Some weeks ago, Dr. William “Wheat Belly” Davis asked if I’d give a lunchtime speech at the Undoctored Mastermind seminar he’s conducting on August 24th. I of course agreed immediately because I’m huge fan of his work, not to mention the Undoctored book itself.
As if I needed any more convincing just how valuable Dr. Davis’ work is, he undoctored me with some advice that solved several long-running health annoyances.
Okay, yes, Davis is a doctor – a cardiologist, to be specific. But he’s the Undoctored doctor because he thinks way beyond the standard treatments of drugs and surgery. He looks for root causes and natural cures. He encourages people to do their own research, get their own tests done, and generally take control of their health themselves instead of relying on The Great White Coats.
Let me back up and talk about those long-running health annoyances. I haven’t written about them previously because I figured it would be more useful to wait until I had an explanation for what caused them. Now I do. We’ll get to that later.
As you may recall, I went in for surgery a year and half ago to shave down a bone spur in my left shoulder. When I woke from the anesthesia, I was told my bicep tendon had been severed by the spur and had to be reattached. That led to weeks of inactivity, sleeping sitting up with my arm pinned to my side, followed by months of physical therapy, slowly regaining the strength in my left arm.
I was (and still am) grateful to live in an age where these kinds of injuries can be fixed with arthroscopic surgery. But shortly after the surgery, I began experiencing a string of health annoyances. (I call them annoyances because they weren’t severe … just annoying as hell.)
The annoyances began with what felt like a bladder infection. I scheduled an appointment with our GP and saw a nurse practitioner, who had me leave a urine sample.
Good news! a nurse informed me later over the phone. The tests came back negative. You don’t have a bladder infection.
Ah, I see. The tests came back negative, so I’m fine and there’s no problem … except it still feels like I have a bladder infection.
The discomfort in that general area grew worse, so the GP referred me to a urologist. I explained that I sometimes felt like I had to pee when I didn’t. Sometimes there was pain that felt way down deep somewhere. Oh and by the way, I’ve started having occasional bouts of diarrhea for no apparent reason.
The urologist conducted some tests (one of which involved a glove … that’s all I’ll say about that) and told me my prostate was enlarged and likely inflamed. Probably an infection, he said, and prescribed CIPRO.
I felt better for a couple of weeks after the CIPRO. Then all the symptoms returned. Then they got worse. During a follow-up visit, the urologist told me the prostate tends to get larger over time, so it’s not at all unusual for men my age to have the symptoms of an enlarged prostate.
Uh, yeah, okay … but these symptoms didn’t creep on up me over the years. They came on all at once. I didn’t age 10 years in the past few weeks.
He sent me for some kind of scan that confirmed my prostate was enlarged. How is that useful? I wondered. We already knew that. After reviewing the results, the urologist prescribed Flowmax. I took it for one day and threw the rest in the trash because it made me feel hungover all day.
Meanwhile, I went to see a gastroenterologist. I was due for a colonoscopy anyway (my dad had colon cancer, so I get checked every few years) and told him about the occasional bouts of diarrhea. He said he’d run some tests on tissue samples he’d collect during the colonoscopy.
At the follow-up, he informed me I had no cancer and no polyps, but tests showed I had microscopic colitis.
What causes that? I asked.
We don’t know, he told me. Here’s a prescription for a ridiculously expensive drug to treat the colitis and the diarrhea. Or you could just take large doses of Pepto-Bismol.
I went with the cheaper option. The diarrhea eventually went away. In the meantime, I asked the urologist if the inflamed prostate could be the result of an inflamed colon. Yes, he said, that’s entirely possible.
What the @#$%? I wondered. What is going on down there?
Because I had skin cancer on my back in my 30s, I see a dermatologist for a check-up every 18 months or so. Shortly before I was due to see her, I developed an itchy patch on my back. During the appointment, she told me it was a fungal infection. She prescribed a cream to treat it. The cream sort of worked, but the itchy patch tended to flare up now and then.
Then I got what felt like the same itch in my right ear. Some days it was barely there, but on other days, I was constantly poking my pinkie in there and trying to scratch it.
Back to the dermatologist. She examined the ear and said it was the same kind of fungal infection. Use the same cream and it should go away.
But it didn’t go away. It came and went, like the patch on my back.
Around the same time, I decided to get an NMR Lipoprofile and a coronary calcium test to convince my GP I don’t have heart disease and don’t need a statin for my “high” cholesterol. As you may recall, the calcium score came back at zero. The lipoprofile also showed I produce large, fluffy LDL almost exclusively.
I expected all that. The GP was delighted with the zero on the calcium test and had his nurse call to tell me to keep doing whatever I’m doing.
But I was a bit surprised to see my total cholesterol was up to 280. It’s been in the 205-225 range for years. I was more surprised to see my triglycerides were at 125. That’s considered in the normal range by the medical establishment, but I haven’t had triglycerides over 75 in at least 10 years. I began to wonder if all this stuff was related somehow. Was my cholesterol going up as a reaction to the infected prostate-colon-whatever issue?
