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Ep 61: Is Colostrum Worth the Hype for Gut Health? · Love Your Gut

• 0:03
  Dr. Heather Finley: Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast.
• 0:05
  Dr. Heather Finley: I'm your host, Dr.
• 0:06
  Dr. Heather Finley: Heather Finley, registered dietitian and gut health specialist.
• 0:10
  Dr. Heather Finley: I understand the frustration of dealing with GI issues because I've been there and I spent over two decades searching for answers for my own gut issues of constipation, bloating, and stomach pain.
• 0:21
  Dr. Heather Finley: I've dedicated my life to understanding and solving my own gut issues.
• 0:25
  Dr. Heather Finley: And now I'm here to guide you.
• 0:28
  Dr. Heather Finley: On this podcast, I'll help you identify the true root causes of your discomfort.
• 0:33
  Dr. Heather Finley: So you can finally ditch your symptoms for good.
• 0:36
  Dr. Heather Finley: My goal is to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need so that you can love your gut and it will love you right back.
• 0:43
  Dr. Heather Finley: So if you're ready to learn a lot, gain a deeper understanding of your gut and find lasting relief.
• 0:48
  Dr. Heather Finley: You are in the right place.
• 0:50
  Dr. Heather Finley: Welcome to the love your gut podcast..............
• 1:00
  Dr. Heather Finley: Glad to be back with you.
• 1:01
  Dr. Heather Finley: I have a special guest with me today.
• 1:04
  Dr. Heather Finley: It is my three week old baby.
• 1:06
  Dr. Heather Finley: So if you hear some baby coos in the background, you are welcome.
• 1:11
  Dr. Heather Finley: But three weeks ago I had a baby.
• 1:14
  Dr. Heather Finley: It feels ironic to be recording a podcast talking about colostrum and if it's worth the hype, because 100 percent colostrum is worth the hype when it comes to a newborn baby.
• 1:28
  Dr. Heather Finley: But you might be wondering.
• 1:29
  Dr. Heather Finley: Is colostrum worth the hype for you, which is why you're tuning in.
• 1:34
  Dr. Heather Finley: This has been something that I've gotten tons of questions about.
• 1:38
  Dr. Heather Finley: Because if you are on social media.
• 1:41
  Dr. Heather Finley: You probably have seen colostrum popping up everywhere.
• 1:46
  Dr. Heather Finley: You've probably seen influencers raving about colostrum as a miracle, miracle cure for gut health and immunity.
• 1:54
  Dr. Heather Finley: You're not alone.
• 1:55
  Dr. Heather Finley: If your page is full of people taking colostrum.
• 1:59
  Dr. Heather Finley: So here's the thing.
• 2:01
  Dr. Heather Finley: Colostrum can be very beneficial.
• 2:05
  Dr. Heather Finley: But I'm here today to provide.
• 2:09
  Dr. Heather Finley: Potentially a alternative to colostrum which is something that I think is a little bit more effective and something that we for sure seen as more effective in our practice.
• 2:21
  Dr. Heather Finley: And that is serum bovine immunoglobulins.
• 2:24
  Dr. Heather Finley: So in this episode, I'm going to break down the key differences between colostrum and immunolin.
• 2:31
  Dr. Heather Finley: The science behind it, which one might be a better choice for you in supporting your gut health and immune system and answer the overarching question of is colostrum worth the hype?
• 2:42
  Dr. Heather Finley: Because like I said, colostrum is everywhere right now and you're probably wondering if you should take it.
• 2:51
  Dr. Heather Finley: So let's just dive right in and talk first about what actually is colostrum.
• 2:57
  Dr. Heather Finley: So colostrum is a nutrient rich milk produced by mammals, including cows, including humans in the first days after birth.
• 3:09
  Dr. Heather Finley: And it's packed with something called immunoglobulins.
• 3:12
  Dr. Heather Finley: It's packed with growth factors and then also peptides that support immune function and gut health, particularly in newborns.
• 3:21
  Dr. Heather Finley: So while it's great the benefits for adults can be maybe a little bit more complex.
• 3:28
  Dr. Heather Finley: It's not necessarily the perfect solution for everyone.
• 3:32
  Dr. Heather Finley: For starters.
• 3:33
  Dr. Heather Finley: It is derived from milk, meaning that it contains lactose and other dairy proteins, making it really unsuitable for those with dairy sensitivities.
