Only 99.9% of Bacteria? Jar Jar Binks: Does thisen include the good bacteria? Photo Peter Taylor

The antifungals I describe are natural versions of antibiotics. While probiotics help good bacteria grow in the gut, antibiotics kill intestinal bacteria. Unfortunately, antibiotics don’t just kill the bad bacteria – they wipe out ALL bacteria.

There are cases of IBS whose origins and triggers can be traced back to long-term antibiotics use, which destroyed both good and bad bacteria and led to an imbalance in the gut flora.

So if antibiotics can actually lead to IBS, why am I telling you to take something that kills bacteria? Well, first of all, the antifungals I describe are NATURAL antibiotics. They are not industrial strength pharmaceutical products. That is, they do their job without the undesirable side effects of pharmaceutical antibiotics.

And secondly, you will combine these natural antifungals with probiotics, which will help replenish the good bacteria once the gut has been cleared of the bad.

In fact, combining antibiotics with probiotics significantly reduces the negative side effects of antibiotic therapy.

However, this process will only work if you NEVER take any probiotics within at least 2 hours of taking antifungals. Otherwise, all of the probiotics will simply be eliminated by the antifungals.

NOTE: If for some serious conditions your doctor insists on giving you antibiotics, make sure to eat 24-hour yogurt or the GI Pro probiotics regularly to keep your gut flora intact. Otherwise, you are just asking for tummy trouble!

Recommended Antifungals

Aromatic oils extracted from plants act as powerful, broad-spectrum antifungal agents. The three primary natural antifungals I have seen work (from most to least potent), are:

1. Oil of Oregano

Una formica piccola su un fiore di oregano, Photo Alan L

This is an essential oil that is extracted from true oregano leaves (Origanum vulgare), not the herb you have in your kitchen cupboard (Origanum majorana or majoram). This oil has antifungal potency against at least 25 different types of bacteria, and researchers from Georgetown University have shown that it can reduce infection “as effectively as traditional antibiotics” like streptomycin, penicillin and vancomycin. Besides destroying organisms that lead to digestive problems, oil of oregano also reduces pain and inflammation, as well as strengthens the immune system, which makes it ideal for the treatment of IBS flare ups.

2. Olive Leaf Extract

Under the Olive tree, Photo Alpha du Centaure

This extract is made from the leaves of olive trees and contains a powerful chemical compound called oleuropein (which is also found in extra virgin olive oil). Oleuropein is a potent natural antifungal agent against more than 100 different microorganisms. According to European researchers, this is due to oleuropein’s ability to dissolve the outer protective lining of various bacteria, effectively killing them. Besides its antifungal properties, olive leaf extract also supports the immune system by triggering the production of phagocyte cells. These immune cells are able to overwhelm and neutralize any foreign organisms they come in contact with.

3. Peppermint Oil

Leaves of Peppermint, Photo Sir Iwan

This is an antifungal essential oil that has been proven to stop the growth of at least 22 different types of bacteria in laboratory. More importantly for you, it has been shown in a number of double-blind, placebo-controlled studies to effectively treat the symptoms of IBS and other digestive issues, decreasing bloating, pain and the frequency of bowel movements. Peppermint oil also contains a number of minerals and nutrients that can aid in the recovery process, including iron, calcium, folate, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A and vitamin C.

Natural antifungals, just like the secondary probiotic S. boulardii, don’t need to be taken daily forever. If you haven’t noticed yet, I not a big fan of long term supplements and pills, even natural ones.

If you eat healthy and naturally, your food will usually provide you with everything your body needs. Due to our digestive ailments, however, we often don’t get what we need; hence, the temporary requirement for external antifungals until we get over the hump.

Before starting any type of antifungal, though, remember this: Some of them are very powerful. Never take them unless you are ingesting probiotics as described above in order to replace the good bacteria that will be caught in the crossfire. Gradually start reducing the frequency about a month after the symptoms disappear completely.

Also make sure to take each natural antifungal extracts in turn (from most to least potent). That means that if you took oil of oregano on day 1, you should take olive leaf extract the next day, and peppermint oil the day after that.

This ensures that the body doesn’t get overly dependent on any one antifungal. It also prevents bad bacteria from developing resistant strains, which can happen with the overuse of any antibiotic, pharmaceutical or natural. By rotating natural antifungals, you avoid this problem.

