I recently used the UK-based personalized medicine start-up Healthpath for gut testing, opting for their Ultimate Gut Health Test. The outcomes were:

  • An alkaline stool pH
  • Low levels of Bifidobacteria
  • Low secretory IgA (indicating compromised immunity in the gut)
  • Elevated zonulin (indicating leaky gut)
  • Elevated fat in the stool indicating maldigestion of this and related nutrients.

That made a lot of sense to me as I’d been getting overprescribed antibiotics prior to getting ill, and I’ve always been pretty lean. The low secretory IgA wasn’t hugely surprising as I’d seen my serum IgA was low a few weeks prior.

Treatment plan

As recommended by Healthpath, 2-3 months of daily:

  1. Saccharomyces boulardii, 10CFU on rising
  2. Bio.Me Barrier synbiotic, 5CFU (3 capsules) an hour after rising:
    • Bifidobacterium bifidum W23
    • Bifidobacterium lactis W51
    • Bifidobacterium lactis W52
    • Lactobacillus acidophilus W37
    • Lactobacillus brevis W63
    • Lactobacillus casei W56
    • Lactobacillus salivarius W24
    • Lactobacillus lactis W19
    • Lactobacillus lactis W58
    • Maize starch, maltodextrin, inulin, polydextrose, veg protein, potassium chloride, magnesium sulphate, manganese sulphate
  3. Bio.Revive colostrum, 1000mg (2 capsules) with breakfast
  4. Magnesium (biglysinate), 240mg (2 capsules) with dinner
  5. Saccharomyces boulardii, 10CFU before bed

Because I’m histamine intolerant now I’m wary of introducing histamine producing bacteria into my gut microbiome. The Ecologic® Barrier probiotic mix in the synbiotic product above is produced by Winclove Probiotics, who have assured me in private correspondence that none of their strains encode for histadine decarboxylase and so do not produce histamine from histadine.

Treatment log

Concurrent experiments:

  1. Anti-thrombotic/proteolytic enzyme therapy: 20/10-23/10.
Date Treatment Perceived reaction / extra symptoms
2022-10-01 1, 5 (Saccharomyces boulardii) None
2022-10-02 1, 5 Temple headache AM
2022-10-03 1, 5 None
2022-10-04 1, 4 (Magnesium), 5 None
2022-10-05 1, 4, 5 None
2022-10-06 1, 4, 5 None
2022-10-07 1, 3 (Colostrum), 4, 5 None
2022-10-08 1, 3, 5 None
2022-10-09 1, 3, 4, 5 None
2022-10-10 1, 3, 4, 5 None
2022-10-11 1, 3, 4, 5 None
2022-10-12 1, 3, 5 None
2022-10-13 1, 3, 4, 5 None
2022-10-14 1, 2 (synbiotic, 1 capsule), 3, 4, 5 None
2022-10-15 1, 2 (2 capsules), 3, 4, 5 None
2022-10-16 1, 2 (3 capsules), 3, 4, 5 None
2022-10-17 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 None
2022-10-18 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 None
2022-10-19 2, 3, 4 ( ran out of 1,5) None
2022-10-20 2, 3, 4 Concurrent Experiment 1.
2022-10-21 2, 3, 4 Concurrent Experiment 1. Bloating, loose bowels, blood in stool, no appetite
2022-10-22 2, 4, 5 Concurrent Experiment 1. Low appetite, recovered throughout day
2022-10-23 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 None
2022-10-24 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 None
2022-10-25 1, 3, 4, 5 Stopped 2 as precaution due to increased histamine reactions
2022-10-26 1, 3, 4, 5 Stopped 2 as precaution due to increased histamine reactions
2022-10-27 1, 3, 4, 5 Stopped 2 as precaution due to increased histamine reactions
2022-10-28 1, 3, 4, 5 Post-nasal drip, gut pain, ear pain, fatigue, muscle pains, trunk stiffness
2022-10-29 1, 3, 5 Post-nasal drip, gut pain, ear pain, fatigue, muscle pains, trunk stiffness
2022-10-30 1, 3, 5 Minor gut pain, ear/head congestion, fatigue
2022-10-31 1, 3, 4, 5 Post-nasal drip, nausea, minor gut pain, ear/head congestion, fatigue
2022-11-01 1, 3, 4, 5 Minor gut pain, ear/head congestion
2022-11-02 1, 3, 4, 5 Nausea, minor gut pain, ear/head congestion, fatigue
2022-11-03 1, 3, 4, 5 Nausea
2022-11-04 1, 3, 4, 5 Post-nasal drip, gut pain
2022-11-05 1, 3, 4, 5 Gut pain
2022-11-06 1, 3, … None
2022-11-07 1, 4, 5 Post-nasal drip, exhaustion, swollen glands
… … …
2022-11-14 1, 4, 5 Dealing with a series of infections, at least one which was exogenous (my Grandmother was also ill, same symptoms including nausea). Discontinued 2, 3 and started valacyclovir.