Category: Immunity Blog

  • Follow the Yellow Brick Road

    Follow the Yellow Brick Road

    Do your Munchkins Follow the yellow brick road?  Munchkins is my term to describe your probiotics.

    Or are they wicked germs or guardians of our health?

    I believe promoting silver linings and golden poop optimizes immune and total body health.

    A silver lining is an analogy for a fortified interface and a protective barrier functionality for the linings of the human body that communicate with the outside world.  The epithelial cells at your borders are your second line of defense against pathogens besides the guardian Munchkins that are concentrated at these surfaces that “see” the outside world are part of your first line defense.

    Golden poop, otherwise known as a healthy gut function, involves harboring guardians of our health or Munchkins.  The ratios of the guardian microbiota (probiotics) have been associated with health and disease.  There are convincing models of treating the microbiome to improve other body systems such as neurological, cardiovascular function, bone function (your bone is where your immune system’s cells are born known as hematopoiesis).  There are convincing studies manipulating the microbiome with medications and formulations to shift them to a guardian state.

    There is a potential for millions of factors to affect your probiotics.   You are the Wizard.  They are the munchkins.   Garbage in Garbage out.   Your gut flora is akin to 2 or so trillion passengers on the proverbial international cruise ship. The guardians can produce chemicals that lead to smooth sailing for your immune system.  The probiotics metabolites circulate throughout the whole human body and can act like a medication.   Your gut flora makes butyrate, which is known as a short chain fatty acid (SCFAs). These SCFAs have hormonal and pharmacologic effects.  Your probiotics make chemicals that can suppress appetite, build better muscle, bone, brains, blood vessels, breathing, and bowl function. These chemical SCFAs known as “postbiotics” keep powering the ship and help repair the ship’s structure.

    These probiotics need the right environment full of nutrients to develop, divide, and diversify.  You want your ship of guardian Munchkins well fed and getting what they need.  These munchkins are dependent on your lifestyle.  They can be traumatized by several factors including medications like ibuprofen and antibiotics or chemical/pesticide residues in food.  But you can build resiliency of the gut and skin microbiome by catering to it.  See the Super Dooper Pooper Trooper article on habits to build healthy, diverse passengers as supposed to passengers sailing on a “ship of fools”.   Its on our website “YourOpportunityForBetterImmunity.com”

    It is foolish to deny humans are supra-organisms made of trillions of germs with endless genomic material that is quick to change given the right opportunity.  Probiotics are like pawns in chess that are first line defensive players forming a shield and secreting antibiotics against potential pathogenic microbes.    The microbes can determine how well your immune system surveys your outer banks as well as your inner core structures.  Foreign DNA is very alarming to our immune system.  The more varieties of the microscopic world of probiotics our immune system sees, the more functional your immune system becomes. 

    The facts are clear that most Americans get less than 20 grams of daily fiber due to our commercialization of food production and delivery.  However, probiotics flourish with any type of fiber including supplementation with natural and synthetic fibers.  You need to pave your Yellow Brick Road slowly with grams of fiber, so your wizardry can communicate with your munchkins because of the wonderful things they are!  Probiotics can give your immune system a brain, a heart, and courage to fight invaders.

  • Stick a needle in my eye?

    Stick a needle in my eye?

    Inject muscle like deltoid and thigh or Stick a Needle in my Eye?

    Where our immune system is trained matters for long-term memory generation. Where we place foreign material for teaching the immune system to understand dangerous pathogens can be important on outcome measures. Vaccination campaigns have only recently switched to injecting myofibrils (muscle cells) in the early 20th century (1920s-1940s) away from the more immunogenic skin targets of earlier vaccination campaigns.

    I believe the smallpox vaccination campaign was successful at reducing morbidity and mortality of smallpox disease.  Edward Jenner injected only skin deep in 1796. The Langerhans cell is an immune presenting cell found in the skin in 1869 among the many layers of skin immunity. Other immune skin cell residents make the skin an ideal target for educating your immune system. The skin already is engaged in protecting you from the pathogens of the outside world, but your muscles are tucked deeper inwards and are more engaged with the function of locomotion. Muscles can generate immunity as demonstrated by antibody formation after injecting them, but they are not the best immune organs because they are not designed to protect you like your skin from the outside world.

    Muscles are great targets for injection when you want dispersion of the molecule to the whole body to interfere with receptors as an example. This is where the molecule is a lock in key fit. When you want to teach the immune system to learn from exposure or you want to vaccinate, you want exposure controlled and slowly released over time. You don’t want rapid absorption throughout the body with infectious disease vaccines as side effects are more likely with rapid absorption. 

    There are articles and studies supporting mucosal applied vaccines (sublingual, oral, conjunctival (eye drop)). The same human papilloma subunit particles injected into deltoid muscle have been studied as an eye drop.  That is again because the layers of immunity are structured to understand from an “outside in” exposure. When a needle is plunged past the outer layers into muscle fibers you get a different type of immunity as you bypass the outside “skin cell” guardians. You also get faster absorption into the body with intramuscular injections. In my opinion, faster absorption may lead to increased side effects like myalgias (muscle aches), fevers, and blood vessel and neurologic inflammation.

