Digestive Wellness: Strengthen the Immune System and Prevent Disease Through Healthy Digestion, Fourth Edition (131 page)

Investigate allergies and sensitivities.
Although more research needs to be done in this area, one study indicated an immune response when patients were given cow’s milk. Eliminate dairy products for two weeks. See if you have improvement in symptoms. Then add back cultured dairy, such as yogurt, kefir, and cottage cheese. See how you feel. It may be necessary to avoid dairy products altogether. Rule out other food sensitivities with an elimination-provocation diet and/or food-allergy or food-sensitivity blood testing.

Cigarettes, toothpaste, mouthwash, and flavored dental floss can cause irritation. In a conversation I had with Joanne Zeis, the author of several books on Behcet’s disease (
http://www.behcetsdisease.com
), she said, “ironically, according to some research studies people who quit smoking cigarettes sometimes develop excessive oral ulcers, which can be a real problem for BD patients who quit—some go right back to smoking again. This is a paradox but will vary from person to person.

“Toothpastes containing sodium lauryl sulfate may create aphthous ulcers in some BD patients, and should be avoided.”

Take probiotics and eat probiotic-rich foods.
Lactobacillus acidophilus is often beneficial in prevention and treatment of canker sores and may be useful in BD. No clinical research has been done in this area, but it makes sense. Take one to two capsules or ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of the powder three times daily; take between meals.

Practice stress-management skills.
Stress can contribute to a flare-up of the disease. Development of strong support systems is vital. This is a lifelong illness and you can greatly benefit from support groups, many of which are available on the Internet. Exchange of information and dialogue with others who understand what you are going through can expedite recovery. Take time for yourself, rest, and relax.

Cardiovascular disease certainly has more aspects to it than just the digestive ones. This section covers the GI-cardiovascular links.

It’s been known for over a decade that people who have periodontal (gum) disease have increased risk for heart disease. There are two mechanisms that are known for this: systemic inflammation and bacterial infection. The bacteria Porphyromonas gingivalis and Streptococcus mutans have been identified as the main oral culprits that increase risk of heart diseases. Different studies have noted increases in atherosis, aneurysms, heart disease, heart valve issues that cause endocarditis, and Buerger’s disease.

It has been demonstrated that simply brushing teeth twice daily can reduce risk of heart disease. A Scottish study with 11,000 participants demonstrated a 70 percent increased risk in people who brushed less than twice daily.

Prebiotics and probiotics are another boon to our cardiovascular system. Their benefits are well documented. They help to normalize high total cholesterol, high LDL
cholesterol, and triglycerides and can help boost HDL cholesterol levels. In a 2006 study by E. Fabinan and I. Elmadfa, 17 women were given a probiotic supplement daily for eight weeks, while 16 others ate 3½ ounces of commercial yogurt daily for four weeks, followed by two more weeks of 7 ounces of yogurt daily. Both groups had lowered total cholesterol levels with increases in HDL cholesterol and improved cholesterol ratios.

People who have H. pylori infection in their stomach have been shown to have increased risk of developing ischemic heart disease. Although it’s not completely understood why this happens, it appears that H. pylori helps to initiate an environment that increases heart disease; inflammation increases heart disease risk, and H. pylori increases inflammation. In mice, H. pylori increases platelet clumping and blood coagulation. H. pylori also increases heat shock proteins, which have also been implicated in cardiovascular disease. A recent study looked at people who had previously had H. pylori infections or stomach ulcers. After they were treated for infection, they were followed for five years. With the H. pylori taken care of, HDL cholesterol levels increased, while C-reactive protein and fibrinogen levels decreased. Another study indicated that in men with diabetes, H. pylori infection increased risk of heart disease. Another study showed little association with H. pylori and increased heart disease risk in women.

Fatigue is one of the most common complaints that bring people into a physician’s office. Fatigue can be caused by nearly every illness and is part of the natural healing process. Excessive fatigue that lasts and lasts may be a sign of illness or of chronic fatigue syndrome. Also called CFIDS (chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome), CFS, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), chronic Epstein-Barr virus (CEBV), and yuppie flu, chronic fatigue syndrome is a long-lasting, debilitating fatigue that is not associated with any particular illness. Although people have been fatigued for millennia, the term
chronic fatigue syndrome
was only coined in 1988. CFIDS affects more than half a million people. Incidence has increased two to four times within the past decade. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 200 people per 100,000 experience CFIDS. About 50 percent return to normal health within five years. The rest may be affected for decades.

