I had to give up brown rice, myself. Your experience may vary of course. But if you don't see enough improvement, there is your culprit.

I'm happy to say that since removing the beans, sweet potatoes, okra and other foods that aren't recommended on the specific carbohydrate diet (gut healing diet) and eating plenty of kimchi, my skin is now CLEAR.

CLEAR, guys! AHHHH! I'm so happy, and so angry at myself that it took me that long to realize what was going on. With my history I should have known better. I just had some sort of mental block about those foods being healthy and didn't want to let them go. But they were absolutely the cause, and I'm just sad that I had to suffer with leaky gut for all those months before finally making these simple changes.

All of the inflammation in my skin is gone! There are a lot of scars but they are already healing and fading away. My next step is to order a good quality probiotic and start building some serious gut flora. Then hopefully in a few months I'll be able to handle those foods again, once a week or less.

I had to give up brown rice, myself. Your experience may vary of course. But if you don't see enough improvement, there is your culprit.

I'm happy to say that since removing the beans, sweet potatoes, okra and other foods that aren't recommended on the specific carbohydrate diet (gut healing diet) and eating plenty of kimchi, my skin is now CLEAR.

CLEAR, guys! AHHHH! I'm so happy, and so angry at myself that it took me that long to realize what was going on. With my history I should have known better. I just had some sort of mental block about those foods being healthy and didn't want to let them go. But they were absolutely the cause, and I'm just sad that I had to suffer with leaky gut for all those months before finally making these simple changes.

All of the inflammation in my skin is gone! There are a lot of scars but they are already healing and fading away. My next step is to order a good quality probiotic and start building some serious gut flora. Then hopefully in a few months I'll be able to handle those foods again, once a week or less.

 

Congratulations! If you don't mind me asking, how long have you dealt with acne, how severe was it, and how long did it take for you to start seeing results and clear completely?

I've been struggling over ten years. It's fluctuated between moderate to severe to clear, depending on what I was doing.

Pre-gluten free (pre 2008) it was always pretty severe, but somewhat controlled by the BP regimen.

After gluten free it went down about 90% and I still had struggles with it coming back. I learned a lot about leaky gut, celiac disease, gluten damage, etc. And I figured out that my gut was so damaged I was reacting to other foods. I began a mission to heal my gut.

I went free of soy, corn, dairy in 2009 and then free of all grains in 2011. I saw major improvements with each, but going completely grain free and high raw was the first time I had REALLY clear skin and felt good.

Over the course of 2011 and this year I thought I was safe to begin adding some more foods back in. I began eating black beans, sweet potatoes, and okra. I slowly, over time began breaking out again. I also choose this as the year to stop using any chemical on my face (including BP) and I thought that might have been the reason I began breaking out more, that my skin was adjusting or something. But the breakouts got worse and worse and then became severe and I realized this was something internal. I decided to get back to basics with my gut healing diet and remembered that sweet potatoes, beans and okra are not allowed on the diet.

I cut out beans first, and saw a teeny bit of improvement. But it wasn't enough so I cut sweet potatoes and okra a couple weeks ago. It's been improving every day since then and now I'm clear except for one teeny pimple that isn't inflamed at all and is already healing. I'm pretty sure that little pimple only came up because I ate too many seeds over the past few days. I'm going seed-free for a few days and seeing what happens, and if I improve a lot I'll know those aren't too good for me either.

It's amazing, really. It's like my face is a direct photograph of what's going on in my digestive track.

Hi, interesting story.

Being a girl, do you see any breakouts related to a specific moment in your cycle?

I have been on Paleo for a month with extraordinary results but now all of a sudden I have a new breakout. I'm ovulating at this moment.

I have been experiencing with lot of cramps lately, from eating leafy greens and making smoothies. Not sure why.

Hi, interesting story.

Being a girl, do you see any breakouts related to a specific moment in your cycle?

I have been on Paleo for a month with extraordinary results but now all of a sudden I have a new breakout. I'm ovulating at this moment.