Meanwhile, as I was trying to figure it all out, I started gaining weight. Over the course of several weeks, I went from 200 or so to 212 on the gym scale – on basically the same lowish-carb diet I’ve had for years.
Well, no problem, I thought. I’ve shed the pounds before when I needed to. I know what to do.
I followed Dr. Ted Naiman’s program of high protein to non-protein grams. I also limited myself to around 2,000 calories per day. Yeah, that should do it …
Two weeks later, I stepped on the scale at the gym: 212 pounds.
What the @#$%!!
Okay, I’ll stick to the same diet, but eliminate all dairy products. I never needed to eliminate dairy before, but I know it works for some people. I’ll also limit myself to an eight-hour eating window.
Two weeks later, I stepped on the scale at the gym: 212 pounds.
What the @#$%ity-@#$%!!
Well, perhaps it’s time to try that meat-only diet everyone’s talking about. People have reported dramatic weight loss – even people who didn’t lose much weight just by restricting carbs. Yeah, I’ll try that, and also make sure I put in more sessions on the treadmill.
Two weeks later, I stepped on the scale at the gym: 214 pounds.
What the @#$% (reaches over shoulder to scratch back) is going on (uses pinkie to scratch inside right ear) inside my body?! (Shifts in chair because of discomfort in nether regions, then gets up to answer a false-alarm feeling of needing to urinate.)
When Dr. Davis got in touch to ask about giving a speech at the Undoctored Mastermind session, I asked if he had any idea what was going on with me. Oh yes, he had some ideas. He had me send him all my lab work. Then he called.
He explained that every one of my health annoyances was likely the result of small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), or a fungal overgrowth in the gut, or both. The itchy spots on my back and in my ear? Fungus growing in the gut and likely being excreted onto my skin. The prostate-colon-whatever infection and the resulting discomfort? Probably fungus, certainly some form of gut dysbiosis – and the CIPRO likely made it worse. A fungal overgrowth can trigger weight gain and make the fat difficult to lose, he said. It can also drive up cholesterol and triglycerides.
None of the doctors I visited on this long and winding road suggested anything of the sort. Discomfort in the prostate area? Take these pills. Colon inflamed? Take these pills. Itchy patches on your back and in your ear? Apply this cream. They all treated symptoms. Only the Undoctored doctor suggested a root cause.
He also suggested a treatment plan. He told me to go to Amazon and order two types of CandiBactin (AR and BR) – natural antibiotics to treat the fungal overgrowth. He also reminded me that he posted a recipe on the Wheat Belly Blog for Lactobacillus reuteri yogurt – a yogurt that amplifies the pill form of Lactobacillus reuteri. There are apparently numerous benefits of this particular probiotic strain, which you can read about in the post, but of course my main interest was in getting my gut microbiome healed – probably for the first time since the shoulder/bicep surgery.
Okay, I admit it: I’d read his post about the yogurt before. I even thought it sounded like a good idea. I just didn’t bother making the stuff because I assumed the process was difficult, or time-consuming, or something.
Turns out making the yogurt is quite easy. Chareva and I are on our fourth batch, and we love it. It’s creamy and delicious. Rather than pour off all the liquid when a batch is finished to end up with thick yogurt, we pour off some and then stir in the rest so it’s more like a yogurt shake.
I mix mine up with a few blueberries, some collagen, and some Gut Garden prebiotic blend (potato starch, glucomannan, acacia senegal powder and inulin) to make sure I’m feeding those L. reuteri suckers once they’re in my system.
Here’s our latest batch of yogurt being incubated in a sous vide pot at 100 degrees.
The incubation time is 36 hours, so we start a new batch before finishing the previous batch. That’s longer and at a lower temperature than you’ll find in most yogurt recipes, but as Dr. Davis explains, higher temperatures can kill the L. reuteri bacteria, which would defeat the purpose of making the yogurt.
(When one of Sara’s friends found out we make our own yogurt, she said, “Your parents are kind of hipsters, aren’t they?” I’m pretty sure I’m not hipster. Neither is my wife Moon Baby … I mean, Chareva.)
I’ve been following this program for a few weeks now. The itchy spots on my back and in my ear are gone. The discomfort in my prostate/colon area is also gone. The urge to pee when I don’t actually have to pee is gone.
The weight is finally starting to budge too. After weeks of gaining or failing to lose, I’m down four pounds. Keep that in mind if you’re tempted to tell someone who can’t lose weight it’s because he’s not eating enough fat, or eating too many carbs, or eating too much protein, or not enough protein, or not sticking to a fasting window, etc., etc. I tried and failed to lose weight on diets that worked for me in the past and diets that have worked for other people. It appears in my case it came down to a fungal infection, not a failure to adopt the right macro ratios.
