Total Health ClinicBugs, your gut and how it affects mood

The gut connection

Digestive Function Digestive Enzymes Low Hydrochloric Acid Parasites, bacteria and fungus Gut dysbiosis and leaky gut Digestive disorders Allergens- how food can affect gut and

immune system and associated disorders such as asthma and skin conditions

How Poor digestive function affects mood and behavior

Digestion

Proper digestion is absolutely critical for good health. Your body requires efficient elimination of wastes to maintain well-being and energy levels. Indigestion is the most common physiological disorder in humans and as you might guess,

There are three stages to the digestive process and all must be in good working order for good health, but there are commonly problems at each step along the way.o First, there is indigestion, which begins in the mouth and goes on down to the stomach and into

the small intestines. o Next, there is reduced absorption, which takes place in the small intestines. o Lastly, there is lower bowel constipation, which can show up as diarrhoea, infrequent bowel

movements, bloating, or foul gas.

How do we know that we might not be digesting our food properly?o Foul smelling stools, gas, Bloating , distension, acid reflux, constipation, diarrhoea, belching,

undigested food in the stools, off coloured stools

What can we do about it?o Increase our Hydrochloric acid in our gut,

• apple cider vinegar or lemon juice in water before meals, • Increase B6 and protein in diet.

Digestive Enzymes What are enzymes?These are protein like substances, formed in animal and plant cells, that act as catalysts to initiate or speed up specific chemical reactions within the cells. We have trillions of enzymes, and as they complete their function they die. Enzymes are in every cell of our body, performing vital functions every milli-second.

Where do they come from?All living cells contain enzymes - they are the "spark of life" in the cells. We are born with a "bank of enzymes". Although, to some degree, we can replenish enzymes by manufacturing metabolic enzymes in the liver and digestive enzymes in the pancreas (primarily for protein digestion), the number of enzymes each cell can produce is limited. Most of the enzymes needed for digestion should come from food.

What do enzymes do and why are they so important?These tiny substances are vital to all cellular activity in our bodies. Your heart, lungs, liver, eyes, skin, glands - every organ, tissue and cell in your body are dependent upon enzymes for every process and function. Enzymes help prevent degenerative disease, keep us youthful, increase our energy. Digestive enzymes break down food and insure complete digestion and assimilation of nutrients. When our enzyme bank is depleted, we die, so we want to be sure they are not wasted.

Digestive Enzymes How can enzymes be wasted?When we eat foods that don't contain digestive enzymes, our body must use its limited supply of metabolic enzymes to digest our food, for digestion is the body's main priority

Digestive enzymes are supposed to come from food. Our bodies cannot make up for the amount of enzymes needed to digest the average meal.

Why don't most of our foods contain enzymes? Cooked, processed and chemical laden foods do not contain enzymes. Even people who eat healthfully include cooked foods in their diet, for some foods must be cooked. Also, "live" foods (raw fruits, vegetables, etc.) that are not organically grown don't contain enough enzymes.

Not only do many of our foods not contain the necessary digestive enzymes, they --especially all "junk foods" -- use up an excessive amount of your metabolic enzymes as your body attempts to digest these "foodless foods".

Digestive Enzymes what if we don’t have enough?

What happens when we don't have enough enzymes for digestion?

We experience digestive problems of all kinds, usually with gas, pain and discomfort. Essential nutrients are not assimilated and lack of nutrients leads to disease. In addition, incomplete digestion causes toxicity from undigested food particles and toxicity also leads to disease. Perhaps the most serious result of lack of enzymes and incomplete digestion is a weakened immune system.

Many people, who would benefit from taking digestive enzymes, are taking over-the-counter medicine for digestive disturbances and what is commonly called "heartburn". These are harmful, and in fact, until recently, some of the more powerful ones could only be obtained by prescription. These medicines block the production of hydrochloric acid, which is essential for the digestion of minerals and protein. (In addition, hydrochloric acid is our first line of defence against harmful bacteria…but that's a different article.)

Where do we get them from?

Protease,

helps digest proteins. Un-digested proteins wind up in circulatory system and other parts of your body.

