Vanquishing reflux and depression
-
I was born with a sensible gut, in fact my oesophagus is kinda messed up from birth and I was always cautious with food. To give you an idea, a bit too much salt make me cough and I need water when I eat for the food to pass through. As a kid, I'd simply not eat any vegetables and few fruits and gorge on milk chocolate like an absolute madman. I was of course very thin, athletic and high-energy -- though I was often constipated.
Long story short, I made my diet "healthier" from 18yo. Which means less carbs, more fibers, some PUFA, but not shunning on SFA though.Fast forward 8 years later. It was the brightest and warmest day of august, I was with some friends in the south of France. Our only endeavors where playing card games, drinking fine wine and contemplating the blue horizon. Just endless blue and the calm stillness of eternal summer... But I wasn't feeling it, at all. I was trapped in my mind, I was in a constant state of inner inbalance. I could barely bring myself to smile.
It also appeared I often had latent, low-level nausea, for some unknown reasons. 2 weeks later I was at a family gathering and I couldn't even bring myself to help others putting away the plates and cleaning -- that's what gut problems make of you: a frail, rude, miserable human. Something was not right. I immediatly decided I'd drink a Coke -- it provided immediate relief within 1 minute. Something was not right.
A few months later, I had an appointment to the dentist. For the first time in my life (past 25yo) I had caries. "Sir, you have acid reflux." "What is this?" "It's when acid comes from your gut and allows for bacteria to evolve in your back teeth." So I began my investigation.
At this point I didn't know what to eat because everything seemed to cause nausea--hence reflux. It would take me 6 months to have an apointment with a specialized doctor.
I had heard the theory that depression is caused by bad bacteria in the gut. I thought I may have H. Pylori (which thrives in acidic stomach), so I ordered a probiotics which, studies said, was fairly effective against it. The TheraScience "HP" supplement contains 20B units of Lactobacillus Reuteri. [ https://www.therascience.com/en_uk/hp-phy393.html ] I started taking it.1 week in, I got the result of some hospital gastro test: I don't have H. Pylori. I still caried on with the supplement.
By week 2, this weird thing happened: though my objective situation worsened by the day (left my gf, boring job prospect, etc.), I simply couldn't feel depression. In fact the joyful, careless attitude of my youth started coming back, for no apparent reason. I went from struggling to talk (a difficulty to find the proper words) to being the funniest guy in the room. I became more organized (which is a really new thing for me), much more open to people. I suddenly wanted to travel.
From week 3, I was in a constant euphoric state. Everywhere was hope and light and happiness. I've never felt this way. I was like a child again.
I emptied the supplement bottle after 1 month and had to stop. GERD was much rarer (though still there sometimes) and I seemed to have vanquished depression.BAP talks about L Reuteri. "It induced euphoria for several days in people I know who took it." Yep.
In the meantime I had learned by inference that tanin in food hurted my gut. Tea (especially dark), dark beers, coffee grounds, dark honey, tannic red wine were an aboslute no-no. Almost everytime they'd give me almost instant nausea. No wonder I was never a big fan of those. I seem to be tanin intolerant. I learned that milk proteins grab onto the tanins and neutralize them. I now drink cappuccino.
Some months passed and something else happened. I was memed by peatists to start drinking Coke every day (.6 to 1 liter/day), also because it's supposedly good for constipated/irritated guts. Remember when I said one day Coke made me feel immediatly good? It made me feel euphoric for 3 whole days, so much so that I couldn't sleep on the night of the 3rd day, I decided to stop it. It's the cafeine.
Today, 6 months after that Coke episode, my diet has changed quite a bit. I no longer take L Reuteri, nor Coke. I do drink capuccinos though, but I do really seem sensible to cafeine when I take more than 3 cups a day -- makes my heart races.
I get much more carbs than before, from fruits, I also enjoy less protein than before. My macros are likely something like 60C/25F/15P. Of course no PUFAs. I happily gorge on milk, which I love -- until recently it disgusted me. However my important consumption of milk might be giving me constipation often. I believe upping carbs intake made my GERD disappear completely.
I still avoid tanin-rich foods but seem to tolerate them better.
I don't feel euphoric but definitely feel great most of the time. I have felt acid reflux in months now. My athletic performance have been the best in my life lately.I'm still left with a few questions on my mind:
- Are probiotics really safe? Could have I just been lucky? Is there a risk of dependance?
- Is tanin intolerance related to a depressed gut function?
