The million-dollar question for sure:

Which antimicrobial should I use for my condition? 

I am receiving this question so frequently, that I am writing this blog in hopes of assisting those desperately seeking to alleviate symptoms. I’ve been there.

This is surely not an easy question to answer.

Finding the anti-microbial that works for one’s individual situation is akin to finding the diet that finally leads to healing……….often it is through relentless trial and error that we discover these specific measures.

When we do, however, there is usually no question; inflammation begins to resolve. Food becomes more tolerated, pain, gas and bloating let up, and our mental state gets clearer, lighter.

Now- I am by no means saying that this is an overnight process.

Although, I will say, that most folks cling to supplements that are not serving them for far, far too long. The general rule in my practice is that if a supplement is not helping you in a period of 2-3 weeks’ time, then it is time to move on.

If you do not see improvement after such a time frame, even after experimenting with a higher dose of said compound, then it is very likely that it is not the formula that is going to take you there. Yes, add it to that stash- you know, that stash……….that entire section of the cabinet devoted to ‘didn’t work’ supplements.Or even worse the ‘made things worse’ section.  

Let’s face it, most of it could have taken a trip to Fiji by now with the money we’ve wasted (I mean explored) with supplements. All I can say, is I’m sorry. For me, its more like a trip to Fiji, 2 trips to Europe and at least 1 or 2 to the Bahamas, so, I get it.

Hence, DigestiveWarrior, right?

That being said, these are merely guidelines. The chemistry of our bodies and how our individual microbiome’s respond to botanicals and compounds will forever and always be somewhat of a mystery.

After years of offering the best Functional Medicine GI Comprehensive stool testing, I find the findings vague and unreliable.

What’s even more mystifying is the susceptibility testing (identifies what exact compounds as well as pharmaceutical antibiotics should kill infection).

Wouldn’t it just be peachy if we all got our stool tests back and in black and white it says that grapefruit extract will ‘kill’ our candida and we take it and VOILA, candida gone!?!

Yet……it doesn’t usually work like that. Time and time again I see patients get excited over these findings, as it seems like such a clear-cut scientific solution.

 Our bodies are multi-dimensional echo-systems, our soil ever-changing terrain…..the most advanced scientific measures able to see less than 5% of our microbes. 5%! That’s it!

How on earth is a stool test that gets a snapshot of less than 5% of your microbiome going to tell us that X or Y compound is or is not going to address our issue?

Here is lies why this topic is so complicated.

The answers usually only come from one place, and one place only- trial and error.  But isn’t that just about how most of life goes……so. We become our own best detectives, constantly refining our skills, our responses to things. We develop the most primal senses we can muster up, and become brutally honest in our approach to healing.

There aren’t really many short-cuts- although we might get lucky from time to time.

Below is a list of conditions and the top 3 supplements that I recommend most per condition. I think this will be most user friendly, as most folks arrive here with a general definition of their digestive ailments.

I will go in the order of most commonly seen (in my practice and from my audience, anyway).

Candida (or yeast and fungal issues in general):

If you have skin issues such as rashes, eczema, dandruff, psoriasis, vaginal yeast-infections, jock itch, athletes foot, ring worm and/or yellowing of the fingernails or toe-nails, you’ve got a fungal problem. Most likely brain-fog will accompany this, along with adverse reactions to sugars and carbs. Candida can be harder than heck to kill. We all have X amount of candida residing in us…tis when it spreads like wildfire and takes over that we become ill. Here are my top 3 picks for Candida:

1. MegaMycobalance-  This is one of Microbiomelabs newest products in their digestive line specifically designed for yeast and fungal infections. It’s mostly one ingredient- undecylenic acid, which is an organic fatty acid from castor bean oil. This acid can actually target the roots of candida albicans that become embedded in the intestinal wall. It also contains a splash of Bee propolis- a very effective anti-fungal plant resin that bees actually use to line their hives. This is my top pick for Candida, I’ve seen great results with it clinically.  * start at very low dose and slowly increase- potent stuff.

