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Gut Health

Can you help me with appropriate protocol for a three-year-old with these results on Doctor’s Data? Gets stomach aches and seems to crave sugary things, though mostly the sweet foods she has access to on a daily basis only contain raw honey or 70 percent dark chocolate. Feel a bit lost with how to help children. Appreciate your guidance.

Chris Kresser:  So she’s got some low levels of Lactobacillus but otherwise really good beneficial bacteria. Some commensal imbalance, normal...

Do you think with kids and neurological issues, is it ever appropriate to do the DUTCH test or use CBD oil or any of the HPA treatments? I know that pursuit isn’t analytical, doesn’t have ranges for kids, but it seems to make sense to explore HPA-D with this population.

Chris Kresser:  I completely agree, Laura. I think that population is one of the most affected by HPA axis dysregulation,...

You discussed glutamine supplementation in the gut section. This information from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center indicates that glutamine may fuel cancer cell growth. Do you have any suggestions on weighing the risk versus benefit?

Chris Kresser:  And this is a quote from the study. “Recent findings show that glutamine transporters upregulated tumor cells and...

Nineteen-year-old male patient with active UC. Raised unvaccinated but on antibiotic six times in life with three rounds when a baby toddler. Recent antibiotics in high school for acne prescription, college baseball player just finished first year of college upon diagnosis of UC. Has got low levels of some beneficial bacteria. 2+ of alpha-hemolytic strep, 1+ for Citrobacter, 2+ for gamma-hemolytic strep, 1+ for Pseudomonas and staph, no pathogens or yeast. Many white blood cells, low lymphs, high monocytes, that’s all consistent with IBD and ulcerative colitis, as is lactoferrin of 219. Calprotectin of 541, wow. Lysozyme of 27,500, wow, wow. sIgA of 251, low short-chain fatty acid production and acidic fecal pH, iron deficient based on the functional medicine iron panel. Not surprising given the extent of the gut inflammation. Anemia based on CBC with normal B12, MMA and homocysteine. So that’s iron-deficient anemia. Excretion of liver burden detected from metabolic panel, low vitamin D. Three weeks into the low-FODMAP diet, low in soluble fiber, gut reset diet with motility improvement of 14 bowel movements per day down to four to five. That’s great. Visible blood in stools and fecal incontinence is resolved. Still experiencing immediate BMs following meals and mitochondrial dysfunction. Tell me again why 4+ Clostridium is in the commensal column. Given the symptoms, it seems like a warning sign to me when correlated with symptoms. Number two, is it okay to perform the Rebuilding Healthy Gut Protocol on GAPS Level 1, or should we layer that in? Three, is vitamin C okay to take for iron repletion when motility is hyper?

Chris Kresser:  So you have to do, in this situation there is a follow-up test you do from Doctor’s Data....

Thoughts on our case review prescription. Gut support, GAPS Level 1 with ox bile enzymes, phosphatidylcholine butyrate, probiotics, dairy kefir, and kraut juice.

Chris Kresser:  I would be very cautious with the dairy kefir. Natasha Campbell-McBride approaches that differently in different people. When...
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