- Did some of you experience racing heart rate after intake of cafeine? Is sensibility to cafeine sign that something is wrong?
I am very grateful for all the people involved in this autistic community.
PS: Sorry for the long post...
-
@HyperTorless2 fascinating. I wonder if there are natural sources of l. Reuteri.
Ive tried the sterile gut thing but its never shaken depression for me
-
@HyperTorless2 How did you take the L Reuteri?
-
P pilky moved this topic from Case Studies on
-
@GreekDemiGod I took for one month (the whole bottle, 2 pills/day). I figured it wasn't a good idea to take it permanently.
I bought some BioGaia strains (only 100M L Reuteri per tablet) that I've been taking like once a week time for a month now but I am unsure if it's a good idea long-term.
I still feel notable energy boost when I take it. My mind works 2x as fast.I heard several peatists demean probiotics as hazardous and potentially dangerous. I'd agree for mainstream probiotics, mostly because their actions aren't understood. But in the case of LR, it's been well-studied and in fact I haven't found a single negative study on it. It only lives in human gut and seems to be beneficial on all kind of aspects.
[In pigs] Numerous studies have demonstrated that they can positively improve performance, prevent diarrhea, alleviate stress, alter gastrointestinal microbiota, regulate the immune system, and thereby improve pig performance and health. The beneficial effects of L. reuteri in pigs have been related to different modes of action. The improvements in pig performance of supplemental L. reuteri are mostly due to the fact that L. reuteri has the ability to colonize the GIT, produce antimicrobial substances and stimulate the intestinal immune system (Figure 1), thereby promoting nutrient metabolism and improve health. However, a clear mode of action has yet to be described. It appears from the data presented that the benefical effects of L. reuteri are strain specific.
L. reuteri has the most extensive safety assessment record of any probiotic strain. A number of studies conducted both in vivo and in vitro indicate that L. reutei is safe for human consumption, even in large amounts.
--- https://doi.org/10.1186/s40104-015-0014-3
Some commercial mainstream strains may lead to antibiotic resistance, but the DSM strains used by BioGaia et al are supposedly safe.
[In high-fat diet mice] Gavaged with L. reuteri attenuated depressive-like behavior, improved blood lipids and insulin resistance, reduced inflammation in liver and adipose tissues, improved intestinal tight junctions as well as the microbiome dysbiosis in obesity and depression comorbidity mice.
--- https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1149185
I'm not a mice, but I was certainly on high-fat diet and depressive...
L. reuteri is the only Lactobacillus species reported to inhabit the gastrointestinal tract of all vertebrates and mammals, ranging from birds to humans, and with whom it is believed to have established a symbiotic relationship.
--- https://doi.org/10.1080/08910600050216246-1
L Reuteri only lives inside us, it's litterally our greatest ally...
Human-derived L. reuteri strains have the ability to produce a number of vitamins including cobalamin (vitamin B12), folic acid, and thiamine.
--- https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-804024-9.00008-2
It really seems to improve metabolism by enhancing the production of many vitamins.
There has been a decrease in the abundance of L. reuteri in humans in the past few decades likely caused by the modern lifestyle (Antibiotic use, western diet, improved hygiene).
--- https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.00757
In conclusion, supplemental L. reuteri may be fed at 1 × 1011 CFU/day without any clinically significant safety or tolerance problems. Intake of L. reuteri (1 × 1011 CFU/day) results in colonisation (as measured by faecal level) within 7 d of consumption and is maintained for at least 7 d post consumption; however, colonisation is lost within 2 mths of washout.
--- https://doi.org/10.3109/08910609509141381
A huge concern is it doesn't seem to last very long in our body (2 months).
The rich have cocaine, I have L. Reuteri.
-
H HyperTorless referenced this topic on
-
I used to make l reuteri yogurt by the Dr Davis method. It takes BioGaia strain and ferments into yogurt, multiplying the bacterial count many times over. If anyone asks I can give more detail.
https://drdavisinfinitehealth.com/2019/07/how-to-make-l-reuteri-yogurt-step-by-step/ -
@annis what effects did you have from consuming it?
-
@GreekDemiGod There are many others who do confirm the positive effects on mood noted here, and also sleep, muscle growth, gut problems, etc. but I honestly didn't notice any effects at all. At that time I was eating max 50 g of carbs daily, so maybe l reuteri didn't have a chance.
-
The next chapter of my story...
