Gut Biome and Depression

My Quora Answer to:
Considering the possible link between gut microbiome and depression, what might be the future in treating depression? What steps can be taken now?

Right now, start ingesting a fermented food or drink every day. Consider yogurt, kombucha, real fermented sauerkraut, kimchi, and a little bit of miso or tofu. That is one of my prime Rules for Healthy Living.

In addition, I recommend a twice daily dose of probiotic capsules. Not tablets since they tend to dissolve before entering your intestines. They often contain fillers which can cause a leaky gut. Make sure the capsules don't contain harmful ingredients, also.

I now take a probiotic called Lactobacillus Reuteri. Strains of this bacterium have been found in the guts of many HEALTHY animals, including humans, cows, pigs, sheep, turkeys, and chickens. It is absent in animals that are not healthy. Fowl raised in factory farms live in over-crowded, filthy environments which lead to illnesses, stress, and even depression, an illness called “Poult Growth Depression” (PGD).

I am a physician not a pharmacist, so the next part of my answer is based on my research, not any experience developing drugs. What I do know is that the pharmaceutical industry makes a lot more money from patented products than from naturally occurring medications and supplements. A company did this with fish oil by changing the side chains of the two essential oils in a process called “Omega-3 acid ethyl esterflocation.” These companies do a lot of research which we don't appreciate. One other possibility is to isolate the chemicals produced by L.Reuteri which have psychoactive properties and sell these instead of a live bacterium.

This is a great question and I'm personally excited to see where this leads. Thanks.

Thank you so much, Dr Mangold. I really appreciate the informative, detailed answer. I too am excited about where all of this will lead. In the meantime, I plan to put your suggestions into practice.

You are very welcome. Thanks for that. Sometimes I put in a labor of love in my answers and get zero feedback, so it motivates me again when I get comments like yours.

http://bit.ly/2pCSUrW

Lies, Infant Death, and Restaurants

My Quora Answer to:

As a doctor, what is the most dangerous truth a patient has confessed in front of you?

That a baby's death was the fault of a restaurant.

I signed into an ER shift one morning in Waupan, WI. The previous doc declared a dead infant just minutes beforehand. A very astute and caring nurse approached me and said that the baby was already cold and blue and lifeless on arrival. In other words, it was DOA.

I contacted the police and told a friend there about my concerns. He investigated further and discovered that the biological dad had fallen asleep drunk and suffocated the baby in his sleep.

All parties went to prison.

ADDENDUM (More details since my original Answer didn't explain everything).

What grandma and mom did was bring the corpse to a local restaurant pretending the infant was still alive. Dad stayed at home to remove himself from the situation. Partway through breakfast, mom started screaming, “my baby's not breathing! Call 911!”

Of course someone did, but when mom and grandma arrived at the ER, they told the doc and nurses that (1) there must have been a gas leak at the restaurant that killed the baby, and (2) the restaurant staff waited too long to call 911. They had the whole charade planned out in advance. It took a very wise and observant nurse to point out to me after the shift change that the child had been dead for hours on arrival, not just several minutes. I believed her and called a cop friend of mine who then led an investigation leading to charges and eventual conviction of all three.

http://bit.ly/32eg4TL

My Contributions to Humanity

My Quora Answer to:
What's been your most valuable contribution to humanity?

In order:

1. Seven beautiful, caring, loving, and compassionate children.

2. Being a physician. Especially the ER part.

3. Saving lives.

3. Medical missions to Mexico and Nicaragua.

4. The Medicine Cabinet, my baby. This was a non-profit group I started in the Spring of 1994 in response to the Rwandan civil war. In fact, our shipment of medications and medical equipment was one of the first from the U.S. In 2007, the thugs at the IRS killed my baby, claiming it was just a shell corporation. Despite the fact that I never made a penny from it not accepted cash donations.

5. My “War on Abortions After the First Trimester.”

6. My fight against aborting babies just because they have Down Syndrome. I call this "Geneticide," or the mass extermination of people based solely on genetics.

7. How to Think Like a Doctor and its Spanish translation, Cómo Pensar Como un Doctor.

8. Barefoot Doctors.

9. And my book My Worst Thanksgiving Ever, although you'd be hard pressed to find my “contributions to humanity” but they are there, especially in follow-up.

http://bit.ly/31fNKPJ