I was flattered when Dr. Davis asked me to speak at the Undoctored Mastermind event. Now that I’ve personally experienced how his approach can turn around a slew of what other doctors treated as separate health issues, I’m not so much flattered as honored to be included in the program.
Thank you, Dr. Davis. I’m lucky I had access to your extensive knowledge.
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Sounds a lot like this guy: https://knowthecause.com/ I used to watch him some on TV many years ago. Much of his advice dovetailed with low-carb.
Thanks for the link. Looks interesting, so I bookmarked his site to check out later.
Fantastic post Tom! Very pleased for you and Moon Baby.;)
I have now linked to the candibactin pills for future reference. 🙂
Cool.
Thank you for linking to this. A wealth of a lot of great information. While I hate that he says to eliminate pistachios and mushrooms from the diet, 2 of my favorite foods, I am tickled that he allows cashews.
Thanks for pointing me in this direction. I’m having some unusual and mysterious issues that I don’t know how to successfully address. Maybe I’ll follow your lead. Hey, it worked before!
It’s worth a shot, and it seems the worst that could happen is you’ll eat some good yogurt with microbiome benefits. Good luck in clearing up your issues.
Wow, you’re speaking at the Mastermind Seminar? Cool!
I’ve been an Inner Circle member for a while and have learned so much from Dr. Davis and all the members. And that yogurt is fantastic! I make mine in an old cooler with a light bulb for heat and a thermostat to control the temp. Not as fancy as yours, but works just fine.
Happy you got “undoctored”.
I’ve eaten more yogurt in the past month than in the past two years. It’s delicious (although my daughters disagree) and seems to be doing the trick.
Do you use half n half or whole milk? And do you strain it (Greek style)? That may help with the girls’ taste for it.
Organic half-and-half. The girls don’t like the tart flavor. They’ll have a little now and then if it’s mixed with enough fruit.
It’s they whey that’s tart. Try straining it through fine mesh cheesecloth. Mine isn’t tart at all, but maybe I’m just used to plain yogurt.
I’ll give that a shot with a batch. I like the tartness, but the girls don’t.
I plan on keeping the whey and adding it to protein shakes.
Wait, so you’re saying “keto harder” *wasn’t* the answer to your problems? Heresy! You’re not allowed to play on the sandbox anymore! Take your toy shovel and go home!
Glad you’re doing better, Tom. (And how fortunate that Dr. Davis knew what was going on.) Sounds like you’ve been through the wringer the last couple years. It certainly didn’t stop you from being hilarious and striking the perfect balance between hitting the brain and the funny bone. Hope things stay well and keep getting better.
Thanks, Amy. It was a series of annoyances that appear to be out the way out. I was lucky indeed that Dr. Davis pinpointed the problem so quickly. I wish the world were full of doctors like him.
Me too. I have been adding up the “doctors” and malpractice my family members have experienced. Way too much too often and too irreparable.
I too have seen the yogurt recipe and thought it was too much trouble. But, I was sick in February and March, twice….two antibiotics, prednisone and two inhalers. (It started with a sinus infection, which they wouldn’t give an antibiotic for….even though I have a history of them. So…two weeks later it’s gone into walking pneumonia and then Croup. I was sick for two months.) I’ve gained 10 lbs and have not been able to get it off. I’m going to try this and see how it goes.
It’s easier to make than it sounds. I hope it does the trick for you.
That was a fascinating and informative tale, Tom. Very illustrative of what is wrong with our medical system.
I make my own yogurt regularly (just a normal one made from store-bought Greek yogurt as a starter; only the first time, since then I use a starter sample from my yogurt.) I’ll have to make up some of this version and see what it does for me. Ya never know.
Can’t hurt to try. And as a bonus, it’s delicious.
Please never take Cipro again. The first time you might be fine, but subsequent doses can really set off some horrible side effects. Just look up the FB group, Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Group, to see the horrible aftermath of taking this class of antibiotic. Levequin and other antibiotics fall in this class of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics.
Your story sounds similar to mine with some sort of gut issue leading to other symptoms and weight gain for no good reason. I will look up those natural antibiotics on Amazon. Could you tell me the name of them? Also the yogurt would be good to try. I have had such severe bloating it looks like I’m 9 months pregnant. This despite following the Wheat Belly diet for 6 years. So like you my numbers are good as far as CAC, and blood work but the weight gain is so frustrating!
CandiBactin AR and CandiBactin BR. I need to update the post to be more specific. Good luck.
Hello,
I am just catching up to this post of yours and I ordered the BioGaia Gastrus. Is that the same as CandiBactin AR and CandiBactin BR?
He indicates in the blog post using the numbers ATCC PTA 6475 and DSM 17938, do those mean the same thing as the AR and BR?
Just wanted to check. Either way I have a new experiment to scare my landlady.