 

My cycle will just add a serious amount of inflammation to whatever is already going on. For example, if my gut is leaking really bad and I'm in an unhealthy state, my hormones will be off and I will release too much/the wrong hormones (something, i can't describe it but I can FEEL this happen) and have very bad reactions to them. Basically, the healthier my gut and overall state, the less drastic the hormonal shifts and the less PMS. When my hormones are off, my breakouts worsen and become much more inflamed from the time I ovulate to the time I get my period.

Interesting, thanks for sharing this.

I'm really intrigued by this whole thing and I'm trying to figure out what my next steps should be. I think it is likely that I have these "gut" (I hate that word) problems which are causing my acne and perhaps other issues. I've basically been constipated for as long as I can remember (sorry, gross). I had to have my gallbladder removed, which I thought was a result of being on Yaz. (Could gallstones be related to all this flora imbalance as well?) After having my gallbladder removed, I still get severely bad gas if I eat anything too cheesy/greasy/oily. I'm mostly vegetarian, though I recently reintroduced some fish/lobster/crab into my diet, but I don't plan on eating any other meat anytime soon so Paleo isn't exactly an option. I've given up sugar and have been trying to stick to a low-GI diet, although it's difficult since I'm currently BROKE. But I'd like to try to fix my intestinal issues and am unclear what I should do next. The Candida Diet suggests starting with a cleanse, which would be easy and affordable for me to do. Is it possible that a cleanse, followed by the diet and probiotics, could help kill off whatever overgrowth might be in there? I read the weekly plan for killing it off with the gut diet and while I'd be willing to do it, I don't know that I could afford it at this stage since there are a lot more things to buy, and you need to buy a supply for several weeks. Is that the only way to start though?

Okay so yesterday I purchased some water kefir grains from ebay. I want to start making my own probiotic drinks. I'm a little overwhelmed because of how badly this went the last time, and this time I want to make sure to do it right. I'm thinking I'll make the kefir and then start with a half a spoonful per day or something. I need a way of getting it into my system without causing me an extreme reaction. Hopefully the fact that I've been on the gut healing diet for a little while and eating a lot if kimchi will help.

Hey guys this is my first time ever posting on acne.org. I have cleared my cystic acne that was moderately severe a year ago through dietary changes. I still feel though as if I could make an improvement some how cause after elimentating grains and cow dairy (besides cream, butter ect.), and low carb (around 80-90 grams a day), I am 95 percent clear and no cysts since a year but I have this issue with what seems to be a moderate case of dermatitis. I didn't have this before and just maybe if I add more carbs I could fix this, problem is I don't kno the line between cystic acne and regular acne when it comes to carb intake and I really want to up my carb intake just a bit by healing my gut once and for all. Here is the thing though, I used to have cystic acne and I have read many times that probiotics can trigger cysts when begging. Cysts leave PERMANENT scars so it's a lose lose for me. Can someone help me?

 

In my experience probiotic supplements rarely cause any significant die-off. Fermented foods usually promote an initial reacton so you should start with small quantities and slowly increase.

Start SLOW with several sources of probiotics and prebiotics and you'll be fine:)

Wow! I feel really convinced that my acne is caused by my gut. I read somewhere that 30% of people with an unhealthy gut don't show any symptoms. I'm pretty sure I'm part of that 30%.

Do you have any recipes that you could recommend? So far I've just been eating salad, kimchi, chicken, fish, eggs, and brown rice and I need some more variety in my meals. (I've been cheating a bit, but starting from today, I'm going to be strict about my sugar intake and dairy intake.) Do you think the gut diet will help me even if I'm 16 years old? Also, will this help heal redmarks/post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation?

Thank you so much for this thread!

 

You should check out Paleo blogs for recipes (e.g. marksdailyapple.com, robbwolf.com)

Age doesn't matter at all. Red marks can heal with time, but a great diet might speed up the healing.

Start with several types of fermented foods and prebiotics as soon as possible

Good luck:)

I had to give up brown rice, myself. Your experience may vary of course. But if you don't see enough improvement, there is your culprit.

I'm happy to say that since removing the beans, sweet potatoes, okra and other foods that aren't recommended on the specific carbohydrate diet (gut healing diet) and eating plenty of kimchi, my skin is now CLEAR.

