HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Gutbliss by Robynne Chutkan

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
12
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 12/18/2013 1:15 PM (GMT 0)
Good Morning Everyone-
It's 15 degrees here in MA and I'm waiting for the temp to rise a bit before going out to clear snow.
Got a new book from the library and started reading it yesterday.

Robynne Chutkan M.D., FASGE is the founder of the Digestive Center for Women and a faculty member at Georgetown Univ. Hospital in Washington, D.C..
In "Gutbliss", she explains how the digestive system works and the causes of bloating and gas, offering steps to alleviate symptoms and a nutrition and exercise plan for optimizing gastrointestinal health.
Lots of recipes are included.

While we all know that there is no single answer for all of us to achieve control over our symptoms, IMO it's good to keep an open mind, reading new publications to increase knowledge.

One "new thing" I learned is that babies born via C-sections "bypass a critical early step in the maturation of a child's immune system: colonization with the mother's vaginal bacteria".
Babies born vaginally are colonized with more Lactobacillus (good bacteria) while those born by C-section tend to be colonized
with more common hospital bad bacteria such as Staphylococcus.
Might explain to some extent the increase in digestive disorders in modern times.

Anyway, If you're interested you may be able to get the book from your local library. Definitely worth a read.
Happy Holidays!
IAS ;-)
Posted 12/18/2013 4:24 PM (GMT 0)
sounds like a good book with some useful info - now if I could just get my wife to read it !
Posted 12/18/2013 5:13 PM (GMT 0)
you're in MA? Me too, Cape Cod! All our snow turned to rain.... That book, I just looked at it on my library website- but the doctor is a frequent Dr. Oz guest, sort of made me hesitate. And looking at the actual chapters, it seems like most of the book is just about dealing with gas. Which is helpful, but not so much... I wonder about that C-section statistic... must research it further.
Posted 12/18/2013 5:13 PM (GMT 0)
Glad you enjoyed it!

Are there any additional topics that you'd like to see in the book? I think it covered the "basics" that everyone with IBD should know with regards to gut bacteria and food.

She gave a pretty well-rounded overview, and Dr.Natasha Campbell McBrides book would probably be a good follow up on how to strengthen the gut bacteria, though I don't think it's entirely accurate.

On the topic of c-sections, it's pretty crazy how many people are getting it these days. I think it partly has to do with hospitals trying to cut costs. The impact has lifelong repercussions, as the health outcomes of c-section babies are generally worse.
Posted 12/18/2013 5:37 PM (GMT 0)
I don't know about stuff like that...for me, I was born naturally and breastfed until just past the age of one and I still ended up with an IBD and same with my mom (she had UC, was born in 1927 in Hungary, born naturally and breastfed, did not grow up eating processed foods/beverages (think of the time she was born) and yet we both ended up getting IBD.
Posted 12/18/2013 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
right, I just looked at the study Dr. Chutkan references, & get this-

"Whether these differences translate into varied risk for disease isn't clear yet; the study only documented the different combinations of microbes found in each group of infants. But Kozyrskyj says she plans to connect these changes to childhood conditions to find any possible associations between certain microbial communities and conditions such as allergy or asthma."

The study just observed the differences, it makes no comment whatsoever on any heightened diseazse risk,e tc. That's purely Dr. Chutkan's thoughts. Or the poster, I haven't read Gutbliss.... Here's a link to the study info also- http://www.sott.net/article/258338-The-effect-C-sections-versus-vaginal-delivery-can-have-on-lifelong-gut-health    No real correlations being made there! I was born vaginally, not breast-fed.. my daughter was born vaginally & breast-fed forever, 27 months...

Posted 12/18/2013 7:01 PM (GMT 0)

pb4 said...
I don't know about stuff like that...for me, I was born naturally and breastfed until just past the age of one and I still ended up with an IBD and same with my mom (she had UC, was born in 1927 in Hungary, born naturally and breastfed, did not grow up eating processed foods/beverages (think of the time she was born) and yet we both ended up getting IBD.

