Dysbiosis in general

I just realized that there is a dysbiosis forum and it was under the probiotics forum name (maybe it should emphasize dysbiosis)
Anyways, I think this is an important subject to discuss, and to all of you who is trying name your “beast” and can’t quite match or reap full benefits from a protocol for a specific disease, perhaps you should try to post here and go from there.
You know who you are, with digestive problems (bloating, constipation/diarrhea, indigestion, malabsorption), those who think they have IBS, Crohns, candida, or parasites etc. Even for those you who have arthritis, acne, psoriasis, eczema, fatigue, brain fog, this forum should/could be your starting/ending point.

The fact is that most diseases start with an imbalance on the digestive track – whether because of wrong diet, Antibiotics or other factors, these can alter the very delicately balanced flora we have in our gut. And this, my friends is your primary immune system – it’s the delicate flora that keeps infections at bay, but all it takes is the wrong diet with a round of Antibiotics and all hell can break loose. And it often does with numerous faces, since the standard diet does emphasize foods that help replenish the bowel flora.

Once you achieve the point of bowel dysbiosis, where harmful bacteria, parasites, or candida begin to flourish due to a reduced level of good flora, you might see a whole myriad of symptoms – one reason (there are others) why there are plenty of different symptoms is because it is highly dependant on the cocktail of unwanted organisms residing in your gut.
Numerous enzymes and waste products are released by these organisms and besides the negative direct effect they have on you, they will alter your enzymes and other natural secretions and literally turn them into poison (cancer causing even).
Dysbiosis is typically the starting point of countless diseases – there are plenty of tests that one can do to evaluate the level of dysbiosis, however the reliability of them is not great and often overlooked.

The big problem with dysbiosis is that once it is settled, it will often take great effort and dedication to normalize things. It might take more than probiotics use, diet, or supplements. Whatever type of dysbiosis is present (bacterial, fungal, parasitical, however I feel bacterial dysbiosis is often overlooked (is there a forum for this?)), these are enthralled on us and it can take drastic measures to get rid of them.

Although diet is key to normalize things, it is important to know that it might not provide desired results if the type of dysbiosis is not taken into account (however, diet often fails because it wasn’t rigorous enough or not long enough). Case in point, the candida diet is a great diet if you have fungal dysbiosis, and even bacterial dysbiosis that rely on fermentation of carbohydrates; this diet works by starving the organisms (rigorous and long term diet is typically necessary. However if you have bacterial dysbiosis with high levels of putrefying bacteria, the candida diet will feed these (candida diet typically high in proteins, especially if you have low stomach acid and low enzymes.
Unfortunately, dysbiosis involves a wide range of putrefying/fermenting bacteria, fungal, parasitical (if the terrain is dirty and is welcoming then they will all come in); so if you attempted candida diet without full results, than perhaps you might have high levels putrefying bacterial dysbiosis.
One aggressive approach that seems to have high success rate involves a no food diet.
The goal of this approach is to starve all bad organisms at the same time. It typically involves taking an enteral formula for 10-21 days without other foods. Enteral formulas are basically meal replacements formulas – these contain high levels of aminoacids/short chain carbs/ fat, vitamins and minerals to help sustain you during the designated amount of time. The critical point in this is that the enteral formulas provide all nutrients necessary in readily absorbable form (aminoacids, efas, minerals, vitamins, simple carbs); this means that they will be absorbed immediately in the duodenum and beginning of jejunum, so the unwanted organisms will see none of it. Typically people with dysbiosis have a faulty digestive system, starting with low levels of stomach acid, enzymes, and this extends the digestion time and allows the undigested food to sit in the gut and feed the bad guys.

It will certainly be a good a idea to add a good probiotic to this regime to begin colonizing the gut. In conjuction a Bowel Cleanse could help speed up the waste removal and restore balance. In the case of a very aggressive form of dysbiosis is present, an Antibiotic has been prescribed with the enteral formula to give a 1-2 punch, however we all know the dangers of Antibiotics (most likely the reason why we are here researching this); silver supplements or even the Grapefruit-Seed-Extract can replace the antibiotics spot.

Regarding enteral formulas, there are numerous brands out there, like the ones from mead Johnson, Novartis, etc, but they can be quite pricey (all the ones I saw didn’t really meet my expectations with ingredients but hey I can make the sacrifice for a while); a fairly priced one I saw I from alphanutrition called enf I think. Probably the cheapest method would be to research on the formulas and make your own (customized if you think you are allergic to one of the ingredients).
I would really like to try this, but having a hard time finding something similar in Japan – I’m typically weak to fast as I am relatively skinny and insane hunger, but I wonder if I can make through this as I would be getting all the nutrition required (just no solid food).

Besides I think its great to give the digestive system a rest and let it heal.

Mike