Daniel
Forum Replies Created
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Hey @Szilvia Bartalos,
There are several possibilities. Without more background, I can only guess. Blood sugar imbalances can cause waking up at night and could cause shivering/shakiness. If blood sugars for example drop in the night, your body tries to push blood sugars back up by releasing stress hormones. The same stress hormones can cause some unsettled or nervous feelings. It can also contribute to feelings of anxiety.
You mentioned you just finished your detox, but you’re not eating normally. Am I correct?
If you’re still switching slowly back to your normal food pattern, you might be eating fewer calories than your body usually requires. I’m not sure what your diet looks like, but this is what I often see people doing when they are following a detox diet (even if the goal of the diet isn’t calorie restriction itself!)
When energy from foods is less available or your diet is low in carbs, stress hormones will also rise for the same reason. Your body needs blood sugars and if you aren’t providing enough calories or carbs, elevations in cortisol take place to keep your blood sugars in range.
Another effect can be of the detox diet itself. If you have successfully freed up some stored toxins, that’s great! Especially if you got rid of them, however…
While toxins are free, but not yet secreted, this is when they can do some damage! This can put some stress on the body as well. After the detoxification phase, your body might need to take some time to heal.
Some symptoms you used to have could even return if toxins played a role. Remember, stored toxins often do less harm than free toxins!
I wouldn’t be immediately worried. First I would check:
How much you are eating. If you discover you eat a lot of healthy foods, but still are low in calories, try to eat more! Give your body a reason to drop the stress hormones.
Successfully freeing up toxins can be a burden to the body from which it might need some time to heal. Give it some time to heal.
Keep drinking water, keep enough proteins in your diet (they are necessary for detoxification!), eat enough cruciferous vegetables and make sure you get enough anti-inflammatory foods. A lot of vitamins and minerals play a role in detoxification, but there is a special role for b vitamins.
For blood sugar, you could check fasting glucose and HbA1c. Fasting insulin would even be better, but is often not done in a traditional check-up.
Toxins get excreted via urine and bile. To get some insight into if your bile flow isn’t sluggish, you could do a Complete Metabolic Panel or CMP. In this panel liver enzymes like AST, ALT, GGT and Alkaline Phosphatase are measured. Especially when ALT, AST and GGT aren’t strongly elevated, but alkaline phosphatase is suboptimally high, bile flow could be sluggish. Preferably we like to know this before a detox of course, but optimizing bile flow will help you detoxify better for the rest of the year.
In a CMP electrolytes like potassium and sodium are also measured. These electrolytes are influenced by corticosteroids like cortisol. The balance between the 2 of them can provide us insight into if you are experiencing some form of stress.
If you like to dive deeper into what liver enzymes are I recommend you watch the next few videos:
Liver Panel Markers (ALT, AST and GGT)
Liver Panel Marker ALT (Alkaline Phosphatase)
And if you like to talk better with your doctor watch this movie about what a CMP is exactly
I hope this answer helps you on your way
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@Sara Almansoori did you do a test? If so, you could always share your results and let us help you with the interpretation.
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Hey @Sara Almansoori,
Can you give us a little more detail about what germ you are referring to? Do you mean Helicobacter Pylori? Or do you mean something else?
If it is H. Pylori you could start by watching this video. If we have more details about your symptoms and the name of the germ we could provide you with more personalised advice!
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Hey @Naveed Aslam,
I just discovered we’ve missed this question! I’m sorry!
There isn’t one test that covers all hormones, but if you are interested in measuring oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone and cortisol, the DUTCH test covers them. The DUTCH test also provides a lot of free information on their site.
Cortisol
Gastritis can be stress induced. The stress hormone you will find on the DUTCH lab report can show you if your cortisol:
Follows a diurnal pattern
And if your cortisol levels are in the reference range
If your gastritis follows a diurnal pattern, that could be a clue as to if your cortisol hormones play an influence.
Insulin resistance
Although not related to gastritis, one of your symptoms was delayed gastric emptying I believe. This can be caused by insulin resistance. Sugary foods can also worsen gastritis. That’s more related to how sugar can contribute to inflammation than the effects of insulin.
Sexhormones
You have asked if men also produce estrogen. You’re right! In men, estrogen is a useful breakdown product of testosterone. We don’t make as much estrogen as women, but estrogen does play a role in male health as well. And since we have the hormone, men can also have their estrogen levels too high!Estrogen receptors are also present in the GI tract. This could be a reason why women experience more IBS then men. This research from 2019 mentions that estrogen can play a role in the progression of gastroesophageal reflux.
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Hey @Szilvia Bartalos,
How did the detox went? How were you feeling during and after the detox? Just curious!
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Hey @Iryna Klevetenko,
How is your mom currently doing? Is she feeling a bit better? And what about her blood pressure? Is she having symptoms?
I hope she feels better!