1. Candibactrin AR and CandiBactrin BR by Metagenics (taken together)-  Candibactrin AR is basically Oregano Oil and Thyme oil, both very effective towards yeast and fungal infection. Oregano is very popular for such issues, but people often underestimate Thyme Oil. As this product combines them, I find something about them used synergistically that is often more effective than just straight Oregano Oil. The Candibactrin BR is basically high dose Berberine (potent antifungal) combined with some Chinese herbs (of course the DOM in me loves this). These 2 products taken together are a powerful punch.

1. Meso Silver (Colloidal Silver)- I’m a high fan of colloidal silver (silver nanoparticles). People are constantly questioning its safety and honestly, I find it silly at this point. If it concerns you, go here to my Scientific Articles section, scroll down to safety of Colloidal Silver and go to town. I created that section for those of you still not up-to-date on the efficacy and safety of silver. I’ve drank gallons. I’m not blue. Nor is anyone in the history of silver drinking except the one blue faced man everyone references who drank colloidal salts, not silver. Before penicillin was discovered in 1934, silver was one of the main things used to treat infection. It is a very effective towards fungus and yeast. Here is a dosing schedule written by an MD: Dosing Instructions for Candida.

The gold standard now in all Functional Medicine training is to take a compound or formula for 2-3 weeks, then swap formulas. This rotation prevents said infection from becoming resistant. If you start a product and you do indeed see improvement…that’s great. You still might want to try rotating formulas, and coming back to the one that’s working, just to ensure resistance doesn’t happen. Of course, some folks can just stick to one and it works. That’s awesome.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IBS is associated with dysbiosis, and can usually be associated with a silent bacterial or fungal infection. The proposed supplements listed for Candida can surely be explored. If I lean towards thinking that the patient’s symptoms line up with more of a bacterial infection rather than fungal, I sometimes go a different route:

1. GI Microbe X by Designs for Health-  This is my go to formula for general IBS cases. It’s a genius blend of antimicrobials that all work synergistically together; Tribulus, caprylic acid, Berberine and black walnut being the main ones. I’ve seen this formula drastically reduce symptoms for a lot of folks.

1. Biocidin LSF by Bio-Botanical Research-  Designed to cut straight through biofilms and I believe it really does In most cases. Sophisticated blend of many antimicrobials, including oregano oil, back walnut, Tea Tree , garlic and Gentian. Liposomal delivery will bring best results, no question.

1. Meso (Colloidal Silver)- I’m a high fan of colloidal silver (silver nanoparticles). People are constantly questioning its safety and honestly, I find it silly at this point. If it concerns you, go here to my Scientific Articles section, scroll down to safety of Colloidal Silver and go to town. I created that section for those of you still not up-to-date on the efficacy and safety of silver. I’ve drank gallons. I’m not blue. Nor is anyone in the history of silver drinking except the one blue faced man everyone references who drank colloidal salts, not silver. Before penicillin was discovered in 1934, silver was one of the main things used to treat infection. It is a very effective towards fungus, yeast and bacteria. Here is a dosing schedule written by an MD: Dosing Instructions for IBS.

The gold standard now in all Functional Medicine training is to take a compound or formula for 2-3 weeks, then swap formulas. This rotation prevents said infection from becoming resistant. If you start a product and you do indeed see improvement…that’s great. You still might want to try rotating formulas, and coming back to the one that’s working, just to ensure resistance doesn’t happen. Of course, some folks can just stick to one and it works. That’s awesome.

SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)

Treating SIBO can be a winding rollercoaster. Often pharmaceuticals combined with natural compounds are the best combination.

1. Biocidin LSF by Bio-Botanical Research-  Designed to cut straight through biofilms and I believe it really does In most cases. Sophisticated blend of many antimicrobials, including oregano oil, back walnut, Tea Tree , garlic and Gentian. Liposomal delivery will bring best results, no question.  * Should really only be used for reducing hydrogen, not methane cases.