    The FDA did approve intradermal flu vaccines in 2014 in the USA. Fluzone Intradermal was the same “stuff” used in the intramuscular vaccine used for decades but dose-reduced to only 0.1 ml, down from the 0.5 ml intramuscular dose. The only reason it was withdrawn was due to cultural/political issues of a slightly more difficult administration technique to hit the layers of the immune skin. We just witnessed an intradermal vaccine campaign in August 2022 with the new Mpox outbreak.  A reduced intradermal dose of 0.1 ml was used to vaccinate 5x the people compared to using 0.5 ml in the muscles. It is the same way Edward Jenner did it centuries ago. It was considered a successful campaign.

    As an editorial statement, it is our belief that the intradermal route represents an opportunity for better immunity. It has been studied in small numbers in the allergy literature, as we know delivering allergens to different immune “compartments” like sublingual, oral, subcutaneous, intradermal, and even intralymphatic (directly into the lymph nodes) can be very effective.

    My research tells me that there are less systemic side effects but slightly more local side effects with vaccinating the skin as opposed to the muscles. We must remember that our immune system can over-react to any exposure delivered to any body system at any time. We do have some science on underlying conditions that help make vaccination campaigns safer and more successful (see vaccine handout recommendations).

    In 2021, I had never witnessed so much politicization of vaccine science. Vaccines will always have controversy as they are not completely risk free. We need more open debate/discussion and better post-marketing surveillance of safety and efficacy.  We should try and find the most effective dose and route again as Edward Jenner did some 225 years ago. Most physicians and pharmacists do not have enough training in vaccine science. They simply rely on our public health authorities since there is so much information in medicine today. Vaccine science is contaminated with several biases. Headlines you see about vaccine studies may suffer from multiple biases. For example, I can find articles that state vaccine recipients have less dementia. While it may be possible, I can see the “selection and life-style bias” in these studies because they are not prospectively randomized. They are retrospective. The reason for the lower dementia may not be because of receiving vaccines but may be from other underlying health conscientious factors like diet, exercise, and socio-economic power. It is likely that these factors are protecting against dementia. It is a difficult study to conduct prospectively, however.

    Unfortunately, you cannot easily receive vaccines by intradermal routes. Most pharmacies follow the package insert for intramuscular administration of flu, covid, rsv, shingles, hpv, and pneumonia as a convention. Your voice can ask for better science for safety and efficacy.                                                                                                                                 

    DJFMD opined 12-2024

  • Antihistamines – A Pharmacological Wonder

    Antihistamines – A Pharmacological Wonder

    Antihistamines – Over a Century of Pharmacological Wonder!

    Most allergy sufferers are familiar with antihistamines such as Benadryl (diphenhydramine), Chlor-Trimeton (chlorpheniramine), Allegra (fexofenadine), Claritin (loratadine), Clarinex (desloratadine), Zyrtec (cetirizine), and Xyzal (levocetirizine).  The newer antihistamines, released since the 1980s, have much better characteristics with respect to efficacy and safety.  Older ones like Benadryl and Chlor-Trimeton are much more sedating, drying, and should have limited roles in daily use.  Furthermore, long-term use of older antihistamines such as Benadryl and Chlor-Trimeton are associated with dementia in the elderly and impaired learning in the young and emphasize need for limited use.

    The evolution of improving the pharmacologic actions of antihistamines started with the de novo synthesis of histamine in 1907, which lead to the research to understand histamine’s actions in the human body around 1910/1911.   Histamine is an important chemical messenger exerting its effects through 4 different known receptors throughout the body.  As a comparison, serotonin, an important chemical messenger/neurotransmitter, has 15 known receptors.   Histamine has several functions such as neurologic transmission, cell proliferation, and wound healing to name a few.  Wounds sometimes itch due to excessive histamine. Excessive histamine release perpetuates inflammation through this cellular proliferation (cell growth).  Histamine is “kindling” for an inflammatory fire – antihistamines help put out the fire.

    The first antihistamine was synthesized in 1937 and used clinically in 1942 but was “too drying” and toxic for continued use.  Benadryl was introduced in the USA in 1946.  Today, there are over 45 antihistamines available world-wide.   Interestingly, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac (fluoxetine), were discovered by tweaking the Benadryl (diphenhydramine) in the early 1970s. Of note, SSRIs have recently been shown to be antiviral as well.

    Antihistamines have very good evidence for helping allergies including rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and itching.  They are also used for several other conditions such as nausea, migraines, insomnia, viral infections. Of note, recently and most exciting is the potential for antihistamines to help the immune system fight cancers and virus by changing the chemicals surrounding the cancers and virally infected cells.    It has been shown that excessive histamines distract the “killer T cells” which have been shown to “kill” cancers and “kill” “virally infected cells”.  Antihistamines are not a primary treatment for viral infections or cancer but may support the immune system’s healing ability by “mopping up” excessive histamines that may be counter-productive to healing.

    Since antihistamines have been around a long time with a good safety record, I believe allergy sufferers benefit from their usage.  They are associated with improved outcomes of food and inhalant allergy immunotherapy. I recommend usage of the newer non-sedating antihistamines (Zyrtec, Allegra, etc.) while taking allergy shots.  I also recommend taking them when fighting a virus or cancer. However, always check with your prescriber before taking therapy even though they are over the counter medications.

    Obviously, any medication can have unwanted side effects.  Allegra (fexofenandine) and Clarinex (desloratadine) have no sedation properties and commercial airline pilots are permitted to take them while flying.   With other antihistamines such as Zyrtec and Xyzal, some patients feel sedated, foggy, experience dry mouth, weight gain, urinary retention, or constipation.  Again, the newer ones are less likely to cause these untoward effects.