By definition, individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome have been extremely tired for at least six months for no obvious reason. The CDC has provided the following criteria for diagnosis of CFIDS. First, the fatigue is not eliminated by rest, and the fatigue substantially reduces the person’s ability to function normally. Second, the diagnosis includes at least four of the following symptoms for a period of at least six months: loss in ability to concentrate or short-term memory function; sore throat; swollen and tender lymph nodes; muscle pain; multiple-joint pain without swelling or redness; headaches of a new type, pattern, or severity; sleep disturbances; and exercise-caused fatigue that lasts more than 24 hours.

People with CFIDS share many common symptoms, but not everyone has all the same ones. CFIDS often begins with an infectious flu-like disease accompanied by fevers that come and go. There is often accompanying joint stiffness and pain, sore throat, cough, sleep disturbances, light sensitivity, night sweats, and extreme exhaustion after the slightest exertion. Commonly, a short walk or bit of exercise will wipe out your energy for days afterward. Some people have the Epstein-Barr virus, or cytomegalovirus, but others don’t. Sometimes healthy people have high blood antibodies for these viruses and have no symptoms of CFIDS. It’s possible that these viruses trigger CFIDS, but it’s also possible that the low immune function in people with CFIDS increases their chances of catching a wide variety of infectious illnesses. Although you can chase the virus, it’s often just the trigger and not the ultimate cause of the illness. As with many illnesses, there is speculation on the part of researchers that there may be an autoimmune mimicry that gets triggered by a virus.

Many with CFIDS cannot hold down a job and become depressed because the fatigue is so extreme. Those who do work come home exhausted and go immediately to bed so they can generate enough energy for work the next day. Because there isn’t any apparent cause and no observable symptoms, people with CFIDS are often confronted by people and doctors who just don’t believe it’s real.

In 1990, the CDC began to keep records and study people with CFIDS to understand more about possible causes and therapies. We now know that CFIDS is multifactorial and affects many biochemical systems. Cytokine production of inter-leukin-2 (IL-2) is low and causes poor immune function. Other immune parameters appear to be overstimulated. Although this seems paradoxical, it’s probably not. According to Hans Selye, an expert on stress, our systems initially react to stress by overproducing. If working harder doesn’t eventually solve the problem, they underproduce. Many people with CFIDS have exhausted adrenal glands and produce low amounts of cortisol and other adrenal hormones. They often have thyroid insufficiencies and may require thyroid hormone replacement. Other hormones, such as estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, and testosterone, may also be out of balance.

To find relief for CFIDS, use the DIGIN approach discussed in
Part II
. People with CFIDS almost always have dysbiosis, and most have candidiasis. Leaky gut syndrome is usually present, accompanied by a host of food and environmental sensitivities. There is often malabsorption. The liver is overburdened and overworked, so the toxic by-products of life accumulate in tissues, and the cycle deepens.

Eventually, the mitochondria are affected. Mitochondria are the energy factories inside our cells, creating ATP from glucose in a complicated process called the citric acid cycle, or Krebs cycle. Mitochondrial DNA is extremely susceptible to environmental damage from nutritional deficiencies, infection, disrupted sleep, pregnancy,
changes in pH balance in the cell, magnesium status, hormonal deficiencies, and stress. Mitochondrial function can be inhibited by magnesium insufficiency, changes in cellular pH, and abnormal products of metabolism. These can be interpreted by the body as toxins. Magnesium is essential for mitochondrial functioning and is part of the matrix. Mitochondria also require vitamins B
₁
, B
₂
, B
₃
, B
₆
, lipoic acid, manganese, zinc, CoQ10, glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids. Mitochondrial function can be tested with an organic acid test, which has provided evidence that mitochondrial DNA is damaged much more easily and is more susceptible to environmental toxins and other stressors. As chronic fatigue symptoms progress, the mitochondria often need nutritional support of their own.

Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., a specialist in CFIDS and fibromyalgia, speculates that this is a mitochondrial and hypothalamic disorder. Viral infections can disrupt hypothalamus and mitochondrial function. The hypothalamus controls sleep, autonomic nervous system function, body temperature, and hormone balance. When energy stores in the hypothalamus are depleted, all of these systems become imbalanced.

With the blood pressure test used with a tilt table, researchers have found that many people with CFIDS have low postural blood pressure. Complementary medicine physicians have long used reclining and standing blood pressures to detect poor adrenal function. Individuals with healthy adrenal function experience only a five-to ten-point rise in blood pressure when they move from a reclining to a standing position. In people with poor adrenal function, blood pressure remains the same or drops. So, is the tilt-table hypotension the primary culprit or an indicator of poor adrenal function? In any case, some people with low blood pressure respond to an increase in salt intake to at least 1,000 mg daily or by taking medication to increase blood pressure.