Summary

1. Take natural antifungals every day in the evening at least 2-3 hours before or after probiotics.
2. Gradually reduce antifungal use a month after your last symptoms have disappeared. From once a day -> once every other day for 2 weeks -> once every 3 days for 2 weeks -> once every 5 days for 3 weeks -> stop completely.
3. Rotate the three primary natural antifungal extracts (i.e. take all three in turn). E.g. take oil of oregano on day 1, take olive leaf extract the next day, and peppermint oil the day after that.

Finally, don’t forget to incorporate these less potent, but highly effective, maintenance antifungals into your daily life:

1. Coconut oil – use once in a while along with your usual olive oil
2. Coconut flour – use in your cooking
3. Garlic and onion – use in your cooking

Patama Gur, Co-Founder of Fraiche Yogurt, Photo Robert Scoble

In 9 out of 10 cases, you are better off not using commercial probiotic products.

1. Commercial probiotic foods, such as yogurts, contain too much lactose which will mess up your already fragile IBS suffering guts.
2. They often contain probiotic strains such as bifidus, which promotes excessive bacteria overgrowth. Again, not ideal for IBS sufferers.
3. Probiotic pills can be expensive, not have the right strains, and typically contain only a few million to 2 billion living organisms per serving. Also, this number is only accurate at the time of manufacturing. By the time, these products have made their way from factories to warehouses to drug stores to your home, this number falls to less than half.

Enter the 24 hr yogurt (recipe below) that you can make at your home for pennies per serving.

1. It contains no lactose. So even most dairy intolerant folks can consume it safely.
2. A single small serving of 24 hr. yogurt contains more than 7 billion living organisms. And you benefit from all of it since there is no loss during transport, time spent on shelf etc.
3. It’s super cheap. Once you have a yogurt maker, the only cost is a gallon of milk and starter each week. Each serving costs around 2-7 cents.
4. It contains the three perfect probiotic strains for IBS: L. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus. Commercial yogurts often contain other strains that are not beneficial to our delicate systems.

   Some probiotic pill makers market them as containing up to 16 strains. This is not an advantage, just a marketing gimmick.

The single most important thing you can do to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in your gut, is to eat 24-hour yogurt every single day.

When to eat probiotics for maximum potency

The best time to eat the yogurt is by itself, in between meals. But if you can’t manage this, eating it with meals is better than not eating it at all.

If you eat yogurt with meals, a proportion of the probiotics get consumed by the digestive acids which are released when you eat food. When you eat yogurt in between meals, there are less digestive acids in the system, and a higher proportion of probiotics survive, thus giving you maximum benefit.

I can’t emphasize this enough – eating 24-hour yogurt is the single most important thing you can do for your IBS, and will contribute massively to your health.

Dairy intolerance?

Most dairy allergies are due to a sugar called lactose which is present in milk products.

Commercial yogurts are high in lactose content, because they are fermented only for around 6-8 hours. This time is not sufficient for all the lactose to be consumed by probiotic strains. 24-hour yogurt, on the other hand, has no lactose. When you ferment yogurt for 24-26 hours, nearly 100% of lactose is consumed by starter bacteria, thus rendering it a bit tart, but completely safe for us to consume.

If you have trouble with it, then you probably also have casein intolerance. In which case, drip the 24 hr. yogurt from a cheesecloth bag to remove any liquid, and eat the solid creamy yogurt.

Probiotic supplements as an alternative to 24 hr. yogurt

In very rare cases some people can’t tolerate ANY dairy—not even the 99% lactose & casein free 24-hour yogurt after it’s been dripped. In these rare cases, go for the probiotics in the bottles. Like I said before: this is not optimal, but something is better than nothing.

As you heal your IBS, hopefully after a few months or so, you will be able to make the switch to the homemade 24 hr. yogurt, save your money, and get better probiotics all at the same time!

Until that time though, the best probiotic supplement you can choose is made by GI Pro. It is:

• Manufactured in strict conditions to ensure a high number of living organisms
• Always kept at optimum low temperatures before it arrives at your home, is shipped with ice packs and as importantly is
• Completely starch, gluten and lactose free

The supplements industry is highly marketing driven and is full of charlatans. So I recommend you purchase and use this brand, or another brand that has similar characteristics and that you trust.