• 3:44
  Dr. Heather Finley: Its potency can really vary significantly based on how it's sourced and how it's processed, which makes it risky.
• 3:53
  Dr. Heather Finley: Sometimes I'll hear our clients come to us and say, Oh, my friend told me to take colostrum and said like it totally cured up, X, Y, Z symptom that they were having.
• 4:03
  Dr. Heather Finley: And then I tried it and it didn't do anything for me.
• 4:07
  Dr. Heather Finley: So everybody's.
• 4:09
  Dr. Heather Finley: Results are going to be different.
• 4:12
  Dr. Heather Finley: And one of the reasons could be actually from the sourcing and from the processing.
• 4:17
  Dr. Heather Finley: The other thing is that there's a risk with colostrum of endotoxin contamination that can potentially worsen gut issues for some individuals.
• 4:27
  Dr. Heather Finley: So while many companies are probably Really tight with the regulations when it comes to this.
• 4:34
  Dr. Heather Finley: That is a risk.
• 4:34
  Dr. Heather Finley: And is that, so that's something that you definitely want to look out for if colostrum is something that you're gonna take.
• 4:41
  Dr. Heather Finley: And definitely looking into the company and their sourcing their.
• 4:47
  Dr. Heather Finley: processing et cetera.
• 4:49
  Dr. Heather Finley: So that kind of brings us to immunolin.
• 4:52
  Dr. Heather Finley: It's an alternative to colostrum that I believe offers better benefits.
• 4:59
  Dr. Heather Finley: And I'm not here on this episode to tell you that immunolin is a one size fits all product either.
• 5:07
  Dr. Heather Finley: While I have seen immunolin help so many people nothing is a cure all, right?
• 5:13
  Dr. Heather Finley: Nothing at all is going to be a one size fits all.
• 5:16
  Dr. Heather Finley: Although immunolin is probably the thing that we recommend to clients the most.
• 5:22
  Dr. Heather Finley: So what is immunolin?
• 5:23
  Dr. Heather Finley: It is derived from bovine serum, so blood plasma, not milk, which actually means it's lactose free.
• 5:33
  Dr. Heather Finley: and has a much higher concentration of immunoglobulins, which colostrum also contains.
• 5:38
  Dr. Heather Finley: So these components support the immune system and support gut function.
• 5:44
  Dr. Heather Finley: So here's three reasons why I think it stands out for several reasons.
• 5:49
  Dr. Heather Finley: Number one is the higher immunoglobulin concentration.
• 5:53
  Dr. Heather Finley: So immunoglobulin contains about three times 15 percent more immunoglobulins than colostrum.
• 6:00
  Dr. Heather Finley: Now, if your social media feed is filled with colostrum ads, you've probably clicked on them and seen that it's not cheap, right?
• 6:08
  Dr. Heather Finley: So if you're spending your money on something, I would want to spend my money on something that's more potent and pure and also potentially going to get me results faster.
• 6:20
  Dr. Heather Finley: The other benefit that I see is the consistent quality.
• 6:24
  Dr. Heather Finley: So since it's highly purified, immunolin has a bit more predictable quality.
• 6:30
  Dr. Heather Finley: Unlike colostrum where the quality can just vary based on sourcing and processing.
• 6:35
  Dr. Heather Finley: And then the other piece that I find really beneficial, especially for our client population is that it's dairy free.
• 6:42
  Dr. Heather Finley: So since immunolin is made from serum, it's free of lactose or other dairy proteins, which can make it a better option for people with dairy issues or allergies, etc.
• 6:53
  Dr. Heather Finley: There's one situation in which I wouldn't recommend Immunolin to an individual, and that is if they have alpha gal or a beef allergy.
• 7:04
  Dr. Heather Finley: In that case, then it would not be a good option for them.
• 7:08
  Dr. Heather Finley: While immunolin offers some advantages to colostrum I also want to just recognize that colostrum as well has benefits, studies show that it can promote gut healing.
• 7:18
  Dr. Heather Finley: It can support immune function.
• 7:20
  Dr. Heather Finley: It can even improve athletic recovery.
• 7:22
  Dr. Heather Finley: I mean, these things that you're seeing on social media aren't untrue.
• 7:26
  Dr. Heather Finley: Do I think that it's a little bit overhyped?
• 7:29
  Dr. Heather Finley: for sure.
• 7:30
  Dr. Heather Finley: But there have been research studies proving these things.