1. Oreganol by North American Herb and Spice-  Sometimes just straight Oregano Oil can be the thing for very stubborn cases. Worth trying if you can’t get it to budge with Biocidin or other formulas. * can be used for methane or hydrogen cases

1. Meso Silver (Colloidal Silver)- I’m a high fan of colloidal silver (silver nanoparticles), its pretty much anti-everything. People are constantly questioning its safety and honestly, I find it silly at this point. If it concerns you, go here to my Scientific Articles section, scroll down to safety of Colloidal Silver and go to town. I created that section for those of you still not up-to-date on the efficacy and safety of silver. I’ve drank gallons. I’m not blue. Nor is anyone in the history of silver drinking except the one blue faced man everyone references who drank colloidal salts, not silver. Before penicillin was discovered in 1934, silver was one of the main things used to treat infection. Here is a dosing schedule written by an MD: Dosing Instructions for SIBO.

The gold standard now in all Functional Medicine training is to take a compound or formula for 2-3 weeks, then swap formulas. This rotation prevents said infection from becoming resistant. If you start a product and you do indeed see improvement…that’s great. You still might want to try rotating formulas, and coming back to the one that’s working, just to ensure resistance doesn’t happen. Of course, some folks can just stick to one and it works. That’s awesome.

Diarrhea/Constipation

Both chronic diarrhea and constipation (or the alternating between the two) are linked to dysbiosis/infection. Could be fungal, could be bacterial, could be both. Diet huge culprit (visit my diet section here). Regardless, often easily treated with anti-microbials.

1. Biocidin LSF by Bio-Botanical Research-  Designed to cut straight through biofilms and I believe it really does In most cases. Sophisticated blend of many antimicrobials, including oregano oil, back walnut, Tea Tree , garlic and Gentian. Liposomal delivery will bring best results, no question.

1. GI Microbe X by Designs for Health-  This is my go to formula for general IBS cases. It’s a genius blend of antimicrobials that all work synergistically together; Tribulus, caprylic acid, Berberine and black walnut being the main ones. I’ve seen this formula drastically reduce symptoms for a lot of folks.

1. Meso Silver (Colloidal Silver)- I’m a high fan of colloidal silver (silver nanoparticles), its pretty much anti-everything. People are constantly questioning its safety and honestly, I find it silly at this point. If it concerns you, go here to my Scientific Articles section, scroll down to safety of Colloidal Silver and go to town. I created that section for those of you still not up-to-date on the efficacy and safety of silver. I’ve drank gallons. I’m not blue. Nor is anyone in the history of silver drinking except the one blue faced man everyone references who drank colloidal salts, not silver. Before penicillin was discovered in 1934, silver was one of the main things used to treat infection. Here is a dosing schedule written by an MD: Dosing Instructions for Candida. * often best for diarrhea, sometimes effective for constipation too.

Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease

There is growing evidence that Ulcerative Colitis is infectious. To read PubMed journals and other relevant scientific literature on this subject, please visit my ‘Scientific Articles’ section. Also, my eBook “Wake Up to the Truth Behind Crohn’s Disease’ has a lot of information and resources on this topic, as it very much applies to Colitis as well.  In this intro, I will try to summarize the basics, but please explore other resources, as understanding the premise behind such protocols is paramount.

Science has revealed that Crohn’s Disease is a Mycobacterium Avium Paratuburculosis (MAP) infection; a bacterium found in our dairy supply. Identical disease patterns of Inflammatory Bowel Disease are found in a certain percentage of cows, otherwise known as ‘Johne’s Disease.’ There are many documented cases of the same bacterium being found in Ulcerative Colitis patients (I am one of these cases, anyone interested in seeing my labs from Okataro email me and I'll share). While Crohn’s Disease is playing out to be associated with this bacterium over 98% of the time, Ulcerative Colitis has not statistically proven to be Mycobacterium as consistently.

