Does anyone with focus and concentration issues not have gut problems?

Symptoms
#1

I am keen to know if anyone here has focus and concentration issues, but does not have gut issues.

Because I am pretty much convinced I must have small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), and having read around a bit, especially this account of a SIBO recovery, in which the person reported lack of energy and severe focus and concentration issues, which he recovered from by treating SIBO, I believe this to be the root of that particular element of my PFS.

Having tested my waking body temperature and found it to be consistently below the optimum, I believe that fin has had a negative effect on my thyroid, which in turn has lowered my body temperature and made it a breeding ground for unwanted bacteria, parasites and pathogens, and there is a lot of information online about how these can have a knock-on auto-immune effect, as well as causing focus and concentration issues. Having spoken to some people with ADD, I see a great deal of comparison with their symptoms and how I am now, and again, in the blog I linked the guy says he basically seemed to develop something like ADD among other symptoms.

So I am really keen to know if there are people out there who have these focus and concentration issues, anxiety, ADD like symptoms, who can eat whatever they want and have completely normal bowel movements.

Just to note, it is possible to have a compromised gut and not show digestive symptoms, so if there is anyone with these problems but no noticeable gut issues, have they tested their waking body temperature? I just wonder if it could be possible that this same possible chain of events has affected them without them displaying noticeable digestive issues, and a consistently low (below 36C / 97F) would point to thyroid dysfunction, which again could make them susceptible to colonisation from nasties.

#2

I have all of these psychological issues and I don’t have gut issues.

#3

I had the psychological issues for a long time before the gut issues arrived

#4

@Sibelio do you have body temperature regulation issues at all? If so have you tested your waking body temperature to see if it is consistently low, indicating thyroid dysfunction. I only ask because you could have a compromised gut system but be asymptomatic. And that leads onto @LazarusRy, you could have had a compromised gut and been asymptomatic and it simply worsened. I mean the focus and concentration in both cases could actually be symptoms.

If you haven’t done it already before, I would suggest you get a thermometer and test your waking temperature. You have to do it over 14 days, test your temperature as soon as you wake up, before getting up, drinking or eating, ideally moving as little as possible. And if it comes in at consistently below 36C or 97F, averaged over the 14 days, that points to hypothyroidism.

I think finasteride triggers hypothyroidism in a lot of us, and I believe there was a guy in Japan who reportedly recovered just by getting onto thyroid meds. Definitely worth doing given you can get a decent thermometer for under $10. Lots of info online about how a lot of people live with hypothyroidism because they only use narrow parameters in the test. Hypothyroidism can cause focus and concentration issues on its own, and also is linked to SIBO, which also can have such issues as well as cause auto-immune reactions.

#5

I would agree with you on some of the thoughts of lower body temperature, but I believe this could have reasons outside of hypothyroidism.
If you do a quick search, you’ll probably find this has been looked into extensively.
I myself have had all the thyroid tests, even including a thyroid ultrasound.
I do believe though revving up body temperature could rev up immunity, to steal a line from a expert on the subject. The opposite could be true as well, lower body temperature= lowered immunity.

There is still hope?
#6

I’ve been delving into gut-brain axis for a long time. I had low body temperature coupled with depressive moods and concentration problem.

I’m still having gut problems to this day. I found antibiotic Xifaxan to temporarily fix my issues and help restore positive mood and concentration. This further justifies my suspicion that gut is the key. I’m under the impression that SIBO is a result of MMC dysfunction. Those who are successful with antibiotics for SIBO usually take prokinetics afterwards to prevent a relapse. Body temperature is a complex issue involving adrenals, thyroid, gut, & circulation.

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#7

My body temp is 34 degrees and my thyroid is within range

#8

Do you follow a gut protocol (i.e. ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting, probiotics, fecal implants)? I find a very significant correlation between symptoms and gut health (loosely measured, pun intended, by stool consistently). When I feel a better mood and more libido, my stools are more solid. It’s gotten to the point where I can basically predict how my stools will be based on my mental state.

#9

Xifaxan is the go to SIBO treatment antibiotic, because it doesn’t breach the intestinal walls and only hits the bacteria, so if you got serious relief from that it would suggest SIBO could be involved. Have you done a SIBO test?

#10

34 is very low. Is that your waking body temperature tested over 14 days each morning before getting up, doing or consuming anything? And when you say thyroid is within range, what do you mean? There is lots of info online about how standard thyroid function tests, mainly focused on TSH, fail to pick up on hypothyroid in some cases. For example.

#11

I have done keto and experienced significant improvements in mental sides, but not so much in bowel movements. I also had quite bad muscle pain in back muscles I injured years ago, so I think the lack of glycogen in my muscles was problematic for me. I am now looking at trying the Low FODMAP diet, which is one of the go-to diets for treating SIBO. Similar to keto in the very low carbs, but there are a lot of keto friendly vegetables that are no-nos on Lo FODMAP.

#12

I base this on advice I got from the same nutritionist Chi went to prior to his recovery, she instructed me to take my waking body temperature and had a lot to say about how widespread untreated hypothyroidism is. Here is the stuff about the testing, there are loads of other sources to look at. But it is interesting that you had quite comprehensive thyroid testing done. The other problem we have is, with very few of us I imagine having our thyroids comprehensively tested before this illness, we don’t actually know what our individual “normal” is exactly.

