A Powerful Healing Food for Digestion and Cleansing

Kitchari is a time-honored Ayurvedic dish known for its gentle detoxifying properties and digestive ease. This simple combination of basmati rice (or quinoa) and lentils, cooked with anti-inflammatory spices, supports the body’s natural detoxification while providing nourishing, easily digestible nutrients. Because it is warm, soft, and light on the gut, kitchari is often used in cleansing protocols to help reset digestion, reduce bloating, and promote gut healing. The addition of ghee and digestive spices like cumin, ajwain, and turmeric enhances nutrient absorption and soothes the digestive tract, making it an excellent choice for gut health, gentle detoxification, and restoring balance to the body. Whether you’re looking to support liver function, heal the gut lining, or give your digestive system a break, kitchari is a perfect one-pot meal that brings warmth, nourishment, and deep healing.

Ayurvedic Kitchari Recipe

Description:
A simple and nutritious dish featuring dal (lentils) and basmati rice or quinoa. It is a balanced meal, ideal for cleansing and gentle digestion.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups yellow split mung dal or red lentils (masoor dal)
• 1-2 cup basmati rice or quinoa (less rice = less carbs, more protein)
• 1.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon ajwain seeds (optional)
• 1.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1.5 teaspoon whole fennel seeds (optional)
• 1.5 teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds (optional)
• 9-11 cups water
• 1-2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1-2 tablespoon Mom’s Masala (optional)
• 1.5 tablespoon ghee or olive oil
• Fresh chopped cilantro, basil, or dill (for garnish)
• Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

You can separately cook and then add chopped vegetables (cut into small 1/2-inch pieces)
Examples: green beans, zucchini, daikon radish, carrots, asparagus, taro root, okra, green papaya, squash.
Avoid: potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, and peppers.

Pressure Cooker Instructions

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking Time: ~20 minutes (including pressure build-up & release)
Serves: 8-10

1. Prepare the Dal and Rice

• Rinse the yellow split mung dal (or red lentils) and basmati rice (or quinoa) in a fine mesh sieve under cold water until the water runs clear.
• Drain well.

2. Preheat the Pressure Cooker

• Set the pressure cooker (Instant Pot or stovetop model) to Sauté mode (if available) or heat on medium-high.
• Add 1 tablespoon ghee or olive oil.

3. Bloom the Spices

• Add cumin seeds, ajwain seeds, turmeric powder, fennel seeds, and fenugreek seeds (if using).
• Stir and sauté for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until aromatic.

4. Add Rice and Dal

• Add the rinsed dal and rice/quinoa to the pot and stir to coat with the spices.
• Pour in 9-11 cups of water (adjust based on how soupy you prefer the khichari).

5. Pressure Cook

• Close the lid and set the valve to “Sealing” (if using an Instant Pot).
• Select Manual (Pressure Cook) mode and set to 10 minutes on HIGH pressure.
• For a stovetop pressure cooker, cook for 8-10 minutes after reaching full pressure.

6. Natural Release & Final Seasoning

• Once the cooking cycle completes, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
• Then, carefully manually release any remaining pressure by turning the vent to “Venting” (for Instant Pot) or using the quick-release method (for stovetop cookers).

7. Garnish & Serve

• Stir in Mum’s Masala (optional) and a little extra ghee for richness.
• Add black pepper if desired.
• Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, basil, or dill and let sit for 1 minute before serving.

Cooking Tips for Pressure Cooking:

• If you prefer a thicker consistency, use 9 cups of water.
• If you want it more soupy, use 11 cups of water.
• The dal and rice will continue to thicken as they sit; you can add warm water if needed.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Stove-Top Instructions

Yield: Enough for 8-10 persons
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Dairy-free Option Available

1. Prepare the Dal and Rice:
   • Rinse the rice and dal at least twice. Wash well and drain.
2. Prepare the Spices:
   • Place cumin seeds, ajwain seeds, and turmeric in a spice or coffee grinder and grind into a powder.
3. Cook the Base:
   • In a large pot, add the rinsed rice and dal along with water. Bring to a boil.
   • Remove any froth from the surface.
4. Add Spices and Simmer:
   • Add ghee or olive oil, ground spices, and salt.
   • Add the chopped vegetables.
   • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
5. Cook Until Soft:
   • Cover and let cook, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes or until the dal and rice are soft.
   • If the mixture thickens too much, add more water.
6. Final Flavoring:
   • Before removing from heat, stir in an extra teaspoon of ghee and Mum’s Masala (if using).
   • Add black pepper if desired.
7. Garnish and Serve:
   • Turn off the heat and sprinkle fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, or dill) on top.
   • Let them warm for a minute before serving.

Cooking Tips:

• To enhance flavor, you can add 1-2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger at the start.
• To make khichari on a cleanse day:
  • Use yellow split mung dal and rice or quinoa.
  • Include cleansing vegetables like okra, green papaya, taro root, and squash.

Enter my friend, Tchicki!

I never thought much about my gut. I’m a psychologist and well-being expert, so I focus mostly on what you can do to boost well-being. But this all changed when my gut completely gave out on me. In the blink of an eye, I started getting nauseous, bloated, and belchy anytime I ate anything. I quickly dropped 15 pounds, became exhausted, and developed intense anxiety.

Had I thought more about my gut health, I could have seen the signs and prevented this nightmare. My gut had been screaming, “Pay attention to me!” for years by giving me new food allergies, migraines, and tummy troubles. These were all signs that my gut was unhealthy… I just didn’t realize it yet.

