Yesterday a 45 year old friend of ours passed away. I hate to say it but I think gut bacteria, antibiotic resistance, and our medical system probably led to her death. This is why it matters to all of us.
Author: John Herron
An Easy Way To Help Your Microbiome – Trash Triclosan
Here is one of the easiest ways to help your microbiome and your gut. Throw away everything in your home that contains Triclosan or Triclocarban. Don’t use antibacterial soaps when away from home, as they too may contain these chemicals. Simple isn’t it? Oh, you want to know how and why? Good, you really need to…
Paleo Diets Fight Inflammation
According to recent research studies a Paleo diet can reduce inflammation, heal intestinal inflammation, and help prevent heart disease by increasing Interlukin-10. Other studies on both humans and mice show just how important this anti-inflammatory cytokine can be.

Second Edition – Announcement
Announcing the release of The Gut Health Protocol – Second Edition! Both the Kindle and Paperback versions are now live on Amazon. The update is free if you have purchased the first Kindle version (instructions below).

Proton Pump Inhibitors Maybe As Bad For The Gut As Antibiotics!
Do you take Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs)? PPIs are among the top 10 most widely used drugs in the world. PPI use has been associated with an increased risk of enteric infections, most notably Clostridium difficile, with a 65% increase in incidence. The gut microbiome plays an important role in enteric infections, by resisting or…
High Heavy Metal Levels Often Due To A Dysfunctional Microbiome
Do you think your body might be high in mercury, chromium, cadmium, lead, or arsenic? Are you wanting to detoxify and get rid of these heavy metals? Probiotics and strengthening your gut’s microbiota may be the answer.
What is SIBO and What Can Be Done About It?
Of course “The Gut Health Protocol” covers SIBO in-depth. But sometimes people just want to know “what is SIBO”. So you can now download the first 4 pages of Chapter 5, “Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth”. This covers the basics and gives you a feel for the book. The remainder of Chapter 5 provides more depth,…
Ditch The Vegetable Oil
I began this article after reading a decent write up describing the problems with Canola Oil, by Swanson Vitamins The (Not-So) Hidden Dangers of Canola Oil, it’s worth a read, especially if you’re new to the subject. But I thought I would add some more science to the issue.
The Science Behind Enemas
There has been a lot of discussion about the use of enemas to treat various gut issues. I thought it was time to go over the science behind the subject. This article ends with abstracts from a number of studies.

Why Splenda Is The Wrong Choice
Eliminating sugar from the diet is very important for gut health, especially when trying to get rid of SIBO and intestinal candida overgrowth. However, using Splenda (the artificial sweetener sucralose) is almost guaranteed to take make matters worse. The use of Splenda can significantly alter the gut’s microbiota, both negatively impacting beneficial bacteria and causing…

Maltodextrin – The Biofilm and Inflammation Enhancer
What if you knew there was something in your food that feeds bad bacteria and promotes dysbiosis of your microbiome? An artificial substance often listed as “natural”, but really isn’t. One that provides you with no benefit. Wouldn’t you at least try to avoid it. This isn’t a teaser, I’m not going to tell you…

Nurturing A Baby’s Microbiome, Before And After Birth – Popular Science
This article is from the May 21st online edition of the Popular Science magazine. Researchers are looking at ways to inoculate babies born by cesarean section with their mother’s microbiota.
The Alkalizing Myth
There is a lot of confusion and misinformation about the importance of the acidity / alkalinity of the food we eat. There are a lot of people that spend a lot of effort (as well as money) on “alkalizing the body”. This is taking measures to force a change in the body’s pH to make it…

Vitamin D and the Gut’s Intestinal Mucosal Barrier
Did you know that the debilitating childhood disease rickets is making a comeback in the world? Especially in western countries like England and the U.S.? Or that our children are suffering from more and more autoimmune diseases at earlier and earlier ages? Do you know why? It isn’t because of pollution, it isn’t because of…

Glycine, One Of The Most Important Inflammation Regulators
While researching enteritis (inflammation of the small intestine) I came across some very interesting research on an amino acid called glycine. Turns out this very simple, and abundant, amino acid is very important for gut health. Strangely enough, we aren’t getting enough of it. Supplementing glycine may be one of the most important things you…

Can the Wrong Gut Bacteria, and Antibiotics, Make You Fat? The very sad truth.
I started this paper to answer a question for you that I already knew the answer to, yes, your gut bacteria and antibiotics can definitely make you fat. But as I started writing this I found some rather disturbing facts associated with the use of antibiotics. I think you’ll find this shocking.
Heme Iron and Iron Deficiency
If you haven’t read The Gut Health Protocol you are probably asking yourself what Iron and Iron Deficiency have to do with gut health. Quit a bit actually, studies follow. First lets start with Iron Deficiency. SIBO and poor stomach acid are often associated, and without good stomach acid you will have poor iron absorption….
Saturated Fats Can Prevent Inflammation and Heart Disease
Yes, you read that right, saturated fats (and cholesterol!) can help prevent heart disease. How you might ask? Well that turns out to be the interesting part. Through changes in our gut bacteria. As this study on PubMed from 2013 indicates, meat eaters have more Prevotella bacteria than vegans. This bacteria breaks down carnitine from red meat…

Fermented food consumption combats depression
The human animal, like all other animals, evolved with a diverse microbiome. It has become increasingly obvious over the years that our health depends on these little critters. Many people like to believe that we can do without soured and semi-spoiled foods and continue to live off the sterile factory foods they grew up on….
Can Butter Prevent Heart Attacks?
Grassfed Butter Eaters Have Fewer Heart Attacks For those of you that avoid all dairy, you may want to rethink it if you can. Butter, especially grassfed, can be very nutritious. The fatty acids it contains (like CLA) are very good for health, especially gut health. CLA is known to help fight intestinal candida. Grassfed…
Man’s Best Friend Also Man’s Best Medicine? Dogs May Have Probiotic Effect On Gut Bacteria
Man’s Best Friend Also Man’s Best Medicine? Dogs May Have Probiotic Effect On Gut Bacteria. What could be better than this? Not only do you get a great friend and companion, but one that can help keep you healthy as well! Our pets have several beneficial affects on our health, they help us get more…
Pharmacist: Battle autoimmune diseases, H. pylori with probiotics – Tulsa World: Dear Pharmacist
Pharmacist: Battle autoimmune diseases, H. pylori with probiotics – Tulsa World: Dear Pharmacist. “H. pylori can easily survive stomach acid. In fact, it thrives in it. People often look surprised when I tell them that H. pylori can infect you all over and plays a role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, ITP (idiopathic thrombocytopenic…
White House Unveils Plan to Fight Antibiotic-Resistant Germs
White House Unveils Plan to Fight Antibiotic-Resistant Germs | KSTP TV – Minneapolis and St. Paul. The overuse of antibiotics in humans has been a problem probably within a day of the first round being used. At least this very urgent problem is on their radar! The overuse in farm animals is simply criminal, not so…
Simple rice-cooking hack could reduce calories by 60 per cent – Telegraph
Simple rice-cooking hack could reduce calories by 60 per cent – Telegraph. Once a person is on maintenance and able to add carbohydrates back in to their diet, this is a good way to add resistant starch and lower the effective calories of the food. Resistant starch should be avoided while you have a bacterial…
Probiotic bacteria help conquer ‘superbugs’ | TribLIVE
Probiotic bacteria help conquer ‘superbugs’ | TribLIVE. Click above for the full article. Kandil often suggests probiotics as a supplemental treatment, including for patients with colon inflammation, diarrhea or infections. Others take probiotic pills in concert with prescribed antibiotics, which can scrub a patient’s gut of bacteria — good and bad — in an effort…
Is Gluten Intolerance “Fake”?
“Gluten intolerance is “fake”—at least according to many recent news stories. But what does scientific research have to say on this topic? Is going gluten-free just a crazy fad? Is gluten intolerance over-hyped as the media claims, or is it a legitimate condition that may be even more common than currently recognized?” — ChrisKresser.com I…