Hompes Method. Practitioner Training Level II. Lesson Five (a) Bad Bugs - Bacteria

Transcription

1 Hompes Method Practitioner Training Level II Lesson Five (a) Bad Bugs - Bacteria Health for the People Ltd not for reuse without expressed permission Hompes Method is a trading name of Health For The People Ltt Registered in England & Wales Company # VAT #

2 Bad Bugs - Introduction Before we start this lesson, please note that I m going slightly out of logical sequence by covering bad bugs per se before discussing the concept of the total gut microbiome. The microbiome is discussed in Lesson 5D.

3 Bad Bugs - Introduction Bad bugs is my favourite topic in functional medicine. I developed a fascination with bad bugs when I was 21 years old, whilst studying Ecology of Disease as part of the geography half of my degree. My interest was further tweaked by Paul Chek s work, then thoroughly cemented when I had all manner of health challenges due to H. pylori and Blastocystis hominis infections.

4 Bad Bugs Medical Attitudes The concept of bad bugs causing chronic symptoms hasn t yet been grasped by the medical system. It took 20 years for medicine to accept the H. pylori causes ulcers hypothesis and unless it s discovered that another bad bug causes such an obvious disorder, don t expect western medicine to acknowledge chronic bad bug infestations any time soon.

5 Bad Bugs Medical Attitudes If H. pylori has the potential to not only cause ulcers, but also influence a plethora of other chronic conditions, why should any of the other bad bugs be different?

6 Bad Bugs Medical Attitudes Doctors don t consider them to be problematic because: They don t learn about them at med school They re a tropical or exotic problem They can t possibly be Western problems They only cause acute symptoms

7 Bad Bugs Medical Attitudes Well There s not much we can do about med school. We can prove conclusively we re not dealing with solely an exotic/tropical problem (holidays, food export, migration). We can prove conclusively we re dealing with a western problem (literature and clinical experience). We can prove they cause chronic symptoms (literature and clinical experience).

8 Bad Bugs Extent of the Problem The US CDC estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases. This doesn t necessarily include H. pylori, C. diff and other bad bugs that are not always transmitted via food. There are dozens of foodborne bugs.

9 Bad Bugs Terminology I use the term bad bugs to simplify things in terms of patient/client communication. The reality is this: I believe bugs can be either bad or good depending on the overall vitality of the host organism (you, I, patient) and it s often more about the person than the bug. A given bug can be present in two people and only cause symptoms in one.

10 Bad Bugs - Bacteria The human gut plays host to some 1,200 species of organisms, many of which are bacteria. These are called commensals. Under ideal circumstances, these organisms live symbiotically in the gut (symbiotic with each other and with human cells). This symbiotic relationship ensures everyone benefits!

11 Bad Bugs Opportunistic Bacteria Environmental changes in the gut environment* can favour the growth of one or two species, which can grow opportunistically. Unsurprisingly, we call this an opportunistic bacterial overgrowth. Even some of the really good bugs can cause problems if they overgrow or get into the wrong places. *Food availability, stress/autonomics, toxins, etc.

12 Bacteria Opportunistic Definition The definition of opportunistic bacteria is based on two parameters: the subject and the bacteria. When the receptive subject is normal, theoretically, no normal commensal organisms are able to invade. This subject can only be infected by Specific Pathogenic Bacteria. If an otherwise normal subject has a decrease in immune defense, he may be invaded by organisms from the commensal flora: these are the opportunistic bacteria in the broad sense of the term. The patient with profound and prolonged depression of his immune system may be attacked by a number of commensal organisms, even those which were previously considered to be non-virulent.

13 Bad Bugs Pathogenic Bacteria According to the opinions of microbiologists, some bacteria are not meant to be in there at all (this is open to debate). They re known as pathogenic bacteria. To be honest, wherever you look you ll see a large overlap between the bugs termed opportunistic versus those termed pathogenic (some are opportunistically pathogenic lol).

14 Bacteria Opportunistic Definition An opportunistic infection is an infection caused by pathogens particularly opportunistic pathogens - those that take advantage of certain situations - such as bacterial, viral, fungal or protozoan infections that usually do not cause disease in a healthy host (one with a healthy immune system). A compromised immune system, however, presents an "opportunity" for the pathogen to infect.