Why You Want to Heal the Gut Before You Get Sick

When my gut got mad at me, I had no idea what the problem was. It took me months to figure it out. Eventually I took the GI-MAP stool test and learned that I had a parasite called blastocystis hominis (Blasto The Gut Bug), which I likely picked up in Mexico a few years back. I also ate dairy (despite knowing I was sensitive to it), and lived in a moldy apartment—all things that contribute to poor gut health.

Because I ignored the signs, my gut problems snowballed—I developed Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), Estrogen dominance, and an intolerance to dairy, gluten, eggs, and almonds. In addition, I couldn’t eat anything that was difficult to digest (e.g., raw veggies, nuts, popcorn) or anything that fed mold (e.g., mushrooms, grains, even vitamins cased in cellulose capsules).

The GI-MAP stool test also revealed that my gut’s immune system was completely shot. This meant that my body couldn’t clear the toxins in my gut. As a result, I would get so tired that I literally couldn’t keep my eyes open after eating a meal. And when I was awake, I had a hard time concentrating—my foggy brain just could not think. Needless to say, this made it difficult to work and I often skipped eating on days when I needed my brain and body to function.

Knowing what I know now, I would have done just about anything to heal the gut and prevent this. So I feel compelled to share what I’ve learned in hopes that it might help you or someone you know who needs to heal their gut. Read on to learn more.

Source: Pixabay

Do You Need to Heal Your Gut?

Do you have common gut health issues such as: digestive troubles, stomach aches, weight changes, fatigue, skin issues, emotional issues, or food intolerances? Then consider testing the health of your gut and taking action now to heal your gut before your gut issues start to snowball.

If you’d like to know exactly what your gut problems are, you can take a stool test to find out. The GI-MAP stool test even has a report to help you interpret your results.

Get Started

In the section below, I’m going to review a bunch of gut healing strategies. These strategies can be even more effective if you know a bit more about the gut. So let’s start by getting to know your gut bugs.

Get to Know Your Gut Bugs

It turns out that our guts are populated by all sorts of bacteria, fungi, and other unknown critters—these “gut bugs” are collectively referred to as the microbiota.

Just like humans, our gut bugs have personalities which are affected by nature (their genes) and nurture (the environment they live in). As a result, some of them tend to be good guys, some tend to be bad guys, and some can be fickle, and end up being good or bad depending on the circumstances.

For example, some strains of the often-feared E. coli are good for us while other strains are bad. The potentially deadly bacteria, staphylococcus aureus (i.e., staff) is present in 25% of healthy people—it only hurts us when it overgrows. And even good bugs, when there are too many of them, can cause a world of hurt when they move up into the small intestine and overgrow (causing SIBO).

Why does it help to know your gut bugs? Well, because when we understand what leads to an unhealthy society of microbiota, we can take the right steps to create a healthy society of microbiota and heal the gut.

Here’s exactly how to do it.

When you start healing your gut, its best to start by gently supporting and encouraging healthy gut bugs. But if your gut is in a state of distress (as mine was), then you’ll likely need to ramp up slowly to the more harsh gut healing strategies, forcing those gut bullies in your microbiota to “get out!”.

To help you find the right protocol for healing your unique gut, I’ve listed 17 gut-healing strategies below in order from most gentle to most harsh.

I’ve also split these strategies into 3 phases to help you ramp up slowly and effectively.

What to expect

If your gut is unhealthy, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. You’re almost guaranteed to get die-off (Herxheimer) symptoms at some point in the gut healing process.

What are die-off symptoms?

Die-off symptoms can include fatigue, brain fog, gastrointestinal distress such as nausea, gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, low-grade fever, headache, sore throat, itching, muscle and joint soreness, chills, flu-like symptoms, lethargy, intense sweet cravings, rashes, and irritability.

Don’t confuse die-off symptoms with a lack of calories or nutrients, which can also make us feel tired and weak. Die-off symptoms tend to come on suddenly (whereas insufficient calories can leave us feeling chronically tired and ill). Some people also find that they have die-off symptoms only at a certain time of the day—morning, afternoon, or evening.

When I started healing my gut, I had intense die-off reactions (chills and nausea) each night for 6 weeks. It decreased to every few days (as I moved through the phases), then once per week, and now very rarely, only when I use one of the more intense strategies below to amp up my detox.

How to minimize die-off

The die-off symptoms you’ll experience will depend on the health of your liver, your gut bugs, and so forth.

• If your die-off symptoms are making you feel miserable, then you’re killing bad gut bugs too quickly. Slow down, support your liver (with supplements like Milk Thistle), take epsom salt baths to support your body’s ability to get those dead gut bugs out of your body as quickly as possible, and eat foods with collagen (e.g., bone broth) to keep the bad stuff in your gut and out of your bloodstream.
• If you feel fine one day and then complete crap the next, you might be getting die-off from parasites. It can be confusing because they have weird lifecycles, they die, reproduce, and create symptoms at weird times.
• If your symptoms are consistently getting worse or staying the same over time, even though you haven’t been adding new gut healing strategies, then it’s likely NOT a result of die-off. See a doctor to make sure your symptoms are not a result of another health issue.

PHASE 1

In this phase, you’ll focus on generally improving your gut health.

1. Decrease Your Stress

It turns out that stress can actually help bad bugs, like Blasto, to thrive—a phenomenon that I experienced first hand.

As I mentioned earlier, my gut switched from okay to completely berzerk in the blink of an eye. The cause of this switch was stress—I had a super stressful month. The stress taxed my immune system even further, enabling Blasto, and a bunch of other bad gut bugs to grow. They moved up into my small intestine (where they are not supposed to be)—and they even started “leaking” out of my gut.

This is how a short period of stress can snowball into major gut health issues. And it’s why creating an anti-stress lifestyle is key to both gut health and mental health.

