Stomach Issues After Traveling to Germany

Hi NicHostetler -

I wish you could enjoy Germany more too. Sorry you're having trouble with the GI.

It could certainly be something you ate or drink. I'm a broken record about this - but could you have developed a yeast/fungal overgrowth issue? Those sx overlap a few conditions but along with GI sx, it does look to indicate y/f.

Did you brink any GI binder with you? Taking it regularly has really helped all my GI and y/f issues - being able to work up to pretty high doses helped me get off antifungal altogether.

But more importantly right now - the binder can help move out whatever it is that you might have taken that your body doesn't agree with.

-p

If you can get your hands on more activated charcoal or bentonite clay or modified citrus pectin (I bet you can find these at most drug stores - ask around) that would probably be helpful. Just start with very low doses, drink a lot of water before, during and after you take it... and keep about 2 hrs time buffer between the binder and ANYTHING else you take.

Yeast/fungal overgrowth
LLMDs automatically prescribe Fluconazole for yeast/fungus or for preventing yeast fungus - without really understanding how y/f or antifungals really work. Most of the time, the systemic antiungals (like Fluconazole, ketoconazole) aren't necessary if you've not developed any systemic overgrowth sx and certainly if you don't have any local sx either. There are less intensive antifungals to implement for prevention or maintenance.

If you do have systemic sx, Fluconazole might not be effective against some y/f strains. A Doctor's Data stool test can help you figure out what to take if it picks up on what you have in your GI - it indicates susceptibility for about a doz Rx and natural antifungals. So, for you - the key is noticing some change in sx after you start the antifungal. If you don't notice anything - either die off or improvement of sx then you're on too low a dose, you stopped it too early, or it's not effective against the strain(s) you have.

If you can't test but you do have primarily GI symptoms, Nystatin is the best local antifungal and it generally doesn't get processed by the liver. PURE Nystatin powder is even better than the Nystatin pills.

Another issue is that y/f can develop resistance to antifungals just like bacteria can to abx so pulsing isn't the best idea (at least not at first). Fluconazole's half life is 20-50 hrs (weird that it's such a wide range) so until you can get the y/f load down for a period of time it's best to take it consistently.

Also, anytime you take systemic Rx, it's important to support the liver with things like milk thistle seed, burdock root. If you're on it for more than month, it's important to test liver enzymes.

And the last thing to consider is that for some of us, we are just prone to y/f overgrowth and there's not much we can do if we're covering all our basis and we still develop overgrowth while on abx - we'll need a good antifungal approach as long as we take abx. And after we've already developed overgrowth, it's very difficult to get it under control with natural remedies... the Rx is usually necessary and this usually takes a few months. After the abx treatment, we can usually maintain good balance w/ the natural antifungals.

For now, since you're stuck overseas, try making progress with the GI binder to see if you get any reduction in sx.

Hope this is helpful -

-p