Food Sources: Broccoli, Figs, Guava, Ginger root, Green plants, Kiwi, Mushrooms, Papaya, Pineapple, Romaine lettuce, Spinach, Soy bean, Wheat, Kidney beans

Amylase,

helps digest carbohydrates. Incomplete digestion can cause blood sugar imbalances, allergies, and asthma

Food sources: Banana, Beets (roots, leaves and stems), Cabbage, Reishi mushrooms, Sweet potato

Egg, Maple sap, Milk, Honey, Sugar-cane, Barley, Corn, Oats, Rice, Wheat, Kidney beans

Lipase,

helps digest fat. Incomplete digestion can lead to clogged arteries causing blood pressure and heart problems.

Food Sources: Avocado, Coconuts, Corn, Flaxseeds, Raw red meats, Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, Wheat germ ,Rice, Soybeans, Rape seeds

Cellulase,

Helps break down cellulose (soluble fiber). Helps bind heavy metal and toxins to be expelled out of body

Food Sources. Avocado, Peas, Reishi mushrooms, Oat sprouts,

continued Maltase,Helps convert complex sugar found in malt and grain products into glucoseFood Sources: Banana, Beet leaves, Green plants, Brewers’s yeast, Mushroom, Sugar-cane, Rice,

Lactase,Helps digest lactose found in dairy productsFood Sources. Almonds, Apples, Peaches, Persimmons, Tomatoes, Milk.

Sucrase,Helps digest sucrose including table sugarFood Sources. Cucumbers, Potato, Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, Sugar-cane

Alpha Galatosidase,Hydrolyzes sugars in beans that ferment and cause gas. This enzyme is in the Bean-o ,Helps prevent gas. Food Sources: Cucumbers, Sprouted legumes (soy beans, cowpeas)

Phytase,Helps digest Phytic acid (Phytate) found in Grains and Seeds releasing phosphorus, calcium and other nutrients

Hydrochloric Acid what impact does it have?

Hydrochloric acid helps break down proteins and also plays an important role in signalling to the pancreas to release digestive enzymes and bicarbonate.

HCl helps sterilize stomach contents so that bad bacteria cannot hitch a ride into the small intestine for invasive and destructive colonization.

Plenty of folks over 40 or 50 have insufficient HCl for digestion; heartburn is often linked to low HCl levels and over-the-counter medicines only address the symptom and not the root cause and can lead to poor digestion, dysbiosis, leaky gut and allergies.

Hypochlorhydria (Low Hydrochloric acid)

Hypochlorhydria is the lack of adequate stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) production

Insufficient stomach acid also causes absorption of partially digested food molecules, leading to food sensitivities.

Low stomach acid increases the overgrowth of pathogens in the lower intestine.

Malabsorbtion of minerals vitamins and amino acids

and increases the chances of food sensitivities.

Symptoms/signs of stomach acid deficiency?

Stomach aching/pain/discomfort or bloating after meals

Feel unwell/fatigued right after meals

Food or water 'sits in stomach'

High fat foods cause nausea/stomach upset

Undigested food in stool

Reflux &/or heartburn

Poor appetite or feel overly full easily

Multiple food sensitivities

Trouble digesting red meat

Constipation

Low iron levels

Frequent nausea

Nausea/reflux after supplements (e.g. fish oil)

Burping after meals

Bacteria, parasites and microbes

What are they? Bacteria &Yeast Microbes & Parasites Intestinal Permeability (‘Leaky gut’) Inflammation Constipation & Diarrhoea Food Sensitivities and Allergens

What do they do? Can they effect brain function? Why treating with Antibiotics does not work? Signs and symptoms of bacterial infection…

Abnormal stools, fevers that come and go, persistent nasal congestion or cough, and behaviours that are abnormal

Bacteria

Yeast infections (Candida)

What is yeast? What are the symptoms?

Itching, rashes, eczema, abdominal bloating, increase in flatulence, constipation or diarrhoea, smelly stool; silly/giddy behavior, aggressive, stimming, chewing - on anything, low energy, cravings for bread, pasta and sweets

Why do we get it? How do we treat it?

Yeast Dr William Shaw (an Autism specialist) has also

suggested an association between Autistic symptoms and yeast overgrowth in the bowel. Children with mood disorders could be vulnerable either because of larger than normal yeast populations or an impaired capacity to detox the yeast by products. Many parents and physicians report improvement in both GI and

behavioural symptoms in children with the use of antifungals (which kill yeast)

(Jepson B, MD. Changing the course of Autism. p98, 2007)

Parasites What is a parasite? Where do we get them from? Signs and Symptoms of a parasitic infection…

Allergies, Headaches, Anxiety, Depression, Comprehension difficulty, Brain Fog, Gas and bloating, Constipation, Diarrhoea, Foul smelling stools, Chronic fatigue, low energy or

hyperactivity, Flu symptoms, fever and aches, Poor Immune function, Sleep disturbances, Grinding teeth at night, Vision problems, Anaemia, Eczema, Rashes and itchy back passage, Weight gain or loss

Symptoms of a microbial infection

Headaches, “heavy head,” “heavy-feeling headaches.” Alternated periods of mental “fuzziness” and greater

mental clarity. Feeling “muggy-headed” or “blah” or sick in the

morning. Transient malaise, flu-like symptoms. Transiently increased fatigue, waxing and waning

fatigue, feeling more tired and sluggish, weakness. Dizziness. Irritability. Sensation of “brain firing: bing, bong, bing, bong,”

“brain moving very fast.” Depression, feeling overwhelmed, strong emotions. Greater need for “healing naps.” Swollen or painful lymph nodes. Runny nose, low grade “sniffles,” sneezing, coughing.

A study that assessed SIBO in test subjects, found that 84% of irritable bowel syndrome sufferers, 77% of chronic fatigue patients and 100% of fibromyalgia (FM) sufferers had this small bowel dysbiotic overgrowth. A further study of FM patients revealed that eradication of SIBO significantly decreased overall pain, abdominal bloating, wind, constipation, diarrhoea, joint pain and fatigue.

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is a significant

cause of fatigue.

Symptoms & Complications of SIBO

• bloating

• abdominal distension

• abdominal pain or discomfort

• diarrhoea

• fatigue and weakness

• malabsorption syndrome

• nutritional deficiencies

• metabolic bone disorders e.g. osteoporosis

Leaky Gut, Gastrointestinal

permeability What is it? How does this happen? How does it affect the brain and mood? behaviours such as decreased socialisation,

decreased response to pain, abnormal language and self abusive or repetitive behaviours

Damaged Intestinal Villi

Fully digested food particles

Undigested food particles

Leaky gut causes chronic inflammation

Constipation & Diarrhoea

Afzal and others report a high frequency of both constipation and loose stools in children with Autism & mood disorders, suggesting a bowel motility disorder Afzal et al, Constipation and acquired megarectum in children with Autism. Paediatrics. 2003 Oct;112(4):939-42

Can probiotics help?Studies show probiotics can shorten the duration of acute diarrhoea in children, eradicate Colstridium difficile, decrease food derived inflammation markers and reduce symptoms of lactose intolerance and milk allergies

Allergies

Turns out the runny nose and itchy eyes could actually be affecting your mood and even be exacerbating your risk for depression.

Doctors agree there's a real connection between allergies and mood, research also shows there is about a doubling of risk for depression in a person suffering allergies -- and those who have been seen by an allergist are three times more likely of having depression.

BUT WHY?

How they affect gutAlthough allergies do not cause clinical depression, they cause mood changes that result in the physiological symptoms of mild depression, leading to overall feelings of sadness, lethargy, and fatigue. And those who already suffer from depression, their symptoms worsen with the allergy.

An allergic reaction brings about the release of cytokines in the body that brings on the feeling of being ill and ‘mentally drained.’ Earlier studies, had proved that allergies triggered off by pollen caused fatigue and mood changes and slowed down cognitive processing.

Allergies/sensitivities create inflammatory process’s in the gut wall which lead to inflammation.

Signs and symptoms of allergies

Symptoms of food allergy include • wheezing• stomach upsets and • skin rashes• Bloating• Gastrointestinal pain and gas• Mood and behavioural disturbances

Symptoms of food intolerance are similar to food allergy, but can be associated with conditions including • asthma, • chronic fatigue syndrome and • irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). • ADD/ADHD

Some food allergens include nuts, gluten and wheat, casein, shellfish, milk, egg and soy products.

Inflammation immune activation and mood

In an inflammatory attack, immune cells rev each other up by pumping out substances known as inflammatory cytokines

The first inkling of a connection between mood and inflammation came around 1990. Michael Maes, a psychiatrist now at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, was investigating claims that depressed people are unusually vulnerable to infections and cancer, a theory that could be explained by a lacklustre immune system.

But when Maes looked at immune cells from depressed people such as natural-killer cells, monocytes and macrophages, he found instead that the cells were more active than normal, and spewed out more inflammatory cytokines. "We had expected to find just the opposite," admits Maes.