2. Support Your Immune System

If your gut is unhealthy, your immune system is already churning away trying to heal it. Without proper support, your immune system can get overworked and worn down. So a nice gentle way to heal the gut is to support your immune system in doing its job.

To support your immune system, you can eat immunity supporting foods, like citrus fruits, garlic, and spinach. If your immune system is already weak, it can also be helpful to supplement with key vitamins and minerals that may have become depleted like, Vitamin B, Vitamin D, and Zinc. I also found that taking vitamins to support adrenal function was incredibly helpful as adrenals can get taxed when we are overstressed by gut health issues.

3. Reduce Inflammation

Another way to heal the gut is by removing inflammatory foods. This helps your immune system decrease it’s workload so it can spend more energy on healing the gut.

Although each of us have different problem foods, wheat and dairy tend to be problematic for many people with gut health issues. Sugar feeds many bad bacteria (all carbs are digested as sugar). And partially-hydrogenated oils are toxic, so they busy the immune system leaving other problems in your body unaddressed. That’s why it can be really helpful to remove these inflammatory foods if we want a healthy gut.

4. Consume Collagen

Collagen makes up the gut’s connective tissue—or the barrier between what’s in your gut and the rest of your body. If this barrier gets “leaky”, particles from the gut can seep into the bloodstream, causing everything from the herxheimer reaction (flu-like symptoms), to mental health issues, to autoimmune disease.

Consuming collagen is likely helpful for everyone, but especially those with an unhealthy microbiota. In general, those with gut-health issues tend to have low levels of collagen. In addition, your microbiota affect which symptoms (or diseases) you might get from a leaky gut. So if you have an unhealthy gut, leaky gut may be more problematic.

For example, research shows that one type of autoimmune arthritis called Ankylosing Spondylitis is caused by the bacteria, Klebsiella. Many of us have Klebsiella in our microbiome, so researchers hypothesize that’s it’s only when these bacteria “leak” into our bloodstream that they cause arthritis. So eating collagen (or high-collagen foods like bone broth) can potentially prevent these negative outcomes.

5. Eat Gut-Soothing Foods

We often eat with little consideration for what our gut must then do with our food. In fact, our guts must break down all the chunks, absorb the nutrients, and then push along the indigestible fiber to feed the gut bugs in the lower intestine—that’s a lot of work for an unhealthy gut.

To help ease the burden on the gut, we can eat gut-soothing foods such as soft foods, cooked foods, and juiced fruits and vegetables. These foods are already broken down, which helps ease the burden on the gut.

6. Focus on Macronutrients

When it comes to the role of macronutrients (i.e., Carbs, Protein, and Fat) in gut health, the experts are split. Some say that feeding our gut bugs with carbs like fiber, vegetables, and fruits is the best approach. Others say that starving our gut bugs by eating primarily fat is the best approach. Indeed, both approaches seem to have benefits… depending on your unique gut and microbiota. So it’s important to pay attention to how specific foods make you feel.

For some folks, consuming fiber can exacerbate gut issues (e.g., those with an overgrowth of firmicutes). For others, certain types of carbs exacerbate gut issues. For others, consuming high-fat meals exacerbate gut health issues (e.g., those without the enzymes to break down fats). When it comes to your gut health, the key is to eat mindfully and explore how different foods make you feel. Only then can you know that you’re eating to heal your gut.

PHASE 2

If the tips in Phase 1 aren’t resolving your gut health issues, move on to Phase 2. In this phase, you’ll focus on more nuanced strategies to improve gut health.

7. Try a Ketogenic Diet

Although a Ketogenic diet doesn’t seem to work for everyone, it appears to be a good way to reduce inflammation in the body more generally, improve insulin resistance, and clear gunk from the cells. It’s also tends to be good for getting rid of bad bacteria and parasites. Why? Because the Ketogenic diet is a low-carb diet, and gut bugs primarily eat carbs.

Keep in mind that starting a Ketogenic diet can often result in a few days or weeks of Keto flu—headaches, leg cramps, sugar cravings, and some other annoying symptoms. To prevent Keto flu, make sure you’re getting electrolytes (especially sea salt, magnesium, and potassium). An easy way to do this is by drinking homemade “ketorade”.

And if you don’t feel good eating Keto after a few days, stop! If your body is already stressed, Keto can be too stressful for your body to handle. You might instead opt for a moderate to low carb diet just to reduce your sugar intake.

8. Detox The Liver

Our livers are responsible for detoxing us of the harmful byproducts of dying gut bugs. Eating liver supportive foods can help us reduce die-off reactions and kill bad gut bugs with more ease.

To help the liver and body detox, consider taking milk thistle supplements, calcium D-Glucarate, NAC, or liposomal glutathione. Next, eat bitter greens like dandelion leaves, raw radishes, and mustard greens to promote more bile excretion and process toxins effectively. And be sure to eat cruciferous veggies like broccoli, kale, collard greens, bok choy, and arugula. These contain diindolylmethane (DIM), a substance that helps the liver detox effectively.

9. Take Natural Digestive Aids

If your gut is having a hard time digesting, for whatever reason, help it out by consuming natural digestive aids.

• Betaine HCL and Apple Cider Vinegar are helpful for folks with insufficient stomach acid to break down food (common signs of this are heartburn or upset stomach).
• Digestive enzymes are helpful for folks with a sluggish gallbladder or pancreas.
• And ginger is helpful for those with sluggish migrating motor complex (MMC), which helps clean out the small intestine between meals.

10. Eat Less to Starve Gut Bugs

If you have an overgrowth of bad gut bugs, part of the goal is to starve them without starving yourself. Some folks advocate for fasting, intermittent fasting, or eating fewer carbs to reduce bacteria like firmicutes, which have been shown to be linked to obesity. Just be sure you’re consuming enough calories not to stress your body out.

