Making Your Gut Flora Bloom? The 2nd Microbiome Summit is Here

[Cort]

We just saw pretty definitive evidence that the gut flora in ME/CFS patients is off. With all the gut complaints in fibromyalgia, it's a pretty good bet that the gut flora in FM is off as well. We're not able yet to give targeted prescriptions to improve the gut flora in either disease, but gut flora is clearly an issue, and that brings up the second Microbiome summit.

[fright]

[/fright]This free online summit from May 8th to the 15th features a variety of alternative health practitioners. As with all of these summits, the presentations are free if you watch them on the day they're given. If you want to download and watch them at your leisure you can buy the complete package.

Some of this years presentations that caught my eye include:

• The Microbiome and Fatigue - Jo Pankyo's website looks like a great way to learn about probiotics. Among other things it has reviews of dozens of probiotic supplements plus she's written a book about how to take them.
• A Paleovedic Approach to the Microbiome by the author of the Paleovedic Diet - a diet which apparently combines both Indian and paleo diet components. (Sounds yummy).
• Demystifying the SIBO Epidemic - Alison Siebecker is a leader in how to treat small intestinal bowel overgrowth (SIB0). Her website on "all things SIBO" has sections on how to treat SIBO with herbal antibiotics, how to test for it, how to find good doctors, etc.
• Psychological Effects from the Microbiome - The topic seems a bit dicey, but Sarkis Mazanamian is the real deal. A PhD who runs a microbiome lab out of Caltech he'll apparently talk about how our microbiome can effect our mood.
• The Study of Brain Microbiota and Health - Marco Ruggiero is an MD and PhD in molecular biology who developed the probiotic substance MAF 314 that has been reportedly used with some success in ME/CFS. Ruggiero has rounded up bacterial ferments from all over the globe in an attempt to create a kind of super medical food. He also co-authored a book on the gut called "Your Third Brain"
• Healing Chronic Illness Through the Microbiome - Terri Wahls - is well known for her recovery from a severe case of multiple sclerosis largely by changing her diet.
• Cleansing the Microbiome - Donna Gates is big into cleansing and cultured veggies. Her Body Ecology website states it has information on over 1,000 topics in it - and if you're into supplements - she'll see you some nice supplement packages as well.

Register for and watch the presentations as they occur here or buy all the presentations at the Microbiome Medicine Summit 2 here.

 

[Marilyn Lemmon]

The idea that there are psychological effects from the microbiota may sound dicey, but I just took an online course on the human microbiome and there's good scientific evidence for it.

 

[Cort]

The idea that there are psychological effects from the microbiota may sound dicey, but I just took an online course on the human microbiome and there's good scientific evidence for it.

Agreed...I think it only "sounds" dicey.....I have no doubt that its real

Sounds like a good course....Was it a freebie?

 

[Edie]

Agreed...I think it only "sounds" dicey.....I have no doubt that its real

Sounds like a good course....Was it a freebie?

Dealing with my out of wack microbiome has been very instrumental in the quality of life I enjoy today despite still having FM. Before that, I could not remember hardly anything or think cohesively. My ND helped me get rid of yeast and clean up my diet of sugar and dairy. I then added a special probiotic called Primal Defense Ultra, got help with food allergies from NAET and my IBS stabilized. I learned so much from the first microbiome summit and intend to follow the second one. The new research on the connection of ME/CFS and the Microbiome did not come as a big surprise to me, but what I find so interesting is the promising possibilities for Autism and MS. Thanks for this Cort!

 

[fdotx]

Agreed...I think it only "sounds" dicey.....I have no doubt that its real

Sounds like a good course....Was it a freebie?

Hi Cort, there's a good Coursera course called Gut Check - Exploring the Microbiome out of CU Boulder and U of San Diego. Just checked and it's enrolling now for May 15th start if anyone's interested. Betsy

 

[fdotx]

Agreed...I think it only "sounds" dicey.....I have no doubt that its real

Sounds like a good course....Was it a freebie?

