The UltraMind Solution (126 page)

Often you can heal your gut by taking the few simple steps I describe below.

The whole, real, fresh-food eating plan in Part III that includes the elimination of dairy and gluten, sugars, and sugar alcohols may by itself do much to heal your gut.

If you scored in the Self-Care section on the “Gut” quiz or if you always feel bloated after eating, follow the UltraMind Solution (Part III)
and
eliminate all grains and beans from your diet for six weeks (these foods are easily fermented and feed yeast and bacteria). This may “starve” the yeast or bacteria, and
may be enough for many to heal the gut without antibiotics or antifungals that clear out the bad bugs.

In addition to the dietary factors above, the following lifestyle changes can also help you heal your gut:

Chew each mouthful of food twenty-five to fifty times—or at least try! This releases EGF (epithelial growth factor), needed for repair and healing of the digestive lining.

Eat slowly and do not do anything else while eating. Remember, it takes twenty minutes for the brain to get the message that the stomach is full.

Never eat standing up.

In addition to taking the probiotics included in the six-week UltraMind Solution, taking digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid at the onset of a gut-healing program is very effective. The enzymes help break down the food and prevent food allergies and the harmful effects of partially digested food products, which trigger allergy. The overgrowth of bacteria in your gut can ferment these half-digested starches and cause more havoc, such as bloating and gas.

Here is what I suggest.

Enzymes

You should take a good, plant-based, broad-spectrum digestive enzyme. This should contain enzymes that break down proteins (proteases), fats (lipases), and carbohydrates (amylases). There is also an important enzyme found to be particularly helpful in addressing neurological issues that result from partially digested gluten and dairy. It is called DPP IV. Anyone who scored high enough to work the steps in this chapter should:

Take two capsules of broad-spectrum enzymes containing proteases, lipases, and amylases with each meal for at least six months while your gut is healing.

Hydrochloric Acid Support

Many of us think that too much stomach acid is our problem, and for some it may be. But often, digestive problems occur because of weak stomach acid, which actually can, in some cases, be the cause of reflux and heartburn. Acid-blocking medications often compound the problem. Adequate stomach acid is needed to break down food and activate digestive enzymes.

Betaine or hydrochloric-acid supplements must be used carefully and usually under the supervision of a healthcare practitioner. But they can often be very helpful while your gut is healing.

Start with one capsule or tablet at the beginning of each meal. Increase the dose by one capsule per meal until you have a warm feeling in your stomach. Then drop back down to the dose just before the warm feeling occurred.

A Special Probiotic: Yeast against Yeast

A basic probiotic supplement is necessary for the six-week UltraMind Solution. But there is a unique and often helpful probiotic that many find counterintuitive—why would we take one strain of yeast to kill other yeasts? It has profound benefits in controlling diarrhea, fighting other yeasts in the gut, controlling bad bugs such as Clostridia, improving gut immunity, improving digestive enzyme function, reducing inflammation, and improving overall gut function. I find it is one of the mainstays of my gut-repair program. Take:

Saccharomyces boulardii, 150 mg to 250 mg (3 billion to 5 billion CFUs) one or two times a day on an empty stomach.

Specialized gut-support products and nutrients are often necessary for gut healing and repair. These are the final tools for correcting digestive problems, healing a leaky gut, and reducing relapse or recurrence of digestive, immune, and brain problems.

The following should be taken for three months, depending on the severity of symptoms and response to treatment. Add a few other supplements at the repair stage (after removing the bad bugs, allergens, and toxins). These compounds needed for gut repair can be divided into two main categories:

Gut Food

Glutamine, 2,500 mg twice a day