Summary, Immune activation leads to Inflammation systemically especially in the brain.

What causes it?How does it affect the brain and mood?What conditions involve inflammation?

eczema, hayfever, food allergies, dysbiosis, immune dysfunction, Autism, ADHD and asthma

Inflammation

What happens if we do nothing?

Social implications on the Child and into Adulthood

Long term health problems. IBS, inflammatory diseases

Increased prevalence of illness, Immune dysfunction/suppression

Learning difficulties Autism ADD/ADHD

Clinical testing Urinary Indican Test Blood Tests Pathology Live Blood Screening CDSA (Complete digestive stool analysis) Allergy testing Stool test Microbiology testing for specific parasites

stool test

“This study is the first to show that the probiotics L.acidophilus NCFM & B.lactis Bi-07 reduce the duration & incidence of respiratory illness in children”

“This study is the first to show that the probiotics L.acidophilus NCFM & B.lactis Bi-07 reduce the duration & incidence of respiratory illness in children”

CLINICAL STUDIES SHOW A STRAIN IS EFFECTIVE FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE

…neither B.lactis BB12 or L.reuteri ATCC had any effect on respiratory illnesses in children…

…neither B.lactis BB12 or L.reuteri ATCC had any effect on respiratory illnesses in children…

THE RIGHT STRAIN CAN BELIFE CHANGING

Lactobacillus GG was effective in prevention of early atopic disease in children at high risk…..The frequency of atopic eczema was half that in the placebo group

Published in “The Lancet”

Lactobacillus GG was effective in prevention of early atopic disease in children at high risk…..The frequency of atopic eczema was half that in the placebo group

Published in “The Lancet”

ULTRA FLORA LGG

ULTRA FLORA LGG

Relief & prevention of infectious diarrhoea (bacterial & viral – 1 capsule)Prevention of eczema, allergies and atopy (taken pre & postnatally – 2 caps)

ULTRA FLORA RESTORE

Restoration of gut flora

Maintenance of gut health

General digestive health

Re-inoculation of the bowel after antibiotics

Each capsule contains;L.acidophillus NCFM 11.5

billionB.lactis Bi-07 11.5 billionL.rhamnosus GG (LGG) 2

billionColostrum 62mg

1 capsule daily

30 capsules60 capsulesAlso available Dairy Free(without colostrum)

NOW WITH LGG

• NCFM– Helps control intestinal

pathogens and bacterial overgrowth

– Promotes balance of the gut immune system

– Improves lactose digestion• Bi-07

– Improves gut immunity & gut health

• LGG– Strengthens gut wall,

mucosa & villi

ULTRA FLORA SB DYSBIOSIS

Dysbiosis (2 to 4 caps)

Traveller’s diarrhoea(2 caps)

Candida Overgrowth(4 caps)

Each capsule contains:S. boullardii 7.5 billionL. rhamnosus HN001 500

million

2 to 4 capsules daily

60 capsules

Case StudiesPresenting with Child 3 years of age Constipation Diarrhoea Reoccurring infections Allergies Rashes Regular high temps Morning Nausea Stomach pain

Tests Indicans test +3green Microbiology test(positive clostridium,

Helicobacter worms) Low Bifido bacterium

Treatment Herbal antibacterial ant parasitic medication Followed by specific probiotic for

candida/immune and gut function repair Vit C Zinc Changed diet to remove Dairy and gluten Increased Fibre and protein

Results Frequent and normal stools Reduction in skin dermatitis

eczema Normal temperature Less waking at nights Better appetite, especially

in the mornings No pain Less gas

Retesting Indicans Clear Microbiology Clear

Case StudyPresenting with 32 year old female Fatigue IBS Diagnosed Allergies to Milk & Grass Frequent sinus/chest infection Headaches Bloating, Gas Pain on defecation Acne on face and back

Testing Indican urinalysis (+ 3 yellow) Metametrix Allergy testing (positive casein, wheat)

Treatment Herbal Parasite and bacterial cleanse Colostrinun based supplementation VitC & Zinc Followed by specific probiotic supplementation Anti inflammatory gut mucosa healing supplement Aloe Vera Juice Removed dairy and Wheat from diet.

Out come No pain on defecation Increased energy Acne cleared Less gas Noticed more gas when she

ate dairy on occasions Only occasional headaches

Testing Indican (+1 yellow) Continued to retest and

keep on a program of supplementation for bowel and gut repair