Cort re the links I'm getting what looks to be the company who puts summits on - nothing that I can see for a specific summit?

 

[Darden Burns]

I understand that gut flora can be affected by disease and that certain health conditions correspond to specific bacteria in the gut. I am skeptical however that probiotics can change the composition of the micro biome long term and heal chronic illness. The scientific evidence on this is not solid at this point. While many holistic practitioners are enthusiastic about probiotics I personally have never experienced any improvements from taking them. I tried many brands each claiming to be the latest and greatest and consulted with an expert in the field. There may be a role in treating disease with probiotics in the future but we're not there yet.

 

[Cort]

Dealing with my out of wack microbiome has been very instrumental in the quality of life I enjoy today despite still having FM. Before that, I could not remember hardly anything or think cohesively. My ND helped me get rid of yeast and clean up my diet of sugar and dairy. I then added a special probiotic called Primal Defense Ultra, got help with food allergies from NAET and my IBS stabilized. I learned so much from the first microbiome summit and intend to follow the second one. The new research on the connection of ME/CFS and the Microbiome did not come as a big surprise to me, but what I find so interesting is the promising possibilities for Autism and MS. Thanks for this Cort!

That's great you made real progress Edie! Thanks for sharing that....I tried Primal Defense and got nauseous - it's powerful stuff! I am going to try some more probiotics and come back to it

 

[Cort]

I understand that gut flora can be affected by disease and that certain health conditions correspond to specific bacteria in the gut. I am skeptical however that probiotics can change the composition of the micro biome long term and heal chronic illness. The scientific evidence on this is not solid at this point. While many holistic practitioners are enthusiastic about probiotics I personally have never experienced any improvements from taking them. I tried many brands each claiming to be the latest and greatest and consulted with an expert in the field. There may be a role in treating disease with probiotics in the future but we're not there yet.

I agree that we are still in the baby steps stage of learning how to do this...Very experimental.

 

[Cort]

Cort re the links I'm getting what looks to be the company who puts summits on - nothing that I can see for a specific summit?

Thanks for pointing that out. How embarrassing. Here's the proper link!

 

[Edie]

That's great you made real progress Edie! Thanks for sharing that....I tried Primal Defense and got nauseous - it's powerful stuff! I am going to try some more probiotics and come back to it

FLORA SMART by RENEW LIFE is excellent as well and I forgot to mention that I still take 6B a day. They also have one that's 50Billion and a new one that has 100B. I'd start with the 6B and work up from that. Overgrowth of yeast causes imbalance of Gut Flora(watch the sugar intake) and antibiotics kill the good bacteria as well as the bad. Dr. Mark Hyman is a good source of information on the subject. I checked his website www.drhyman.com and see that he's carrying probiotic supplements and Butyrate that detoxes neurotoxins and lowers inflammation that I really should try. ME/CFS have special needs that are beyond ordinary probiotics and it looks like new ones will probably be in the making to address that according to new research in Cort's Blog.

 

[Francis Martin]

This is not a reply to any previous comments.

What about prebiotics for changing your gut flora? I'm thinking of things like oats which have types of fibre which feed the good bacteria.

Also, from memory, Chris Armstrong's (Melbourne University) 2016 webinar, and subsequent publication, suggested that altered gut flora were the downstream effect of altered cellular metabolism (less gut acid produced). Would prebiotics, or probiotics, or faecal transplants ---- work if the acidity of the gut is too low due to altered cellular metabolism? Research could of course be commissioned to test this. Possibly something to lobby for i.e. a project to test whether prebiotics, or probiotics, or faecal transplants ---- produce significant improvements in ME/CFS/Fibro.

 

[Edie]

This is not a reply to any previous comments.

What about prebiotics for changing your gut flora? I'm thinking of things like oats which have types of fibre which feed the good bacteria.