It's not uncommon for people who immigrate to a different location to end up with a disease relevant to their new location. For example, the instance of UC increased dramatically in during apartheid in South Africa, even when no signs of previous disease was detected. The same applies to Japanese women who migrate to America - breast cancer rates surge by the second generation. Asians seem to be at the greatest at risk when they migrate, as their microbial profile is adapted for a different set of foods.

Post Edited (StealthGuardian) : 12/18/2013 12:20:11 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/18/2013 7:06 PM (GMT 0)

Eva Lou said...
right, I just looked at the study Dr. Chutkan references, & get this-


"Whether these differences translate into varied risk for disease isn't clear yet; the study only documented the different combinations of microbes found in each group of infants. But Kozyrskyj says she plans to connect these changes to childhood conditions to find any possible associations between certain microbial communities and conditions such as allergy or asthma."



The study just observed the differences, it makes no comment whatsoever on any heightened diseazse risk,e tc. That's purely Dr. Chutkan's thoughts. Or the poster, I haven't read Gutbliss.... Here's a link to the study info also- http://www.sott.net/article/258338-The-effect-C-sections-versus-vaginal-delivery-can-have-on-lifelong-gut-health No real correlations being made there! I was born vaginally, not breast-fed.. my daughter was born vaginally & breast-fed forever, 27 months...

There is actually solid evidence based on data here.

By their estimates, the missing bacteria end up translating to allergies, IBD and a whole range of other conditions. However, not everyone who has a c-section will get these issues if they repopulate appropriately. For example, rural populations generally have lower rates of IBD by virtue of interaction with soil, livestock, etc.

Post Edited (StealthGuardian) : 12/18/2013 12:21:34 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/18/2013 10:58 PM (GMT 0)
StealthGuardian-
I haven't read the entire book so comment on additional topics.

Since my UC is pretty much in remission (no bleeding, urgency or D anymore), remaining issues seem to more of the IBS variety.
DIET is still a huge factor, determining how I feel day-to-day.
Always looking for new info and recipes.

I've noticed that many people ask how to deal with gas and bloating and thought suggestions in the book might be helpful.

Re: the C-section comments - I've never seen that theory mentioned in any other reading I've done. Made me think of forum members who do fecal transplants.

Eva Lou- I'm in Western Mass and we got another 5" of snow on top of the last storm. At least weather looks good for Christmas.

Happy Holidays to all!
Posted 12/19/2013 1:28 AM (GMT 0)
I have read the whole book and there is a lot of good information in it about overall gut health. Not a whole lot on IBD specifically but I still walked away with some good new info.
Regarding c-sections, they are not fun and are often over performed. That said, I have had two, the first one to safe my life and the second one after it became pretty clear that my little guy was not tolerating the 3 hours of me trying to push him out. It terrifies me to think that my children missed out on an essential part their microbiome but I did breast feed them both for a long time (a combined total for the two kids of 46 months) in an effort to make up for the c sections as much possible. My midwife actually talked to me at length about the flora that babies acquire during birth and how important it was that I breast feed as long as possible.
Posted 12/19/2013 1:34 AM (GMT 0)
I read this book a few months ago and it's very informative. I wish this doctor was my doctor! Tell her to move to Cincinnati!

Highly recommend reading this book.
Posted 12/19/2013 4:45 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the recommendation. I've been doing a bit more reading about all sorts of guts stuff lately. In a book about probiotics that's I'm reading, I read about the birthing bacteria. Who knew! I sure didn't. Its all so interesting.