    In summary, in my opinion, there are several immunologic benefits of antihistamines when considering the allergy relief, anti-viral, and anti-cancer effects.  Allergy immunotherapy has been shown to markedly reduce the need for antihistamine usage in the long-term. However, while building up in your allergy shots, one should strongly consider taking newer, safer antihistamines for better long-term outcomes.

  • Seal the Cracks, So Viruses and Allergens Can’t Attack!

    Seal the Cracks, So Viruses and Allergens Can’t Attack!

    ANTI-VIRAL and ANTI-ALLERGY DEFENSE

    By David J Friedman, MD

    SEAL THE CRACKS, SO THE VIRUS and ALLERGENS CAN’T ATTACK!! IMMUNITY HAS YOUR BACK!!

    As viruses are everywhere and transmission dynamics are not fully understood, it is a “genius move” to prepare your immune system for “bad” microscopic particles. These particles include hostile virus or inflammatory allergens like pollen.  The world is covered in them.  Thank you, “Immunity”!!

    Boost your immunity with the tools below.  Go to resistantstarchresearch.com to read further.

    1. Prebiotic fiber at least 20 grams in supplementation extra, beyond your food. More grams of fiber equal a better immune system. Resistant starch(RS) like potato starch (Bob’s Red Mill Potato Starch(approx. 2 tbl dissolved in water @night). Don’t heat) is totally different than the highly glycemic modern-cooked potato and is currently being studied for COVID-19.  It is more tolerable on your gut and better than other fibers at turning into short chain fatty acids(SCFA) like BUTYRATE.  I use both inulin and resistant potato starch. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT IT IS RESISTANT “STARCH” AND NOT “FLOUR”.  Resistant starch like fiber is not digested and is broken down by probiotics in the colon.  THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT HABIT TO OPTIMIZE HEALTH!!  It improves the agility of your immune system to react in a reparative way as opposed to a destructive tone.  It is very kind to your probiotics!!
    2. Probiotic-containing foods like yogurt, kefir, kombucha and/or any probiotic capsule or supplement. I buy the cheapest supplements but feel cultured foods/drinks are better.
    3. Barrier maintenance-Olive, Coconut, or Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) oils applied to the inside nostrils with a finger, swab, or dropper. Oleic, Caprylic, and Capric acid are the active ingredients in oils that “seal cracks” and are anti-viral. The sinus secretes these oils (fatty acids) to kill bad germs. Oil in the nose protects from dryness, infection and irritation.  Ingest Olive and MCT oil most days. Nasal saline is very helpful. Xlear contains xylitol and is better than just nasal saline. Saliva contains IgA antibodies that protect.  Make more saliva with xylitol gum especially when in   Dry mouth is very bad for respiratory health and helps you get a respiratory infection like pneumonia.  Xylitol is good for the mouth in gums and mouthwashes.
    4. Vitamin D shouldn’t get low. If it does get low, you advantage wayward inflammation, allergy, asthma, and cancer.  1000-5000 IU per day is fine but be prudent about getting 50% of your skin in the sun at least 20 min 1-2 weekly.  Sun exposure also raises anti-viral melatonin.
    5. Melatonin (5-600mg) is used to treat viruses. It helps HIV, Ebola, Influenza, and Covid-19. Much more than a “sleep” hormone. It improves “vaccine” responses and is an “immune booster”.
    6. Curcumin is the active anti-inflammatory agent of Turmeric. Trademarked active ingredients that are reliable are C3, BCM-95, Meriva, and Theracumin. Don’t take if on blood-thinners.
    7. Fuel your body on short chain fat(Ketones) that comes from the fiber/starch you eat and supplement. More is better.  Oleic acid in olive oil and Omega-3s are obviously healing fats. Running on glucose is the fuel of allergy, inflammation, and cancer.  Fasting helps increase fatty acids or ketones in your blood.  MCT and Coconut oil helps nutritional “ketosis”
    8. Resveratrol (grapes, wine(contains probiotics), peanuts, and berries) activates genetic components called “sirtuins”. If you call upon these when ill, they will heal you. Sirtuin activation slows or even can prevent age-related illness as well as “acute” illness.
    9. Beta-Glucan fiber found in mushrooms, nutritional yeast, seaweeds, and insect shells like roasted crickets. Any one of them will do 3 days or more a week with meals is a good base.

    Should one become ill with respiratory troubles such as sore throat, coughing, shortness of breath or fever one should consider the following:

    1. Yale University, in 2020, tried giving Bob’s Red Mill potato starch at 20 grams (approximately 2 tablespoons) 2x daily dissolved in water within 48 hours of COVID-19 symptom onset. I put a few ounces of pomegranate juice in the solution.  Don’t heat it or it becomes “sugar”.  Once daily on the first 3 days, then 2x daily to aide in fighting the virus. I think this is a study that may elucidate the importance of the microbiome in maintaining health. So, with an active virus, the study is giving 40 grams of resistant starch. Increase supplemental fiber and resistant starch(RS) before you get sick!! Butyrate regenerates!!! Fiber and good fats manipulate your microbiome in a diversity-inducing, healthful fashion.
    2. Probiotics 2x day with travel or illness. Your microbiome is your first line of defense.  It is unknown what probiotics do to your microbiome, but there are studies showing less severity with viral infections when taking them.  Extra fiber or RS is more important.
    3. Eat more beta-glucan fiber in mushrooms. Turmeric if not on blood thinners.
    4. Vitamin C and Quercetin at 1000 mg is safe. They have a wide therapeutic index.
    5. Zinc at 50 mg may help hasten viral infection recovery. Zinc is the second biggest element behind iron in the human body.  Eating foods high in zinc is proactive.  Tree nuts, seeds, legumes, shellfish, and meat are highest.
    6. Spicy food- Capsaicin is anti-viral and 3 big studies lately out of USA, Italy, and China show longevity. Capsaicin can kill virus and cancer. Intranasal capsaicin helps allergies!!
    7. Vitamin D- Vitamin D has a wide safety index. 2 million IU can damage or possible even kill you, but large doses like 100,000-500,000 have been given in studies.
    8. Cold exposure- Activates sirtuins and puts your body in survival mode. Lowers oxidation or “internal rusting”.  Cold showers, plunges, ice packs galore when sick can hasten recovery in the second week of illness.  Raising body temperature (warm bath) may assist viral clearance in the first week by stimulating interferon (an immune hormone that blocks virus and cancer)
    9. Sleep- Make sure you get enough, and it is efficient. You can take “big” doses of melatonin(6-8 mg/kg/day) if sick.  It has a wide safety profile. It has a “plethora” of immune effects.  Melatonin has multiple health effects beyond sleep.  Your gut can make melatonin if given fiber
    10. Do not delay an evaluation with a health care provider. Earlier diagnosis and treatment can prevent severe complications. Urgent cares and ERs are places that quickly get data like labs and x-rays to help diagnose the problem.
    11. Please remember that you may incubate virus that can infect others. Generally speaking, transmission of virus occurs when people are at high “viremia” states. More copies of the virus are produced usually when symptomatic. Asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission can occur but there is usually less virus to spread at that time than when symptomatic.  Hand washing and proper hand etiquette is important.  Don’t cough into your hand.  Don’t touch the front of your mask when you wear one.
  • Good Things Come in Threes – Prebiotics, Probiotics, Postbiotics

    Good Things Come in Threes – Prebiotics, Probiotics, Postbiotics

    PREBIOTICS, PROBIOTICS, and POSTBIOTICS ARE THE TRIFECTA OF HEALTH!

    The pre-pro combo is smart but those who make the post are the host with the most!!

    PREBIOTICS- A “coined” phrase that means fiber.  It is the nutrition or energy that your probiotics depend upon for their livelihood. Good fats like olive oil, MCT oil, and omega-3 help your probiotics as well as more fiber grams.  The human body was designed to see 70-150 grams per day of prebiotics otherwise known as fiber.  On average most Americans get 15-25 grams of fiber per day from our modern foods.    If one does not consume the fiber they were designed to, they run the risk of suffering from chronic diseases in all arenas of health in all body systems.  If your gut biotics are not fed appropriately with 30-50 grams of daily fiber you compromise your healing ability. Taking extra fiber can cause gas and bloating if too much is taken too soon. Go slow and try taking supplemental fiber in the evening before sleeping as it may reduce gas and bloating.  Building up to 20 grams of extra fiber per 24hrs over several weeks is your ultimate goal!!!  Your microbiome depends on plenty of good fat and plenty of fiber!  RESISTANT STARCH LIKE POTATO STARCH IS VERY VALUABLE AS WELL.  GO TO RESISTANTSTARCHRESEARCH.COM for further reading.

    PROBIOTCS– The actual microbial species that confer a health benefit to the host or humans.  The market for PROBIOTICS is vast and built on overstated benefits.  It’s fine to take a probiotic and eat cultured foods like yogurt, but doing so does not create microbial diversity that is essential to health. Also, do not fall for marketing claims that one brand is the ideal brand, because we only know the tip of the iceberg on species diversity.  Doing both prebiotic and probiotic supplementation is prudent and safe.   One needs to drastically increase their total fiber consumption in a day to get closer to at least 30-50 grams per day. 50 grams is better than 30 grams per day, but one has to do it very slowly to accommodate the gas and bloating when bringing your gut “alive”.  Most people believe they can do it with food but there is no need to stress about fiber grams since your probiotics are blind and don’t mind fiber supplementation.  It’s very hard to grind 50 grams of fiber per day.  Use supplementation!  The probiotics thrive just as well on fiber supplementation, as they can’t tell whether the fiber came from a powder, gummy, bar, wafer or foods like apples and artichokes.

    POSTBIOTICs– What happens when one takes a medicine like ibuprofen for joint pain or headache? The medicine absorbs through our gut and goes to the liver, where it is processed or metabolized and redistributed to the whole body where it exerts its action.  POSTBIOTICS are the same but do not come from a pill or your human cells or body.  POSTBIOTICS comes from the fermentation of prebiotic fiber by your probiotic gut germs. Butyrate is a well-known short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) postbiotic metabolite that results from fermentation. BUTYRATE circulates through your whole body including your brain.   Your probiotics turn prebiotic fiber into postbiotic metabolites that are extremely valuable to your health.  If butyrate is elevated in your blood relative to glucose, you will heal better.  If glucose remains relatively high compared to butyrate, you are fueling infection (bacterial, fungal, or viral), neoplasm or cancer, and inflammation like rheumatic and allergic inflammation.  You want to fuel on SCFAs like butyrate, acetate, and propionate.  All three SCFAs are elevated when fiber grams/resistant starch are elevated by any means either food or fiber supplementation.    Generating butyrate in the gut directs your immune system to heal and directs cells to behave as they were designed to behave.   Butyrate supplements exist, but don’t buy them, as you should calculate fiber grams to elevate butyrate. You would rather have your microbiota make your butyrate along with many other helpful postbiotic molecules that you would miss out on if you rely on butyrate supplements.  The skin germs also generate butyrate, but human skin cells don’t make it.  Soap and ultra-hygienic behavior lower butyrate levels.  Butyrate’s purpose is to guard all your surface area.   05-21

  • Safe Traveling

    Safe Traveling

    Tips to keep you well anywhere you go!

    by David J Friedman MD.

