From the Desk of Carolyn Dean MD ND
Why do I use humic acid and fulvic acid in my yeast protocol? These are naturally occurring substances that contain a high volume of both prebiotics and probiotics that stimulate and support the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestines.
We have at least 400 different species of probiotics in the gut that require care and maintenance and according to an article published in Bioengineered, there are at least 1,000 bacterial species in the intestines.[i] Humic and fulvic acids contain species of probiotics and prebiotics unique to the plants and soil from which they come, whereas the typical commercially available supplements only have a half dozen probiotics and no prebiotics.
Fulvic acid and humic acid are components of humus (yes, soil) which is the result of plants, seaweeds and organic compounds being decomposed by microorganisms and pressed down by a millennia of more dead plants. Fulvic acid, like a good sea salt, can contain over 70 trace minerals as well as groups of organic acids, polyphenols, flavonoids, amino acids, electrolytes, fatty acids, silica (which boosts collagen synthesis), prebiotics, and probiotics acting as an eclectic catalyst for many biochemical processes.
Fulvic acid brings these nutrients to the cells and has the capacity for detoxification because it can bind and grab heavy metals and other toxins. Fulvic acid also acts like a catalyst with all its constituents helping body processes in ways that are not yet measured.
Because soil-based organisms are so important, I just rinse my farm produce, I don’t sterilize it like I’ve done in the past with ozonated water or grapefruit seed extract. I never could get my head around using chlorine bleach in my rinse water like some people did and probably still do.
We have to be exposed to environmental soil-based bacteria to help feed our intestinal flora.
Taking fiber and eating fermented foods, and avoiding or rotating sugar, gluten and dairy, are the other important components of a yeast overgrowth protocol.
The rest of my yeast protocol uses Saccharomyces bourlardii, a gentle antifungal, and picometer-sized, stabilized ions of liquid silver.
A little-known fact is that short-chain fatty acids are produced when friendly gut bacteria, like those provided by humic and fulvic acid, ferment fiber in your intestines. These fatty acids are the main source of energy for the cells lining your intestines. They may reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases, type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and other conditions by modulating the cytokine response that is mounted in the face of infection. Fiber is therefore anti-inflammatory and improves insulin resistance.
About 95% of the short-chain fatty acids in your body are: acetate (C2), propionate (C3), butyrate (C4). Propionate is mainly involved in producing glucose in the liver and small intestine, acetate is important for energy production and synthesis of lipids, and butyrate is the preferred energy source for cells that line your intestines. Butyrate is used in alt med testing labs to identify gut problems including gut microbiome imbalance.
Many factors affect the amount of short-chain fatty acids in your colon, including how many microorganisms are present, the food source, and the time it takes food to travel through your digestive system.
NOTE: I’m going into all this detail about fiber because a book I recently read about oxalates says that many fiber-rich foods are high in oxalates, and you’re supposed to avoid them. The author justifies her ban by saying that fiber is overrated, which I don’t believe for a second.
The Science of Humic/Fulvic Acids: Oxidation/Reduction
A redox reaction is the mechanism by which the body creates energy and drives most essential metabolic processes. Oxidation loses electrons and reduction gains electrons. It’s a wonderful give-and-take, and apparently humic/fulvic acids can perform both of these beneficial functions.
They are called bidirectional electron donors. They can bind heavy metals – mercury, lead, and cadmium and then escort them out of the body via the colon. They can also neutralize pesticides, and herbicides like glyphosate, and even radioactive compounds. I don’t know of any other naturally occurring organic substance that has these abilities.
Fulvic acid is a powerful electrolyte because of the excess amount of negative ions that it contains. This property makes it adept at restoring electrochemical balance and being able to induce a voltage effect creating a little spark. The spark of life. Of course, I’m including this in my yeast protocol!
On a recent webinar, Dr. Daniel Nuzum praised humic/fulvic acids.
Humic/fulvic helps heavy metal detox and cleans up the herbicide glyphosphate. It heals the damage caused as well with the nutrients it contains. Also, its antioxidant capacity is second to none. It acts like a salve on a wound. However, one problem with taking them is blocked pathways of detoxification in the bowels and liver and dehydration. With those blocks, people can have Jarisch–Herxheimer effects. First, do colon, liver, kidney cleansing, then use H/F as gentle chelators. EDTA is the usual chelator that doctors use. It has 8 receptor sites to pull toxins, two are used up by Ca or Na. So you only have 6 left to bind heavy metals and toxins. With fulvic acid, you have a minimum of 60 receptor sites. Fulvic can donate 85% of its nutrient capacity and still be biologically active and able to pull the heavy metal out and replace the nutrients back in the system.
Here’s what I would recommend.
Saturate your cells with picometer-sized, stabilized ions of liquid magnesium, which begins the process of removing heavy metals and gets the bowels functioning properly. Take methylated and food-based B Vitamins and amino acid precursors to glutathione helps liver detoxification. And follow a yeast protocol using humic/fulvic acids, Saccharomyces bourlardii, and picometer-sized, stabilized ions of liquid silver.
Pre- and Probiotics
I was on the soil-based probiotic bandwagon many years ago and I was right. The lacto and bifido bacteria that were being studied are only a tiny fraction of the intestinal microbiome. They are the most common probiotics found in the stool. But when researchers began sampling small intestinal bowel contents, they found much more hardy varieties of bacteria.
Remember your gut has up to 1,000 species of probiotics and you really shouldn’t overload your gut with billions of CFUs (colony forming units) of the few probiotic bacteria available commercially. This approach can actually lead to an imbalance in delicate gut flora.
In conclusion, take humic/fulvic in your supplement protocol for your pre- and probiotics. The prebiotics come from the fibrous material. Unless you talk to a biodynamic, organic farmer, you would never know that the soil is supposed to contain all the nutrients that the body needs. In ancient times the soil was rich and we now take advantage of that by taking humic/fulvic supplements. You can obtain even more benefits for your intestinal microbiome by eating fermented foods: sauerkraut, kimchi, and unsweetened yogurt that contains probiotics.
Carolyn Dean MD ND
The Doctor of the Future
