nice product that contains digestive enzymes and betaine HCl in one called  Bio-Gest (you can find this supplement in the supplement store fullscript here – you do need to sign up first though)

Hair loss/low thyroid
A zinc deficiency can cause hair loss. Having a slow thyroid could also lead to hair loss. Have you been tested for this as well? A zinc deficiency could happen because there is a lack of this nutrient in the diet, but it can also be because of malabsorption due to for example a dysbiosis or a microbe overgrowth in the gut (this could lead to bloating as well).

Excessive unexplained weight gain can also be caused by a slow thyroid. Do you experience other symptoms like for example feeling cold, constipation, tiredness, slow movements & thoughts or any other symptoms you can find here. If you consider testing your thyroid after watching the movie watch this video Bernadette made last week here.

Labs
To help you better we do take a look at labs here. If you feel like sharing, just upload them here so we can help you in the best way possible.

I hope this helps!

[Daniel]

You made a good call by eating the banana. You are right, your blood sugar is low and fixing a low blood sugar is more important then any bacterial overgrowth. You might have done this already, but I do recommend contacting your doctor. Low blood sugar is a very good reason to call an emergency line as well.

If you experience a low blood sugar again, putting something sugary in your mouth is important as well. Drinking some syrup and put some honey in your cheek. 

Is it possible for you to warn someone at home when this happens or do you live alone?

Gastroparesis can lead to low blood sugars. The delayed emptying in the stomach can cause this. Did this happen before with you?

I know there are no real clear signs of insulin resistance going on in your lab results, although I do believe that right now if there is insulin resistance causing some issues it will be hard to spot.

– it will be hard to see it reflected in blood sugars since eating in general is a problem.
– it will be hard to see it reflected in HbA1c since blood sugar might be low.
– still there might be a disturbed insulin signaling as a reaction to eating a meal.

Having a functional test for insulin by measuring insulin 1, 2 and 3 hours after eating a carbohydrate containing meal might provide you insight in what is happening with insulin. Measure your glucose levels as well at those points. Since gastric emptying is slowed you might even want to check 4 hours later or longer since I don’t exactly know how long the delayed emptying is. 

[Daniel]

Hi ,

First of all, I’m sorry to hear this. A diagnosis of high blood pressure can be quite alarming. Let me explain to you a few reasons why blood pressure can be elevated. I also have a few questions for you that might help us to help you.

Here are some reasons why blood pressure can be elevated:

Insulin resistance/diabetes
High blood pressure can be caused by insulin resistance. Measuring fasting insulin can provide us insight into how insulin sensitive you are. In my (and most) countries this isn’t a traditional test done by doctors or cardiologists, but in my opinion, this test is much more accurate.

A fasting blood glucose measurement can be done easily at home. In ‘the general tips’ (click here to get there) we explain how to use one and evaluate ideal blood glucose numbers.

Bernadette also made a video (click here) with other testing options to find out how efficient your blood sugar regulation is.

Insulin resistance can cause neuropathic symptoms (the tingling sensation) and high cholesterol.

Endothylial disfunction
Arteries can get damaged. Cholesterol build up as a way to fix the damaged holes in the arteries can cause elevations in blood pressure as well. Did you cardiologist do a calcium score screening?

Thyroid hormones
Hypothyroidism can lead also lead to elevated cholesterol and neuropathic symptoms. Hypothyroidism or a slow thyroid can cause quite a few other symptoms as well like: feeling cold, unexplained weight gain, losing hair, depression, constipation, etc. (And we have a great video for that as well! Just click here)

Did your doctor test your thyroid so you could rule out this cause of high blood pressure? If not, you should test your thyroid. In this video bernadette explains what thyroid tests are important. I recommend you watch this video as well!

Stress
Blood pressure elevations can be caused by elevated stress hormones as well. Stress hormones can off course be elevated by emotional stress (relationship/money/friends/lonelyness/unresolved anger/feelings of guilt, etc), but also physical stress (a go go go-do do do lifestyle, lack of sleep, aggressive workouts, chronic pain, simmering infections) or chemical stress (smoking, drinking, inhaled polution, unhealthy food & drug use). Stress can also lead to insulin resistance and a low thyroid (learn more here).

Estrogen & Progesterone
You mentioned you are in menopauze. Changes in estrogen & progesteon both can influence thyroid function (click here to learn more). Estrogen also keeps blood pressure down because it has vasodilative effects, while progesterone can has diuretic effects. If you believe you experience more symptoms of estrogen dominance/disbalance, blood pressure can be influenced as well. Long term exposure to high estrogen can lead to high blood pressure as well. With estrogen disbalance it can go both ways. High estrogen (for your age) can also lead to high copper, a mineral that can activate the fight-or-flight nervous system.