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@Bahareh Safapour, this is an answer to a question you posted earlier this week. It took me a while (I was writing it, but my page refreshed and all my work was gone!)
However, here you have it!
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Hey @Sara Almansoori,
If you heard there is a genetic component to acne, you are right! But there is more nuance to that. There could be a genetic predisposition for acne, however, there are always environmental triggers that start the process.
I once wrote an article (click here) about what causes acne with tips to resolve this skin issue. I recommend you to read it!
Did you see this handout in the B Better library? If you didn’t, you might find some additional root causes for acne with some other tips.
High levels of androgens, such as testosterone, DHT and DHEA increase the size and number of sebaceous glands and sebum production. The rise of androgens during puberty in teenagers can contribute to acne formation. Women with PCOS often experience elevations in androgens as well. In both cases, higher levels of insulin can cause higher levels of androgens. In these cases, removing sugar and refined carbohydrates can bring relief.
Oily skin products could also worsen acne since more oil could get trapped in the pores. If these are used you can try removing them.
You mentioned stress and anxiety. Stress and lack of sleep increase the production of cortisol, which encourages sebaceous glands to create more oil. Sebaceous glands also have receptors for catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine), so when the production of these is higher (as with stress), there is an increase in sebum production.
I hope I provided you with some new angles to look at. Are there any you haven’t tried yet?
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Hey @Mohamed Al Aryani,
Right now you can already give her probiotics. This will help prevent fungi and yeast overgrowth in the gut. You can do this by providing foods (sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir, kvass, etc – the b better library has some good recipes right here).
Providing nutrients to support her immune system might help as well especially if she is low in these nutrients. I’m talking about vitamin D, zinc, magnesium, vitamin B12, folate and vitamin A. These nutrients are necessary to support and build enough healthy white blood cells.
White blood cells help fight off the infection and they help regulate the diversity of microbes in the gut as well.
I hope your mother feels better soon!
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Hey @Sarah Mohler,
I don’t know why you can’t access the link, but to help you I’ve uploaded the handout below!
I didn’t realize you were experiencing all these symptoms when I asked the question. I’m sorry to hear!
I like to kindly ask you if you could post these symptoms in a new post! I think this can be a learning opportunity for everyone. The answer I will write is probably a bit longer as well!
It would help if you could add your age in this post, a little history of when the most important symptoms started to appear and what your diet looks like right now and the last 2 years. If you are on any medications (even birth control if this applies to you) or have been on medications for the last years, that would help as well!
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Hey @Naveed Aslam,
I think I understand how you’ve read some of the lab values now! Let’s start with some general stuff!
Having some opportunistic bacteria is normal
In fact, I would like you to move away from the idea of ‘opportunistic bacteria’. It’s true that when we have too much of them, we like to reduce them. Too much of these bacteria can cause some health issues. However, small amounts of them might be necessary for a balanced microbiome.
Let’s take H. Pylori as an example. Most people have H. pylori living in the stomach.
This is normal.
If the environment of the GI tract is balanced and the immune system works like it supposed to, H.Pylori is there, but it’s under control.
How to read the numbers
The numbers you see on the report are in scientific notation. Let’s take H. Pylori as an example again. In the column ‘reference’ you see ‘< 1.00 e3’. e3 means you have to multiply the number with 1000 (a 1 with 3 zeros). ‘e2’ means: multiple with 100 (a 1 with 2 zeros). If your values of H. Pylori are below ‘1.00 e3’ or ‘1000’, this is considered good. Your most recent values are ‘2.58 e2’ (which means 2.58 multiplied by 100) or ‘258’. According to this test, these values are good. Antibodies Having all kinds of antibodies is normal as well. Low levels of Antigliadin IgA are present, but not in ways you need to worry about. Eosinophils are a type of white blood cells that are present in the gut. When they are activated, they release Eosinophil Active Protein that helps destroy cells from invaders. There will always be some degree of activation, especially in the gut where everything you eat from the outside world is passing through. High levels are a sign something is out of control. Low levels are usually indicative that there might be a lonely invader passing through that needs to be taken care of, but everything is ok. I hope these explanations make sense and put your mind at rest. Final note Getting the Akkermansia Muciniphila up can help you with diversity in the microbiome. A ‘healthy microbiome’ usually has between 1-3% of Akkermansia present. Diversity can influence the elevated numbers in the ‘opportunistic bacteria’ section. I often recommend probiotics with a wider spectrum, however introducing this keystone bacteria provides nutrition to a lot of other bacteria and can help good bacteria thrive. It might be something you could explore. I hope this answer helps Naveed! -
Hey @Naveed Aslam,
I’m curious: why do you believe you’ve got H. Pylori back? This report says the opposite I believe. It says on the front of H. Pylori you’ve improved. Perhaps I’m looking at the wrong report?
The occult blood went down as well and that’s a good thing!