CandiBactin AR and BR are natural antibiotics Dr. Davis suggested to fight the fungal overgrowth. The BioGaia tablets are to provide the bacteria for the yogurt.
Yes indeed. Cipro terrifies me! I was persuaded to take it for a UTI by my doctor, despite the extreme black box warnings from the FDA. The *FDA* says the potential lifelong side effects from Cipro are so severe that it should only be given as a drug of last resort when all else has failed, and never as a first line of defense. I took the drug but shortly thereafter severely injured my Achilles’ tendon. What is one of the most common Cipro side effects you may ask? It’s Achilles’ tendon damage! After 10 weeks of PT I’m much better but still get twinges, and lots of achiness if I walk too much. No more Cipro for me!
I read it also wrecks and crumbles your teeth. Like the dentists I’ve been unfortunate enough to encounter.
So keep away.
So, you said he recommended you order two types of CandiBactin. What are the two types? Maybe AR and BR?
For about a year now I’ve had a strange itchy rash under my breasts that comes and goes. I think it’s fungal, but what do I know? Except that when I use an anti-fungal cream, it gets better. I’m also currently very resistant to weight loss, despite trying all kinds of approaches and following everyone’s advice. Who knows? Maybe the Good Doctor Undoctored me, too!
Sorry, I should have specified. Yes, it was the AR and BR. They’re not cheap, but they’re proving effective in my case. So many people are reporting similar issues. I sincerely hope this post (and Dr. Davis’ recommendations) turn out to be the information needed.
Wow, interesting stuff. I have had that itching in my ears for a long time, and I know I have a white coated tongue that even after being sugar, wheat free for nearly a year is still there. Thanks for posting this one. Chereva needs to give me a lesson. LOL If she doesn’t mind I may contact her to drop by and see the process. Actually, I think I might be able to figure it out. Do you guys still do videos? If so, I will try to see if you have one on this.
I haven’t done a video on making the yogurt, but it’s easier than it sounds. Given your symptoms, I’d certainly suspect a candida overgrowth. Might be worth trying the same program.
Hi Shari! It’s good to see you on the interweb 😉 Actually, Tom has taken the lead on this ‘cooking’ project. All the batches (except one) turned out fine!
I recommend an Instant Pot for making yogurt. Super easy and the yogurt setting allows for custom temps. I put in the half&half and run the first cycle that heats the cream up to 180. I cool it down in a sink with cold water, add the starter, bacteria and inulin. I also add powdered milk to up the protein. Turn the Instant Pot back on at 103 and let it cook for 36 hours. Comes out perfect every time.
Instant Pot is also great for broths, soups, stews. Really a nice product.
We have an Instant Pot, but elected to go with the souse vide method because we can mix, incubate and store the yogurt in the same jars.
I make yogurt this way in the Instant Pot – heat, cool, mix, and incubate all in mason jars. I use 4 pint mason jars in an 8 quart Instant Pot. I’ve been making L. reuteri yogurt since hearing Dr. Davis on the Health Coach Radio podcast a couple of months ago.
Annika – do you put water in the instant pot and then set the jars in the water? What temp and time do you set it at? thanks. ralph
IIRC there was a discussion about the Instant Pot on Dr. Davis’s blog and Bob Niland stated that when he tested it the IP was too high a temperature for use with the reuteri bacteria. The l reuteri strain is much more temperature sensitive than the usual yogurt strains and will die at the temperature of most yogurt makers. For optimum growth the reuteri need a temperature of around 98 F from memory. Go to Dr Davis’s Wheat Belly blog and search for “reuteri” or “Instant Pot”. The discussion is in the comments section of one or more blog posts. I know Bob Niland reads Tom’s blog so maybe he will chime in here.
Duh! Just read further down and Bob Niland has already chimed in here! That was quick off the mark, Bob.
“Uh, yeah, okay … but these symptoms didn’t creep on up me over the years. They came on all at once. I didn’t age 10 years in the past few weeks.”
Same here almost exactly the same! I sometimes get burning and stinging after I go. My problems with urination came about a year ago. I can even pin point it to the day. I went to my PCP where they did a urine test…no diabetes, no stones. Went to the urologist, same thing, just that the Ph level of the urine was 5.5 which they thought was high (it fell midrange). Digit exam showed a slightly enlarged prostate (the doctor assured me the test did not mean we were engaged). They tested my bladder and concluded that my bladder was emptying.
He gave me a list of foods to avoid, suggested I keep using the pygeum supplement I was using, even suggested adding saw palmetto.
Things haven’t cleared up, though and my osteopath sent me to a physical therapist because she believed it is a pelvic floor issue. That seemed to help but within the past couple of weeks the symptoms have returned, especially the burning and stinging sensation after urinating. I recently used a can of Aldi tomato sauce in a recipe and the burning sensation has returned. I had stopped using it in favor of another product and I never noticed but the burning and stinging went away.