The secondary probiotic for even faster IBS relief

The secondary probiotic that you should use is called Saccharomyces Boulardii or S. Boulardii. This is a probiotic that is intended for use when your system is or will be under stress. For example, during flare ups, diarrhea or if you notice blood in stools, etc. I also, for example, take it when I’m travelling to developing countries.

Fresh Lychee at the Radisson on Nanjing Lu, China, Photo Jennifer Martinez

S. Boulardii was first discovered by French scientist Henri Boulard during his trip to Vietnam in 1920.

He developed diarrhea there and noticed that natives who were drinking a tea with fermented lychee skin and mangosteen would never get any diarrhea symptoms. He then discovered and patented the S. Boulardii strain which is named after him.

The rest is history. In Europe (especially in France, Germany, Italy), S. Boulardii is routinely used in treatment of IBS, IBD, acute diarrhea.

How to maximize S. Boulardii effectiveness

For IBS-related diarrhea, start taking one capsule per day at the first sign, and continue taking it for up to 2 weeks after the symptoms have been resolved. Because of its effectiveness in controlling digestive issues, it rarely needs to be taken for more than 4-6 weeks at a time.

Once the symptoms subside, reduce the frequency of intake gradually, and then finally stop. Again, the source I use personally and recommend is GI Pro.

You should take all probiotics and yogurts in between meals for them to be most effective. If you eat them with meals, your digestive acids will kill a large number of the living organisms, and there will not be enough of them to repopulate your gastrointestinal tract and cause any benefits.

That is also why you should NEVER take them within 2 hours of taking antibiotics or other antifungal extracts.

What are antifungals you ask? And why should you be taking them? I reveal all mysteries in my next post

How to Make 24 Hr. Yogurt

Your starter is the crucial ingredient. It should only have these 3 probiotic strains – L. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus, and no other strains.

Here are 3 good starters that I know of :

1. Dannon Natural Yogurt
2. Trader Joe’s Greek Style Yogurt
3. Yogourmet Starter

Feel free to use any other starter, just check that it doesn’t have any other funny probiotic strains.

1. Boil and cool milk (preferably organic, from grass fed cows) to room temperature. You can skip boiling if the milk is pasteurized.
2. Add starter. ½ cup yogurt starter will work for any quantity of milk. For packaged starters, follow instructions on packaging.
3. Ferment for 24-26 hours.
4. Maintain a temperature of 100-110 ºF. I use the Yogourmet yogurt maker for this. Feel free to use any other reliable yogurt maker.
5. Refrigerate for up to 6 days and enjoy.

Got Lychee? Photo May Wong

French scientist Henri Boulard synthesized the probiotic S. Boulardii from Lychee skins in 1920.

If you have not been hiding under a rock for the last few years, then you have seen all the marketing about probiotics supplements… And about their supposed effectiveness in keeping your guts healthy.

The bad news: You are being sold the wrong types of probiotics. And the way you are using them could be causing more harm than good.

Some background first.

Your intestines contain more than 100 trillion bacteria. Of these, 10-15% are considered “good” bacteria (or probiotics). In large numbers, they boost the immune system and help balance out so-called “bad” bacteria – those that in large numbers contribute to an inflammatory state that result in IBS.

When you have IBS, you have a different “mix” of bacteria than someone who doesn’t. Specifically you have less of the good bacteria in your system. This combination of less good bacteria and more bad bacteria triggers an aggressive immune response (or inflammation), which leads to the familiar symptoms you experience with IBS.

Therefore, in order to regain your good health, you must reestablish the delicate balance between the two types of bacteria in your gut. The optimal balance of good to bad bacteria has been estimated at an 85 to 15 ratio. This is best done by ingesting more probiotics in the form of supplements (not preferred, because I like natural whole foods) or probiotic-enhanced foods like yogurt (ideal).

You probably get bombarded by a ton of marketing information from probiotic pill makers and even commercial yogurt makers. Don’t fall for it.

1. Most commercial probiotic products cause more harm than benefit: Many commercial yogurts, for example, contain high amounts of lactose and can further worsen your IBS. There is a reason why most IBS sufferers can’t tolerate dairy. Due to its lactose and casein content.

   Most probiotic supplements don’t contain the right strains of bacteria, counting on uninformed masses to not realize that fact. But, this blog is also called “Natural Remedies for Smart People” for a reason. Because we do realize that fact.