There are some things I would pay attention to. The elevations in the opportunistic/overgrowth microbes section for example. Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus spp are elevated on your lab reports. If you’re otherwise asymptomatic, bringing back some diversity in the microbiome can help bring back balance in the opportunistic section.
Akkermansia Muciniphila (one of the ‘keystone bacteria’) is undetectable on both your lab results. Akkermansia is a keystone bacteria because it supports a lot of other ‘good bacteria’ by producing Short Chain Fatty Acids. It also helps strengthen the gut lining and has been seen to reduce leaky gut.
I can find some research that Akkermansia is low in people with histamine intolerance. However, how supplementing with Akkermansia affects people who have histamine intolerance is not described (or at least not to my knowledge).
If you are going to try a supplement, finding good Akkermansia supplements is hard. I would recommend using this product from the brand pendulum. You might find the website informative as well.
B Glucuronidase
There are a few reasons why B Glucuronidase goes up. Eating sugary/processed foods is a big one. Smoking, alcohol and a high-fat diet can do it as well. Antibiotics could cause elevations as well.
Mildly elevated calprotectin
Calprotectin in the stool is an inflammatory marker. It is a little bit elevated, but to me, it just means something in your gut is going on. The upper part of the GI Map in this case is more important to me since it tells me what is going on.I’m not seeing the elevations of anti-gliadin IgA as well. Or perhaps you meant something else?
If so, please let me know and I can help you clarify!
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Hey @Bahareh Safapour,
Since you’re already doing many supporting things that can increase the HRV, I would like to start with the Oura ring itself. The Oura ring is an accurate device to check for heart rate and HRV (this wasn’t always the case. If you’re using an older model it might be an idea to try a newer model!)
The Oura ring also becomes less accurate if it doesn’t fit well. If you notice it is a bit loose (for example after losing some weight this could happen as well), its accuracy can drop. Good to check how the ring fits first.
I’m writing the rest of my answer on the assumption your ring fits well.
Usually, the HRV goes down when the sympathetic nervous system takes over from the parasympathetic nervous system.
Many things strengthen the vagal tone. As a general rule finding some form of ‘joy’ in life can help. However, if some joy in life is lost, if there are some unresolved emotional issues like trauma, the HRV might go down despite your efforts. Doing the things that should help you relax can be overpowered by thoughts and feelings that tell your body the environment isn’t safe.
This study even shows that perfectionism can make it difficult to raise your HRV after meditation and mindfulness. Especially if perfectionism is driven by the fear of something.
Other things that cause a disbalance in your stress hormones can play a role as well. This includes allergies, autoimmune flares and infections. Hypothyroidism can lower HRV as well (see this study). A small reminder that a lot of hypothyroidism is caused by Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune condition that can cause hypothyroidism. It does however need a different approach than non-autoimmune hypothyroidism.
If you feel the emotional component doesn’t play a role, working on your known health issues can improve your HRV. When your HRV starts rising, it could be an indication you’re resolving those issues and your Oura ring might provide a great daily metric to see if you are on the right path.
I’ve mentioned a few health conditions that can lower HRV like hypothyroidism, allergies, and flares. Take a look at your personal health. Perhaps there are some other health conditions you are aware of that you like to add to your personal list. Once you start to resolve them, you’re HRV is more likely to go up.
One last thing I like to add. Rebuilding mitochondria can be done in a lot of ways. You are probably quite familiar with some nutritional ways.
Here is a powerful way to rebuild mitochondria with your training:
I’m a big fan of strength training. However, if my clients have a low HRV, I usually choose to work on their cardiovascular development. I like to incorporate zone 2 training (at least 45 minutes of steady-state cardio at a rate it’s still possible to have a conversation, but not without effort).
Another thing I like to incorporate is big compound movements like squats or deadlifts. The weight shouldn’t be too heavy. 8 sets of 8 repetitions with 30 seconds rest between the sets. The last 2 sets should feel heavy.
This type of training can help build mitochondria, muscle, and strength and it helps develop cardiovascular strength. This method can also help build a better physiological base to handle stress.
If one of your symptoms is being deprived of energy during the day, the 8×8 method might be out of your reach. You could try with low weights (which results in the last 2 sets feeling challenging but not heavy) and work your way up.
To summarize my tips:
Examine if there are unresolved emotional issues like trauma or a lack of joy.
Make a list of possible health issues that can lower HRV and work on them. When HRV goes up, this could be an early indication you resolving health problems
Adopt some cardio into your training program. It helps build stress resiliency.
If you like to share known health issues which you like to resolve, feel free! We might be able to help you better.
If you like to have our view on nutritional ways to support mitochondria, let us know as well!
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@Sarah Mohler,
Am I right you’re experiencing some problems with your joints? If so, we have a handout that you might find interesting right here!
If you could describe your symptoms, I might be able to help you even better!
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Hey @Sarah Mohler,
Could I ask you what you hope the KBMO diet will help you with? Perhaps we could give you some additional tips!