Personally, I felt the problem began with a chiropractic adjustment where he used a thrusting motion on my back side and pushed upward towards the hip.
I, too, gained over 20 lbs. of fat over the last two years, 15 of that since October. I have a bloated gut that I never had before. My profile is awful to look at. I hadn’t changed my gym routine and the only changes I made to my diet was experimenting with Carnivore which was no good for me. I have gone higher in protein intake while putting some carbs back into my diet. I also do one “Cheat meal” on Saturday nights. None of that should have caused that rabid weight gain.
I also have a rash on my back that doesn’t seem to go away. It doesn’t itch, and there are small patches on my chest, too. As I mentioned to you in an e-mail the other day, pertaining to a documentary on the emotional aspect of physical pain, some of these things are also caused by thoughts and anxieties. They have found 33 physical illnesses brought on by emotional traumas, anxiety, etc. two of which are OAB and skin rashes. Check out the book “Back in Control” by Dr. David Hanscom. It could be a handy companion.
Sounds like it couldn’t hurt to try the same program I’m doing.
I found an L. Reuteri supplement with a much higher CPU count than what Dr. Davis was discussing in the blog. I will try that first. I have no patience to make homemade Yogurt. I’d probably have the same luck I have had making homemade mayo, which always flops.
Do you have a link?
There are many strains of L.reuteri. The only ones used for this yogurt are L. Reuteri DSM 17938 and L. Reuteri ATCC PTA 6475. As far as I know, they are only available in the tablet starter used in Dr. Davis’ recipe.
I use the swanson brand, but while reading I ran accross the study which named L. Reuteri 17938 and 6475 as the culture used for the study. No reason was given for for the choice. Some strains may be better and some worse? After spending a lot of money and having several yogart failures (my fault) I switch to the less exensive brand. I notice that I need to re-inoculated every third batch or the wild strains overpower the reuteri strain. The prebiotic used makes a difference in the texture.
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-probiotics-l-reuteri-plus-l-rhamnosus-l-acidophilus-fos-30-veg-drcaps
Tom,
What cultures did you use to start the yogurt? I bought the BioGaia tablets as Davis suggests, and tried twice to make yogurt, it never set. I make “regular” yogurt all the time without issue. I tried a lower temp and longer time as well. Maybe the tablets I got were heated or something during transport.
Anyway, since we eat yogurt anyway, I’d like to try this again, but don’t want to spend $30 on the tablets to have it fail again.
Glad to hear your issues are gone. I have some similar ones, esp. with the weight just not dropping anymore regardless of Keto/lo carb.
We used the BioGaia tablets. If your yogurt didn’t set and you’re sure you provided them with enough prebiotic starch to eat, then yes, I’d wonder if the tablets were damaged. For new batches, we use three tablespoons of the previous batch, then I add one more BioGaia tablet and some potato starch.
You do this for each and every new batch? Add 3 Tbsp of the previous batch, one more BioGaia tablet, and more potato starch. How much more potato starch?
Bob Niland recommends adding 1 more BioGaia tablet the 5th round.
Are you just making sure there are active cultures in there? Or was it recommended to you to start off every batch (after the first) with another tablet and more starch?
Thanks!
Two heaping tablespoons of potato starch seems to work well. It’s probably not necessary to add another tablet for each new batch, but I figure it’s good insurance.
Mike Cortopassi wrote: «I bought the BioGaia tablets as Davis suggests,…»
Biogaia® Gastrus® tablets are so far the only practical source that has both the Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 and DSM 17938, and which now has some history in off-label use as a not-really-a yogurt fermented food culture. If anyone has tried the new Osfortis® product, which is just ‘6475, I haven’t seen any reports. As I understand it, by the way, the “PTA” in the accession number implies patented, which is why these strains are not more widely found.
re: «…and tried twice to make yogurt, it never set.»
There are lots of usual suspects on that, starting with that typical yogurt equipment runs too hot, and often can’t be set to run long enough. Other considerations are additives in the dairy substrate, recipe errors, equipment contamination, using unpasteurized dairy, etc. Either of Dr. Davis’ blogs are suitable places to explore this, as is the subscription site, and possibly some of the social media sites. Use any open thread on the blogs.
re: «Maybe the tablets I got were heated or something during transport.»
And this time of year, that’s on the ponder list too. The Gastrus package has a caution about 75°F max., which could easily be exceeded in transport.
re: «…with the weight just not dropping anymore regardless of Keto/lo carb.»
Avoid chronic keto (unless it’s the most benign treatment for a chronic ailment, such as refractory epilepsy). KD is a useful tool, but probably needs to be cyclic, no more than sub-seasonal (for which an ancestral case is easy to make). Whether in or out of keto, attend to gut flora cultivation (which is more challenging on keto due to the list of prebiotic fiber sources being cut in half).