2. They are expensive: If you have tried consuming any of these ineffective commercial probiotic products for some time, you know this quickly get very costly.
3. They often come with less than ideal guidance on how to best use them (the right dosages, when to consume, when to reduce dosage, when to stop etc.).

In my next blog post I will show you:

1. Exactly which main probiotic to use. This is up to 150 times more effective than commercial probiotics, and is the single most powerful anti-IBS food you can consume. It also happens to be with virtually no side effects and something that even 99% of dairy-intolerant folks can use safely.
2. How to get this probiotic for pennies.
3. The secondary additional probiotic to use for even the most severe cases of IBS.
4. Finally, how to best use these probiotics (dosages, when best to eat them etc.) to maximize their effectiveness.

Thailand Floating Food Market, Photo tommykwok630

Before even getting into what to eat and what not to eat to manage your IBS, let’s first understand why food plays such an important part in controlling your IBS.

All food that we eat, has to get broken down in our digestive tracts, its nutrients extracted for absorption by the body, and then the waste secreted out via bowel movements.

But not all food needs to be broken down to the same extent. Some foods are easier to digest than others, while some don’t need any digestion and can be directly absorbed by our intestines.

E.g. certain kinds of sugars such as honey, glucose etc. can be directly absorbed and used by body. This is why it’s possible to give glucose via intravenous veins directly to blood and bypass the digestive tract entirely. They don’t need any further digestion.

Now here’s what happens to folks with IBS. Let’s say your digestive system is weak due to some reason (either from birth due to inherited genetics, or later on in life by some other causes such as over use of antibiotics, anti inflammatory pills or other factors).

It just so happens that carbohydrates are the most difficult to break down for your body, compared to proteins and fats.

Here’s how carbs can mess up your already fragile digestive tract.

* Microvilli exist on intestinal surface. They contain enzymes which break down food. If they get damaged, then digestion is severely impaired.

Carbohydrates Worsen IBS

As you see in the diagram, it all begins with a vulnerable digestive tract. Then as you eat carbs, you enter the vicious cycle of – more you eat, the worse you get. The less nutrition you are able to absorb, you feel even more sluggish and eat even more carbs, which further worsens the situation.

Gradually due to lack of your body absorbing important vitamins and minerals, you will get other secondary diseases, and even mental depression/anxiety. Partly because of energy deficiency and partly because of inability to do any work requiring physical effort or thinking…

Hopefully this gives you a fair understanding of what carbs are doing to you and why removing them from your diet is an important part of the solution.
With that in mind, here’s what you should eliminate from your diet:

1. All grains including – wheat, rice, corn etc.
2. All starchy foods including potatoes, yam, tapioca, etc. All starchy vegetables including peas, chick peas etc.
3. All sugars – Replace sugar with honey. Honey is a sweetener which has a particular molecular structure (monosaccharide) which allows it to be directly absorbed by intestines without need for further digestion.
4. All dairy products containing lactose- which means no milk, ice cream, cream, sour cream etc. Butter, aged cheeses which have 0% carb are ok. E.g. Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, Gouda, etc.

A note on sweeteners: Even though honey doesn’t require further digestion, it does directly feed the bacteria in the stomach, which can indirectly further damage the intestinal lining. Ditto for fruits.

During your healing phase you should also try to avoid rough or fibrous foods such as vegetable and fruits. This is purely because they are literally rough and can damage the fragile intestinal lining during their passage.

Once your symptoms have subsided it’s usually ok to slowly reintroduce vegetables and fruits. Be cautious with really sweet fruits like grapes and mangos etc. and control how much sugary fruits you eat even after you have stabilized.

So what can you eat?

1. You can eat all meat, fish, poultry, eggs etc. Try to minimize eating processed meats such as ham unless you know for sure that they didn’t add any sugar during manufacturing.
2. You can eat all vegetables and fruits (in reasonable quantities) once your symptoms have subsided
3. You can eat most beans and legumes, as long as you prepare them from dry, after soaking them overnight. This removes most of the starch and minimizes their carb content.
4. You can consume most distilled liquor which doesn’t have any added sugar
5. You can eat all lactose free dairy, including butter and aged hard cheeses (Look for ones which say 0% carb on the label).

This is hard. It’s definitely not easy giving up on our favorite foods like ice-cream, fried rice (my favorite), pizza, and my beloved French dish tarte d’alsace.