As I've alluded in previous posts, while the probiotic solution worked great, it is hard to see it as a long-term strategy. Using it as a one-time medicine for treating gut disorders seems ideal, but given that it's not long-lasted in the gut, it seems improper to use a very particular bacterial strain for a whole lifetime. Mike Fave and Jay Feldman do emphasis this point, and I trust these bioenergetic fellas.
The original gut problems were solved -- so I had to devise a way to stop depending on it for mood boosting.The tannin question (TQ)
I've mostly forgot about the TQ -- either because I've internalized the avoidance of tannin-rich food (heavy red wine, IPA beers, black coffee, tinctures) or because it got better (it may be correlated to the RQ, or both. I still don't like tannin-rich food.
Probably correlated with GERD.
The reflux question (RQ)
The RQ has also become secondary to me, as it's mainly solved. I get some when I'm stressed out (happens rarely-- I'm a chill dude) or when I drink a lot but otherwise it's rarely consciously bothering me. I believe I still get a small amount of reflux in the morning, that I'm used to, and to me it is clearly linked to the overall kidney health debated later in this post.
According to Masterjohn, GERD can be linked to histamine intolerance. I've tested this theory and took some histamine clearance drug, but I haven't noticed a major change. In the end it may be related to methylation problems, ultimately related to some B vitamins, or copper or selenium deficiencies, which explains why peating may have greatly improved the issue.
Peating mostly solve GERD for me.
The mood question (MQ) : a lindy solution
The solution for mood boosting is a lindy, tested and frankly benign thing : taking caffeine. The studies on this topic are plentiful. Drinking cappuccinos, Coca-Cola and Red Bull have been efficient ways to uplift the mood at any time in the day. It's radically effective. I still limit myself to 2 per day as to not desensitize my body to the effect of caffeine.
The 'basal rate' of mood is, to me is purely depending on life situation, but it certainly can be cheated away by our metabolism -- but it's hard to make it a long-term solution. Caffeine is an easy fix.
The salt question (SQ) : trials and tribulations
A few months ago I had a violent episode of puking my guts out after a night of too heavy drinking -- for a whole day I couldn't eat or even drink anything and vomited every 3 hours. The next day the reflux were back and I definitely felt in a state of unbalanced hydration. I was suddenly very salt-focused and I found back my pre-Peat eating patterns -- almost exclusively salty food, lots of cheese (I am also french) and a disdain for fruits and sugary stuff. I also felt particularly "ancient": I had some trouble speaking, a slight dyslexia and some eye glare problems, which are all things I used to have more or less frequently before peating (BP).
I felt bloated and uneasy. I guess my mood was great though during this period though.This last episode confirmed to me that the electrolyte question, the kidney question -- in one word the salt question-- the SQ -- is of upmost importance to me. I happen to have a slightly damaged kidney on one side (birth defect).
I've previously been reporting on the link between hormonal and kidney health, so it's no wonder a kidney imbalance can trigger all kind of problems. This is my main working theory.While the reflux issue essentially normalized (I almost don't feel it), I still feel very heavily salt-focused and have been getting lower back pain in the morning, most likely due to kidney pain. In fact my appetite is so diminished that it's problematic -- I have no motivation to eat other than stopping stomach cramps. To be fair I have never had a strong appetite since my late teen and it has caused problems. While the starchier fruits (banana, apricot, sometimes apple) and berry fruits are okay (mulberry), I can't stand the other ones. Starches are a safe bet for me -- but I frankly don't eat anything yearningly, except maybe heavily salted food. I have been diagnosed with low potassium last year and should definitely get blood work done for kidneys and electrolytes -- I have been K-maxxing since then.
Funnily enough, drinking a few glasses/pints of alcohol seems to appease my kidney, and doesn't trigger reflux in the next morning (up until a certain amount). I definitely think alcohol is lindy and in fact protective in smaller doses (virtually all of the studies on alcohol says so, even the ones pretending to disprove its benevolent effects).
A key component of kidney health is a balanced K:Na ratio -- usually advised to be 2:1 to 3:1. Eating fruits and vegetables and sometimes drinking coconut water (careful though, as it is very K-rich) is a sure way of improving the ratio, as is supplementing in potassium citrate.
Apple cider vinegar in water and other citrate based-compounds are well tolerated by people with hurt kidneys, and probably helps (per Dr. Berg on YouTube). I have not noticed strong effects but have been very irregular in my use of ACV, so it's not really relevant.
I write these mainly for myself but I'm honored if you've made it thus far, thank you!
