New study about connection between gut bacteria and dry eye

[SjoGirl]

Found this on the AARDA Facebook page today https://sjogrenssyndromenews.com/2019/07/30/alterations-in-gut-bacteria-may-be-linked-to-eye-dryness-in-sjogrens/?fbclid=IwAR0MZlXQ1n15dwLQ-QLKuhzzEbtUsa_3IWVSs8n5DxnXjLGT8uhXFMA7tWI

[araminta]

Interesting, thanks for posting.   I'm presently taking some probiotics in the hope of improving my IBS type symptoms.   No change so far but it's only been a couple of weeks.

[SjoGirl]

Araminta, what probiotic are you taking?

[Sharon]

Good article SjoGirl.
From my understanding of the article we have more than anything else an abundance of "bad bacteria".
Probiotics won't change that. Wonder what dietary changes might?

[araminta]

Araminta, what probiotic are you taking?

The exotic sounding Bioglan Biotic Balance Ultimate Flora.    I'm in the UK so maybe this is only available here.   It contains Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus ramnosus, Bifidobacterium longum, Sacharamyces boulardii.   

[araminta]

Good article SjoGirl.
From my understanding of the article we have more than anything else an abundance of "bad bacteria".
Probiotics won't change that. Wonder what dietary changes might?

True, that's what it sounds like.   Maybe I'm wasting my money here.

[SjoGirl]

Good discussion and questions. When I first got sick I visited a holistic practitioner who put me on probiotics. Those actually caused more issues than not, my nose started to break out in pustules, I had the runs, etc. So I weaned off of them but then ended up on a PPI for years.

I am just now weaning off of the PPI and switching to Zantac or Pepcid because the PPIs are increasingly shown to have serious effects when used longterm. I have been having more and more heart palpitations and believe the PPI is one of the causes.

I too wonder about foods. The problem as I perceive it is that there are hundreds, I think maybe millions of gut bacteria. I don't know how one crafts a diet to decrease some without maybe creating another imbalance. I suppose is what we have the scientists and personalized medicine for.

I am going to an AARDA autoimmune conference in Pittsburgh in September. They will be featuring folks from a new autoimmune research/treatment center at Allegheny General, maybe they will speak to this or I can ask about it.

[rapnzl]

Thanks, Sjogirl.

Looking forward to reading about what you learn at the conference!

[irish]

The think to remember with all these nutritional items is that they want to make money and taking a pill every day or a whole bunch of pills every day makes them money. I noticed that when I ate yogurt every day I soon got a belly ache and would end up with diarrhea.

Sooo, I have the probiotic that I have picked out and I will take one a day when I am on antibiotics. At least for a while. I sort of let my gut be my guide. When I am not taking antibiotics I find that one a week seems to be a happy medium. I I eat too many carbs or sugar I will sometimes add an extra one. Like all things we have to pay attention to our body.

I can't say that I have ever had any problems from probiotics other than with the antibiotics taken without probiotics. It makes sense to take certain ones and a certain amount. If you read up on bile acid diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome you will see some interesting info on probiotics and the gut in relation to a lot of health issues..also use the words bile acid malabsorption.  Irish

P.S. I did a little research on probiotics and found a very long article on side effects from probiotics. It really did surprise me and it makes one think even more about all the meds we put in our body. I did this study a few months ago when I was encouraging my son to take probiotics once a week or so. He read the article and I think it scared him a whole lot.

[rapnzl]

Good article SjoGirl.
From my understanding of the article we have more than anything else an abundance of "bad bacteria".
Probiotics won't change that. Wonder what dietary changes might?

I recently viewed a presentation by a renowned cardiologist (yes, that's what I said...lol) in my state who has been researching the connection between diet and heart disease.  He makes a compelling, scientific argument for removing wheat and wheat products from our diets. Folks he's studied who were successful in doing so experienced less inflammation (read "arthritis" - osteo and rheumatoid), lost weight, improved cholesterol, lowered HgbA1c, and host of other benefits. He doesn't claim any specific correlation between dumping wheat and improved "gut biome", but acknowledges that, while still emerging, the science of gut bacteria is related to all of this.

There are many different bacteria in our digestive tracts, and some are capable of producing serious - possibly lethal - consequences if they run amok. So, I'd not be surprised if a connection can be found between that and Sjogrens...or any auto-immune disease.

[Sharon]

rapnzl- I have found everything you stated about wheat products to be true in my case. If I eat anything with gluten I have arthritic flares and malaise. I have tested negative for Celiac, it's just an unrelated general inflammatory respose. Dairy and sugar- same. My issues all began with gastro symptoms, so I tend to agree it may be related to AI illness.
There is so much talk about "healing the gut" for various illnesses, but I don't think anyone has found the magic recipe to do just that. I have heard that fecal transplants do actually help in many cases, but it's not a one-time thing.

irish- Indeed, I have had pretty bad side effects with some probiotics. Others just don't seem to do a thing.   

[SjoGirl]

There is so much talk about "healing the gut" for various illnesses, but I don't think anyone has found the magic recipe to do just that. I have heard that fecal transplants do actually help in many cases, but it's not a one-time thing.

What does it's not a one-time thing mean? Do the transplants have to be done every so many years?

Even though I too tested negative for Celiac I stopped eating wheat about 10 years ago. Do I cheat on occasion? Yes.  Do I regret it? Yes. I have similar symptoms of lethargy and swelling. My issues also started in my gut but as noted there are so many flora down there so it's really difficult to know just now what is causing what (or isn't).

[irish]

There was an article just recently about celiac and people who are not celiac feeling better off of wheat.

He went on to explain that these people are not "celiac" or in that category but that they have an inflammatory response to wheat and they get miserable when they eat it. This is not an allergy either he said. Some people are just more sensitive to some foods and do better leaving them out of their diet. I thought that sounded reasonable. Irish

[Sharon]

irish- That sounds about right. My gluten intolerance began with my SS symptoms, so I believe that the added inflammation from gluten on top of the baseline inflammation that comes with SS made the difference for me.

SjoGirl- Regarding the fecal transplant depends how long it takes for your natural flora to take over again. I've heard some may need to have it done about every six months.

[rapnzl]

Irish... it sure is complicated! What it boils down to is that we can be "gluten sensitive" without a positive celiac test, and still have problems. There are tests, now, for specific antibodies - through specialized labs that not every one of our docs might use. Watch for mention of Tissue Transglutaminase Antibodies.

There are reasonable, rational docs who believe we are all gluten sensitive, to some degree....and that we were not meant to eat the grain we call "wheat" today. In essence, we "evolved" wheat before we evolved enough as humans to digest it properly. Gluten is the key to the alteration of the immunology in our intestines, they say.

As a nurse, seeing docs talk about this stuff is scaring me into starting a wheat-free diet without getting a celiac test. I've never had digestive problems, but have a lot of food allergies....um....and, auto-immune stuff. There has to be a connection here. If Sjogrens is auto-immune, what can it hurt?