I can't quite remember when I first wrote about April being the "cruelest" month-- for seasonal allergies, but I am so happy those disfiguring (& just generally buzz-killing) spring tree allergy days are behind me.
Freshly enrolled in Chinese medicine school in Los Angeles, I wrote about how my functional medicine doctor (the one who actually introduced me to functional medicine) gave me acupuncture, a Neti pot and stinging nettle, when I went to see him in 1994 or so, instead of the whole body work-up that was needed. He was new to functional medicine; I hadn't a clue. So we both went down with the proverbial ship together.
I suppose we were both still kind of in our "whack-a-mole the symptoms" way of thinking, pretty much oblivious to the fact that gut health was what needed assessing-- and addressing.
Thank god for life long learning. Now I kind of feel like I ha e this spring allergy prevention (really pretty much all allergies) thing down!
I credit a serendipitous encounter with Chris Kresser, around 2012 or so, with the accidental (if life transforming) discovery.
Perhaps it's become a tired refrain by now, but it doesn't detract from its saliency: perturbed microflora balance in the gut underlies just about every chronic ailment!
Because this "internal house cleaning" program requires a minimum of 4 weeks and optimally 6 or 8, it's best to start around Valentine's Day. But there's still time, even as Purim and St. Patty's approach.
Here is the basic regimen:
Treatment | Product | Brand | Dosing |
Antimicrobial | GI Synergy | Apex Energetics | 1 packet 2x daily (with breakfast and dinner) |
Biofilm disruptor | Interfase Plus | Klaire Labs | 3-4 capsules 2x daily on an empty stomach |
Antimicrobial (& biofilm disruptor) | Lauricidin | Med-Chem Laboratories | Slowly work up (per instructions on jar) to 1 scoop 3x daily with meals |
Antifungal (if additional support needed; i.e., elevated d-arabinitol, citramalic acid or tartaric acid on Organic Acids Test) | A-FNG or MycoRegen | Byron White Formulas or Beyond Balance | Slowly build to 20-30 drops 2x daily with meals |
Spore/soil-based probiotic (also has antimicrobial & anti-inflammatory properties) | MegaSporeBiotic | Microbiome Labs | One capsule with lunch (Or work up to 2 as per bottle instructions) |
Additional probiotic support where methane present/suspected | Ideal Bowel Support | Jarrow Formulas | One capsule with lunch |
Probiotic/ antimicrobial | Saccharomycin DF | Xymogen (or any comparable product) | 6 billion CFU 2x daily (with lunch and before bed) |
If you've never done an Organic Acids Test, ask your naturopath or functional medicine practitioner, or order one for yourself via our Rupa Health page at this link.
Just note that only the Genova Organix ($259) and Mosaic OAT ($270) products include robust markers for fungal as well as bacterial overgrowths.
See sample report for Genova's Organix test here.
Se sample report for Mosaic's (formerly Great Plains Labs) OAT test here.
Lauricidin, for some reason, is only available at our Doctors Supplement Store, for $30.58. (You can also get it you-know-where, for like $40.) Here is DSS link.
Similarly, only Doctors Supplement Store, at least for now, stocks Beyond Balance products. Their MycoRegen ($59.50) can be found at this link.
As one final note, the Biocidin & Quicksilver Scientific folks, two top team thinkers in our field, generally include an activated charcoal based product for preventing and/or managing any Herxheimer type die-off reactions. The Biocidin folks recommend 2 capsules of GI Detox (empty stomach only for it to be effective!) before bed-- but could also just have it on hand to use as needed, and work it in whenever there is an empty stomach window throughout the day. Sometimes it's first thing in the morning.
FullScript links to the rest of the products appear below.
If your microflora balance is already in pretty good shape, you might not need the entire program. I just did a full-on Biocidin protocol in December-January, so I'm going to see if once daily Lauricidin pellets, Biocidin LSF maintenance drops (at bedtime) and my standard probiotic regimen (UltraFlora Spectrum (60B CFU) + MegaSporeBiotic + home fermented foods) will get me through...
I also keep Methyl Charge+ (yes, you guessed it, histamine clearance requires methylation!) and HistaQuel on hand for (don't tell anyone) acute symptomatic control just in case I run into trouble.
HistaQuel is only available through our Researched Nutritionals site or Doctors Supplement Store. For an invite to our Researched Nutritionals site, send us a message. DSS link to HistaQuel is here. FullScript links for Methyl Charge+ and Biocidin LSF appear below. That's all for now. Happy Spring!
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