CLEAR, guys! AHHHH! I'm so happy, and so angry at myself that it took me that long to realize what was going on. With my history I should have known better. I just had some sort of mental block about those foods being healthy and didn't want to let them go. But they were absolutely the cause, and I'm just sad that I had to suffer with leaky gut for all those months before finally making these simple changes.

All of the inflammation in my skin is gone! There are a lot of scars but they are already healing and fading away. My next step is to order a good quality probiotic and start building some serious gut flora. Then hopefully in a few months I'll be able to handle those foods again, once a week or less.

 

Congratulations, that's great!

I'm really intrigued by this whole thing and I'm trying to figure out what my next steps should be. I think it is likely that I have these "gut" (I hate that word) problems which are causing my acne and perhaps other issues. I've basically been constipated for as long as I can remember (sorry, gross). I had to have my gallbladder removed, which I thought was a result of being on Yaz. (Could gallstones be related to all this flora imbalance as well?) After having my gallbladder removed, I still get severely bad gas if I eat anything too cheesy/greasy/oily. I'm mostly vegetarian, though I recently reintroduced some fish/lobster/crab into my diet, but I don't plan on eating any other meat anytime soon so Paleo isn't exactly an option. I've given up sugar and have been trying to stick to a low-GI diet, although it's difficult since I'm currently BROKE. But I'd like to try to fix my intestinal issues and am unclear what I should do next. The Candida Diet suggests starting with a cleanse, which would be easy and affordable for me to do. Is it possible that a cleanse, followed by the diet and probiotics, could help kill off whatever overgrowth might be in there? I read the weekly plan for killing it off with the gut diet and while I'd be willing to do it, I don't know that I could afford it at this stage since there are a lot more things to buy, and you need to buy a supply for several weeks. Is that the only way to start though?

 

Constipation is a clear sign of a dysfunctional gut flora. (See one of my posts on the first page of this thread)

I don't know about gallstones.

You are overthinking things: Just stick with the regimen on page 1 of this thread and you'll be fine. The diet doesn't have to be expensive, just use butter, coconut oil, avocado, eggs etc. as cheap sources of calories.

One important thing about Probiotics

When most people hear the word Probiotics they usually think of some type of supplement. However, Probiotic organisms are live microorganisms that are thought to be beneficial to the host organism. They can be found from a variety of sources (see first page) and include fermented foods, vegetables with clinging soil etc.

I have actually found that fermented foods are usually more effctive than supplements. Combining several sources of probiotics is important!!

You are overthinking things: Just stick with the regimen on page 1 of this thread and you'll be fine. The diet doesn't have to be expensive, just use butter, coconut oil, avocado, eggs etc. as cheap sources of calories.

 

Thanks, I'm going to give it a try. So do I not need to follow the regimen for killing overgrowth on the gut diet website, with the coconut oil and olive leaf extract and all that? Or would it just be more effective if I followed that whole regimen along with the diet? I actually went through and listed out all the supplies and I could probably manage to get them. And I can handle the die-off if it means having clear skin in 3 months or so. I have an event to go to next weekend so I think I'm going to do the Candida cleanse the week after and then start the regimen after that. I'm just really concerned about doing it right so I don't drag the process out for longer than necessary or not fully balance my gut flora. The more I read about it, the more I'm convinced this is my problem.

I'm hitting my ovulation time and so far only a few minor breakouts and one cyst that is nowhere near as inflamed as my cysts in the past. I'm hopeful. The time right before my period will be the big test, but I am not going to set unrealistic expectations that my hormones will be completely balanced only a few short weeks after taking these foods out of my diet. Just the fact that I'm seeing improvement at all is a big thing.

Also, I started having some major symptoms this morning. Like detox symptoms. Nausea, sweats, rushes of heat, feeling feverish and a runny nose. I thought I was sick at first, but it comes and goes and I think it's candida die off because I've had symptoms like this before while taking anti-candida stuff.

I can't wait until I can start experimenting with kefir. I'm also planning a 3-day juice fast next week with all green juices and no sugar so hopefully that will knock some of this out of my system too.