Also, from memory, Chris Armstrong's (Melbourne University) 2016 webinar, and subsequent publication, suggested that altered gut flora were the downstream effect of altered cellular metabolism (less gut acid produced). Would prebiotics, or probiotics, or faecal transplants ---- work if the acidity of the gut is too low due to altered cellular metabolism? Research could of course be commissioned to test this. Possibly something to lobby for i.e. a project to test whether prebiotics, or probiotics, or faecal transplants ---- produce significant improvements in ME/CFS/Fibro.

Great point! I have to take a 2 phase digestive enzyme when I eat as my system is not producing gut acid. I can also add Betaine Hydrochloride to an ordinary digestive enzyme which also works well. Without added stomach acid, I suffered painful spasms. I'd be curious to know if that is common for others that have FM. I find that a lot of my symptoms mirror ME/CFS.

 

[fdotx]

Thanks for pointing that out. How embarrassing. Here's the proper link!

Cort I'm still not seeing a link?

 

[laureano]

The idea that there are psychological effects from the microbiota may sound dicey, but I just took an online course on the human microbiome and there's good scientific evidence for it.

for me is logical that it has... most of the body's principal neurotransmitter, serotonin, is located in the gut. Medical sciencie became a dogma so pregressivelly that people dind´t realize it. Today is very hard to came up with new ideas as the belief that the human microbiome is actually another organ of the human body, with effects reaching every other system. This however, will eventually be written on high school textbooks

 

[Cort]

This is not a reply to any previous comments.

What about prebiotics for changing your gut flora? I'm thinking of things like oats which have types of fibre which feed the good bacteria.

Also, from memory, Chris Armstrong's (Melbourne University) 2016 webinar, and subsequent publication, suggested that altered gut flora were the downstream effect of altered cellular metabolism (less gut acid produced). Would prebiotics, or probiotics, or faecal transplants ---- work if the acidity of the gut is too low due to altered cellular metabolism? Research could of course be commissioned to test this. Possibly something to lobby for i.e. a project to test whether prebiotics, or probiotics, or faecal transplants ---- produce significant improvements in ME/CFS/Fibro.

From what little I know prebiotics are going to be important. Mady Hornig and Ian Lipkin include them when they talk about probiotics.

 

[Cort]

Cort I'm still not seeing a link?

These guys are so screwed up in their links...I can't even believe it..

Do these work?

Register for and watch the presentations as they occur here or buy all the presentations at the Microbiome Medicine Summit 2 here.

 

[keepinghopealive]

For whatever it's worth, I had FMT. and it did absolutely nothing for my ME/CFS. In retrospect, I wonder if taking antibiotics before the procedure would have helped.

 

[diane]

Is the gut flora affected by the weather? I know my health is much better when we have a warm, dry Spring. I need that dry warmth for an energy boost. That sees me through the rest of the year. (Unfortunately I got a chest infection last year just as the weather became humid, so lost all the energy and have continued to go downhill. Here in the UK we have had a damp Spring so no improvement this year.)

I have been wondering for years what the link is between the weather and my health. It has just occurred to me to wonder if gut flora could be the link, if it changes according to cold and dampness.

 

[Wayne]

Just read THIS ARTICLE from Mercola.com. Here's a snippet from the article on ME/CFS...

Chronic Fatigue Changes Your Gut Microbiome


... It wasn't until the 1980s that the condition received an official name, and only recently did researchers discover biological markers in microbes through serial sequencing of bacterial RNA that indicate differences between healthy individuals and those with CFS/ME.1 Researchers from Columbia University undertook the first study to investigate a relationship between irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and CFS/ME, as up to 90 percent of people with CFS/ME have IBS.2

Fifty participants were recruited and matched with 50 healthy control participants. Stool and blood samples were taken from each, looking for bacterial species and immune molecules.3 The bacterial colonies in people who suffer from CFS/ME were distinctly different from healthy controls.4

The levels of different bacteria also changed based on the type and severity of symptoms experienced.5 The first study to link CFS/ME with IBS, it builds on a previous trial that demonstrated 80 percent with CFS/ME could be diagnosed based on their gut bacteria.6 When the species of gut bacteria were analyzed, the researchers found seven that were strongly associated with CFS/ME: