Are You Fermenting?

J L McDaniel January 10, 2016

Self fermenting or Gut Fermenting that is.

Two forms of fermentation

I don’t mean do you ferment (pickle) food or do you eat fermented food? I mean – Is you body fermenting? Fermentation is a metabolic process that converts sugar (glucose) to acids, gases or alcohol (ethyl alcohol the kind you drink) and CO2. This article will address what I am calling Self-fermentation. I should know for I was self-fermenting that is what made me sick.

My Continuing discussion on Gut Health

This article is part five of my continuing story on how I regained my Health using natural food. I didn’t have much help except for some very dedicated and knowledgable homeopathic doctors with fact filled web sites. I had to do a great deal of research, and learning by trail and error. These articles document my results. All I can say is THANK GOD FOR THE INTERNET.

Much more of this later but, I have found the world of modern medicine knows little to nothing about nutrition for the subject isn’t included in the education for a Medical Degree. But if you ask me, Doctors know more about nutrition than they know about Yeast Infections. I had to turn to functional, heath fitness coaching and training, intensive care, homeopathic, rehab, and sports medicine to get any answers.

My Road to Health Recovery

On the road to recover my health, I stopped eating the low-fat high carb Standard American Diet (SAD) of process foods. SAD may be low-fat (bad) but is also loaded with carbs and sugar (which is also bad).

I started slowly for I was badly addicted and I LOVED MY CARBS. I didn’t think I could ever give them up.

As I have explained before in this blog, I didn’t have a major health insurance policy and was limited in funds. I had been taught all my life when in trouble get back to basics. Eat from the land and God will provide. I started eating basic home or local farmer grown food.

I found eating a plant-based diet loaded with antioxidants helped my system restore a natural alkaline pH balance. Antioxidants helped repair the free-radical damage. Oxygen could now reach the mitochondria one cell at a time. My system reacted by building new and stronger mitochondria which deliver the ATP energy I so desperately needed.

My system naturally started to detox on its own. In other words once given the tools it automatically started removing toxins. I was feeling better and my energy was increasing daily.

Intolerant to Fermented Foods

The diet was a good start but it wasn’t enough, I also had to rebuild my gut and strengthen the immune system. I turned to Probiotics, which means fermented foods. Probiotic supplements if of any effect are expensive.

In order to increase my stomach’s natural hydrochloric acid, I began to eat probiotic. But, I ran into difficulty. Even with a small amount my system responded with a big “NO THANK YOU – Give me NO MORE!!”. It made the message crystal clear by making my stomach very upset. I started belching again, had the runs, stomach cramps and pain everywhere.

I was intolerant to fermented foods, even 1 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) caused discomfort. My body pH balance was still too loaded with acid.

In the past, I really enjoy fermented foods, of course, that was years ago. Now I had to avoid Fermented Foods Why? What changed?

My Learning About Fermentation

The subject of fermentation is not easy for me to understand. I was trying to understand Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Fibromyalgia, Leaky Gut and other illness and didn’t make the connection to Systemic Candida Yeast. In fact, I had forgotten all about it until my research found the overgrowth of Candida Yeast caused or at least contributed to most of my symptoms.

Reading works of Dr. Majid, Dr. Carolyn Dean (The Yeast Connection) and many others helped me to understand more about Yeast Overgrowth. I still am learning but with the presence of yeast in my system, I was fermenting generating alcohol and my body was not able to utilize the nutrition from the foods I was eating. It’s called Malabsorption syndrome.

Yeast exists by naturally fermenting (feeding off sugar, creating an acid pH, CO2 and alcohol). Just like when you are making wine from grapes.

I learned there are two kinds of fermentation one is good when it is done to make food and one is bad or unhealthy when it is done in the human body. It is called self fermentation or Gut Fermentation Syndrome.

I realized I couldn’t tolerate fermented foods because I WAS ALREADY FERMENTED!! My system could not tolerate any more acid containing foods.

Rebuilding

It took me at least a year to slowly rebuild my system using a plant-based diet. I found instead of fermented foods I could tolerate bitter foods. I fell in love with the lemon and I used it and other bitter foods to rebuild the proper acid (hydrochloric acid) in my gut. A strong hydrochloric acid base helps keep Yeast in control.

Using the lemon, silver and Aloe Vera helped slowly rebuild the gut. Other bitter foods worked as well. I spent over a year eating uncooked Kale on everything.

My Previous Articles on Gut Health

This article is part five, the first article was “Heartburn – Too Much or Too Little Stomach Acid?”. The second was “Are We Too Clean”. The third covered food fermentation and the importance of pickling Pickling A Lost Tradition. The last was Vinegar, Digestion and Candida Yeast a Introduction.

What is Fermenting?

A quick overview

Fermentation is a metabolic process that converts sugar (glucose) to acids, gases or alcohol (ethyl alcohol the kind you drink) and CO2. It occurs in yeast and bacteria, and also in oxygen-starved muscle cells, as in the case of lactic acid fermentation.

My Illness and Air Hunger

What brought me to the hospital over 4 years ago was Air Hunger. The reason I went to the Emergency room in the first place was I could not get enough air and was getting so weak I could barely walk.

Air Hunger Acidosis

At the risk of over-simplification and repeating myself, Air Hunger is another name for acidosis. The body cannot get rid of the acid and your cells can’t get any oxygen. Cells need oxygen to stay alive. The patient is attempting to increase ventilation (O2 oxygen) to the lungs and exhale the build up of (carbon dioxide CO2). This is an emergency situation the person must be able to get oxygen and they are not.

This condition is secondary in other words some underlying disease is causing it. Air Hunger can occur naturally for an example, during intense exercise like during a long distance run. The runner simply uses up all available oxygen. That is why training consists of learning how to breathe.

I wasn’t a long distance runner, I could barely get out of bed. This can also occur as a symptom of Diabetes called Diabetic Ketoacidosis

My Hospital Stay

I have described my hospital stay in the article Are We Being Too Clean? Here is some more important details.

I had to almost crawl to my neighbors and have her take be to the local Hospital’s Emergency Room. Once there, I was given the traditional emergency procedures for respiratory distress but the doctors could not understand why I simply couldn’t get enough air. I was not responding to treatment – Even with constant suppliers oxygen. Why was I so hungry for Air?

The doctors placed me on oxygen and medication (IV antibiotics, inhalers, insulin, nebulizer, and steroids). I became stable several hours later and was admitted for further observation and tests. Even with oxygen any simple exertion would make me breathless. I didn’t have the strength to even get out of bed let along walk around.

In medical terms the condition is also called breathlessness, dyspnea, dyspnoea, or shortness of breath of (SOB). Without supplied oxygen, I had to hyperventilating to get enough air.

Doctors were at a loss

After a few days of testing and I still wasn’t responding to treatment. I was holding my own but not getting any better. The Doctors did not know what was wrong and acted like they had never seen this before. They would stand around and look down at me and ask me “Why are you not getting enough air”? As if I was guilty of something. I think they though I was being too lazy to breathe. I’m sure I would be tagged as a mental cause, but breathing is an automatic body function your brain has nothing to do with it.

All I know is – I didn’t want to be sick and I certainly wanted out of that bed and off oxygen. I can’t support myself if I couldn’t breath. I know younger people are dying all around me but I wasn’t going anywhere – I too young to be this sick and if I had anything to do about it I wasn’t going to be sick either. I made a vow with my creator and took charge.

I began to analyze my own condition. I had tremendous gas and bloating. I would belch so hard It would double me over with spasms of pain so bad it even hurt to breath. I always had a runny nose and was constantly drooling I had to have a glass around to prevent myself from choking on my own saliva. I know for I had some coughing spasms also. I had problems on the other end also mainly it itched like crazy. In fact, I itched all over even my ears itched.

I decided the only test left was the one I hated the most called a colonoscopy. I had been avoiding it for years. It was time I finally got one. I told to the Doctors to schedule and perform an exploratory only Upper GI, and lower GI colonoscopy.

Upper and Lower means from both ends. I would not allow them to cut or take biopsy samples. I was on blood thinners I did not want to bleed to death a known side effect of a colonoscopy.

I submitted to the exam.

I was Diagnosed with Systemic Candida Yeast Overgrowth

The upper GI exam revealed active Candida Yeast overgrown in the esophagus. They couldn’t take a biopsy due to my instructions. I’m sure the colon would show Candida Yeast also.

The acid from the stomach had burned holes in the esophagus (I had GERD) and Yeast had taken up residence. I was then diagnosed with systemic Candida Yeast infection. Systemic means throughout the system EVERYWHERE in other words.

By the way, I was so weak my heart stopped during the procedure but the heart rhythm return almost immediately. I woke up after the first good sleep I have had in a long time and everyone around me was as white as a sheet. I was OKED by the head man and was sent back to my room. I think I looked a little pale after I found out.

I could breath again

Once I was diagnosed, I was treated with an 5 day anti-fungal oral medication. Almost immediately I began to breath better, and could safely remove the oxygen and breath on my own within an hour of taking the pill.

In the next couple of days I regained enough strength to get out of bed and walk around. That weekend they sent me home after 8 days in the hospital. I was still very weak but on the mend.

I Was Sent Home

I think they were glad to get rid of me. I was sent home with 13 different medications none of which had anything to do with Yeast, fungus or acidosis. They gave me a month supply of medication covering blood pressure, blood thinners, heart arrhythmia, inhalers, nebulizer, and steroids, but nothing for Yeast and acidosis.

One of the conditions of Candida Yeast and Acidosis is Brain Fog and I had it big time. I didn’t know where to begin I had spent many years working in health care and never really thought much about yeast. I didn’t know anything about yeast. Yeast was rarely treated except for skin rashes and Yeast in the vagina for women. I forgot all about the yeast, I didn’t even think yeast needed treatment.

I just knew I would have to start eating healthy to get well.

Modern Medicine Does Not Recognize Fungus or Yeast as a Disease

More about this a little later but, even with my brain fog I knew It takes a long time to get rid of Yeast. Anyone who have Athletes foot, Jock Itch, Toe Fungus or a Vagina Yeast infection knows it may go away for a while after treatment but returns over and over again or it takes forever to get rid of. Even the CDC knows that.

Yet I couldn’t even get a refill or another prescription for the treatment of the yeast infection I was diagnosed with. It was like the doctors didn’t even recognize I had it.

Candida Yeast Overgrowth

This is not an article on Candida Yeast. It covers the side effect called acidosis. Briefly to explain Candida Yeast lives in your gut. We were born with yeast in our gut, it belongs there. It is very useful for your immune system and you cannot live without it. You immune system is in charge and controls the functions of yeast.

If the immune system becomes weakened and out of balance from eating unhealthy toxic foods, or being over medicated, it can’t contain and control yeast. Yeast will change its form and escape. Unchecked Candida Yeast will grow out of control and invade other body tissues especially if it has sugar to feed off. The more sugar it has the stronger it gets. It invades the blood stream and can enter almost any organ. It favors the sinuses, gut, genital area, lymph system, and anywhere thats is hollow and dark.

When Yeast escapes the stomach’s acid environment, it proceeds to turn a nice oxygen filled alkaline pH balance into acid. Yeast hates oxygen, It eats oxygen and delivers CO2; Yeast loves sugar. Yeast creates a constant craving for sugar it can’t get enough. The more sugar it gets, the stronger it gets the less oxygen you have.

This may be an oversimplification but these diagrams illustrate exactly what happens during self fermentation.

This is also called Yeast fermentation. What happens to your system when there isn’t anymore oxygen?

What Happens When There Isn’t Any Oxygen Left?

This is called Anaerobic Respiration. It is the same type of respiration done when you hold your breath or that long distant runner runs out of oxygen. Your body has an emergency survival mechanism and it converts to first lactic respiration than alcoholic respiration.

Anaerobic Respiration Two forms of fermentation

Unlike the medical community including the newest bioengineering craze, your body is very adaptive to the real world. Your body uses a little know process call fermentation. This process may not be known by your doctor but it is well know in the world of Intensive Care, Physical medicine & Rehabilitation, Sport and health science, body endurance training and other action centers including Open Heart Surgery, Homeopathic and Functional Medicine.

The medical community and white coats in the labs don’t even recognize that there is yeast in the gut let alone gut fermentation.

Other Names for Self Fermentation

The metabolic process used by your body to deliver energy when there isn’t any Oxygen has many other names besides fermentation and they are:

Air Hunger, Anaerobic Respiration, Alcoholic Respiration, Bad fermentation , celiac disease/gluten sensitivity, Lactic Acid fermentation, Malabsorption syndrome, Self fermentation Yeast fermentation, to name a few.

In passing – have you heard to this? To quote abc News “Mysterious Syndrome Can Cause People to Become ‘Drunk’ Without Drinking’

Many Diseases Are In Fact Candida Yeast Overgrowth

Modern general medicine may not recognize yeast overgrowth as disease, but I’m a living example. Take my word for it — it is real and it affects a great many people around me. Now that my yeast is back under control, my brain fog is gone and the blinders have been removed from my eyes I see it everywhere. I work in a Nursing Home and see it daily.

Candida Yeast infection medications may not generate enormous profits but I am convinced at least 75% of most diseases are secondary to Candida Yeast. “People may have all sorts of diagnosis but most often there is just one cause.” Critical Health News Ben Fuchs

Modern conventional doctors don’t seem to recognize the symptoms of Candida overgrowth and often attribute it to “It’s All In Your Head,” syndrome and quickly write a prescription drug for treatment of depression. Many if not most illness is different stages or degrees of Candida Yeast Overgrowth.

To quote Dr. Mercola, “Millions of people are currently fighting a battle against a single-cell fungus they cannot see. This fungus belongs to a family of yeasts called Candida Albicans and under normal circumstances it’s a harmless part of your skin, intestines, and for women, your vagina…” “…Because Candida overgrowth, or Candidiasis, is so often overlooked by physicians, it’s difficult to say exactly how many people may be affected, but estimates suggest that up to 80 million Americans may suffer from yeast-related problems — and 70 percent of them are women…”

I will Leave You With One More Example of Candida Yeast and its many Side Effects