Knowledge is power. I love gaining different perspectives from all over :)
Posted 12/19/2013 8:49 AM (GMT 0)
as a midwife one of my mentors would rec that any transfers ending in c section swabbed the babies' mouth with a qtip of vaginal secretions. Sounds odd, I know. I tried to bring my babies to the breast within moments of birth so that they could get all the good probiotic bacteria and immune goodness in my colostrum. I also wasnt a maniac about bathing them immediately. I let them keep their flora a bit longer before disrupting it with soap and water.
Posted 12/19/2013 12:55 PM (GMT 0)
Pk- that is a brilliant idea. I suppose some hospitals might not be game for doing something like that but there are ways to work around the system.
Posted 12/19/2013 2:41 PM (GMT 0)
I regards to this book - I bought it for my mom - She seems to have IBS and was reluctant at first to even read it, or make dietary changes. She said it was really "in detail" in regards to poop lol. But when I said I wanted to give it to my niece to read for the same reason she said wait, she's not done reading it! Now all of a sudden she's asking me where to buy things like organic chicken and and she's making smoothies in the morning and even thinking of trying probiotics. So from this aspect it was well worth the purchase.

The book really has some useful info - though for some of us with IBD it might not tell us much more than we already know. But worth a read if you get the chance. I think it's a really good book for newly diagnosed people though in a sense.

Anyway - it one of the better books out there.

It won;t solve out IBD issues though - then again I have not tried the 7 or 10 day plan or whatever it is, so I really shouldn't say that.

In any case it's a decent book.
Posted 12/19/2013 5:14 PM (GMT 0)

PathogenKiller said...
as a midwife one of my mentors would rec that any transfers ending in c section swabbed the babies' mouth with a qtip of vaginal secretions. Sounds odd, I know. I tried to bring my babies to the breast within moments of birth so that they could get all the good probiotic bacteria and immune goodness in my colostrum. I also wasnt a maniac about bathing them immediately. I let them keep their flora a bit longer before disrupting it with soap and water.

Even though it simulates the natural process, I can't even imagine the dirty stares that one would get when doing that.
Posted 12/20/2013 4:51 AM (GMT 0)
I have this book and recommend it. Don't let the Dr. Oz appearances deter you. I learned a lot from the book as well.
Posted 12/20/2013 12:52 PM (GMT 0)
but isn't the book dealing with IBS alone, not IBD? I browsed thru the chapter titles, read some excerpts, etc- I couldn't see anything that pertains to someone with inflammatory bowel disease. I mean yeah, it's interesting, fairly good advice overall, but nothing that's going to make a dent in true IBD. And amazingly- StealthGuardian- that practice of wiping the babies mouth with secretions is pretty widely done! Although, if the vaginal bacteria is not-so-good, babies sometimes have to be delivered via C-section. Herpes is an example- if the mother is having any type of outbreak at the time of birth, they'll do a c-section. It can cause blindness & serious side effects if the baby is exposed to that virus. Soo... who knows, you can try to give your baby as much "good" antibodies/germs/bacterias as possible, & just hope for the best.
Posted 12/20/2013 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all of the comments.
I've enjoyed reading them.
I'm entertaining the notion of trying the 10-day plan (after the holidays of course) but at first glance it looks like quite a challenge.

Eva Lou
IMO any book dealing with issues related to the gut has something to offer all of us who have a "gut" problem. There is a lot of diet info that certainly overlaps.

Happy Holidays! :-)
Posted 12/20/2013 3:39 PM (GMT 0)
If anyone is interested, Dr.Chutkan has published a new article here

A few important points worth mentioning.

1) On foods -

What we eat also correlates strongly with the development of autoimmune diseases, since our diet greatly determines what kinds of bacteria are present in our gut. Italian researchers found that breast-fed children in Florence and Burkina Faso had similar microbes in infancy, but once they started eating the local fare their gut bacteria diverged dramatically. Florentine children consuming a typical Western diet high in sugar, fat, and meat had less bacterial diversity and more species associated with allergy, inflammation, and obesity. The children in Burkina Faso eating an unprocessed, high-fiber plant-based diet had more diverse species and more types associated with leanness. They also had larger numbers of bacteria that produce beneficial compounds called short-chain fatty acids, which may be important in suppressing disease.

