Can you fix a broken gut microbiome?

It’s become clear that, as modern people, we have substantially changed our gut microbiome. If we compare the species composition and number of bacteria in primitive people, for instance, who live primitive lives — to modern people, they’re starkly different. They have species that we don’t have. We have species that they don’t have, and it’s almost unrecognizably different. Does that mean we should mimic their microbiome? Well that’s not clear.

I believe we’re going to have a lot of important lessons emerging from those experiences. Maybe selected species should be restored, because we are losing many species. Even in the last 60 years, the microbiome has changed. Our Lactobacillus reuteri yogurt, that restores Lactobacillus reuteri, is an example of a bacterial organism that we’ve lost only in the past 60 years or so, with fairly extravagant effects. I think there’s going to be more lessons like that. But it’s clear, that the modern microbiome is essentially a disaster.

Colon cancer in younger people

We’re seeing evidence of that in such phenomena as colon cancer appearing in people in their 20s and 30s. Colon cancer is traditionally thought of as a disease of people who are in their 70s. Now it’s showing up the people in their 20s and 30s. We know that a lot of colon cancer is caused by massive disruptions of the gut microbiome.

Spontaneous Clostridium difficile infection

We’re seeing people show up with spontaneous Clostridium difficile infections (enterocolitis). Traditionally once again, people get C. diff. after a course of antibiotics. So it’s a complication typically, of a course of antibiotics. Say you take an antibiotic like ciprofloxacin, and then after you finished your course of antibiotics you start having bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain. That can be C. diff. enterocolitis, and if you don’t treat it with several antibiotics, you can die from it — and it’s very difficult to eradicate now. That organism is becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics. That’s why there’s talk of fecal transplants, that is, taking the microbiome of another person (presumably healthier than you at least) and transferring to you, and it gets rid of the C. diff., in most cases. Once again,an example of the altered microbiome of modern people.

Epidemic levels of SIBO and SIFO

The explosion of SIBO and SIFO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth; small intestinal fungal overgrowth) — those two conditions are exceptionally common, and by the way, they coexist in at least a third of people. That is, if you have SIBO, you also have SIFO, and vice versa. It may be even higher. I think it’s more like half of people who have SIBO also have SIFO and vice versa.

That’s an example of massively disrupted bowel flora, because those are instances where either unhealthy bacterial species, or fungal species like Candida albicans, have proliferated in the colon, and then ascended up into the ileum, jejunum, duodenum and stomach. They have a whole host of inflammatory consequences, like autoimmune diseases, mental and emotional effects, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) symptoms, fibromyalgia, diverticular disease and of course colon cancer.

Increasing autoimmune diseases

And the explosion of autoimmune diseases — it’s not uncommon now for about 8-13% of people in Western countries to have one two or three autoimmune diseases. A lot of that can be back-tracked, not all of it though, but a lot of it can be back-tracked back to changes in the microbiome; unhealthy changes in the microbiome.

So why has this all happened? Why do modern people have such massive disruption of the microbiome? Well, I won’t pretend to have all the answers, but there are several answers emerging. And once you know what has changed with microbiome, you can start to correct each and every one of these factors, in the hopes of allowing a healthier microbiome to emerge.

Prescription drugs—stomach acid-blocking drugs, steroids

First of all, prescription drugs, especially stomach acid blocking drugs, like H₂-blockers, and the so called PPIs (proton pump inhibitors), like Aciphex® and Prilosec®. Those drugs we know change the microbiome, and encourage SIBO. Steroids allow proliferation of fungi. That’s a big cause for fungal overgrowth. We don’t know a lot about the microbiome implications of most other drugs because no one’s ever looked at it. But if you’re on a prescription drug, think about this.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics change the microbiome, at least four months to years, if not for your entire life. Children who get a lot of antibiotics as kids, have their microbiome changed for the rest of the lives.

Herbicide and pesticide residues in food

Herbicides and pesticides in food: that can change your microbiome. GMOs: Bt toxin, glyphosate-resistant GMOs. They alter your bowel flora, and they may alter it permanently, especially if the Bt toxin gene gets inserted into some of your body’s microbiome. Your body starts to express its own bt toxin — in its own insecticide

Chlorinated water

Water: because we can’t drink water from streams or rivers anymore, because they have pesticide, herbicide runoff, sewage runoff, and so on, we have to filter our water and then have it chlorinated or chloraminated (which is even worse, because it’s longer-lasting). Being exposed to chlorinated/chloraminated water is an issue.

Wheat and grains—amylopectin A, gliadin-derived opioid peptides, wheat germ agglutinin

Grain consumption: grains have numerous components that change the microbiome.

The amylopectin A carbohydrate (essentially a sugar) is like sugar, in that it encourages fungal overgrowth. It encourages growth of unhealthy species.

Gliadin: highly inflammatory — gliadin-derived peptides: highly inflammatory — gliadin and derived opioid peptides: you know how you take opioids for pain, and it gives you constipation? Likewise, gliadin and derived opioid peptides we know, slow the propulsive motion, the peristalsis of intestines, and add to constipation. That’s why many times people going grain free have a restoration or normal bowel movements.

Wheat germ agglutinin: you have another very potent bowel toxin that blocks the action of the hormone cholecystokinin, that allows your pancreas and gallbladder to function. When cholecystokinin’s in the neighborhood, you can’t have normal digestion. That changes bowel flora.

Emulsifying agents—esp. polysorbate 80 and hydroxy methylcellulose

Emulsifying agents, especially synthetic emulsifying agents, especially polysorbate 80 and hydroxy methylcellulose: those two change the bowel flora because they disrupt the mucous lining. It allows inflammatory phenomena to emerge and changes bacterial composition of the microbiome

So that’s a list of some of the most offensive factors in modern life that change your microbiome. Well, how do you remedy all this? Well, if you know all those factors, you can address each and every one.

Prescription drugs: try to get off them. How do you do that? Well, follow my program: Wheat Belly Total Health program, Undoctored Wild-Naked-Unwashed. Those are programs that help you get off prescription medications.

Minimize your exposure to antibiotics. If you’re being given an antibiotic, make sure there’s a very good reason for it. If you have bad pneumonia or pyelonephritis, you have to take an antibiotic. But if you have a viral infection, and you’re being given antibiotics “just to do something” — the doctor just wants to do something, “in case it converts to bacterial” — that’s a situation we would ask tough questions, and maybe not even take it.

Herbicide and pesticide exposure: avoid those by buying organic foods. Likewise GMOs: avoid GMOs of course. Now if your following the Wheat Belly or Undoctored program, where eliminated all wheat, grains, as well as soy, you’ve eliminated virtually all the sources of GMOs. So avoid GMOs. Choose organic.

Filter your water: either reverse osmosis, or charcoal filter, or one of those pitcher filters. Do something to remove all the contaminants in water.

Of course be grain free, completely grain free, and avoid the myriad a list of components in grains that disrupt bowel flora. Of course avoid sugars.

So there you have it the basic efforts to start the process of reordering rebuilding a healthy microbiome.