Hey guys this is my first time ever posting on acne.org. I have cleared my cystic acne that was moderately severe a year ago through dietary changes. I still feel though as if I could make an improvement some how cause after elimentating grains and cow dairy (besides cream, butter ect.), and low carb (around 80-90 grams a day), I am 95 percent clear and no cysts since a year but I have this issue with what seems to be a moderate case of dermatitis. I didn't have this before and just maybe if I add more carbs I could fix this, problem is I don't kno the line between cystic acne and regular acne when it comes to carb intake and I really want to up my carb intake just a bit by healing my gut once and for all. Here is the thing though, I used to have cystic acne and I have read many times that probiotics can trigger cysts when begging. Cysts leave PERMANENT scars so it's a lose lose for me. Can someone help me?

 

In my experience probiotic supplements rarely cause any significant die-off. Fermented foods usually promote an initial reacton so you should start with small quantities and slowly increase.

Start SLOW with several sources of probiotics and prebiotics and you'll be fine:)

Wow! I feel really convinced that my acne is caused by my gut. I read somewhere that 30% of people with an unhealthy gut don't show any symptoms. I'm pretty sure I'm part of that 30%.

Do you have any recipes that you could recommend? So far I've just been eating salad, kimchi, chicken, fish, eggs, and brown rice and I need some more variety in my meals. (I've been cheating a bit, but starting from today, I'm going to be strict about my sugar intake and dairy intake.) Do you think the gut diet will help me even if I'm 16 years old? Also, will this help heal redmarks/post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation?

Thank you so much for this thread!

 

You should check out Paleo blogs for recipes (e.g. marksdailyapple.com, robbwolf.com)

Age doesn't matter at all. Red marks can heal with time, but a great diet might speed up the healing.

Start with several types of fermented foods and prebiotics as soon as possible

Good luck:)

I had to give up brown rice, myself. Your experience may vary of course. But if you don't see enough improvement, there is your culprit.

I'm happy to say that since removing the beans, sweet potatoes, okra and other foods that aren't recommended on the specific carbohydrate diet (gut healing diet) and eating plenty of kimchi, my skin is now CLEAR.

CLEAR, guys! AHHHH! I'm so happy, and so angry at myself that it took me that long to realize what was going on. With my history I should have known better. I just had some sort of mental block about those foods being healthy and didn't want to let them go. But they were absolutely the cause, and I'm just sad that I had to suffer with leaky gut for all those months before finally making these simple changes.

All of the inflammation in my skin is gone! There are a lot of scars but they are already healing and fading away. My next step is to order a good quality probiotic and start building some serious gut flora. Then hopefully in a few months I'll be able to handle those foods again, once a week or less.

 

Congratulations, that's great!

I'm really intrigued by this whole thing and I'm trying to figure out what my next steps should be. I think it is likely that I have these "gut" (I hate that word) problems which are causing my acne and perhaps other issues. I've basically been constipated for as long as I can remember (sorry, gross). I had to have my gallbladder removed, which I thought was a result of being on Yaz. (Could gallstones be related to all this flora imbalance as well?) After having my gallbladder removed, I still get severely bad gas if I eat anything too cheesy/greasy/oily. I'm mostly vegetarian, though I recently reintroduced some fish/lobster/crab into my diet, but I don't plan on eating any other meat anytime soon so Paleo isn't exactly an option. I've given up sugar and have been trying to stick to a low-GI diet, although it's difficult since I'm currently BROKE. But I'd like to try to fix my intestinal issues and am unclear what I should do next. The Candida Diet suggests starting with a cleanse, which would be easy and affordable for me to do. Is it possible that a cleanse, followed by the diet and probiotics, could help kill off whatever overgrowth might be in there? I read the weekly plan for killing it off with the gut diet and while I'd be willing to do it, I don't know that I could afford it at this stage since there are a lot more things to buy, and you need to buy a supply for several weeks. Is that the only way to start though?

 

Constipation is a clear sign of a dysfunctional gut flora. (See one of my posts on the first page of this thread)

I don't know about gallstones.