    Prophylaxis

    1. Bob’s potato starch 1-2 x day. 2 heaping tablespoons dissolved in water.  Do not heat as it will turn into sugar.  There are no calories to the human body, as it is resistant to digestion, acts like prebiotic fiber, and gives your probiotics a big boost.  Can use an alternative fiber like psyllium, inulin, or wheat dextrin (Benefiber).  Regular usage of 20 extra grams of supplemental fiber is best.  COM for more info.
    2. Melatonin every night. 10-100 mg is very safe.
    3. Probiotics 1-2 x daily when travelling or you get sick.
    4. Vitamin D 1000-5000 daily. Sun yourself a little as well.
    5. Zinc 50 mg
    6. Vitamin C and Quercetin 1000 mg daily
    7. Nasal oil (mct, coconut, olive). Must be completely edible.  Place in nostrils every day in the morning and before leaving for the airport.
    8. Nasal Saline. Xlear is best because xylitol may help kill viruses. Don’t get dry mucus membranes.  If cracked, you get attacked!!
    9. Chew or Hold gum in your mouth to create more saliva which protects you from pathogens either bacterial, fungal, or viral through antimicrobial lipids, peptides, and IgA.

    If you get sick

    1. All the above still plus:
    2. Get going on electrolyte fluids but keep calories on the lower side. Take in only ketogenic, when possible, as raising blood sugar when ill promotes illness and worsens intensity and duration.  Chicken soup is good but reduce the noodles
    3. Bigger doses of melatonin 50-100 mg have been used to treat viruses with some success
    4. Warm tea. Honey is ok as it calms cough and is a good prebiotic
    5. Probiotics 2 x daily. TAURINE (an amino acid) 3-6 grams per day
    6. Ibuprofen 400 mg plus acetaminophen 1000 mg every 6 hours
    7. Antihistamines may benefit viral infections as histamines are elevated with tissue injury. Famotidine (PEPCID) and Zyrtec are currently being studied for COVID-19 illness. Antihistamines help allergies, viral infections, and cancer.
    8. Gargling with 10% hydrogen peroxide salt-water solution as gargling with an anti-septic can reduce viral replication. 1-part H2o2 9-parts water. This has been proven to reduce respiratory viruses in dental literature
    9. End your shower cold as cooling the body prevents oxidation
    10. Wear a mask and treat it like a biohazard when not wearing it as it likely contains infectious agents on it. Wash your hands after touching it.  Don’t touch your mask much while wearing it.
    11. If you start to get nasal congestion, sinus pressure, less sense of smell, then start an intranasal steroid like Flonase, Nasacort, Rhinocort at 2 sprays each nostril 2x daily for a total of 8 pumps followed by nasal oil (coconut/olive oil) to avoid dry membranes. Sniffing Vicks or fragrant natural essential oils may help with return of sense of smell known as olfactory training.
    12. If wheezing or bronchitis-like symptoms like a “chest cold”, then start inhaled-corticosteroids like Flovent, Symbicort, Budesonide by nebulizer. 2 sprays 2-4x daily rinsing and spitting after use.
    13. If very sick, you can consider dexamethasone or prednisone, but this is only if you have severe immune responses (cytokine storm). Try topical steroids first before oral/injectable steroids.
    14. Azithromycin has shown anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties and could be considered as well. There is a rare risk of cardiac arrhythmia.
    15. SSRI antidepressants like Fluvoxamine, Fluoxetine, and Sertraline have anti-viral properties. Evidence to support this notion that SSRIs are anti-viral goes back about 20 years just like melatonin research.
  • Are You a Super Dooper Pooper Trooper?

    Are You a Super Dooper Pooper Trooper?

    This means YOU possess gut flora diversity and higher numbers of probiotic germs/microbiota.   There is a growing body of literature and evidence that disruption of the normal microbiota/probiotics in and on the human body is associated with many modern human diseases including neurologic, cardiovascular, allergic, autoimmunity or inflammatory, and multiple cancers.

    This disruption of microbes, mostly in our gut, originates from exposures beyond our control like pesticide residues in food, antibiotics in food, and synthetic molecules that get into us like diesel exhaust, plastic, hormone disruptors, and air pollution.   Loss of the native state of good diverse microbes results from the modern industrialized lifestyle.

    The most influential aspect that depletes our biodiversity and numbers of good species inside the body is the fact we don’t eat enough dietary fiber (PREBIOTIC)/resistant starch anymore like we were intended.    Disruption of our microbes or shifts in the number and type of germs is called “Dysbiosis”.  You do not want Dysbiosis.  Dysbiosis impairs our immune system’s ability to prevent disease and efficiently heal from insults.