• 7:34
  Dr. Heather Finley: But the benefits are often going to be a bit more variable depending on the quality of the product.
• 7:40
  Dr. Heather Finley: So in summary, colostrum is a great option for some.
• 7:45
  Dr. Heather Finley: Not a one size fits all solution.
• 7:48
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you're looking for something more potent, consistent, dairy free, immunolin is possibly going to be a better choice for supporting your gut and your immune system.
• 7:58
  Dr. Heather Finley: Whether you're dealing with gut issues or even if you're pregnant or breastfeeding immunolin is completely safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding, which is pretty cool.
• 8:08
  Dr. Heather Finley: We have clients come to us all the time that are trying to conceive, pregnant, breastfeeding, et cetera.
• 8:16
  Dr. Heather Finley: And they can't complete some of the standard protocols because not that things would be necessarily unsafe, there's just not a whole lot of research on products, specifically for SIBO or Candida or some of the, H pylori, some of the big things that we often see There's just not research because people aren't going to do studies on pregnant women for obvious reasons and see what happens.
• 8:42
  Dr. Heather Finley: And thankfully immunoglobulins are something that are completely safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding.
• 8:49
  Dr. Heather Finley: And in the next part of this episode, I want to break down just some of the advantages or some of the things that research has shown immunoglobulin to actually bind to.
• 9:00
  Dr. Heather Finley: So, just to explain a little bit about what even immunoglobulins.
• 9:06
  Dr. Heather Finley: So whether in colostrum or serum bovine immunoglobulins what they actually do is they will bind to antigens or quote unquote, bad guys in the gut, whether that is a virus, whether, whether that's bacteria, whether that's Candida, fungus, mold, whatever it These things can actually bind to unwanted things in the gut, and once bound, these antigens are neutralized and removed.
• 9:35
  Dr. Heather Finley: From the body through the digestive system, which is pretty cool.
• 9:39
  Dr. Heather Finley: So when you capture these harmful pathogens Immunoglobulins will help reduce the toxin load on the gut and the immune system Which will allow the body to focus on repair and healing One thing that we see often with our clients is that they have a lot going on, especially if we run stool testing on somebody, or maybe we've done mold testing or whatever it might be.
• 10:04
  Dr. Heather Finley: We see never just usually one thing.
• 10:07
  Dr. Heather Finley: It's never one thing like, Oh, you have H pylori.
• 10:10
  Dr. Heather Finley: We need to remove that.
• 10:11
  Dr. Heather Finley: It's usually you have H pylori and you have bacterial overgrowth and you have, a low gut immune system.
• 10:17
  Dr. Heather Finley: And you have this, that, and the other.
• 10:19
  Dr. Heather Finley: And so we need to really focus on how do we do the most with the least.
• 10:24
  Dr. Heather Finley: And immunolin is one of those things that can actually help us do that.
• 10:28
  Dr. Heather Finley: Because while it helps to bind to some of these, harmful pathogens in the gut that make it hard for the body to heal because the body's constantly just in this fight mode trying to get unwanted things out.
• 10:41
  Dr. Heather Finley: It also helps to build up and repair the gut lining.
• 10:46
  Dr. Heather Finley: I like to explain or describe the gut lining like a cheesecloth.
• 10:51
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you've ever made cheese or seen a cheesecloth, you know that it filters large particles out, right?
• 10:58
  Dr. Heather Finley: So if you're pouring something over a cheesecloth, it's going to capture the really big clumps.
• 11:04
  Dr. Heather Finley: And that's how your gut lining works is it helps to protect your gut from the outside world.
• 11:11
  Dr. Heather Finley: Now, if you've heard of the term leaky gut, Really, the actual term for this is intestinal permeability, but for all intents and purposes, we'll call it leaky gut.
• 11:23
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you have leaky gut, which a lot of people to an extent do, your cheesecloth has holes in it, and so things are getting through.
• 11:33
  Dr. Heather Finley: The cheesecloth that aren't supposed to triggering your immune system to have a response.
• 11:39
  Dr. Heather Finley: The more activated your immune system is, the harder it is for your immune system or your gut in general to heal.
• 11:47
  Dr. Heather Finley: And so as we help to basically sew back up that cheesecloth or glue it back together whatever analogy works for you.
• 11:56
  Dr. Heather Finley: Your body can actually focus on healing because it's not necessarily focused on just like constantly being activated, if that makes sense.