That being said, most people with UC find resolution of symptoms when treating it as an infection. Here are my top choices for UC. If natural compounds do not bring resolution of symptoms, antibiotics are recommended (more in my eBook).

1. Oreganol by North American Herb and Spice-  Sometimes just straight Oregano Oil can be the thing for very stubborn cases. Worth trying if you can’t get it to budge.

1. Meso SIlver (Colloidal Silver)- I’m a high fan of colloidal silver (silver nanoparticles) and it is very potent antimicrobial. People are constantly questioning its safety and honestly, I find it silly at this point. If it concerns you, go here to my Scientific Articles section, scroll down to safety of Colloidal Silver and go to town. I created that section for those of you still not up-to-date on the efficacy and safety of silver. I’ve drank gallons. I’m not blue. Nor is anyone in the history of silver drinking except the one blue faced man everyone references who drank colloidal salts, not silver. Before penicillin was discovered in 1934, silver was one of the main things used to treat infection. Here is a dosing schedule written by an MD: Dosing Instructions Argentyn 23 for Crohn's and Colits.

1. Ozone Therapy-  Ozone therapy is an oxidative modality and an effective therapeutic method that helps increase oxygenation, detoxification and immune stimulation. Ozone is a blue colored form of oxygen, and unlike regular oxygen, is composed of three oxygen atoms instead of two. It is the addition of the third oxygen atom that makes ozone “supercharged” oxygen, and gives it all of its remarkable medical properties. UC patients can either do rectal ozone, drink ozonated water, or  introduce via autohemotherapy, in which blood is drawn from the patient, exposed to ozone and re-injected into the patient. There are many success stories for UC  and Crohn’s that involve ozone; of course it doesn’t work for everyone. Start very, very slow with this modality.

IgG/IgY Therapy

Lastly, I want to mention IgG treatment as an option. I have found IgG therapy effective for many who, for whatever reason, do not get results from above mentioned anti-microbials.

I wish I knew why some people do not respond to anti-microbial treatment….but not all do. Most do. For those seeking an alternative, IgG products should be considered.

It is somewhat of a less abrasive treatment….as it is not “killing’ per say, directly. It indirectly addresses infection.

We are essentially manipulating the immune system, in a good way, with IgG or IgY therapy; getting the immune system back online to recognize and eliminate infection.

 “Immunoglobulin G (IgG), the most abundant antibody in the system, can be found in blood and extracellular fluid, allowing it to control infections in the body. IgG antibodies can bind a variety of pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi, as well as their toxic by-products. Binding these toxins will neutralize them and allow the immune system to safely remove them from the body. Immune Support: Significantly reduces inflammation and intestinal damage.”

1. MegaIgG2000- by Microbiomelabs-  Dairy Free (but sourced from bovine) Immunoglobulin concentrate. Contains IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies. The serum immunoglobulin in Mega IgG2000 has been the subject in over 10 published human clinical trials on inflammatory and infectious bowel conditions.

Again, the above lists are general guidelines. Of course diet is a huge factor in addressing a gut infection- check out my Diet section here.

Antimicrobials are generally suggested for 4-6 weeks; I have definintly pushed it to 8 weeks, sometimes even longer in extreme cases. Rotation almost always neccesary, as resistance is a real issue; rotation often the missing component in failed cases I see. 

Crohn’s and Colitis require much more extensive treatment time. Just make sure you are taking your spores (MegaSporebiotic) during treatment to ensure you are repopulating good guys that are contributing to fighting the war.

What else?

Biofilm Busters:

Best Combo: Liposomal EDTA by Quicksilver and NAC. Hitting the biofolims hard with these 2 products can sometimes make or break the treatment. 

Binders  * Very important. GI detox my fave. 

Sit outside in sun everyday for at least 15 minutes- no sunscreen.

Lots and lots of water.

Laughter.

Hugs (as much Oxytocin as possible).

Rest. Without guilt.

Karen Mullins DOM