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Gut Protocol for traveling and for parasite cleanse
Hello B and D,For the past three years I have been traveling at least twice a year to underdeveloped countries and every time I am catching a bug in my tummy. I would like to have a protocol for these trips (what to take before and after). Is there a parasite cleanse for the time being? Thank you.
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2 Replies
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Hi – great question! Let’s prepare you for your next travel!
Here’s what I would do to help build immune resiliency leading up to my travel:
• Systemic immune support: if you know when you’re travelling, I would test my vitamin D, vitamin A and RBC zinc levels 2-3 months before travel, and optimize these immune nutrients accordingly. Here’s a handout on optimizing vitamin D levels. We want vitamin A and zinc to be in the upper 2/3rds of the reference range.
• Support gut immunity: since our gut microbiome regulates our immunity, I would also want to ensure my gut microbiome is well supported a few months before travel as well. I recommend a food-first approach with fermented foods like kefir and sauerkraut, but supplementation can also be helpful if someone has histamine intolerance. Other things that can help boost gut immunity is omega-3, s. boulardii, arabinogalactans, etc. Here’s a video from the Gut Health Masterclass with other recommendations for supporting gut immunity and probiotic recommendations.
• Prioritize sleep hygiene, grounding, oral health; all of which have a direct impact on gut health and immunity.During travel, I would also pack the following “B punch trio” to prevent and even immediately use for an acute case of traveler’s diarrhea (TD) due to an infectious pathogen. These can be taken a few days before travel as prevention, and more aggressively in acute situations:
• Berberine is an herbal antimicrobial (usually extracted from goldenseal) that prevents E Coli proliferation, the most common TD culprit. For this use, 200-300mg taken 1-3x/day (less if preventive; more if reactionary) is usually recommended.• Bismuth salts impairs bacterial metabolism and also prevents adhesion to the mucosal lining (where it seeks to thrive). The recommendation is 200-250mg taken 1-3x/day.• Thorne “PeptiGuard” is a handy mix of both berberine and bismuth that also includes some soothing herbal agents such as aloe and DGL.
• Saccharomyces Boulardi is a beneficial yeast sold as a probiotic that has been shown to be particularly effective against TD (many other probiotics are not). It can be taken once a day in preventive mode (to prime immune function) and up to three times a day to counter an infection.
In addition to the “B punch trio”, I always carry Biocidin’s GI Detox with me when I travel in the event of food poisoning. It has activated charcoal and other binders that can help mop up toxins.
Post-travel, if I caught a stomach bug that I never quite recovered from, I would definitely do a parasite cleanse for safe measures. I generally recommend them at least 1 x per year as prevention. Here’s the video on my favorite brands and how I use them.
Let me know if you have any clarifying questions.
Hope this helps with your next travel!
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Amazing! Thank you so much. Will need to order most of the supplements.
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