#13

Thanks for the advice and suggestions. 34 degrees was upon waking and going to the bathroom nothing consumed. intermittent fasting helped with my mood for a few days then fell back. I’ve revisited it a few times with no upturn. I take a probiotic at night. I have multiple food intolerances and as a result am very limited to what I can do. It was the standard thyroid test that was carried out under the NHS. I dropped carbs too but like everything got a few days upturn then returned to PFS baseline. I get lower and upper back pains on a daily basis these appeared a few months ago. Most fruit and veg aggravate my wider symptoms. Jacket potatoes seem to be the exception. Natural yoghurt and some fish are ok too. The food intolerances hit approx 2 years ago.ill research the material supplied thank you.

#14

At 34C waking temperature that is actually hypothermia, which is classed as below 35C. I am no doctor but that is screaming hypothyroid to me, and hypothyroid people are far more susceptible to SIBO and gut pathogens, which can cause food intolerances.

If you have a good open-minded GP (took me a long time to find one who believed and acted on everything I told her) I would go to them and tell them that based on your waking body temperature you feel you need more extensive thyroid testing done. Get referred to an endocrinologist and have it looked at further. Do your research and go to the endo knowing exactly what you want tested, because otherwise they will just try to fob you off with the standard test. Read up on it and get prepared. As the link I included in my last message points out “normal TSH” and “normal T4” does not necessarily mean all is well for your thyroid.

I would also see if the GP is willing to order a comprehensive analysis of a stool sample for pathogens and parasites and SIBO test.

None of these things will cost you anything if your GP is willing to help, and they could give you some seriously important answers about your condition.

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#15

Man, you echo my exact thoughts! I’m glad it’s not only in my head because that’s exactly what I have been going through for almost a year. I have tried numerous manipulations but gut was the strongest predictor of my mood and libido. It’s hard not to establish a correlation when I always experience 1-2 weeks of FULL RECOVERY (Yes that’s 100% libido, 100% well being, 100% sleep, 100% Euphoric & 0% Brainfog) after each time I was on Xifaxan (4 courses in 2 years). I dropped most of the supplements and started paying more attention to gut.

I tried herbal antibiotic combo a month ago and they seem to produce comparable results to Xifaxan. The combo is Cumin + Clove + essential Oregano Oil taken first thing in the morning.

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#16

Unfortunately test is unavailable where I live. I’ve only used symptoms (alternating Constipation & Diarrhea, bloating, achy stomach, very high B-12) to establish diagnosis. Wish I could find super donor for FMT, that could fix me for life.

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#17

Can you share the exact protocol with the herbal combo? What doses, when you take them?

I know cloves is part of the natural anti-parasitic protocol involving wormwood and black walnut hull, on the basis that is dissolves the casing around parasite eggs.

Have either of you @doomed80 @Sawproblemo tried the Low Fodmap diet? Which is apparently one of the most commonly recommended for IBS / SIBO.

#18

Yeah, 34c doesn’t seem right. Are you using a under the tongue digital thermometer?

#19

They ran a study on this awhile back.

Herbal Therapy Is Equivalent to Rifaximin for the Treatment of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

Subjects with newly diagnosed SIBO by LBT were given two open-label treatment choices based upon individualized treatment preference; either two 200 mg rifaximin tablets three times daily (TID) or 2 capsules twice daily of the following commercial herbal preparations; Dysbiocide and FC Cidal (Biotics Research Laboratories, Rosenberg, Texas) or Candibactin-AR and Candibactin-BR (Metagenics, Inc, Aliso Viejo, California) for 4 consecutive weeks immediately followed by a repeat LBT. Table 5 illustrates the details regarding the composition for each herbal preparation. The cost of herbal therapy was no more than $120 for a 30-day supply. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients in each group who had a negative post-treatment LBT. Rifaximin non-responders were then prescribed either the herbal protocol or triple antibiotics (clindamycin 300 mg TID, metronidazole 250 mg TID, neomycin 500 mg TID) for 4 additional weeks. The statistical methods applied to analyze the results were the student t -test and chi-squared test. The study was approved by the Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, Maryland) Internal Review Board.

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#20

My daily herbal protocol consisted of:

  • 1 teaspoon Cumin + Teaspoon Cloves mixed in boiling water. I drink it on empty stomach every morning.

  • 6 Drops of Essential Oregano Oil diluted in ~150ml water and drink it every morning. It’s very potent.

  • Occasionally, I used a table spoon Cinnamon and dried Oregano.

I started feeling better in about 10 days. However, those herbs also lower blood sugar and cholesterol so you need to make sure you’re getting enough low FODMAP “healthy” carbs and saturated fats to compensate. I also experienced herx reactions for about 3 days including headaches, fatigue, itchy skin, stuffy nose and typical histamine symptoms. Reduced bloating and improved BMs preceded the feel good periods. Some people report good results with Turmeric and Grape seed extract.

As a matter of fact, I’m back on Cumin + Cloves starting today. I’ll report my findings.

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