More info about Colostrum

Colostrum contains:

• Lactoferrin (powerful against viruses and bacteria)
• Insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1, IGF-2) which help your tissues grow and recover
• Immunoglobulins — (Antibodies, used to fight pathogens — IgA, IgG, IgM)
• Prebiotics — Healthy fibers that selectively feed “good” gut flora
• Proline-rich-polypeptides — Short proteins that boost immunity, increase cognitive performance, regulate cellular redox, and can even play a role in the treatment of Alzheimer’s

Colostrum is incredible for both constipation and diarrhea, as well as when fighting off an illness. Most products recommend a higher dose to knock out a bug when sick.

It’s also a critical support for those with dire gut health challenges: often gentle enough to be tolerable, yet powerful enough to promote change.

Colostrum is safe for nearly all people, with the only exception being those with sensitivity to dairy. That said, many lactose-intolerant folks have no issues with colostrum.

Raw Honey

Raw honey is a functional food — providing necessary caloric energy in a gentle, nourishing, and healing way. Lean on raw honey both to heal and to fuel your body when dietary intolerances are high.

More info about raw honey

Honey is surprisingly antimicrobial.

Yet, honey also contains prebiotics (oligosaccharides) which feed beneficial microbes — making honey a near-perfect food for gut health.

Honey is known to increase the populations of beneficial bifido- bacteria strains, while white sugar had no effect.

Researchers were able to completely eradicate antibiotic-resistant bacteria on the skin via topical medical-grade (standardized) honey.

When honey enters the digestive tract, it simultaneously feeds beneficial microbes, kills harmful pathogens, and provides nutrients and energy to the body.

Locally-produced honeys possess excellent antibacterial activity comparable to the commercial honeys.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609166/#b53

Honey is even a complete food, providing micronutrients, amino acids, Vitamin C and B-vitamins — and encourages the intestinal absorption of these nutrients while discouraging pathogenic activity.

Flavonoids, polyphenols, and organic acids also contribute to the digestive, immune, and metabolic benefits of honey.

Research in animal models even suggests that not only does honey provide calcium, but it improves calcium absorption into the body.

Honey is praised and valued in nearly every ancient religious and wisdom tradition as both a food and a healing topical balm and internal medicine — with known hunter-gatherer tribes utilizing it as 20% (and more) of daily calories, while commonly living into their 80s.

Honey even seems to directly interfere with cancerous cells:

“[Honey] has significant anticancer activity against human breast and cervical cancer cell lines.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21167897/

+ Manuka Honey

Everything true about raw honey applies to manuka honey — except this: Manuka is a more potent antimicrobial.

Read more

Manuka honey has every benefit of raw — and more.

Known for its antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant qualities, manuka honey has been used for centuries to heal wounds and improve oral health.

When compared to normal, local varieties, manuka honey has significantly more antimicrobial effects.

Manuka honey can even stimulate macrophages to release compounds such as TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 — which are critical for combatting microbial infections and wound healing.

The higher the UMF rating of manuka honey, the more potent the antimicrobial properties.

The only downside to manuka honey, for most locations around the world, is its expense — and higher UMF ratings can be extremely costly. On the bright side, even lower-UMF content seems to have profound antimicrobial activity.

I recommend buying what you can afford — don’t worry about achieving the highest UMF ratings. My results with various affordable manuka honey have been stellar.

Manuka honey has been widely researched and its antibacterial potential is renowned worldwide. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609166/

+ Bee Pollen, Royal Jelly, & Propolis

Read more

There are over 2500 articles on PubMed concerning the benefits of propolis.

“Propolis has been reported to have various health benefits related to gastrointestinal disorders, allergies, and gynecological, oral, and dermatological problems.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5549483/

Twelve different flavonoids, along with most vitamins and some enzymes are present in propolis.

Over 185 organic compounds have been found in royal jelly.

Royal Jelly may even protect the skin from UVB-induced damage by improving collagen formation in the skin. Royal jelly also contains the unsaturated fatty-acid (10-HDA), which may have antitumor and antibacterial activity.

Most people must begin slowly with probiotics. 1-5 Billion CFU is a safer starting dose. If tolerable, slowly work up to larger amounts.

Herbal Antimicrobials

These non-selective herbs can kill good flora. Nearly all herbal supplements will deplete iron. Most people with digestive issues are deficient in iron. For this reason and others, these herbs should not be used indefinitely.

S. Boulardii

A “beneficial” yeast that attacks other yeast/fungus, among other beneficial gut effects. Best in small doses, with food. Is not a major part of a healthy gut flora. Can be disruptive in the gut, and therefore, intolerable to some.

SF722

A yeast-busting fatty acid. Can be highly intolerable when yeast/fungus is overactive in the gut. Start slow with one gelcap at breakfast.

Apple Cider Vinegar

A powerful killer. Many harm their good gut flora with this, assuming it’s safer than it is. Take with food (mixed in a large glass of water).

Enzymes

There are two types of enzymes: Digestive & Systemic.

There are multiple reasons that nearly all of my clients graduate away from enzymes as they get better (or never used them in the first place). Read on for more.

1 — Digestive Enzymes

Digestive enzymes are very helpful in certain situations, but are not a perfect supplement. They cause food to break down too quickly, which can spike blood sugar and overwhelm good microbes. They can also dehydrate and deplete various minerals, including magnesium. Worst of all, virtually every enzyme supplement contains doses far in excess of what’s actually tolerable and helpful — they’re going for maximum effect, rather than true effectiveness and benefit. If supplements only contained 75%-90% smaller dosages, I’d recommend them much more strongly. Most humans, over the long run, do not respond as well to self-described “ultimate“ or “super“ or “double strength” enzymes that come in astronomical doses.

2 — Proteolytic (Systemic) ENZYMES

Proteolytic enzymes — taken on an empty stomach — are a bit more beneficial and tolerable than most digestive enzymes, but cause similar problems: doses are much too high, the effect much too intense for most people to sustainably use. Similar side-effects occur, as well: destabilized blood sugar, dehydration, and mineral imbalance (all of which can disrupt sleep, too). Enzymes like serrapeptase and lumbrokinase are so aggressive that often only the most non-sensitive individuals tolerate them.

Various Antimicrobial Blends

Antimicrobial blends present a problem: lots of ingredients. We’ll never know which ingredient was a problem or most helpful when taking them. At best, we’ll know the specific blend was good/bad/ugly — or neutral.