SIBO/Candida Liklihood

[Booksellercate]

Hello,

I've had severe constant gastric issues for nearly a year. They came on suddenly/last August, although prior to that I've often had mild issues with erratic bloating and nausea for about 10 years.
Symptoms are: loss of appetite, nausea, fullness, 'lead brick' in stomach feeling, pain after eating, general stomach discomfort and a feeling of irritation/rawness in the stomach. I've lost 21lbs already-and I am a small person so this represents significant weightloss.
I was diagnosed with gastritis in December 2016 but my symptoms have been unresponsive to PPIs, H2 blockers and diet changes (including gluten elimination). Doctors aren't much help so I'm trying to establish other possible causes for my gastric misery.
I would like to rule out SIBO/yeast/Candida as possible causes. I had an organic acid test done last December. I've uploaded the intestinal microbial growth page from my test. Is this a reliable indicator of any overgrowth in my stomach? Is the elevated arabinose significant?
Thank you for any comments/suggestions!

 

[pcmenten]

Wow! Brilliant!

You might want to look into taking some supplements to try to reduce Candida. Lots out there. Also, try the S. boulardii, and tweak your diet for more resistant starches.

 

[Booksellercate]

Wow! Brilliant!

You might want to look into taking some supplements to try to reduce Candida. Lots out there. Also, try the S. boulardii, and tweak your diet for more resistant starches.

Thank you - I currently have that strain sitting in my Amazon basket - I think you kindly suggested this on another thread

I assume you think that elevated arabinose is implicated in candida, despite the other levels being low-normal? Candida is not something I know much of yet...

 

[pcmenten]

Yes, the combination of the symptoms you describe combined with the arabinose overgrowth was a pretty strong 'signal'. I suppose you did a quick web search of the term 'arabinose overgrowth'.

I recently started using supplements such as Candex and Candibactrin on an empty stomach. I've used S. boulardii with food before to help stabilize my gut during treatment with antibiotics. That combination has helped me with the malaise I would experience after a meal.

 

[Booksellercate]

Yes, the combination of the symptoms you describe combined with the arabinose overgrowth was a pretty strong 'signal'. I suppose you did a quick web search of the term 'arabinose overgrowth'.

I recently started using supplements such as Candex and Candibactrin on an empty stomach. I've used S. boulardii with food before to help stabilize my gut during treatment with antibiotics. That combination has helped me with the malaise I would experience after a meal.

Yes, although there were conflicting reports as only one was elevated and chances of candida are increased if more than one factor is elevated. There is no harm in my starting a course of S. boulardii for now- I am hoping to get a more accurate test when possible.

 

[alicec]

That is a normal gut test. Yes the arabinose is highish but it's not elevated and in any case there is very little evidence for arabinose being specific for candida.

The Great Plains Laboratory has patented (or in some other way trade-marked) arabinose as a marker of candida but they give no real information about what is behind the claim.

There is no scientific literature that I can find which shows any link between the two. All you will find are websites promoting the test which endlessly repeat GPL's claims.

Even if the arabinitol were elevated I would be very wary about relying on an isolated result in a dubious marker as a basis for diagnosis.

There is a link with D-arabinitol which definitely is specific for fungal growth but it is difficult to assess the levels claimed in OAT tests as being significant. The scientific literature looks at ratios of D (produced only by fungi) and L (produced by us) arabinitol.

 

[Hip]

I was diagnosed with gastritis in December 2016 but my symptoms have been unresponsive to PPIs, H2 blockers and diet changes (including gluten elimination). Doctors aren't much help so I'm trying to establish other possible causes for my gastric misery.

You may want to consider a chronic enterovirus infection of the stomach lining (from coxsackievirus B or echovirus) as a possible cause for your gastritis. This study found enterovirus infections in gastritis patients.

Unfortunately testing for coxsackievirus B and echovirus is expensive, and there is currently only one lab (ARUP Lab in the US) I am aware of which provides a test sensitive enough to detect the individual coxsackievirus B or echovirus serotypes in chronic infections.