You are overthinking things: Just stick with the regimen on page 1 of this thread and you'll be fine. The diet doesn't have to be expensive, just use butter, coconut oil, avocado, eggs etc. as cheap sources of calories.

One important thing about Probiotics

When most people hear the word Probiotics they usually think of some type of supplement. However, Probiotic organisms are live microorganisms that are thought to be beneficial to the host organism. They can be found from a variety of sources (see first page) and include fermented foods, vegetables with clinging soil etc.

I have actually found that fermented foods are usually more effctive than supplements. Combining several sources of probiotics is important!!

 

Woops I didn't mean to copy that last message, and btw what are prebiotics? And is fermented food just as good as supplements?

Just wanted to add to the thread and say that I'm also on a gut healing diet and think leaky gut is one of the main causes for acne too. I can eat most things except anything with corn or wheat without breaking out but I want to fix my gut so that maybe in time I won't react to these foods as much/live a healtheir life in general. Corn is hidden in everything so I've had a lot of setbacks. Bone broth soup is something extremely helpful with the gut especially as I'm trying to transition from being a vegetarian to a meat eater again. It's full of gelatin which rebuilds the holes in the intestine.

Does anyone here use L-Glutamine to help their leaky gut? I've heard lot's about it but never really tried it. Not sure if it is worth buying supplements or doing this the all natural way?

Also just want to say I am someone who cannot take probiotic supplements wihout having massive breakouts!!! But, probiotic foods like yoghurt are fine and I eat them all the time.

Adding to this. I too cleared my acne through dieting and candex supplement. I am on a no dairy, sugar, fermented foods, bread, spice, and minimal alcohol diet.

You are overthinking things: Just stick with the regimen on page 1 of this thread and you'll be fine. The diet doesn't have to be expensive, just use butter, coconut oil, avocado, eggs etc. as cheap sources of calories.

 

Thanks, I'm going to give it a try. So do I not need to follow the regimen for killing overgrowth on the gut diet website, with the coconut oil and olive leaf extract and all that? Or would it just be more effective if I followed that whole regimen along with the diet? I actually went through and listed out all the supplies and I could probably manage to get them. And I can handle the die-off if it means having clear skin in 3 months or so. I have an event to go to next weekend so I think I'm going to do the Candida cleanse the week after and then start the regimen after that. I'm just really concerned about doing it right so I don't drag the process out for longer than necessary or not fully balance my gut flora. The more I read about it, the more I'm convinced this is my problem.

 

You only need to use antifungals if you have severe gut dysbiosis (e.g. candida) and moderate-severe gastrointestinal problems:) Antifungals are only used to reduce the counts of "bad" microbes before new "probiotics" are able to colonize the gut.

Woops I didn't mean to copy that last message, and btw what are prebiotics? And is fermented food just as good as supplements?

 

Prebiotics = Fiber that feeds certain gut microorganisms

I would actually say that high-quality fermented foods (e.g. raw sauerkraut) are better than supplements if you have to choose between them.

Just wanted to add to the thread and say that I'm also on a gut healing diet and think leaky gut is one of the main causes for acne too. I can eat most things except anything with corn or wheat without breaking out but I want to fix my gut so that maybe in time I won't react to these foods as much/live a healtheir life in general. Corn is hidden in everything so I've had a lot of setbacks. Bone broth soup is something extremely helpful with the gut especially as I'm trying to transition from being a vegetarian to a meat eater again. It's full of gelatin which rebuilds the holes in the intestine.

Does anyone here use L-Glutamine to help their leaky gut? I've heard lot's about it but never really tried it. Not sure if it is worth buying supplements or doing this the all natural way?

Also just want to say I am someone who cannot take probiotic supplements wihout having massive breakouts!!! But, probiotic foods like yoghurt are fine and I eat them all the time.

 

L-glutamine might have some benefits:)

You are never going to get better if you don't stick through the initial reaction caused by fermented foods, probiotic supplements etc. Yoghurt only supply some lactic acid bacteria which are usually well tolerated by most people.