________
Undoctored/Wheat Belly Blog Associate (click my user name for details)
I was going to order the Gastrus, but I live in Las Vegas, NV. Needless to say, it won’t be below 75*F until DECEMBER! So I guess I can’t make the yogurt until then. :'(
When I make the yogurt for the firs time with the tablets only, it comes out all clabbery and with lots of whey. I save this whey and freeze in ice cube trays. (I believe that suggestion came from Bob Niland) for subsequent yogurt batches I use a couple of cubes of whey as the starter, and it comes out nice and thick and creamy.
Cipro! What a horrible drug. I couldn’t walk for six months after taking that drug five years ago as it felt like I’d broken my foot and I had such severe GERD I had to go have a scope and learn that some valve between my esophagus and stomach were no longer functioning. Five years later I still have tendonosis in my right shoulder. The FDA now has them put a black box warning on it, but that was too late for me. I really don’t think they should give that class of antibiotics out unless it’s a life or death situation and a simple UTI is not that category.
I am glad you got answers. And good point on the “you have to get your macros in order” advice. Too many people on Keto/Paleo/Carnivore/LCHF/ whatever are convinced if it worked for them it will work for everybody and if it doesn’t they are just not doing it correctly. That’s as bad as the people following the food pyramid and not getting huge like some of us did saying “Well, I am not fat, you must be a closet eater/not following guidelines and that’s the reason” Every BODY is different. LCHF worked great for me – down 117 and at a healthy BMI, but I realize not everyone has the same success. Clearly my issue was insulin resistance but that might not be the case for everyone.
I hesitated to take CIPRO when the urologist prescribed it. Unfortunately, given sudden onset of the symptoms, I decided I’d best trust him on the treatment.
They put me on CIPRO for Epididymitis, which the diagnosed almost 20 years ago. It was horrible and did nothing for the condition. I still have it and I still can’t spell it without spell check.
I have almost the exact same symptoms and it is driving me nuts. thank you for a path to try.
Good luck. Seems several people are reporting similar issues (both here and on Twitter), so I hope my experience is educational.
Hello! Sounds a lot like my daughter’s problems minus the prostate problems 😜 and i know she has IBS but doctors don’t know much about it. Which Candibactin did you buy? Thank you!
I bought CandiBactin AR and CandiBactin BR. Dr. Davis suggested taking the recommended dose once in the morning and once in the evening.
If your daughter develops prostate issues, I’d call the nearest medical journal.
Loooool, thank you!
I tried the l-reuteri yogurt. I made at least 5 batches, with a yogurt maker that makes 7 containers, 6 ounces each. I ate all of it (wife did not have any). I could find no benefit, which might be because I do not have SIBO (or at least I don’t have any symptoms as as you’ve described). Dr. Davis said that the yogurt would cause me to eat less, but multiple times, I had 12 ounces of yogurt in one sitting. If anything, yogurt (this kind or any kind) is like dessert to me. I eat too many calories of it. I also don’t eat breakfast, and he specifically referred to its affects for breakfast. Instead, I ate the yogurt at night. Maybe the morning would be different? I also could not find any other benefits as he described, so I ceased making it.
To the extent it helps with SIBO, then I think it’s great.
I haven’t noticed an effect on appetite one way or the other. I have mine in the morning, about half a cup, plus the Gut Garden powder and collagen. Sometimes I mix in some protein powder and call it breakfast.
I did some research this morning and found that Swanson sells L. Reuteri 7 billion CPU. I might try that first. I have no patience or equipment to make homemade yogurt.
The strain matters. Some L. Reuteri strains have undesirable affects (like weight gain).
I guess that’s why Dr. Davis recommended that specific brand.
Well, we will see what happens, won’t we?
Dr. Davis recommends only about 1/4-1/2 cup/day of the L.reuteri yogurt if on the Wheat Belly low carb high fat lifestyle. If you haven’t cleaned up your diet (whole foods, no grains, no wheat, no sugar), I can’t imagine anything much will curb appetite. Too much will impact blood glucose and all bets are off!
I joined the site a few months ago and found out, through a test someone recommended, that my thyroid was low. I’m taking supplements and feeling better. I recommend the site for anyone with nagging health problems that diet hasn’t seemed to sort out.
BTW, I might have had fungus among us, too. My stomach finally started feeling better, some years after a few courses of industrial strength antibiotics, after I started having a coconut milk latte with mint oil every day, along with a lot of Pepto Bismol. Pepto and everything in the latte are antibacterial; mint oil is also antifungal. I started making one every morning just because it sounded good.
Dr. Davis mentioned some oils that might help as well. Since the CandiBactin contains a handful of concentrated oils, I went that route. Seems to be working.
I assume you were given antibiotics in the hospital. Maybe everything else occurred as downstream from that?
I was given antibiotics and had a catheter inserted during the surgery, which may or may not have introduced the original fungal infection. The fact that the initial problem felt like a bladder infection makes suspect that may have been the point of entry. After that, the pain kept shifting around in the general area.
