• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Streptococcus overgrowth

Elph68

Senior Member
Messages
598
I agree that strep has many ways of getting into the body and evading the immune system. Antibiotics would make the strep more resistant to further antibiotic treatment, due to natural selection and gene sharing etc. But I dont see how antibiotics can make bacteria become more virulent? Maybe by forcing them to grow elsewhere, or the antibiotics weakened the immune system allowing the bacteria to grow in other places. But I dont think this sort of thing is proven currently, and how severe or likely it is I dont know.
Often antibiotics need to be used several times for some conditions when a disease persists after an initial course of treatment. Studies show that on second round treatment it is often likely to be as effective for some conditions... Additionally, there are testimonies online of people who used erythromycin for strep with no initial benefit then after a few rounds saw benefit. I definitely understand your concern though.
What I beleive is that if your strep is gone in your repeat testing and some of your symptoms are still present then maybe these remaining symptoms may be due to something else. Unless you have a reason to suspect that strep is still lingering and there is some evidence for it, you should consider looking for another cause.

@Jon_Tradicionali
I think that a lot of symptoms are probably caused directly by the bacteria toxins and also the immune response and antibodies produced. So once the bacteria are gone then symptoms should fade. Some evidence shows that for example in pandas patients using antibiotics and ivig to remove antibodies causes rapid reversal in ocd symptoms. Also for interest without ivig, but only with antibiotics apparently it takes a few months for the ocd symptoms to disappear, which probably is the time it takes for the antibodies to die off rather than the bacteria which probably dies much earlier on. So maybe this may also be an answer for you Elph. Maybe you should just make sure to keep the strep levels low now that you have treated it and maybe the autoimmune symptoms will take a little time to fade.
Just a thought ;)

This is where i am stuck Derek, i still have a sore throat, eyes, nose and prostate, mouth ulcers and burning red blotchy skin on my face .... my lymph nodes are swollen ... My immune system can't beat it .... still too big a fight and there is still risk of transfer into my gut again .....
 
Messages
15
Thanks for the explanation Elph, I appreciate the long message.
@Jon_Tradicionali My symptoms have not been present for too long... about 5 years. My symptoms are more mental than CF, but both can be caused by strep overgrowth.
I think I have mentioned I am seeing Dr Cosford, who has a special interest in treating strep. She also does not recommend antibiotics, and mainly uses herbs. She did say that she previously used antibiotics years ago, but now mainly relies on the herbs as she found results were variable. I wanted to use antibiotics for myself as I was hoping for a faster response. But so far havent really seen huge improvement.

I am finishing another course of antibiotics today, and will take a week off. I decided that I will repeat my bioscreen stool test at the end of next week to see if there has been any improvements... I hope that the strep is still high, because that would explain why symptoms are still not great. If strep is low, I will have to come up with a whole new theory! ;)
 

Elph68

Senior Member
Messages
598
What do you think about taking strep probiotics that they might out-compete the virulent strep species?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003P7YVTQ/ref=chrofatisyn02-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003DQSB36/ref=chrofatisyn02-20
Hi Christopher,

Commercial probiotics have lost the ability to connect to the cell receptors and are therefore transient and have no effect on the bacteria on the mucous membranes. These are biofilm forming bacteria and putting more lactic acid bacteria into the system, probably just makes the whole situation worse ....

Lactobacillus Rhamnousus GG is the only probiotic (in natural form) that has shown any real promise in controlling strep/enterococcus levels. BUT, these are superbugs and there currently aren't any 'super probiotics' to match ...

Cutting sugar/starch/gluten/fruit completely is the only way to lower their levels in the gut.

Medical science does not yet believe that normal flora is the cause of CFS .... SO, normal treatment protocols are not going to work ..... And it seems to me that everybody here knows that ...

Fix the leaky gut => lower/kill the levels in the gut (powerful abx. and FMT) => Feed the anaerobes => kill them in the lymphatic system => CFS Remission .... (No sugars diet)
 
Messages
30
So I had this dental clean done 2 weeks ago and now the IBS is sooooo bad, I've lost 3kgs in a week as I can't eat anything but chicken and well cooked veg. I tried 1slice of GF Bread on Sunday and its taken a day to recover. I hate Strep!!!!!! At least now I see the blatant connection with strep parasanguinus and salivarius. I tried the tiniest bit of Mutaflor on the weekend and it kicked my butt. But I'll try again next weekend.
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,263
Location
UK
I have strep. show on a recent CSA and think I caught it from my ex. nearly 30 years ago as my health went down even further suddenly after we were married, even though I was already suffering cfs. He had/has the symptoms that Elph has spoken of especially lots of cavities and mouth ulcers.

I am not about to take antibx as I am still considering whether to take them for Lyme, so am going to take herbs plus rife.

I started Mutaflor 4 days ago and am tolerating it, and resistant starch (Bob's Mill) galactoimmune prebiotic with beta-glucan, leaving out bifido which I was taking plus mastic gum which is antimicrobial, adding GSE OLE and oregano oil when I get my order in.