2) On FMT -

FMT may seem like a drastic way to rehab your microbiome, but there’s lots of precedence for going straight to the source when it comes to acquiring gut bacteria. Coprophagia, or eating stool, is widely prevalent among certain animals. Baby elephants, pandas, koalas, and hippos eat the feces of their mother or other adults in their herd in order to acquire vital gut bacteria required for digestion. Consumption of fresh camel feces has been observed among certain tribes, including the Bedouins, as a highly effective treatment for infectious diarrhea. And in medieval times it was not uncommon for physicians to taste their patient’s stool to aid in diagnosis (a practice I'm in no hurry to resurrect).

Post Edited (StealthGuardian) : 12/20/2013 8:42:11 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/20/2013 3:53 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, Stealth

Camel feces in everyone's Christmas stocking!

:-)
Posted 12/20/2013 5:15 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, I dont think anyone would rec sharing that plan with any hospital staff or doctors, lol.. but it is, theoretically, atleast, pretty sound.

Breastmilk is alot more natural and appetizing tho and very high in probiotics.

Also, I think breastmilk would be a much better treatment for UC then fecal transplants ;) much more pleasant.
Posted 12/20/2013 7:57 PM (GMT 0)
Would definitely make kefir from human breastmilk if it was available. Sounds crazy, but it's a good way to repopulate, along with prebiotics.

The next best thing is goat milk, but the adrenal hormones make me feel very "goaty" for the lack of a better word.
Posted 12/20/2013 8:12 PM (GMT 0)
I could be totally off base, but I always thought a woman makes breast milk solely for her baby- what's in it, is what that individual baby needs, not some generic, good for all mix. Having breast-fed my own child for over 2 years, & having done a lot of research into breast milk itself, that seems to be the leading school of thought. Plus, the composition of breast milk changes all the time, there is no set ratio of fats/proteins/carbs/bacterias. So I don't think it would be all too helpful for an adult to start swilling it. I bet you could find some though, on craigslist. Or just ask a breast-feeding friend to donate some. It tastes AWFUL! I went back to working overnights when my daughter was 3 months, so pumped so that her Dad could bottle feed her. It is nasty, like watery bile, vomity tasting... I have no idea how the babies clamor for it!
Posted 12/20/2013 8:22 PM (GMT 0)

Eva Lou said...
I could be totally off base, but I always thought a woman makes breast milk solely for her baby- what's in it, is what that individual baby needs, not some generic, good for all mix. Having breast-fed my own child for over 2 years, & having done a lot of research into breast milk itself, that seems to be the leading school of thought. Plus, the composition of breast milk changes all the time, there is no set ratio of fats/proteins/carbs/bacterias. So I don't think it would be all too helpful for an adult to start swilling it. I bet you could find some though, on craigslist. Or just ask a breast-feeding friend to donate some. It tastes AWFUL! I went back to working overnights when my daughter was 3 months, so pumped so that her Dad could bottle feed her. It is nasty, like watery bile, vomity tasting... I have no idea how the babies clamor for it!

I thought so as well, but there are a few components of breastmilk that have clinically shown to be helpful:
1) Along with other probiotic strains, the lactobacillus reuteri strain is found in breast milk. You'll notice many here have had results with the oregano oil + l. reutari protocol. It seems to be one of the crucial strain that an individual needs for repopulation after antibiotic or antifungal therapy.
2) Whey protein -> has l. glutamine and a whole slew of of other amino acids that are helpful in repairing the gut lining.
3) Saturated fat - converts from SCFA to butyrate in the gut. Butyrate is the byproduct of bacterial fermentation and helps with repairing the gut lining. Much of the fat in breast milk is also saturated fat.

Those are just three things that I can come up at the moment, though a quick google search will yield much more.

Post Edited (StealthGuardian) : 12/20/2013 1:29:37 PM (GMT-7)

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
12

HealingWell

Connect With Us
© 1997-2024 HealingWell.com LLC All Rights Reserved. Our website is for informational purposes only. HealingWell.com LLC does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.