15 Bad Bugs H. pylori Helicobacter pylori It s the most frequently detected bacterium detected in stool testing (by a long way). Capable of causing many symptoms in the gut and other six areas of health. Certain strains are linked to stomach cancer (1-3%) and heart disease.

16 Bad Bugs C. difficile Clostridium difficile Nonsomical (hospitals) - enters via ingested spores. Associated with antibiotic use. I ve seen 6-8 cases. Typically causes abdominal pain, diarrhea, blood in stool and can lead to pseudomembranous colitis and a condition called toxic megacolon. Can definitely cause other, chronic symptoms. e_01.jpg

17 Bad Bugs Campylobacter Campylobacter jejuni Third leading cause of foodborne illness in US (FDA). Diarrhea (bloody), vomiting, cramping and can be very serious Roy example. Can definitely cause chronic problems I ve seen it around a dozen times. mpylobacter_jejuni.jpg

18 Bad Bugs E. coli E. coli Many strains, most of which are harmless. Some cause nasty problems: Enterotoxigenic (ETEC), Enteropathogenic (EPEC), Enterohemorrhagic (EHEC), Enteroinvasive (EIEC) erichiacoli_niaid.jpg

19 Bad Bugs - Shigella Shigella Several sub-strains One of the leading bacterial diarrhea bugs Produces toxins like some of the E. coli strains Diarrhea, blood, vomiting, cramping, etc. May cause chronic problems in some patients

20 Bad Bugs - Opportunists Salmonella Vibrio Klebsiella Enterobacter spp. Citrobacter Yersinia Aeromonas Serratia Pseudomonas Morganella Staphylococcus aureus Proteus Group D Enterococcus Gamma strep

21 Bad Bugs - Opportunists I have seen all these genus or species level bacteria in stool testing from various labs. We ll discuss some of the difficulties in interpretation of different tests when we talk about stool testing. Bear in mind that medical perception is very much that these opportunists (and the pathogens, to be fair), only tend to cause acute symptoms and will not generally be considered as problematic in cases of chronic symptomatology.

22 Bad Bugs - Opportunists We can t cover all these bugs in the course, but let s take a look at a few. Special thanks to Emma Lane and the FDA s Bad Bug Book * for the information here (references below the video window). *Yes, the FDA has created something helpful for once.

23 Bad Bugs Opportunists Citrobacter freundii Wind, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. Can invade mucosa, causing inflammation Can infect blood, resp. and urinary tracts, hepatic, biliary and pancreatic systems Produces hydrogen sulfide which interferes with mitochondrial function and energy production Enterobacter sp. Should not be there in large numbers and indicates poor microbial balance Can cause diarrhea in children

24 Bad Bugs Opportunists Yersinia enterocolitica Fever, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea Sx may resemble colitis Associated with Grave s disease, arthritis, Sjogren s syndrome Staphylococcus aureus Produces toxins that may not be destroyed in cooking Abrupt onset of nausea & vomiting, diarrhea & abdominal cramps, headaches, muscle cramps Toxic shock syndrome & pseudomem. colitis

25 Bad Bugs Opportunists Salmonella Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, fever Long term arthritis may develop * Can cause typhoid look out for diarrhea, constipation, aches, headaches, lethargy, rash Pseudomonas aureginosa Diarrhea, gastrointestinal distress Fatigue, dyscognition (brain fog)

26 Bad Bugs - Opportunists Klebsiella Diarrhea and acute gastroenteritis. Associated with reactive arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis. Produces an endotoxin that is capable of impairing cytochrome p-450 Proteus Gastrointestinal and urinary tract colonization with Proteus is associated with rheumatoid arthritis & myasthenia gravis Produces endotoxin

27 Bad Bugs - Opportunists Vibrio Several types Vibrio cholerae causes cholera Vibrio vulnificus is very nasty Aeromonas Watery diarrhea with blood Aeromonas hydrophila can cause colitis

28 Bad Bacteria - References The FDA s Bad Bug Book Microbewiki US Centers for Disease Control The H. Pylori Diet H. Pylori Secrets DVD Dr. Alex Vasquez article on silent infections and chronic pain Emedicine website

29 Thank You! Thanks for consuming this information. I hope it s been helpful. In the next lesson 5B we ll cover parasites, before moving on to yeast and fungi in lesson 5C.