I have the hard copy of *Undoctored* and am maybe 1/4 the way through it (ox slow…) but wow.. I am impressed. And enlightened, some. Will have to keep that boosted yog(h)urt in mind.
Great news on getting some relief! I too have had that itchy ear thing going on, off and on, for a while. I happen to be sensitive to salicylates, which are in aspirin, blueberries and strawberries, cola (don’t touch the stuff), and chocolate (whimper!), but when I am a good girl and avoid those things, the itching abates. Dr. Davis’ book and Undoctored plan are just good, common sense.
But not nearly common enough within the medical profession.
I also have been blessed to be an Undoctored Inner Circle Member and have learned so much from Dr. Davis, other member health practitioners, scientists, engineers, farmers, teachers, regular Joes and janes who are striving for optimal health. Starting the Candibactin treatments this week after careful reading of the great SIBO Protocol from the Undoctored Inner Circle Forum, which lays out additional strategies to accompany the herbal antibiotics!
I think I need to join that inner circle. I probably would have had these issues fixed months ago.
Do you have to use organic dairy? Will standard grocery store milk work? Is it just that organic makes a tastier end product?
Years ago I attempted to make a batch hard cider, but later realized the brand I picked up from the farmers’ market that day had preservatives… won’t work.
I did read that you can use raw milk, but you risk that the natural bugs may out compete the L. reuteri after a few batches.
I presume I can refrigerate the yogurt and still use a few tablespoons later to seed the next batch. Correct?
His recipe is flexible … milk, half-and-half, even coconut milk.
I found an article that shows how to make yogurt in a pressure cooker like mine that doesn’t have a yogurt option. Looks a lot simpler than some of the other ways I have seen homemade yogurt prepared. 👍👍
All I need is a cooking thermometer. Can’t wait to try it. It looks a lot cheaper than store bought.
If it doesn’t heat the yogurt beyond 100 degrees, should work.
The recipes that I have seen call for the milk to be heated to 190 degrees then cooled to 110 at which point you add the cultures. Most of the ones I have seen recommend getting a small plain yogurt single serving container as long as it has the active cultures in it.
I’ve made several batches of L reuteri yogurt using an 8 quart InstantAPot on yogurt setting for 36 hours. Works beautifully, I use 1/2 gallon A2 whole milk, + 2 pints of organic grassmilk 1/2 & 1/2 + 6 heaping tablespoons of inulin.
Paul L.
Great article, Tom, glad to hear you’re better. I’ve found using sugar as a substrate for the L. Reuteri yogurt makes it less tart or not tart at all in the end. I’m not sure why everybody doesn’t do this because sugar is a lot cheaper of an option than inulin and based on a glucometer and empirical test, I’ve found that little to no sugar is left in the end product. I used a few TBSP’s of sugar (can’t remember exactly how much) so I’d speculate that no sugar at all would be leftover if you used a bit less sugar.
I’ll try swapping a bit of sugar for the starch next time and see if it makes a difference.
Pardon me, they’re actually might be some fructose left in the end product if using table sugar. I’m not exactly sure if the L.Reuteri species eats up fructose at all. And fructose of course wouldn’t be picked up by a glucometer reading so they’re may be no way to know, aside from the yogurt tasting sweet. Obviously a bit of fructose isn’t terrible for you, but those on a low carb diet of course would want to avoid it
It would depend on how much sugar was added, of course.
Did they check for intestinal parasites by any chance?
Sometimes hard to diagnose and can cause all kinds of issues.
They did check.
So the original point of entry for the fungus was probably your bladder, and then it was able to move to your gut and your bloodstream, to get excreted through your skin? Ugh.
During the time you were gaining weight, did you notice cravings for carbs or sugar?
Sugars and refined starches may have had more appeal, but I’m so used to ignoring any urge to eat them, I wouldn’t call it a craving.
Very interesting information! How long are you supposed to continue taking the CandiBactin? Is this a 30 day type of thing, or do you continue taking it permanently?
I’m going to continue until the bottles are empty, which should be about three months total. If the symptoms recur, I’ll resume the CandiBactin.
I think “Moon Baby” is more hippy than hipster…
Probably, but I couldn’t think of a hipster name for her.
Hi Tom,
Did you do the “Candida spit test” (just google it if not)?
If you do it now, after the CandiBactin cure, what does it indicate?
/R
I didn’t do the spit test, no. I bought a device Dr. Davis recommended, then set it on a shelf and forgot about it, so I won’t have a before/after. I need to pull that off the shelf and at least run test my “after” results.
I followed the recipe to the letter, used good quality milk, same brand of probiotic, and inulin. Used a sous vide and kept the temp at 100 degrees. I have had 24 hours of severe intestinal distress after eating this yogurt. And when I say severe, I mean, SEVERE. I make quite a bit of yogurt and while the texture of this first batch was terrible, not in any way creamy and delicious, it tasted pretty good. The results in my gut haven’t been pretty though. I feel like I’ve destroyed my gut rather than helped it. This was a bad experience for me personally.