Enterovirus expert Dr John Chia uses the immunomodulator oxymatrine to treat patients with enterovirus-associated ME/CFS, and he reports 30% make major improvements, with a reduction in their viral load. You can take oxymatrine on spec even without enterovirus testing. If your ME/CFS and gastritis were due to enterovirus, then oxymatrine could kill two birds with one stone.

There are also some enterovirus antivirals you can consider: see this post.



The sudden onset of your symptoms that you describe in your following post from on another thread certainly is typical of ME/CFS. ME/CFS can appear either as a sudden onset (within a few days) or gradual onset (slowly over many months), so with sudden onset ME/CFS, it is not that unusual to be fine one day, and have full ME/CFS the next.

March 2016 – I experienced an acute onset of severe neurological symptoms. I was out shopping one day and it was like a switch had flicked. I was suddenly severely lightheaded, faint, weak, my balance was gone. I left the supermarket to go home as I felt so unwell. Walking back to my car, I only just made it across the road as my legs were so weak and went numb. I collapsed by the side of my car.

You might find this document of interest (it's designed for "beginners" with ME/CFS):

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome — A Roadmap For Testing And Treatment

 

[Booksellercate]

You may want to consider a chronic enterovirus infection of the stomach lining (from coxsackievirus B or echovirus) as a possible cause for your gastritis. This study found enterovirus infections in gastritis patients.

Unfortunately testing for coxsackievirus B and echovirus is expensive, and there is currently only one lab (ARUP Lab in the US) I am aware of which provides a test sensitive enough to detect the individual coxsackievirus B or echovirus serotypes in chronic infections.

Enterovirus expert Dr John Chia uses the immunomodulator oxymatrine to treat patients with enterovirus-associated ME/CFS, and he reports 30% make major improvements, with a reduction in their viral load. You can take oxymatrine on spec even without enterovirus testing. If your ME/CFS and gastritis were due to enterovirus, then oxymatrine could kill two birds with one stone.

There are also some enterovirus antivirals you can consider: see this post.



The sudden onset of your symptoms that you describe in your following post from on another thread certainly is typical of ME/CFS. ME/CFS can appear either as a sudden onset (within a few days) or gradual onset (slowly over many months), so with sudden onset ME/CFS, it is not that unusual to be fine one day, and have full ME/CFS the next.



You might find this document of interest (it's designed for "beginners" with ME/CFS):

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome — A Roadmap For Testing And Treatment

Thank you for giving me another possible cause to investigate. understanding the cause of gastritis is important I think to recovering.
I'm in the UK, I'm not sure if this is something the NHS will test for.
Especial thanks for link to the list of anti-virals.

And...the last link, lots of useful information for me to work through, which looks clearly and logically laid out. Very helpful when you're not quite sure where to start.

Thanks you.

 

[Hip]

@Booksellercate I am also in the UK, and unfortunately all too aware of the limitations regarding what the NHS is willing to test for.

I was lucky enough to find a Dutch lab in Utrecht to test my blood for coxsackievirus B, using the same very sensitive neutralization test that ARUP Lab use (my Utrecht results showed I had high titers to coxsackievirus B4, indicating a chronic active infection with this particular coxsackievirus B).

This test in Utrecht only cost just over €100, whereas the ARUP test is a steep $440.

Unfortunately Utrecht have now stopped doing this sensitive neutralization test for coxsackievirus B, and I am not aware of any other lab other than ARUP that provides it.

Other means of coxsackievirus B and echovirus testing (like PCR and complement fixation) are of little use in ME/CFS, because they are not sensitive enough to detect the chronic, low level infections found in ME/CFS patients. Possibly the cheap coxsackievirus B test provided by ArminLabs may be of use (but this will not tell you which particular Coxsackie B viruses you have, out of the 6 types).


Glad you find the roadmap useful. It's only a starting point for doing more research and reading, but the idea of the roadmap is to provide an overview of the sort of testing and treatments that are available and commonly used by the internationally renowned ME/CFS doctors.