Allergies? Look to the Digestive Tract

Allergies: Both leaky gut and bowel flora imbalance are linked to allergies. Studies show that leaky gut is linked to allergy [2-6]

The microbiome is also an issue for these patients [1]. One interesting way that allergy/microbiome connection has been tested is with fecal transplant. Fecal transplant, which is moving the bowel flora from one individual to another, is one way to see if bowel flora have an effect on allergies (not recommending this as a treatment, but it makes a point). There are a few studies where fecal transplant improved atopic dermatitis [7,8].

Something as simple as taking probiotics has benefited allergy patients [9]. One study even found bifidobacterial supplementation for mothers and newborns reduced the incidence of allergy [10].

There is other evidence that taking probiotics during pregnancy affects the microbiome of the newborn [11]. It may give us a way to prevent asthma. Infants with delayed development of the microbiome are prone to asthma, and that issue can be addressed with probiotic supplementation [12].

Try This to Improve the Microbiome 

  • Eat a lot of vegetables: Vegetables contain fiber and polyphenols—both of which support a healthy microbiome.
  • Eat a large variety of fruits and vegetables: Try not to eat the same thing all the time. Different vegetables feed different microbes. You want as many kinds of microbes as possible.
  • Avoid “crap”: Stay away from sugar, refined foods, chemical additives, and processed oils. Consider following the Roadmap to Health. Crappy food feeds a crappy microbiome.
  • Take a probiotic: Now that you are improving the environment of your GI tract, probiotics will be more effective.
  • Berberine: Berberine tends to kill harmful bacteria while leaving the beneficial bacteria alone. Berberine can also improve the health of the intestinal lining. Take 500 mg, 3x/day.

What If This Isn’t Enough?

If you follow the above program, you will experience improvements in your health and energy. Dealing with the microbiome can be complicated. You may need a stool test to see what is growing down there and to see if leaky gut exists. Also, many other substances can help eliminate harmful bacteria and heal the intestinal lining. Find a physician who deals in natural healthcare.

Selected References:

  1. Clin Exp Allergy. 2015 Sep;45(9):1419-29 Gut microbiome and innate immune response patterns in IgE-associated eczema
  2. West Indian Med J. 1994 Sep;43(3):87-8. The intestinal permeability test applied to the diagnosis of food allergy in paediatrics
  3. Orv Hetil. 1996 Jan 14;137(2):65-9 [Relationship between intestinal permeability and antibodies against food antigens in IgA nephropathy]
  4. Scand J Rheumatol. 1982;11(1):33-8. Intestinal permeability in dermatitis herpetiformis
  5. Pediatr Med Chir. 1991 Mar-Apr;13(2):169-72. Intestinal permeability, atopic eczema and oral disodium cromoglycate
  6. Scand J Rheumatol. 1982;11(1):33-8. Intestinal permeability in dermatitis herpetiformis
  7. JCI Insight. 2018 May 3;3(9):e120608 First-in-human topical microbiome transplantation with Roseomonas mucosa for atopic dermatitis
  8. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2012 Oct;46 Suppl:S56-63 Changing of fecal flora and clinical effect of L. salivarius LS01 in adults with atopic dermatitis
  9. Benef Microbes. 2019 Feb 8;10(1):5-17 Eczema-protective probiotic alters infant gut microbiome functional capacity but not composition: sub-sample analysis from a RCT
  10. Allergol Int. 2014 Dec;63(4):575-85. Effects of bifidobacterial supplementation to pregnant women and infants in the prevention of allergy development in infants and on fecal microbiota
  11. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2015 Aug;61(2):200-7 Does Maternal Perinatal Probiotic Supplementation Alter the Intestinal Microbiota of Mother and Child?
  12. Nat Commun. 2018 Feb 16;9(1):707. Delayed gut microbiota development in high-risk for asthma infants is temporarily modifiable by Lactobacillus supplementation