Hmmm … makes me wonder if the batch was spoiled somehow. We had one batch develop mold, which probably means the jars weren’t entirely clean when we started the batch.
Just so you know…Gavin McInnis is a hipster. You and your family are sort of grown-up hippies. Hipsters and hippies are not even sort of close to the same thing.
Also, when you pour off the whey, you might feed it either to your tiny little dogs or to your houseplants of any size. Both love it. The plants won’t get fat. The dogs might.
There’s only one dog now. Last batch had very little liquid to pour off, so we just stirred it in.
I tried to get the two Candibactins from Amazon and other sites but it´s impossible to get them to send it to Sweden . The only option seems to be to buy “used” Candibactins from Ebay and other places. I wonder why it´s this way?
Do you think it´s secure to buy private persons bottles of Candibactin?
Sorry you can’t buy them directly. Personally, I wouldn’t take a chance buying from a person you don’t know.
Since you’ve posted this he’s put up a paywall on his recipe. What a generous soul, really out to help his fellow man.
These links don’t work for you?
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2019/07/how-to-make-l-reuteri-yogurt-step-by-step/
https://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2018/04/make-l-reuteri-yogurt/
Nope, they don’t. Paywall.
At the time of this writing, you can use the “stop” button on your browser to get around this issue. Just allow a few seconds for the page to load, then click the stop button.
I’m tempted to try this myself, now. I’ve had one or two inexplicable red patches on my legs (and one weird scaly patch on my back that does nothing but won’t go away) for years now, but they recently started coming in all over my left leg accompanied by some nasty swelling. I’ve been to the doctor twice and all they did the first time was give me an antibiotic and shoo me out the door. The second time they tried to swab and culture the patches but it turned up nothing, so they gave me, surprise, ANOTHER antibiotic and shooed me out the door.
I do have GI issues as well, so if this is a result of an overgrowth of something in my gut excreting onto my skin, this may very well help it.
And it’s delicious.
Well, I’ve tried making some. Two of the jars in the first batch grew, and two didn’t, so I started another batch right away using the jars that grew as a starter and it grew pretty well.
The taste reminds me of the kind of kombucha I like, so I’ve been adding a scoop of the yogurt to my breakfast smoothie.
The CandiBactin was really hard on my stomach at first, but it passed off pretty quickly. I suspect (but have no way to know for sure) that my stomach may have been raw from bacterial overgrowth and the CandiBactin “stripped” it, because it got much better almost immediately. It feels a lot like what happens when I have a throat or sinus infection that starts to drain–it hurts more right at first because all the yuck that was coating it has vanished, leaving just the raw membrane exposed.
Sounds like progress. I’ll be posting a tweak to my not-yogurt process soon.
I’m late to the party, but I have a question about the milk… we make kefir at our house (water and milk), and the kefir milk grains require pasteurized, but not ultra-pasteurized milk because ultra-pasteurized milk is basically dead. We have one store in our area that sells organic whole milk that has not been ultra-pasteurized, but all of the organic half & half is ultra-pasteurized. Does that make a difference with this strain? Can I use ultra-pasteurized organic half & half to make this “yogurt” or do I need to find a specialty store somewhere to find pasteurized organic half & half?
I’m not sure on that one.
Thank you Tom for this post. I did not have symptoms like yours but I did have a couple of nagging problems. I have been LCHF/Keto since 2011. Four years ago almost exactly I developed a chronic cough. I also had allergies and post nasal drip. My ENT husband told me to try allergy tablets. That did help. But then I found out that they can cause memory loss so I only took them for special occasions. A little later I developed a problem where my eyes were sort of “glued shut” in the morning. I went to the doctor twice and was told it was blocked oil glands and to use lid scrubs and heat compresses, antibiotic ointment, gels etc. That all helped….a little or a lot but …just like the allergy pills….the problem persisted, merely treating the symptoms not eradicating the root cause b/c I did not know what it was. I tried sinus rinses for both problems thinking they could be related. Nope. I tried motorcycle glasses to try to keep my eyes hydrated. Nope. I tried eye drops around the clock. Nope. As for the cough it also persisted and I know it was annoying to friends and family. And it was productive but always clear so no infection. After reading this post I decided to try the CandiBactin and make Lreuteri yogurt again. I ate the yogurt for a month without using the Candibactin. No changes for me. Then I started taking the Candibactin. At first I was not taking enough. Only one dose of each once a day. I did give me heartburn for a couple of days. Then I started taking the correct dose as stated on the bottles. Within 2-3 days my cough is gone and my eyes open normally in the morning. It has only been a week so I hope it doesn’t stop being effective. I am so happy! Can’t thank you enough for this info.
Outstanding. Let’s both thank Dr. Davis. I just passed along what he told me.