I stopped RS for 2 days and took a dose last night and was really knocked out. It was a very deep sleep indeed.

I am looking for rife frequencies but there might be a problem with where I live as there is a phone mast nearby which means I may have to use a faraday cage.
 

Christopher

Senior Member
Messages
576
Location
Pennsylvania
I have strep. show on a recent CSA and think I caught it from my ex. nearly 30 years ago as my health went down even further suddenly after we were married, even though I was already suffering cfs. He had/has the symptoms that Elph has spoken of especially lots of cavities and mouth ulcers.

I am not about to take antibx as I am still considering whether to take them for Lyme, so am going to take herbs plus rife.

I started Mutaflor 4 days ago and am tolerating it, and resistant starch (Bob's Mill) galactoimmune prebiotic with beta-glucan, leaving out bifido which I was taking plus mastic gum which is antimicrobial, adding GSE OLE and oregano oil when I get my order in.

I stopped RS for 2 days and took a dose last night and was really knocked out. It was a very deep sleep indeed.

I am looking for rife frequencies but there might be a problem with where I live as there is a phone mast nearby which means I may have to use a faraday cage.

Brenda,

The RS really knocks me out as well. I have been taking between 2 and 4 tablespoons a day, and yesterday I was borderline comatose. I don't understand why this happens, but I seem to recall a similar feeling when I was taking Culturelle (which is L. GG probiotic and inulin prebiotic).
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,263
Location
UK
I'm still on 1 Tbsp so goodness knows what I will be like on 2-4! Indeed borderline comatose! I have never felt like that in my whole life. This evening I will take 2 Tbsp.
 

maryb

iherb code TAK122
Messages
3,602
Location
UK
@brenda
I am on the last few drops of my oregano oil - I've been rubbing it onto the soles of my feet over the past few days, I got mine from Canada - where are you ordering it and your OLE from? I was thinking of adding that as well, I can't tolerate anything oral at present, have had an ongoing sickness and things are just making me gag all the time. I had strep show up on my last test so think there's good advice in this thread
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,263
Location
UK
@brenda
I am on the last few drops of my oregano oil - I've been rubbing it onto the soles of my feet over the past few days, I got mine from Canada - where are you ordering it and your OLE from? I was thinking of adding that as well, I can't tolerate anything oral at present, have had an ongoing sickness and things are just making me gag all the time. I had strep show up on my last test so think there's good advice in this thread


I am ordering from iherb. Just waiting for their potato starch coming in.
 

Elph68

Senior Member
Messages
598
So I had this dental clean done 2 weeks ago and now the IBS is sooooo bad, I've lost 3kgs in a week as I can't eat anything but chicken and well cooked veg. I tried 1slice of GF Bread on Sunday and its taken a day to recover. I hate Strep!!!!!! At least now I see the blatant connection with strep parasanguinus and salivarius. I tried the tiniest bit of Mutaflor on the weekend and it kicked my butt. But I'll try again next weekend.
Hi est_sunshine,

Maybe your gut has started fermenting .......Gluten free bread still contains sugar and fermentable starches ..... rice flour or cornflour or some other flour used in gluten free bread still feeds the strep bugs.

protein, fats, fiber ..... the only way to get the levels down in the gut .....

cheers
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,263
Location
UK
@Elph68

Look at the Resistant Starch Challenge thread - is it the missing key we've been looking for? thread. RS feeds the good bacteria in the gut.
 

Elph68

Senior Member
Messages
598
Hi Brenda,

Seems it is a fermentable starch ..... It could therefore feed the lactic acid producing bugs ....

Strep are lactic acid producing bugs ..... I wonder if it is not making you worse ...

The medico's believe that lactic acid producing bugs are good bugs ..... I have put all over this forum that it is pathogenic strains of supposedly good bugs which is the cause of CFS .... the undetectable infection .....

The whole medical profession assumes that viridans strep species are good .... so therefore treatment does not consider the implications of viridans strep or 'normal flora' being pathogenic ....

Cheers
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,263
Location
UK
Hi Brenda,

Seems it is a fermentable starch ..... It could therefore feed the lactic acid producing bugs ....

Strep are lactic acid producing bugs ..... I wonder if it is not making you worse ...

The medico's believe that lactic acid producing bugs are good bugs ..... I have put all over this forum that it is pathogenic strains of supposedly good bugs which is the cause of CFS .... the undetectable infection .....

The whole medical profession assumes that viridans strep species are good .... so therefore treatment does not consider the implications of viridans strep or 'normal flora' being pathogenic ....

Cheers

Hi Elph68

Studies over the last 30 years have show that resistant starch has health benefits.

I have only just reached the theraputic dose of 2 TBS, but up until now I have seen benefits as have others here who are trailing it. I was always slightly constipated but now have much better stools, and have had two full nights sleep of a deeper quality and more energy through the day, and one other sign I have when things are improving, is underarm sweating. This has convinced me that I should continue even though I have had a small increase of weight.

There are warnings about taking RS if you have too much of an overgrowth of pathogenic species so I guess that mine is still in the balance.