11. Remove Toxins from Your Life

Sometimes it seems like we are doing everything right, but we still can’t seem to get a handle on our gut health issues. In this case, there is often some hidden toxin that’s bogging down our immune system.

For example, are we eating all of our food out of plastic with BPA, a known gut toxin? Or are we living in a home that’s covered in gut-harming mold? Or are we sleeping on a new bed that sprayed in toxic flame-retardant chemicals?

Gut-harming toxins are all around us. The electromagnetic waves from our smartphones can even mess with our guts. So finding and removing these toxins is often instrumental in healing the gut.

PHASE 3

If the tips in Phase 1 and 2 aren’t resolving your gut health issues, your gut bugs just aren’t going to go quickly into the night—now it’s time for war! In this phase, you’ll focus on evicting unhealthy gut bugs from your body… by force.

12. Break Up the Biofilms That House Bad Gut Bugs

When bad gut bugs just won’t leave, it’s often because they have a protective home, or biofilm, to hide in. Taking biofilm disrupting supplements can start to jar them loose. The biofilm disrupters include:

• Allicin (from Garlic)
• N-acetyl cysteine (NAC)
• Monolaurin (from coconut oil)

13. Eat Probiotic Foods

Consuming probiotic foods is probably the best thing you can do for gut health. Although probiotic supplements can be helpful, they are usually too small to make much of an impact. If you do want to try pills, get pills with 50 billion colony forming units (CFUs). I suggest the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii, which has been shown to combat digestive issues.

The reason I include this strategy in Phase 3 instead of Phase 1 is because probiotics can often be intense and cause bad die-off symptoms. So, how do you add probiotics to your diet successfully? Try the sauerkraut protocol.

The Sauerkraut protocol

1. Buy a jar of sauerkraut. Be sure that the jar is refrigerated, has live cultures, and doesn’t include any preservatives whatsoever. Here is a handy guide to help you find the right stuff.

2. Consume 1 tablespoon of sauerkraut with a meal. Pay attention to how you feel. If you feel die-off symptoms (I did!) then keep eating this small amount once per day until it doesn’t feel bad anymore. If you feel fine with the amount of kraut, go to the next step.

3. Increase the amount of sauerkraut you eat by 1 tablespoon per meal. Keep paying attention to how you feel to keep die-off symptoms to a minimum. And keep increasing your dosage until you get to 1/2 cup sauerkraut per meal. Make sure you don’t go too fast or you’ll kill too many bad bugs and feel like absolute garbage.

4. Continue this slow-build process with other probiotic foods. Once you tolerate sauerkraut, try kimchi, coconut yogurt, kefir (if you tolerate dairy), coconut kefir, kvass, kombucha, fermented fruit, and so forth until you can eat as many fermented foods as you desire without any symptoms.

5. Make your own fermented foods. Once you tolerate store-bought fermented foods, ideally, you should make your own fermented foods. These are far higher in probiotics and have a bigger positive impact on your gut.

When I did the sauerkraut protocol, it took me about 6 weeks to get through step 3 and about 2 months to get through all the steps. But everyone is different.

14. Eat Anti-Bacterial Foods

Probiotics crowd out bad bacteria; anti-bacterials kill bad bacteria. To eradicate stubborn bad gut bacteria, try taking some anti-bacterial herbs.

Some experts recommend you start with less aggressive anti-bacterials like cinnamon, clove, or garlic. Test each of these a little at a time to see how they make you feel. If these don’t help, try more intense anti-bacterials like oregano oil, olive leaf, berberine, or grapefruit seed extract in small doses. That stuff is powerful!

15. Eat Anti-Parasitic Foods

One great, and cheap, way to find out if you have parasites is with anti-parasitic foods, specifically, papaya seeds. You can even test yourself for parasites at home with the papaya seed test.

The papaya parasite test

1. Make a papaya smoothie. Toss 1/2 of a papaya in a blender (or less if you prefer). Toss in all the papaya seeds from that half of the papaya. Feel free to add a little juice or water if you like a thinner smoothie.

2. Drink the smoothie on an empty stomach. Don’t eat anything else for 3 hours (water is fine). This should be enough time for the papaya seeds to get through your small intestine. Pay attention to how you feel. If you get any die-off symptoms, then you might have parasites, and the papaya seeds have just made them angry.

3. If you get any die-off symptoms (like fatigue, brain fog, gastrointestinal distress such as nausea, gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, low-grade fever, headache, sore throat, itching, muscle and joint soreness, chills, flu-like symptoms, lethargy, intense sweet cravings, rashes, and irritability), get a parasite test to find out for sure (the papaya parasite test isn’t a sure thing). This is also necessary to see which parasites you have if you do have them.

16. Eat Anti-Fungal Foods To Kill Gut Candida and Yeast

Just as papaya seeds kill parasites, anti-fungal foods kill gut fungi like candida. A great, and cheap, way to find out if you have problems with gut fungi is with the coconut oil test.

The coconut oil test

1. Eat 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil on an empty stomach. Don’t eat anything else for 1-2 hours (water is fine). Pay attention to how you feel.

2. If you feel die-off symptoms then keep eating this amount of coconut oil (or less) until it doesn’t feel bad anymore. If you feel fine, go to the next step.

3. Increase the amount of coconut oil you eat by just a tiny bit per day. Keep paying attention to how you feel. Keep increasing your dosage until you get to 2-3 tablespoons of coconut oil per day (you can include this oil in food if that’s easier, but it might not be as effective).

17. Combine Anti-Microbial Supplements

Since we don’t know which approaches and which herbs will work best on our unique gut bugs, it’s helpful to combine different herbs to see which ones work best for us. Here’s a few more anti-microbial herbs to explore. But follow the directions carefully; these are potent herbs.