    You want to have SUPER DOOPER POOPER TROOPER status to have the best chance of preventing and treating many diseases.   Just because you have regular bowel habits doesn’t mean you have microbial diversity.  If you suffer with irritable bowel, inflammatory bowel disease, allergy, inflammation, cardiovascular, neurologic, and cancer, you want to get “moving” on upping your fiber grams intake.  It is likely that our gatherer-fisher-hunter ancestors ate about 100-150 grams of fiber per day.  Currently, there are present-day hunter-gatherers who maintain high fiber diets eating a 100 grams of fiber per day. They don’t suffer with allergies or inflammatory diseases that permeate a modern lifestyle.  Most Americans eat 10-25 grams per day.  Sadly, many of us are misled about what high fiber is and how to have great gut flora diversity. The microbial diversity story is so important many hospitals now delay washing newborn babies to allow colonization to ensue.

    We believe we can eat yogurt, drink Kombucha or apple cider vinegar, and take probiotic pills and have magical restoration of diverse gut flora.  We don’t know if many of these germs that pass through our digestive tract make it to the last 6 feet (colon) where they primarily reside. It’s a treacherous journey that is met with hostile digestive enzymes and acid.  Then the native or resident gut flora does not like the newcomers as they are a threat.

    Gut flora can change for the better. Fiber (prebiotic) and good fat is where it’s at!   30-50 grams of dietary fiber a day is key to become allergy free.  The bigger the dose and the longer duration, the better health effects.  Follow these habits:

    1. Get 30-50 or more grams of fiber daily. Supplementation is usually needed.   I take 20 grams of inulin daily in my morning coffee.  I worked up to that over about 10 weeks starting with a tsp a day that has about 2-2.5 grams of fiber. So, you increase a tsp every 5-7 days depending on your tolerance.  Week 2 would be 2 tsp a day.  Week 3 would be 3 tsp a day, and so forth.  20 g supplementation as a base ensures I get over 30 g total with the foods I eat.  com is a great website for learning about gut health.
    2. Eat a handful of mixed tree nuts, peanuts, or seeds most days. If allergic, we can possibly fix that now with OIT. Other good fats include Olive oil, Omega 3 fats, Omega 7 fats, Monounsaturated fats, and MCT oil.
    3. Don’t take PPIs (omeprazole, esomeprazole, lansoprazole, rabeprazole, pantoprazole) daily. Acid is very important for our immune defense and to Acidophilus and Lactobacillus helping them thrive.
    4. Don’t over-consume Stevia, Splenda, and NutraSweet. One a day is alright
    5. Understand the “Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen” produce choices. “Google” it.
    6. Don’t be a “germophobe” or ultra-hygienic all the time. Obviously be proactive when around infectious people/family members, but you don’t have to “kill them all” every day.
    7. Don’t hate on mushrooms. Eat 1.5-2 cups cooked, canned, or frozen per week.  Any kind any way!!! 3 cups if raw, since they are mostly water weight.   Again, this is per week.  This dose was shown in 2019 to help lower dementia since we do have “shit for brains”.  The gut-brain-probiotic nervous system is a real interaction.
    8. Do most of these most of the time and you will have GOLDEN POOP or valuable, diverse probiotic gut germs.

    Getting extra fiber grams does not have to be challenging or uncomfortable.  Initially, it must be done slowly.

    Most people only get 10-25 grams of fiber a day from food choices.  For example, one may eat a cereal-size bowl of oatmeal with added berries and nuts/seeds for breakfast that amounts to about 8 fiber grams.  Then they might have a salad for lunch, but leafy greens are not very fibrous averaging about 1 gram of fiber per cup of uncooked leafy greens.  Obviously, a salad can be doctored up with garbanzo beans, artichoke hearts, olives, tomatoes, and onion to increase fiber. Dinner may include a protein, a vegetable, and a starch or some sorts.   A cup of cooked broccoli is only 4-5 grams.  Oatmeal, Salad, and then broccoli are great choices, but this typical day is only going to net about 20 grams of fiber.

    There is a lot of dietary advice out there, but I feel strongly high fiber and low glycemic choices are the best.  Earth provided us with what we needed.  Now marketing slogans drive our behavior.  Remember, a SUPER DOOPER POOPER TROOPER is mindful of fiber grams in your food choices and how many fiber grams are consumed per day.

    In the April 2019 JAMA article there are a few key points that are very valuable to your health.

    1. 50 grams of fiber daily is a high-fiber intake that benefits a wide array of disease.
    2. Butyrate is GREAT and made by microbes in your colon when they are given enough fiber to metabolize it. Those who get 50 grams generate more butyrate and protect themselves from inflammation and cancer.
    3. Fiber Supplements are beneficial, and count towards your 30-50 gram per day goal. Dose matters.

    A list of great, affordable supplements includes

    1. Inulin (a fine white powder that dissolves in warm fluids and mixes with anything) 2.5 g per tsp.
    2. Benefiber (easily found at Walmart, Costco, Target, or online but contains only 1.5 g per tsp.
    3. Fiber gummies. Usually, polydextrose from corn but different brands contain different fiber counts.  The one I typically buy is FiberWell by Vitafusion.  5 g per gummy.
    4. Great Gut Prebiotic fiber is a oligosaccharide blend containing inulin. com
    5. BOB’S RED MILL POTATO STARCH is RESISTANT STARCH(RS) and is usually more tolerated and can be increased more quickly. 2 Tbs (20 g RS) dissolved nightly in 4 ounces of cool water is a great habit.
    6. Psyllium husk is great as well, but I do not like Metamucil since most of it has artificial flavors and harmful sweeteners like Stevia and Splenda. Let me say that Metamucil is better than nothing but inulin and benefiber are more natural and easier to work with.  But be my guest and put any fiber to the test!!