But all is not lost. Here’s what has worked for me. Cheating.

How to Cheat and get away with it

Once your symptoms have subsided and you have been free of all problems for a month or so, you can try experimenting in the following way.

Allow yourself a cheat meal once every 7 days. Cheat meal means you can eat whatever you want, as much as you want. If that works, go up to allowing yourself one cheat day every 7 days.

We’re all different. Depending on so many factors, and how severe your IBS is, this cheat day may not be possible for you at all, or maybe you can tolerate one cheat meal every 2 weeks. I don’t know. Experiment and see what works for you.

Personally, now that IBS symptoms are only a long ago bad memory for me, I have been able to go “cheating” every Saturday lunch and dinner, every week. And it doesn’t bother me at all.

The theory is that prolonged exposure to carbs will damage most of us, but in moderation is acceptable. That moderation limit is different for all of us. For me it makes no difference to me if I stick to the diet for 6 days and then go crazy every Saturday. Your mileage may vary.

Now sound off below, and tell me what you think. What has worked for you in treating your IBS? Have you tried diet, other treatments? What do you think of the “cheat meal” concept?

Photo Shandi-lee

“Most of my problems lie within this, my tummy. Lived with these mystery problems for a long time, but I won’t let them manifest and make me give any less than I can give anymore” – Shandi-lee

Here’s the primary mechanism through which you get the classic IBS symptoms of frequent bowel movements, diarrhea, blood in stools, abdominal cramps and pain etc.

The increase in bad bacteria, leads to reduction in digestion, leading to more fermentation, the food rot creating gases, causing ulceration, inflammation, inability of colon to absorb water (leading to frequent diarrhea).

Now if just eating the wrong food was causing all the problems, then how come all high carb eaters don’t get IBS? Why only some of us.

I can only make educated guesses from mine and others’ experiences.

Some of us clearly are more susceptible and vulnerable to the onslaught caused by high carb diets. The reasons could be:

1. Natural causes: There are people with “iron stomachs” who can eat anything and there are people who have fragile stomachs. This could be run in families or not. So any of these diseases can manifest themselves at any point in your life, from childhood to late 60s or beyond, depending on accumulative effects on your stomach.
2. External causes: The gut becomes more fragile and susceptible, because something changes in the gut ecosystem:
• E.g. Over use of antibiotics over long periods, can destroy ALL bacteria in the intestines, leading to disruptions in digestion and
• Overuse of certain medicines, both OTC (over the counter) and prescription, such as Aleve, and other NSAIDs, anti-inflammation meds etc. can weaken stomach lining, and cause ulcerations plus bleeding.

So no matter what the cause, whether it was

1. We were unlucky, and were just born with a gut system more vulnerable than those “lucky” ones who have no problem eating anything including hi carb diets
2. Whether it was our doctor who in his zeal over-prescribed us antibiotics or other stomach bleeding causing meds without fully explaining to us the risks or
3. Whether we ourselves who over-used OTC drugs like Aleve and other NSAIDS, and brought it on to ourselves…

The issue is not what caused our problems, but what can we do to understand it, and then take the right action.

Hopefully I haven’t left you even more confused with my explanations of the possible cause of your IBS problems.

Now on to, what can we practically do about it.

1) First of all if you got this disease from an external factor, you have got to stop it, or find ways to minimize its side effects. E.g. find alternative to that migraine busting Aleve etc. Ask you doctor if they can prescribe less potent antibiotics or reduce the frequency, dosage, duration etc.

2) Modify your diet so it cuts down on carbs, and leans more towards fat and proteins

3) Start using probiotics

4) Occasionally use natural anti-bacterials to control flare-ups as needed

5) When you have these digestive disorders, your ability to absorb nutrients from food is dramatically decreased. E.g. most of us will at least be partially iron deficient. Use the right supplements to make up for these essential micronutrients.

Over the next few posts, I will touch upon each of the above 5 points in more detail so you can apply them to your own situation.

Don’t forget to sound off below. Did you find this post useful? Can you identify a specific cause for your own digestive disorder, or was it due to natural causes? Have you tried other non-drugs based strategies that have worked for you?

Watch this minute long video on how pharmaceutical drugs are sold and why getting you healthy is not always healthcare industry’s top priority