Lowering blood pressure
• Magnesium can help lowering blood pressure. I would recommend magnesium glycinate as a supplement. 
• Potassium is also key for having a normal blood pressure. Focus on potassium rich foods like tomatoes, avocado’s, spinach, broccoli, leavy greans, banana’s, etc). A magnesium deficiency can also lead to a potassium deficiency.
• Having a good sleep hydiene is also important. Melatonine, the sleep hormone, also regulates blood pressure.
• Exersize – especially cardio – is a powerful tool to lower blood pressure as well.
• Liquids: drink plenty of water, avoid drinking stimulants like coffee, thee, energy drinks and sometimes kumbucha can contain (added) caffeine as well.
• Avoid high glycemic foods like: sugar and foods made of grain flour (including tapioca flour)
• Eat an anti-inflammatory diet. Include the omega 3s EPA and DHA. These work on 2 fronts. They can help lower inflammation and make your blood more liquid. I often advise my clients between 2000-4000 mg of EPA+DHA per day divided in 2 dosages a day with a fat containing meal. Curcumin has also anti-inflammatory properties. Look for a supplement in the Meriva form (click here for an example)
• Eat a diet lower in saturated fats. The main role of cholesterol is transporting lipids. Lowering fat intake can help you lower your cholesterol.
• Try to avoid stress – focus on drinking calming teas 

I mainly focused on the blood pressure/cholesterol part here. I was wondering were in the chest you feel your pain. Is it above the ribs – in the muscles? Is it deeper? Can you describe the pain? Is it very localised or more like an area? Is the pain like a sharp stab or a dull ache? Does it feel like it burns? Does the pain radiate to other areas like the arm or neck?

Could you also describe to us the pains you feel in your lower back/abs. Is this the same pain? Or are these 2 different pains you feel?

And what was the opinion of your doctor? About your blood pressure/cholesterol & about the pains in your lower back/ab and chest?

Let us know so we can help you in the best way possible! 

[Daniel]

 My abs were like: we don’t multitask. Either we talk or we crunch, but we can’t do both

[Daniel]

 I know Dr. Peter Attia (perhaps you will know him from his podcast ‘The Drive’) recommends Dexcom G6 because of its precision. Not an answer to your question, I know, but he really is into measuring blood glucose with him and al his patients

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Coated Tongue
A coated tongue could indicate several issues. A white tongue can be caused by a condition called ‘geographic stomatitis’ or a ‘geographic tongue’. This looks like uneven red patches surrounded by white borders. It looks often like red continents in a white ocean on your tongue – that’s why the name is geographic tongue.

Oral Lichen Planus is an ongoing inflammatory condition that affects the mucous membranes in your mouth, causing a white tongue as well, although more often this condition causes pain as well.

A white tongue can also be caused by a dry mouth, a build-up of bacteria, or food trapped in your papillae.  Good oral hygiene can prevent this. I’m not only referring to brushing your teeth & tongue but drinking water during the day and sleeping with a closed mouth is part of this as well.

Candida overgrowth can be asymptomatic, which makes it hard to diagnose. Besides that, complaints, like feeling tired, craving more sugar, UTIs, joint pain, and skin & nail fungal infections, are often not recognized as possible indications of a Candida yeast overgrowth

Boric acid
There has been some research showing that boric acid can help with vaginal yeast infections including candida. Research is a little mixed, but this can be because of a lot of reasons like, what strains are there, how much there is to begin with, etc. Boric acid showed also to work on Candida glabrata, which is a more resistant strain of candida yeast.

Boric acid in the vaginal tract can disrupt biofilm formation & hyphal formation (click here for example)

So I believe it can be effective, but with candida & yeast, I like to use a mix of antifungals. Different strains might react differently.

Really bad recurrent yeast infections
If you are referring to yeast infections in the gut: the only way to know if you are dealing with yeast is by testing. Complaints in the GI tract caused by for example Clostridia need a different approach because the bacteria can change into a ‘spore’ form. In the spore form, anti-microbes aren’t effective and reoccurrence is much more likely and a pulse treatment would be more efficient. 

The botanical antifungals (which are also antibiotic/antimicrobial in nature) stimulate the growth of a healthy microbiome, but there can be a die-off effect or ‘herx’ reaction making people feeling more sick because pathogens die creating endotoxins. Even using binders like GI detox can’t always prevent this detox type from feeling sick.

With really bad yeast infections I would more likely go for 90 days

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Did the doctor also explain how the Glucophage would raise her dropping blood sugars? Usually, Glucophage is used to help people manage high blood sugars. Also blocking glucose absorption in someone experiencing low blood sugar is not done routinely. Could the doctor explain his train of thoughts well to your sister-in-law?

Usually, the body makes its own blood sugar when blood sugars drop. The liver will dump glucose in the blood to push blood sugars back to normal. Also, the main function of the stress hormone cortisol is to push up blood sugars when they drop.

Were there liver tests done that you know of? Did she check her stress hormones? (This can be done by for example doing a DUTCH test – at https://dutchtest.com/.