Adding to this. I too cleared my acne through dieting and candex supplement. I am on a no dairy, sugar, fermented foods, bread, spice, and minimal alcohol diet.

 

Congratulations:)

It's often recommended to avoid fermented foods on a gut healing regimen, but that is in most cases a mistake. People with gut dysbiosis aren't able to digest fermented foods properly because of the "foreign" microrgansims in fermented foods. However, slowly increasing the quantity and sticking through the intial days/weeks results in a healthier gut long term.

Also just want to say I am someone who cannot take probiotic supplements wihout having massive breakouts!!! But, probiotic foods like yoghurt are fine and I eat them all the time.

 

Could this just be an initial breakout?

What would you suggest as the best option for carbs? Fruits or sweet potatoes? I lift, and have realized I can get by with relatively low carbs, but need to get at least 100g/day. I've just been eating a sweet potato after my workout and then some carrot/cucumber juice with dinner which seems to be enough carbs besides what i get from avacados and fiberous veggies, but don;t know if I'd be better off just sticking with fruit instead. I tend to prefer starch over sweet fruit, just out of prefernce though.

I never have any digestive issues, bloating, anything like that, even with tons of fermented foods. I have been eating copious amounts of sauerkraut, coconut milk kefir, and coconut water kefir from whole foods with no issue(other than the dent in my wallet. Too lazy to make it myself). So I don;t know if my bowels are in bad shape or not, I just have super persistent acne.

Could this just be an initial breakout?

 

Yeah, most definately an inital breakout. I took the supplements for about a week and I swear my face has NEVER looked that bad in my life. Even after I stopped taking them I continued breaking out for a good month.

Whitefox, I disagree when you say I can't heal myself if I don't take probiotic supplements. I definately can't heal myself without some source of probiotics, I agree with you on that. But taking probiotics in natural foods seems like a way better option to me. Other members of this forum have had similar reactions to probtioc supplements but do fine when eating any natural source of probiotics. I have done a lot of reading on a site called "healingnaturallybybee" here is a recent article about probiotic supplements if anyone is interested: http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/probiotic1.php

In any case I do need some other sources than just yoghurt and think I will try making homemade sauerkraut etc.

Could this just be an initial breakout?

 

Yeah, most definately an inital breakout. I took the supplements for about a week and I swear my face has NEVER looked that bad in my life. Even after I stopped taking them I continued breaking out for a good month.

Whitefox, I disagree when you say I can't heal myself if I don't take probiotic supplements. I definately can't heal myself without some source of probiotics, I agree with you on that. But taking probiotics in natural foods seems like a way better option to me. Other members of this forum have had similar reactions to probtioc supplements but do fine when eating any natural source of probiotics. I have done a lot of reading on a site called "healingnaturallybybee" here is a recent article about probiotic supplements if anyone is interested: http://www.healingna.../probiotic1.php

In any case I do need some other sources than just yoghurt and think I will try making homemade sauerkraut etc.

 

I haven't been completely following this discussion, but from what I understand, your gut is supposed to contain around 100 strains of bacteria and close to a trillion microbes. Scientists still don't know what many of these strains are. You're supposed to receive your first gut bacteria through your mother's breastmilk.

I can easily see how a formula-fed baby (e.g. very little gut flora given as they grow up) who later goes through multiple antibiotic courses...has nowhere near the gut flora they should have. This would be really hard to fix without some help from probiotics. I'm not much of a naturalist, but I can't imagine sauerkraut and yogurt have anywhere near the variety and quantity of probiotics needed to fix an empty gut.

If you are trying to only get probiotics through foods, try comparing the amount and strains in those foods to a medical-grade probiotic like VSL #3 DS. VSL is basically "the" prescription-only probiotic used by actual doctors to treat Ulcerative Colitis and Ileal Pouch. It contains 8 strains and 900 BILLION bacteria per serving. It is kept at the VSL labs fully refrigerated and always shipped overnight so you can refrigerate it again as quickly as possible. Basically, it's the real deal.

Everyone has different opinions on the probiotics thing, but I like to use VSL as a standard because it has been shown in clinical trials to treat ulcerative colitis.

