Infections in your Small Intestine

“Probiotics and fermented foods make me feel worse! What gives?”

While it is true that we want beneficial bacteria in the large intestine to thrive, there should not be much bacteria at all in the small intestine. Sometimes it’s necessary to clear a population overgrowth in the small intestine before you can safely feed the good guys in the large intestine. Probiotics (bacteria), prebiotics (bacteria food, like fiber) and veggies like broccoli (a FODMAP) can be great indeed… as long as parasites, bacteria and fungi in the small intestine are not stealing the benefit and producing harm instead.

If you’ve dialed in the diet and lifestyle foundation but you’re still not 100%, this would be the next step in a functional medicine model. Please don’t start here. Eradicating infections can put a lot of stress on your detoxification systems. Therefore, it’s wise to fortify your body’s defenses for toxic bombardment by lowering your overall “toxic burden“. The previous steps in the plan will help you do that.

Let’s learn a vocabulary word. An imbalance of critters in the gut is generally referred to as dysbiosis. Dysbiosis can be caused by diverse things like repeated use of antibiotics, food poisoning, stress or food sensitivities.

We want to consider the kinds of infections that produce dysbiosis:

It is important to understand that gut infections support each other. So for example, if you have parasites (very common), the likelihood of having SIBO and/or fungal-overgrowth is much higher. This is why natural protocols tend to target the bad guys broadly. For example, the herbal parasite cleanse is nearly identical to the SIBO and SIFO protocols.

R #3 of the Four R Program: Reinoculate

Once the bad critters are eradicated, it’s time to restore beneficial bacteria in the large intestine to reestablish a healthy balance of microflora.

The bacteria in your gut have their own DNA, which vastly outnumbers your human DNA by a factor of 10 to 1. One could say they are not really our bacteria. We are their humans.

The association between gut bacteria and health has only been discovered in the last few years.  Weighing in at about 2kg, (approximately the same weight as your brain), scientists are calling these bacteria an ‘acquired organ’.  The implications to health are nothing short of earth shattering.

According to gutmicrobiotawatch.org, some functions of the gut include:

  • It helps the body to digest certain foods that the stomach and small intestine have not been able to digest.
  • It helps with the production of some vitamins. (B and K).
  • It helps us combat aggressions from other microorganisms, maintaining the wholeness of the intestinal mucosa.
  • It plays an important role in the immune system, performing a barrier effect.
  • A healthy and balanced gut microbiota is key to ensuring proper digestive functioning.

The gastrointestinal system is also equipped with its own nervous system. Did you know you have neurons in your gut? According to Dr. David Perlmutter, “The neurons in the gut are so innumerable that many scientists are now calling the totality of them ‘the second brain.'” The way we think and feel is influenced by our resident bacteria.

There is good gut bacteria and bad gut bacteria.  You control their populations directly with diet and exposure to environmental toxins.  If you take care of the good guys, they take over and produce health.  If you kill the good guys, bad bacteria take over and produce a cascade of problems that lead to diseases.

Reseeding and building the population of beneficial gut bacteria is accomplished by eating probiotic and pre-biotic rich foods, like fermented vegetables (sauerkraut and kimchi) and inulin (Asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke, Chicory root, bulbs of leeks, onions and garlic).

Finding the right probiotics and pre-biotics for you is highly personalized takes some experimentation. Try various kinds and pay close attention to how you feel. Also, be aware that your needs may change over time. The pre-biotic that gives you gas today may be the best friend of your healthy gut bacteria later, after you reduce the population of unhealthy gut bacteria by eliminating sugar.

As an aside, if you experience constipation, cut the sugar! Sugar feeds bad gut bacteria in your small intestines. They feast on sugar and produce methane (gas). Methane causes constipation. The reason pre-biotic fiber usually gets things moving is because it’s food for the healthy gut bacteria and they get things moving. Having gas is common, but not normal. It’s a great source of data to tell if you are headed toward an imbalance of gut bacteria.

But remember, antibiotics kill off healthy bacteria, so toss the liquid hand sanitizer and dish soaps. And don’t eat GMOs, because the herbicides spayed on the plants are powerful antibiotics.

R #4 of the Four R Program: Repair

  • Provide nutrients to heal the gut wall or lining.
  • Support the immune functioning of the gut.

By now, we have hopefully stopped all of the attacks on your gut lining by getting rid of chemicals and critters. Now we can get to work repairing the damage. This can take some time, but is key to calming your immune system and restoring health.

One of the staple foods for gut healing is bone broth. It’s very easy and inexpensive to make your own. The most typical recommendation of the doctors is 2 cups per day.

We’ve already covered some helpful supplements like enzymes and HCL in previous steps. Here are some other supplements recommended by medical doctors:

Recommended by Dr. Amy Myers:

Recommended by Dr. Aviva Romm

  • Tumeric, aloe vera, marshmallow root, and DGL licorice (aloe and licorice are not for internal use during pregnancy; these are fine for children) are some of the most effective herbs for healing the gut lining. They are best taken in capsule or extract form, though tumeric can also be added to foods. DGL licorice is available as chewable lozenges and thus may be the simplest one to give to kids.
  • Zinc: 5-10 mg/day for children 4-7 years, 10-20 mg/day for children to age 12, 25-40 mg/day for older children and adults
  • An antioxidant supplement containing vitamins A and carotenoids, C, E, and selenium. These are often found in a multivitamin. Pregnant women should get these from their prenatal vitamin only.
  • Fish oil: I prefer Nordic Natural Pro-EFA Junior for kids, and any good quality fish oil for adults. For kids you can put the oil into smoothies. Fish oil is important for general health in pregnancy and breastfeeding, too.
  • L-Glutamine Powder: 5-10 gm of powder twice daily for one month. (Much less for kids but talk with your child’s doctor before using and don’t supplement in pregnancy).