• Wormwood
• Cloves
• Black walnut
• Pau de acro

The Silver Lining

Although I’m not happy that I got sick, I am grateful that I now have the opportunity to become truly well. And on a personal note, this whole experience has made me realize that all we have are these moments. At any point, we can end up sick and lose them all. Now that I’m on the mend, I see the silver lining of all this—I’m a bit more grateful for small things (like breathing and digestion) and strive to live my life with more purpose.

For anyone who puts their brains at risk, we want to provide brain protection and strategies to keep our brains safe from injury. In this post, we’ll talk about how taking N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) can help protect the brain before and after an injury.

I have been very fond of NAC for years. So I have recently been diving back into the research, looking at its safety profile, the efficacy, and organizing things for you all. The idea is to help you to empower yourself by applying this research for brain protection and repair. I’m excited about NAC for many reasons.

1. It is very safe, even at very high doses.
2. There is a large body of research on the neuro-protective effects of NAC.
3. It’s inexpensive.
4. It is on the WHO’s list of essential medicines and is available almost everywhere.

For these reasons, NAC is an essential piece of brain injury protection and brain first aid.

There are several known mechanisms that explain its neuro-protective effects: It plays a pivotal role in combating oxidative stress, reducing inflammation, and promoting mitochondrial function, and it is a precursor to glutathione. Let’s take a closer look into how it helps in preventing and reversing the damaging effects of traumatic brain injury.

NAC: The Precursor to Glutathione

N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) is a potent antioxidant that acts as a direct precursor to glutathione, the body’s master antioxidant. Glutathione neutralizes harmful free radicals, detoxifying the body, and maintaining cellular health. NAC supports the production of glutathione, which bolsters our brain’s natural defense mechanisms against oxidative stress.

Glutathione: Our Master Antioxidant

Antioxidants play a crucial role in protecting the brain from damage caused by oxidation. An imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants results in oxidation. Oxidation can lead to cellular dysfunction and neurodegeneration. Glutathione plays a vital role in preserving brain health by increasing glutathione levels. through NAC supplementation, we can bolster the brain’s antioxidant capacity.

Reducing Damage and Inflammation

Brain injuries, whether traumatic or neurodegenerative, often result in increased inflammation and oxidative stress. NAC reduces damage by neutralizing free radicals and dampening inflammation, reducing the effects of brain injury.

Neuroprotection and Mitochondrial Preservation

NAC has been shown to shield neurons from damage, preserve mitochondrial function, and promote the survival of neurons. These properties make NAC a critical support for the brain’s resilience and recovery following injury.

Unleashing the Therapeutic Potential of N-Acetyl Cysteine:

NAC’s therapeutic potential after brain injury is truly remarkable. It offers a multi-faceted approach to brain health, providing neuroprotection, preserving mitochondrial function, and ameliorating secondary injuries associated with both mild and severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

As I said, I have been very fond of this compound for years, and I would be happy to organizing more info so we can apply this research for optimal brain protection and repair.

Get Feed a Brain. NAC at a Huge Discount

Grab three bottles of NAC at a huge discount.

Stay empowered, my friends!

 

If you are interested in learning more, leave a comment below.

As always… Stay empowered, y’all!

 

Want the takeaways on omega-3s and blood thinning? Read the TLDR of the research below.

Omega-3’s and a Boy in a Coma

Omega-3s have been used in humans to treat traumatic brain injury. One such study in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine presents a case study about a teenager who suffered a severe TBI in 2010.

Like me, he was diagnosed with a diffuse axonal injury with an initial Glasgow Coma Score of 3, which is the lowest possible score (no response to any stimuli, but still alive).

Thought to be in a permanent vegetative state, he was given a gastric tube (PEG), and a procedure was performed, which left him breathing through a tube protruding from his neck (tracheotomy).

Then The Fish Oil Came…

Ten days after the injury, he was given a large dose (15 ml, which is about 13 g) twice a day (30 mL/day) of Nordic Natural UltimateOmega via his PEG (feeding tube).
On the 21st day, he was weaned off of the ventilator and soon progressed from a vegetative state to attending his high school graduation three months later!

What About the Risk of Blood Thinning?

Many Clinicians are afraid to use high-dose omega-3s because of their blood thinning effects. This paper addresses this concern and shows much evidence to support the use of high-dose fish oils as a treatment for brain injury:

Omega-3 Fatty Acids as a Putative Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury

Hasadsri, L., Wang, B. H., Lee, J. V., Erdman, J. W., Llano, D. A., Barbey, A. K., . . . Wang, H. (. (2013). Omega-3 Fatty Acids as a Putative Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury. Journal of Neurotrauma, 30(11), 897-906. doi:10.1089/neu.2012.2672

“…Potential harmful effects of n-3 PUFAs [omega-3s], however, have been described in the literature. Due to the established anti-thrombotic action of these compounds, for instance, they may increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, as suggested by a necropsy-based study of four cases in Greenland.138 The authors warn, however, that the power of their analysis is weak given the limited sample size, and that their study may have been subject to inadvertent selection bias.138 In addition, multiple clinical trials have shown that highdose fish oil consumption is safe, even in patients receiving other agents that may increase the risk of bleeding, such as aspirin and warfarin.139–141 The overall clinical data suggests that DHA at doses up to 6 g/day does not have deleterious effects on platelet aggregation or other clotting parameters in normal individuals, and fish oil does not augment aspirin-induced inhibition of blood clotting.137 Platelet function is, on the other hand, inhibited by DHA consumption in type 2 diabetics, but it is suggested that this may actually be of benefit to these individuals, especially when coupled with the other activities of DHA.142 Nevertheless, it may be prudent to discontinue high-dose supplementation in the setting of an acute bleeding illness or in patients at high risk for hemorrhagic stroke or, as is frequently recommended with aspirin, warfarin, and clopidogrel, prior to planned invasive procedures with the highest risk for bleeding complications.143–146″