For the production of stress hormones, we need quite a few nutrients as well. If she is a healthy eater she could experience absorption issues. Gut-related complaints can hint in that direction (think of gas/bloating/constipation/diarrhea/cramps etc)

For healthy (nor) epinephrine production we need for example
• Enough vitamin C
• Cupper (which can be depleted by high dosages of zinc supplementation)

Cortisol is made in mitochondria in the adrenals. Healthy mitochondria need nutrients like:
• CoQ10
• Vitamin C
• B Complex
• Manganese
• Cupper
• Zinc
• Iron (can be tested at the doctor)

Mitochondria can be influenced be negatively influenced by toxins (mycotoxins, heavy metals, pesticides, etc), parasites, heavy metals, alcohol, lack of anti-oxidants.

Do you know if the doctor also examined the pancreas of your sister in low? There could be abnormalities that cause excessive insulin production which could also lead to a lowering of blood sugars.

[Daniel]

 I’m sorry if I was unclear (english is not my mother language!). No, the B vitamins I would like you to take! We need them for healthy nerve function (Especially folate, B12 and B6 which were low or suboptimal on your OAT & Vitamins & Minerals blood test)!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

A natural recipe that works really well is the flaxseed cough remedy. Many users find some relief with that! You can find the recipe here.

Let us know if this helps!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

I do believe that abnormal stomach function can increase the risks of getting gastritis.

I also believe that poor conversion of T4 to T3 and the low B6 & folate (and suboptimal B12) are the ‘easier’ problems to address that could influence digestion.

The B vitamins are necessary for healthy nerve function (which in my opinion could right now play a role in worsening the dynamic) which is necessary for healthy GI function in general.

The low fT3 will also slow down motility in all parts of the GI tract.

Getting those 2 things in place is necessary for healthy digestion anyway!

Because the healing of the stomach lining can take some time, doesn’t mean you can’t progress in my opinion as well.

A low FODMAP food pattern is for example still a powerful tool that can help with SIBO.

Making liquids from slippery elm and marshmallow root like Bernadette suggested can help with the healing of the stomach lining.

Once you ended your period with healing you could try weaning off PPIs again slowly. In previous attempts of weaning off your medication, could you share with us how you did that?

Medications
We know that antiacids can slow down gastric emptying as well. Do you feel some medicines work better for you than others?

I personally would be really interested in the opinion of your gastroenterologist as well.
• Does he for example feel that an entrogastric reflux is at play here as well? 
• And how does he interpret the results of the Histology report? (Does he for example feel like testing again? And if so in what time frame?)

[Daniel]

Hey ,

I will help you with the translation, although the interpretation of your physician is leading. Let’s focus on the histology report and their findings in the stomach & oesophagus.

Under the ‘Microscopic’ section Alinea ‘B’ the histology report says:
• mild foveolar hyperplasia – this means that the tissue found in the biopsy in the stomach became bigger because of an increase in the number of cells.
• oedema – which means that the tissue is swollen
• vascular ectasia – which means the arteries are swollen and more vulnerable
• mild fibromuscularization of the lamina propria – which means the tissues of the arteries in the connective tissue (which is the lamina propria) have changed mildly in such a way that blood flow can be restricted.

There was no H. Pylori seen in the biopsy although the IHC (Immunohistochemistry report that will come) could give more definitive information.

Reasons why the stomach tissue is ‘irritated’ are unclear. The use of NSAID could explain such an irritation, and a reflux of bile from the duodenum into the stomach (entrogastric reflux) could explain this as well. Alcohol use could cause irritations. Other medications as well.

Have you had an operation when you were younger called pyloroplasty? This is usually done when you are a baby.

Did you have a cholecystectomy?

For now, I would advise you not to use betaine HCl as a supplement. Focus on the healing of the stomach tissue.

And let us know what the opinion of your gastroenterologist is!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

You can try this. I usually recommend my clients 2x 1000mg D-mannose per day to counter an existing infection. If my clients are dealing with frequent infections I usually recommend them to take 1000 mg of D-mannose per day as a way of prevention.

If you are going to use Uva Ursi as well, it is not for everyone. It is not for kids or for individuals with liver disease. It also works better if the urine is at a lower pH. Avoiding soda, coffee, black tea, cow dairy foods (especially cheese), and too much animal protein, and grains will help lower the pH of the urine.

Vitamin C in the supplement of ascorbic acid will make the urine more acidic as well, so if you are using Uva Ursi it would be helpful to stop this supplement temporarily as well. Of course, vitamin C from foods is not a problem.

Good luck!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

You could try to make the flaxseed cough remedy, see if you can find some relief with that! You can find the recipe here. Let us know if this helps!

You could use this for your son as well, just be aware that if you have a kid younger than 1 year old: avoid honey and replace the honey for example with maple syrup.