By Nancy Knudson,
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
What Are Biofilms?
Biofilms are a slimy sludge that bacteria, molds, fungus, and other microorganisms form over the top of themselves to protect themselves in like a cocoon. They are often antibiotic resistant, and very hard to get rid of. They can lie dormant and then reemerge during times of stress or poor health.
Biofilms can be found in nature on plants, rocks or even metal. An example is the sludge on a pond. The slime that is down in your bathroom sink and the plaque that is on our teeth are also examples. They can be present in catheters, breast or other medical implants, chronic wounds, lung, heart, and any kind of infection. It is estimated that 80% of worldwide infections are biofilm infections.
What is the BIG DEAL about Gut Health & Biofilms???
When biofilms colonize within the intestinal tract they can harbor parasites, yeast, molds, bacteria, viruses, fungus, undigested food particles and toxins. This is a huge factor in the breakdown process of the small intestine, contributing to problems like SIBO, leaky gut, nutrient deficiencies, and more. This slimy toxic film is often at the root of why people continue to struggle with health issues despite continued efforts to eat healthy and live a healthy lifestyle. I see over and over that when we address biofilms and leaky gut, people find relief from their symptoms.
As I was pursuing functional medicine for my own health a decade ago and becoming super frustrated with very strict dieting and spending lots and LOTS of money on lots of supplements that didn’t work and lots medical testing, I became more and more convinced that there had to be simpler solutions for better health.
So how do you Resolve Leaky Gut & Biofilms?????
#1 Key place to start is to start eating CLEANER! I always tell people… “Your diet doesn’t have to be perfect.” My diet isn’t perfect. My health isn’t perfect, but it is 100 times better than where I was 15 years ago when I was struggling with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, MS symptoms, chronic infections, insomnia, depression, and my list goes on!!! In addition to my health issues, I have the MTHFR genetic variants. (The MTHFR gene provides instructions for making an enzyme called methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. This enzyme plays a role in processing amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.) I also suffered from childhood trauma and had multiple tick bites with red bullseye rash as a kid, so it was all a lot to navigate!
#2 Thing to work on is those biofilms and leaky gut! When I learned about biofilms about nine years ago, I did a ton of research and found that different botanicals are known to break down different microbes and biofilms in the intestinal tract. Government research studies and lots of other research show that essential oils are a great way to help break down even antibiotic resistant biofilms.
Awe! FINALLY, the answer I was looking for!
I had tried several products on the market that really didn’t make me feel well at all. In addition to my study at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and the Institute for Functional Medicine I ended up studying with the Essential Oil Institute. Over the course of a few years, I formulated four different blends to address leaky gut and biofilms.
Why 4 blends? Because different people need different things and because we need different things at different times. So rather than try to get out the big guns, kill everything off at once and overwhelm our bodies with herxheimer reactions (more on that later) I created 4 different blends for addressing biofilms.
Different symptoms indicate different kinds of yeast, bacteria, parasites, viruses or other microbes or toxins in the body. Having 4 different blends allows us to focus on the symptoms that we have going on.
1) Rescue Me—The first place to start for anyone experiencing diarrhea, soft unformed stool, nausea, headache, stomach upset. Often these symptoms are an indication of parasites and bacterial infections.
2) Daily Digest—Great first place to start for anyone not needing the Rescue Me blend first. Great for long term safe gentle daily detoxification, digestive support and keeping microbes in check! This blend has 14 different botanicals including turmeric and black pepper for inflammation, cilantro for heavy metal detoxification, basil for histamine modulation, bitter herbs for enzyme production, detox support and more.
3) Warrior Strong—My go to recommendation for getting the gut microbes in better balance. This is a blend of 12 different antimicrobials great for providing broad spectrum support for breaking down bacteria, molds, fungus, yeast and other biofilms. This blend is to be used for 2-4 weeks then repeated as needed. Not meant for long term continual use.
4) Anointed—Specifically for weight, cholesterol, blood sugar, thyroid, lung, and heart support. This blend is also anti-inflammatory and has antimicrobials known to combat viruses and parasites.
I developed 12 different blends in total for specific health purposes. Including a hormone support blend, a cognitive support blend, four different parasympathetic nervous system/sleep blends, and those four biofilm disruptive formulas mentioned above.
As we say, in functional medicine, always start with the gut!
I have been using these formulas in my practice along with all my other favorite adaptogenic herbs and whole food nutrients for about eight years now and getting great feedback. You can find those on the SHOP page of my website and check out my Google Reviews!
Of course, addressing the other pieces for our health is also so important… decreasing your toxin load, addressing emotional issues, and nutrient deficiencies are also key in our health journey. My website has tons of great FREE resources and videos to help you on your journey. I look forward to supporting you on your way
Let me know if you have questions. You can fill out my Health History Evaluation form and schedule a 25 minute consultation for $45 on the Contact Page.
Better Health is within reach!