    Getting “Moving” on your fiber gram intake!!!  Here is a build-up example.  Most people tolerate if done slowly. Some people tolerate it better it in fluids with dinner or evening time as opposed to morning hot beverages.

    • Week 1- 1 tsp of inulin gives you 2.5 g of extra fiber that day.  Do it daily and then increase by 1 tsp every week or so.
    • Week 2- 2 tsp of inulin daily now gives 5 grams of fiber per day.
    • Week 3- 3 tsp of inulin daily now gives 7.5 grams of fiber per day.
    • Week 4- 4 tsp of inulin daily now gives 10 grams of fiber per day.  Some people may find it better on their gut system to split their fiber intake AM and PM so 2 tsp in am coffee/tea/water and 2 tsp in pm in a caffeine-free beverage.
    • Week 5 – It’s a great diversification tool to incorporate other fibers like the gummy polydextrose, Benefiber, or the chia seeds or psyllium husk.   Again, you would start very low at about 1-2.5 grams of fiber and gradually increase.

    If one gets about 20 grams of extra fiber from supplementation and then eats about 20-30 grams of fiber from food, they are going to do a lot better over time.   30-50 grams is an ideal routine target!

    Fiber/RESISTANT STARCH

    is the most important supplement you can take.   It will impact your health more than omega 3, vit D, or the “new” supplement of the month.  It is cheap and effective.  It’s better than a lot of “crap” out there!

  • Eye Protocol for Dry, Burning and Itchy Eyes

    Eye Protocol for Dry, Burning and Itchy Eyes

    My eyes are dry, tearing, burning, itchy

    Morning

    Use OTC Soothe Xtra Protection lubricant eye drops (cost approximately $10 to $12).  Systane Balance or Refresh are good choices as well.  Usually, the slightly more expensive ones maintain hydration of the eye better with safe additives.  PLACING IN THE REFRIGERATOR GIVES A LITTLE EXTRA BENEFIT.

    Also, use OTC Antihistamine Eye Drops such as: Pataday (olopatadine), Alaway, Zaditor or Opcon A (cost approximately $10 to $12). Keep eye drops in fridge. The cool makes the eye drops even more soothing. I suggest buying 2, to have 1 with you and 1 in the fridge.  We are happy to prescribe an Rx but find many pts complaining about the cost.   You can check with your insurance and let us know.  Examples are generic Patanol or Olopatadine 0.1% or 0.2% are OTC now.

    Afternoon/Evening

    Use OTC Soothe Xtra Protection, Refresh, or Systane lubricant eye drops.  Again, try buying preservative –free if eye drops don’t help as the preservatives can cause irritation and contact allergy from the chlorine derivatives.

    Also can use OTC Pataday, Olopatadine, Alaway, Zaditor or Opcon A.   Get from the fridge if you are home.  Carry one on your person as well along with a nasal saline like Xlear or Simply Saline.

    Bedtime

    Use Systane Preservative-Free overnight relief ointment. Apply a pea-sized amount over the conjunctiva, or whites of the eyes. (cost approximately $10 to $12).  You can smear across the eyeball just before you go to sleep.  This may help your tears flow all day long by applying this at night.

    Other Recommendations

    Cooling your head or face and eyes is helpful.  Use about 2-3 cups of ice cubes in a large bowl of water to plunge your face while holding your breath for 7-10 seconds. Raise face out and exhale out slowly.  Repeat face plunge 3-4 times with less than 20 seconds between face dunks to temporarily induce a “brain freeze” that will “release”.  It will “crush” eye and facial inflammation.  The sinuses will feel “decongested” after the vessels react to temperature fluctuation.

    *Use a nasal spray such as Flonase, Flonase Sensimist, Rhinocort or Nasacort twice daily. OTC nasal saline like Xlear, Simply Saline, or Ayr and plant oil-based balms in the nose can also help. Alba Unpetroluem jelly is a great example of a safe Vaseline like but without the petroleum.  Alba Unpetroleum is available at Amazon.com Treating the nose helps the eyes!!

    *Wash face and eyeballs with clear, tear-free, dye-free, and fragrance-free baby shampoo if eyes are crusty and irritated.  JJ naturals, Honest Company, Aveeno, or California Baby are good choices.

    If you suffer with dry eyes, be more aggressive with conjunctival hydration with the moisture drops and night-time ointment.  Preservative free is usually better tolerated.

    Allergy shots can be very effective for eye symptoms once a maintenance dose is achieved.  The first study to show this was published in Lancet in 1911 with grass allergy immunotherapy.

  • My Skin Suddenly Started to Itch

    My Skin Suddenly Started to Itch

    Stop using soap or body wash everywhere.  Use only on pits and privates.  Your skin secretes natural oils that form a barrier, protect you, nourish your skin probiotics, and keep your cutaneous nerves calm. Many times, itchy skin has lost its natural oil secretion levels and needs help from topical oil (cream, lotion). Soap tends to strip your oil and kill your natural skin microbiome/probiotics. Soap is not necessary to stay well. Soap or body wash helps worsen allergies by making you “too clean.”  It is also a clever idea to increase your ingestion of monounsaturated fats to 4 tablespoons per day. Examples are olive oil, tree nuts and seeds, avocado, and salmon. The better fat you take in, the better your skin secretions. MCT oil is a “good” fat. You can use soap/body wash on hands, feet, pits, and privates only. I call this a “PP” shower.