What would you suggest as the best option for carbs? Fruits or sweet potatoes? I lift, and have realized I can get by with relatively low carbs, but need to get at least 100g/day. I've just been eating a sweet potato after my workout and then some carrot/cucumber juice with dinner which seems to be enough carbs besides what i get from avacados and fiberous veggies, but don;t know if I'd be better off just sticking with fruit instead. I tend to prefer starch over sweet fruit, just out of prefernce though.

I never have any digestive issues, bloating, anything like that, even with tons of fermented foods. I have been eating copious amounts of sauerkraut, coconut milk kefir, and coconut water kefir from whole foods with no issue(other than the dent in my wallet. Too lazy to make it myself). So I don;t know if my bowels are in bad shape or not, I just have super persistent acne.

 

Since you have no digestive problems (e.g. candida) there is no reason why you can't include both fruits, sweet potatoes and other root rubers in your diet. Continue with raw sauerkraut and kefir and also start taking a probiotic supplement and prebiotic foods or supplement. Stick with the diet and these sources of pro- and prebiotics for a while and you should slowly get better. A couple of weeks will make no difference.

Could this just be an initial breakout?

 

Yeah, most definately an inital breakout. I took the supplements for about a week and I swear my face has NEVER looked that bad in my life. Even after I stopped taking them I continued breaking out for a good month.

Whitefox, I disagree when you say I can't heal myself if I don't take probiotic supplements. I definately can't heal myself without some source of probiotics, I agree with you on that. But taking probiotics in natural foods seems like a way better option to me. Other members of this forum have had similar reactions to probtioc supplements but do fine when eating any natural source of probiotics. I have done a lot of reading on a site called "healingnaturallybybee" here is a recent article about probiotic supplements if anyone is interested: http://www.healingna.../probiotic1.php

In any case I do need some other sources than just yoghurt and think I will try making homemade sauerkraut etc.

 

I never said that you had to start taking probiotic supplements. My quote: "

You are never going to get better if you don't stick through the initial reaction caused by fermented foods, probiotic supplements etc. Yoghurt only supply some lactic acid bacteria which are usually well tolerated by most people."

As Green Gables mentions below; a healthy gut contains 100+ microorganisms that are needed for proper digestion. Yoghurt only provide 1-5 lactic acid bacteria that aren't able to colonize the GI tract. Getting beneficial microorganisms (probiotics) and prebiotics from a variety of sources is vital. Homemade sauerkraut is excellent:)

I haven't been completely following this discussion, but from what I understand, your gut is supposed to contain around 100 strains of bacteria and close to a trillion microbes. Scientists still don't know what many of these strains are. You're supposed to receive your first gut bacteria through your mother's breastmilk.

I can easily see how a formula-fed baby (e.g. very little gut flora given as they grow up) who later goes through multiple antibiotic courses...has nowhere near the gut flora they should have. This would be really hard to fix without some help from probiotics. I'm not much of a naturalist, but I can't imagine sauerkraut and yogurt have anywhere near the variety and quantity of probiotics needed to fix an empty gut.

If you are trying to only get probiotics through foods, try comparing the amount and strains in those foods to a medical-grade probiotic like VSL #3 DS. VSL is basically "the" prescription-only probiotic used by actual doctors to treat Ulcerative Colitis and Ileal Pouch. It contains 8 strains and 900 BILLION bacteria per serving. It is kept at the VSL labs fully refrigerated and always shipped overnight so you can refrigerate it again as quickly as possible. Basically, it's the real deal.

Everyone has different opinions on the probiotics thing, but I like to use VSL as a standard because it has been shown in clinical trials to treat ulcerative colitis.

 

Great post!!

However, I disagree on some points. Yes, VSL is a very strong probiotic with a lot of live microorganisms, but it only contains a couple of strains. Combining VSL with fermented foods, other probiotic supplements, minimally washed organic vegetables etc. is important.

Important information everyone should read

- From Dr. Art Ayers, previously worked as a professor at Harvard

Generalizations about Gut Bacteria

Each healthy human maintains a subset of a couple of hundred of the couple of thousand different species of bacteria found in humans around the globe. The diverse community in each individual may differ in species, but has approximately the same complement of genes in people sharing the same diet.