TLDR: Summary of the above article

In other words, while Omega-3’s have been shown to thin the blood, this was mainly shown by a study that the authors admit is somewhat weak because of a small sample size and selection bias.
Several other studies have shown high-dose fish oil consumption to be safe, even in patients who are receiving other blood thinners like warfarin and aspirin.
And up to 6g/day of DHA does not cause harm on clotting parameters in normal individuals, nor does it change aspirin-induced inhibition of blood clotting.
From the Abstract of this paper: Lien EL. (2009). Toxicology and safety of DHA. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 81, 125–132.

“DHA supplementation studies in adults have employed doses ranging from less than 1 to 7.5g/d, and have not resulted in any consistent adverse responses in platelet function, lipid levels, in vivo oxidation parameters, glycemic control, or immune function.”137

Liquid Omega-3’s and Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment

This article is about how to use liquid omega-3’s as an adjunct therapy to help with brain injury, and other cases of severe brain inflammation. Moderating inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain after a traumatic brain injury or an ischemic injury like stroke is critical. Omega-3’s are a low-risk therapy that can help thousands of veterans and civilians alike.

A Case for Using Liquid Omega-3’s 

High-dose N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) is used in hospitals when someone may have overdosed on Tylenol because it has been found that NAC cleans out a liver that an overdose has burdened. Large quantities of research back this use of NAC in the treatment of Tylenol overdose.

Omega-3s have a similar record in regard to anti-inflammatory effects and reduction in oxidative stress in the body.

Liquid Omega-3’s helped JJ Virgin’s son recover from a traumatic brain injury. A little oxidative stress in the brain is a good thing, but prolonged oxidative stress can lead to cell death or apoptosis.

CNN Piece About JJ Virgin’s Son:

Omega-3’s Can Reduce Brain Injury Severity

After finding very favorable results in a study testing the use of DHA after a severe traumatic brain injury (diffuse axonal injury) in rats (CITE), the West Virginia University School of Medicine conducted a follow-up study to see the effect of DHA supplementation before a brain injury.
The study found that rats who were supplemented with DHA before a brain injury showed less damage done to the brain after, as well as better brain function, as assessed by maze testing. (CITE)

Nordic Naturals – Algae Omega

Using Liquid Omega-3’s in Gastric Feed 

Supplementation and whole food sources may be the most effective way to deliver this vital nutrient to patients with a gastric feed.
When feeding through a gastric tube, blend fatty fish and liquid Nordic Natural UltimateOmega in a blender to create a nutrient-dense feed.

High-powered blenders like Blendtec or Vitamix are the most effective at breaking down whole foods and capsules into the consistency necessary for gastric feeding tubes.

For vegans and vegetarians, we can blend Nordic Naturals – Algae Omega for a good source of EPA and DHA. (left)

Because cod liver oil is rich in many other fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A, cod liver oil may not be appropriate at therapeutic (very high) doses.

Fat-soluble vitamin A is great, but at high doses, it can cause hypervitaminosis. As always, work with a qualified practitioner when supplementing, and share this information with your doctor to help us shift this paradigm in medicine.

Read our Ready Made Solutions for Gastric Feeds to learn the details.

Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) for Synaptogenesis

DHA is a kind of Omega-3 fatty acid that is largely found in fatty fish like mackerel, sardines, salmon, and tuna. As shown above, there are studies showing the use of Omega-3s in the waking of comatose patients.

Because it seems to have an extremely potent effect on neurological recovery and in protecting the brain, not only are sports leagues very interested in Omega- 3s and their effects in preventing and treating brain injury, but scientists in the military are also inspecting this nutrient for brain injury treatment and neuroprotection.

In 2011, an article in Military Medicine, the official journal of The Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMUS), wrote that “a comprehensive, coordinated research program to evaluate the multiple uses of n-3 FA [Omega-3 fatty acids] should be a high priority for the Department of Defense.“ (CITE)

Read Our Full Article on DHA to learn about the specific benefits of this precious omega-3.

Adding Omega-3s to Your Supplement Regimen:

Feed a Brain Protect & Restore High DHA Omega-3s

Omega-3 Dosages

While therapeutic (very high) doses of Omega-3s can be beneficial in the short term, I do not think that large doses of Omega-3s should be an ongoing practice.

In addition to eating plenty of cold water fatty fish, I still supplement with Omega-3s, but I prefer to do so in reasonable amounts (no more than 5g/day). Once you get over a deficiency, you can dial the dosage back a bit.

My Omega-3 supplement regimen is 2.5 to 5g or 1 to 2 capsules of my Protect & Restore High DHA Omega-3s.

For a vegetarian source, Nordic Naturals – Algae Omega can be supplemented. Check with your qualified healthcare practitioner for amounts specific to you or your loved one.

Read more about the importance of DHA and Omega-3.