    Use a golf ball size or more of moisturizer cream (Epiceram, Cerave SA, Eucerin Advanced repair, Coconut, or MCT oil) all over wet skin after shower or bath (MINIMAL SOAP USAGE JUST ON PITS AND PRIVATES OR A “PP” SHOWER), especially on thinner skin areas below the elbows and knees.  Epiceram is not a steroid. It is an omega-3 topical oil/lotion. It is important to try “acidic” creams/oils as more acid on the skin supports the probiotics like “acidophilus” that are “acid-loving”.  The more diverse your skin microbiota, the healthier your skin and immune system are.  DIAPER CREAM WITH ZINC BENEFITS MANY RASHES.

     COLD SHOWERS AND COLD PLUNGES HELP. Ideally below 55 degrees F. May need to use ice in the tub. At least 30 seconds to 2 min is ideal. Use ice packs instead of scratching if you have small itchy spots 

    Put Triamcinolone 0.1 % or other mid potency cortisol cream on itchy spots for 7-14 days (about 2 weeks). Mid potency topical steroids are safe for up to 14 days at a time. We have other topical medicines, but steroids offer the greatest good for the greatest number to start.  You can combine topical creams on the same spots. New topical therapies have been recently FDA-approved.

    Vit D 10000 per day with dietary fat for 3 months is an option.   Put fat in your coffee if you are a coffee drinker (Organic half and half, MCT oil, or coconut oil). Fat does not make you fat or break a fast.  Carbs do.  Ingest fat while taking fat-soluble vitamins. Fat can be from food or liquids or “fat pills” like Omega 3s.

    Sun on the belly, buttocks, and thigh skin 10-20 minutes 1-2 times per week to engage your photosynthesis of hormones and chemicals that make you feel good and produce Vit D and Melatonin.  Prudent sun exposure is important for our health but always make sure to protect your “over-exposed” face and head. Only use zinc and titanium mineral sunscreens when outdoors for extended times.

    Don’t use chemical Avo/oxy benzone poison, as they are endocrine disrupters!!

    More fiber and resistant starch, less gluten and dairy. Go to resistantstarchresearch.com for more info. You need gut germ diversity to have healthy skin. Gut diversity comes from a diverse, high-fiber diet/supplementation. Likely you have dry skin, but even if you have an allergic reaction to something like airborne or ingestions (food or medicines), the above advice may help.

    At night (General recommendation and not to take if not directed by a health care provider)

    Montelukast 4-10 mg nightly

    Levocetirizine 5 mg or cetirizine 10 mg. You can take extra antihistamine if it is still itchy.

    Magnesium 400 mg (calms nerves) and Melatonin 5-600 mg. Cool Epsom Salt baths are great as well.

    Gabapentin 300 mg at night could be used for itching if antihistamines aren’t working.  Sometimes itching is from other neurotransmitters besides histamines.  We have even seen SSRIs like Prozac help people with skin itching by modulating the cutaneous nerve “storm”.

    Here is a list of things to do to have healthier skin and less itching.

    1. Let the sunshine do its work.  20 minutes “sunbathing” with at least 50% of your skin directly exposed as being outdoors with clothes on inhibits vit d production and the “photosynthesis” of hormones that are anti-itch.  Most skin rashes that have an allergic component get better with UV light. If rash worsens after 20 minutes in the sun, then it is likely there is an auto-immune and not allergic rash. Sunlight exposure elevates vitamin d better than oral supplements. Plus being outdoors helps secrete melatonin at night.
    2. Melatonin has been studied in humans to show skin healing. Bigger doses may be needed if a large surface area is involved. 1-5 mg/kg/day can safely be used as demonstrated in several human trials for eczema, viruses, heart disease, and allergies. Allergic people secrete less melatonin than non-allergic individuals. I would take larger doses one hour before bedtime. If I were extremely itchy, I would take 100 mg of Melatonin that has been given in several trials in humans without major adversity. Headaches, sedation, and weird dreams can occur, but no harm to the human body has been shown in trials with large doses for multiple disease states.
    3. Oil on skin 2x a day. I personally use MCT oil and “acidic” creams. The more the better. Allergic skin and itchy skin are “fatty acid secretion deficient” or “oil-deficient”
    4. Ingest 4 tablespoons of “good” fat a day on top of your normal food consumption. If it is good fat like olive oil, it will help you secrete more “wax” to help your skin shimmer. You can make a bigger difference with this habit than by taking fish oil pills.
    5. Butyrate regulates skin. Itchy skin may have a component of butyrate deficiency as well. Potato starch is one of the best ways to elevate butyrate. 2 tablespoons dissolved in water/juice (Do not heat) and take every evening.
    6. Nutritional yeast. 1-2 tablespoons in water or on food at least 3x per week. The B vitamins and the type of fiber from the “yeast” cells encourage gut probiotic diversity, as people with itchy skin typically have disturbances in their gut and skin flora.
    7. Cool your skin. Getting into cooler water or cooling your body helps.
    8. Wet wraps can help. Look it up online.  It is a technique that helps restore the skin barrier to a more hydrated state. Saran/plastic wrapping around the rashes after placing oil, cream, or lotions. Dry skin is not good and will contribute to itching.
    9. Review your medications and any new supplements as anybody can alter their gut flora and their skin with medications and supplements. There is no way of accurately testing how medications can cause adverse reactions. The best way is by history where a rash/itching started shortly after a new medication, supplementation, or habit and then resolves when this is stopped. Confirmation requires restarting with return of rash/itching to show causation instead of correlation.

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