• 1-200 different species of bacteria per person
• 1-2000 different species of human gut bacteria
• 1 million different genes among the different bacteria
• Most genes are involved in digesting plant carbohydrates, i.e. soluble fiber, inulin, pectin, fructans, algal sulfated polysaccharides, etc.
• Diet diversity, e.g. the Modern American Diet, reduces the diversity of the gut bacterial community, presumably because the rapid change in foods permits survival of only generalist bacteria that can digest many different foods.
• Simple diets produce gut flora diversity, but only if there is access to diverse bacteria.
• Health may result from diverse gut flora developed from a simplified diet and ample bacterial resources.
• Obesity and other diseases may result from simplified gut flora developed from a changing, complex diet and a sterile environment/isolation.
• Vegan and paleo extremes can lead to healthy gut flora diversity, if the gut bacterial community is permitted to adjust to the diet composition by avoiding rapid changes and providing diverse bacterial sources.
• Meat contains complex polysaccharides, e.g. glycosaminoglycans, such as chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate proteoglycans, which are bacterial fodder equivalent to soluble fiber.
• Probiotics are unique bacterial species that do not persist in the gut of adults, but dominate the gut of milk eating babies and stimulate development of the gut and immune system.
• Probiotic bacteria can temporarily provide developmental signals for immune system development that are normally provided by a healthy gut flora.

 

Damage to Gut Flora is Not Repaired by Diet Alone

There is little or no effort being made by the medical industry to develop approaches to repair gut flora damaged by disease, unhealthy diets or medical procedures. This is similar to a surgeon stepping away from removal of a diseased organ without closing the wound. Antibiotics leave a gut flora that will remain permanently damaged without systematic, monitored repair. It might also be suspected that disruption of gut flora by antibiotics and the introduction of large amounts of new foods, such as high fructose corn syrup and vegetable oils may contribute to or cause the modern prominence of obesity. After all, gain or loss of weight changes gut flora, obese individuals have damaged gut flora, and trading gut flora between fat and lean animals, trades weight gain/loss behaviors.

Sources of Bacteria to Repair Damaged Gut Flora

 

• We must eat new bacteria in order to replace bacterial species lost by antibiotics or unhealthy diets.
• Probiotics -- specialized bacteria that grow in milk products
• Spices and herbs -- plant products abundantly contaminated with bacteria that digest plants
• Fresh vegetables -- bacteria are on the surfaces of plants unless the vegetables are cleaned or cooked
• Fermented foods -- Bacterial growth leading to acid or alcohol production has beed used in the preparation and storage of many foods and provides a rich bacterial resource.
• Environment -- Bacteria are transferred to our hands and face from other people, pets and surfaces, unless hands and the body are continually washed. Sanitizers and frequent washing of hands and surfaces eliminate acquisition of environmental bacteria to repair damaged gut flora. Social isolation and hygiene block repair of gut flora.
• Replacement -- experimental replacement of damaged with healthy gut flora (fecal transplant) has been very effective in curing many diseases without significant risks, but is restricted by the medical industry.

 

 

Thanks for that post, very informative.

My water kefir grains should be here any day now. I can't wait to get started.

http://drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Fermentation_in_the_gut_and_CFS

More good stuff on specific species of bacteria here. Information is present in regards to chronic fatigue syndrome, but imbalance is imbalance...

More findings from my reading:

Your strain-specific bacteria levels correlate very closely with your diet. I'm getting mixed information on which strains correlate with what foods, however. The important thing to note is that if you seem to have a good balance, a balanced diet will maintain your flora levels where they should be. If your flora levels are off, you may need to go on an elimination diet (like paleo, for example) in order to correct these levels.

Got my kefir grains! I started some, only had brown sugar to use (it says to use white sugar) so hopefully it will work. This is just an experiment batch, I'll be making a better batch whenever I can get to the store and get some white sugar and dried fruit to use. This looks really promising!

I've been doing it with brown sugar all the time. The girl that gave it to me said brown sugar instead of white...