My Favorite Fish Oil Product for Gastric Feed Use:

Nordic Natural Ultimate Omega

Omega-3s for Daily Optimal Brain Function and Repair:

Capsules:

Feed a Brain Protect and Restore High DHA OmegaNordic Natural Ultimate Omega

Vegan Capsules:

Nordic Naturals – Algae Omega

Fish Sources:

Vital Choice Seafood and Organics

Alleviating Blood Thinning Concerns Citations

• 137. Lien EL. (2009). Toxicology and safety of DHA. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids 81, 125–132.
• 139. Pedersen HS, Mulvad G, Seidelin KN, Malcom GT, and Boudreau DA. (1999). N-3 fatty acids as a risk factor for haemorrhagic stroke. Lancet 353, 812–813.
• 139.Bender NK, Kraynak MA, Chiquette E, Linn WD, Clark GM, and Bussey HI. (1998). Effects of marine fish oils on the anticoagulation status of patients receiving chronic warfarin therapy. J Thromb Thrombolysis 5, 257–261.
• 140. Eritsland J, Arnesen H, Gronseth K, Fjeld NB, and Abdelnoor M. (1996). Effect of dietary supplementation with n-3 fatty acids on coronary artery bypass graft patency. Am J Cardiol 77, 31–36.

Citations Continued

• 141. Leaf A, Jorgensen MB, Jacobs AK, et al. (1994). Do fish oils prevent restenosis after coronary angioplasty? Circulation 90, 2248–2257.
• 142. Woodman RJ, Mori TA, Burke V, et al. (2003). Effects of purified eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid on platelet, fibrinolytic and vascular function in hypertensive type 2 diabetic patients. Atherosclerosis 166, 85–93.
• 143. Bays HE. (2007). Safety considerations with omega-3 fatty acid therapy. Am J Cardiol 99, 35C–43C.
• 144. Calo L, Bianconi L, Colivicchi F, et al. (2005). N-3 Fatty acids for the prevention of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass surgery: A randomized, controlled trial. J Am Coll Cardiol 45, 1723– 1728.
• 145. Covington MB. (2004). Omega-3 fatty acids. Am Fam Physician 70, 133–140.
• 146. Kris-Etherton PM, Harris WS, and Appel LJ. (2003). Fish consumption, fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and cardiovascular disease. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 23, e20–30

Do you like puppies? Me too! Especially this guy (the one in the middle).

He’s not gonna stay a puppy, but right now, he’s only 2 months old and I already have him pretty well trained to be with me in public and in my travels.

He’s so awesome!

While I’ve been training dogs for quite some time, I have never trained a dog from a puppy and I am beyond excited to do so!

His mom is the dog of some amazing friends, so I have known this puppy since before he was even born!

So what’s his name?

If you know much about me, you may have noticed an 80 year old motorcycle jacket from the 1940’s that I wear constantly. You may even know that this jacket was originally the prized possession of my great great uncle Sparky.

You may also know that I was wearing this jacket when I experienced a severe TBI that left me in a coma for 12 days and was given less than a 10% chance of ever waking.

Miraculously I woke from that coma and recovered beyond all expectations!

You may also remember that when my apartment was robbed in 2018 many things were stolen, including turntables, speakers, records, and even my car. This jacket was also stolen!

Miraculously, not only did I end up recovering the turntables, records, speakers, and even my car, but I also got my jacket back!

I like to think that my jacket played a role in the recovery of everything that I had lost… my abilities, and anything that is wrongfully taken from me.

This jacket is magic, and while I never met my great great uncle Sparky, he is clearly looking out for me. He is one of my Angels.

The night I found out this puppy was going to be mine, I laid down for bed and received a very clear vision of my uncle Sparky wearing the jacket and walking a dog.

The next day, when I went to visit this puppy I asked “are you Sparky?” and he jumped on my lap and started kissing my face! So…

Meet Sparky!

Sparky is now officially joining my Adventures in Brain Injury so stay tuned! For now, here is where you can follow his adventures on Instagram.

I’d Love to Hear from You!

Do you have an animal who helps you with your neurology?

What kind of animal? A therapy animal? a service animal? An emotional Support animal?

Do you want a dog? Comment below.

Research Roundup:

Uridine Function in the Central Nervous System

Arpád Dobolyi, Gábor Juhász, Zsolt Kovács, and Julianna Kardos 

“Emerging evidence suggests that uridine is a neuroactive molecule, which is involved in the regulation of certain neural functions apart from its role in pyrimidine metabolism. Uridine has sleep-promoting and anti-epileptic effects, might affect mood, improves memory function and influences neuronal
plasticity. Evidence for the existence of uridine sensitive neurons is also convincing. These actions are likely to be exerted via its actions on membrane formation, by the known uridine nucleotide receptors, or even on its own putative receptor predicted in plasmamembranes or intracellular binding sites in the central nervous system. Since uridine, as a dietary component, is not toxic and has access to the brain from the plasma through transporters, it is an appealing lead molecule for the development of drugs with central site of action. Based on its actions, the therapeutic application of uridine and its derivatives are being explored.” (CITE)

A Nutrient Combination that Can Affect Synapse Formation

Richard J. Wurtman

“Brain neurons form synapses throughout the life span. This process is initiated by neuronal depolarization, however the numbers of synapses thus formed depend on brain levels of three key nutrients—uridine, the omega-3 fatty acid DHA, and choline. Given together, these nutrients accelerate formation of synaptic membrane, the major component of synapses. In infants, when synaptogenesis is maximal, relatively large amounts of all three nutrients are provided in bioavailable forms (e.g., uridine in the UMP of mothers’ milk and infant formulas). However, in adults the uridine in foods, mostly present at RNA, is not bioavailable, and no food has ever been compelling demonstrated to elevate plasma uridine levels. Moreover, the quantities of DHA and choline in regular foods can be insufficient for raising their blood levels enough to promote optimal synaptogenesis. In Alzheimer’s disease (AD) the need for extra quantities of the three nutrients is enhanced, both because their basal plasma levels may be subnormal (reflecting impaired hepatic synthesis), and because especially high brain levels are needed for correcting the disease-related deficiencies in synaptic membrane and synapses.” (CITE)

A Critical Evaluation of the Available Information on the Toxicity/Safety of Orally Administered Uridine

J. F. Dorzelleca

“[u]ridine is a rather safe drug in humans at least at doses up to 10 grams.” (CITE)

Blog Post:

What is Uridine Monophosphate (UMP)?

As you may have read on this or other pages, UMP is important for the growth of new brain cells, but to understand what UMP is, we first have to take a quick look at our own DNA. Our DNA looks like a twisted ladder, or what scientists call a “double helix”.
RNA is basically half of that ladder, and as you will soon see, UMP is a key part of RNA. mRNA (messenger-RNA) actually glides into the nuclear pores to encode and communicate with the DNA in the nucleus at center of a cell. These processes are what create, and maintain our cells.
In this article, I am going to explain how UMP benefits your brain, and how it helps create new neurons with the help of choline and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). There are so many studies using all three ingredients together for brain health.

A Little Review…

Inside your cells, inside the nucleus in the center of the cell is your DNA. Its language consists of only four letters: A C T G. This stands for Adenine, Cytosine, Thymine, and Guanine.
This seems deceptively simple, and I think too many people assume that we know all there is to know about DNA now. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Back to Uridine Monophosphate…

As you may have noticed as we look at a zoomed in version of DNA and RNA, there is one base pair that is different than the other. Instead of thymine, RNA has a unique nucleobase called uracil. Take note of the “helix of sugar-phosphates” portion of the diagram above.

The left is a model of uridine monophosphate, and the right is a model of DNA with its language of 4 nucleic acids. RNA has uracil instead of thymine.

That phosphate spine and the ribose sugar are what gives DNA and RNA their characteristic double helix shape. UMP (uridine monophosphate) is the uracil plus the ribose sugar and one phosphate ion

Uridine and the Brain

Uridine that is missing the phosphate group would not enter our body through our digestive tract. The phosphate group gets the uridine into our bodies and brains through the digestive tract. Higher levels of uridine in the brain lead to a greater density of synapses in the brain. (CITE) 
This was one of those studies that they did with UMP, choline (CDP-choline aka Citicoline), and DHA used together. This combination was shown to improve problem-solving skills and memory, especially over time.

More Studies About Uridine

Another thing about uridine is that raises levels of CDP-choline in the brain, and taking CDP-choline will increase brain levels of uridine.
A study from the NIH stated:

“In addition, binding sites for uridine itself have also been suggested. Furthermore, uridine administration had sleep-promoting and anti-epileptic actions, improved memory function and affected neuronal plasticity. Information only starts to be accumulating on potential mechanisms of these uridine actions. Some data are available on the topographical distribution of pyrimidine receptors and binding sites in the brain, however, their exact role in neuronal functions is not established yet. There is also a scarcity of data regarding the brain distribution of other components of the pyrimidine metabolism although site specific functions exerted by their receptors might require different metabolic support. Despite the gaps in our knowledge on the neuronal functions of pyrimidine nucleosides, their therapeutic utilization is appealing. They have been suggested for the treatment of epileptic and neurodegenerative diseases as neuroprotective agents.” (CITE)

Uridine may function like a novel neurotransmitter in the brain with calming and neuroprotective benefits. Uridine are also connected to the regulation of dopamine and acetylcholine which aid with focus and motivation. (CITE) (CITE)
CDP-choline can also increase the density of acetylcholine receptors and dopamine receptors in the brain. Oddly enough, we actually become more sensitive to these neurotransmitters over time as we use CDP-choline to raise our neurotransmitter receptor density. (CITE)
Read our Full Article on Choline here.

Other Benefits of Uridine Monophosphate

3D Model of Uridine Monophosphate

Other benefits of UMP include being protective of cardiovascular health (CITE), reducing pain and inflammation (CITE), it can help restore the liver (CITE), it aids mitochondrial function, and it can also help with bipolar disorder and depression (CITE).
The study done about depression and bipolar was done on teenagers who took uridine monophosphate for 6 weeks taking 500mg twice daily and none of them reported any negative side effects. Many of them also reported benefits in regards to their depression and bipolar disorder.
There is also a lot of research out there uridine monophosphate especially with DHA and choline in addition to the supplemental uridine monophosphate.
Read our Full Article on DHA here.

Potential Side Effects

The side effects are very mild if felt at all. A maintenance dose of UMP is only take about 150 mg – 300 mg per day, but throughout a brain disease process it can help immensely to supplement much higher doses of UMP. The only side effects that have been shown at high doses are fever and upset stomach (Doses as high as 1-2 g), however, the FDA has determined up to 10 grams per day will not cause harm to humans. (CITE) Taking UMP with food can reduce incidence of nausea or upset stomach.

Supplement Combination for Brain Optimization

Combining uridine monophosphate, DHA, and CDP-choline is already a winning combination, but adding some CoQ10 to boost ATP can take your stack to the next level. Creatine has a similar effect of boosting ATP production.
Read our Full Article on ATP here.
Another great addition to this is to add some kind of antioxidant. I like to use various kinds of antioxidants like Nano-liposomal glutathione, curcumin extract from turmeric, EGCG extract from matcha green tea, proanthocyanidins from blueberries, resveratrol extract from red grapes (or Japanese knotweed) or any other kind of antioxidant like naturally pigmented foods.
This allows you to reduce levels of inflammation, and to increase energy output from your cells. This is the basis of most of the damage caused by a brain injury and even age-related cognitive decline and aging in general. Add uridine to your day for more memory, focus, and synaptogenesis.

Uridine Monophosphate Powder

CDP-Choline Powder

Vital Choice DHA Brain Care with Vitamin D3

arrow Formulas QH-Absorb, High Absorption / Enhanced Stability, 200 mg