• 12:06
  Dr. Heather Finley: So let's talk about some of the things that we have seen in our clients as far as just benefits to immunoglobulins.
• 12:14
  Dr. Heather Finley: Number one is H.
• 12:16
  Dr. Heather Finley: pylori and SIBO.
• 12:17
  Dr. Heather Finley: So there's multiple studies that indicate that immunoglobulins can help to neutralize.
• 12:23
  Dr. Heather Finley: Helicobacter pylori, or H.
• 12:26
  Dr. Heather Finley: pylori, which is a bacteria that is linked to stomach ulcers, gastritis, SIBO, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, H.
• 12:35
  Dr. Heather Finley: pylori thrives in the stomach lining and can lead to chronic inflammation if it's left untreated, but immunoglobulins can prevent the bacteria from attaching to The stomach lining, which is pretty cool.
• 12:50
  Dr. Heather Finley: This was a study done in the BMC microbiology journal.
• 12:54
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you want to look it up, but this can help the prevent the bacteria from colonizing, which is so cool.
• 13:03
  Dr. Heather Finley: We've seen this.
• 13:05
  Dr. Heather Finley: Over and over again, clients that have persistent bloating, acid reflux, positive H.
• 13:11
  Dr. Heather Finley: pylori on their stool test, they add immunolin in, within weeks, they notice improvements in their bloating, fewer episodes of nausea, fewer episodes of constipation, diarrhea, et cetera.
• 13:25
  Dr. Heather Finley: We've even seen followup stool testing with just the use of immunolin actually decrease numbers of H.
• 13:33
  Dr. Heather Finley: pylori.
• 13:34
  Dr. Heather Finley: And the other thing that we have seen immunoglobulins be really beneficial for is Candida.
• 13:40
  Dr. Heather Finley: Candida can be a really controversial thing, especially, again, on social media.
• 13:45
  Dr. Heather Finley: There's a common theme here.
• 13:47
  Dr. Heather Finley: But immunoglobulins can bind to Candida, which is a really common fungal pathogen.
• 13:52
  Dr. Heather Finley: And this can overgrow in the gut.
• 13:55
  Dr. Heather Finley: Candida can be really challenging.
• 13:57
  Dr. Heather Finley: It can lead to symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, sugar cravings, etc.
• 14:02
  Dr. Heather Finley: And when you can bind to Candida, Immunolin can reduce inflammation in the gut.
• 14:08
  Dr. Heather Finley: It will prevent further cancer.
• 14:10
  Dr. Heather Finley: fungal overgrowth, et cetera.
• 14:12
  Dr. Heather Finley: There's a research study that's published in Nutritional Frontiers and it highlights immunolins role in reducing fungal toxin overloads and alleviating some of these symptoms.
• 14:24
  Dr. Heather Finley: I know I'm thinking of one client specifically, she had recurring candida infections, both gut and vaginal.
• 14:33
  Dr. Heather Finley: We incorporated immunolin alongside other antifungal therapies.
• 14:39
  Dr. Heather Finley: She experienced fewer sugar cravings, improved energy levels, and a reduction or removal of candida, which is pretty cool.
• 14:49
  Dr. Heather Finley: Because candida can be one of those things where it is, Hard to get rid of because there's a lot of root causes of Candida, low stomach acid, nutrient deficiencies, poor digestion, poor bile flow mold, et cetera.
• 15:03
  Dr. Heather Finley: And so if you're not addressing the root cause of the Candida, it's very easy for it to come back.
• 15:09
  Dr. Heather Finley: But in this case, the immunolin was super, super helpful for this client.
• 15:15
  Dr. Heather Finley: The other thing that we have seen Immunolin be extremely helpful for is mold.
• 15:20
  Dr. Heather Finley: And if you listen to my episode on mold, which I'll link in the show notes, I can't remember off the top of my head what episode it is.
• 15:27
  Dr. Heather Finley: But it's a couple back and I talked about my journey with mold.
• 15:30
  Dr. Heather Finley: So on my, and when I had my son, so my last baby or my middle child, I Had horrible symptoms that I started to think this is not postpartum.
• 15:44
  Dr. Heather Finley: There's something else.
• 15:46
  Dr. Heather Finley: And turns out we had mold in our house and I was dealing with mold illness.
• 15:50
  Dr. Heather Finley: And at the time I had.
• 15:52
  Dr. Heather Finley: Met someone who worked at the company that sources immunoglobulins and was talking to him about some of the research related to mold that they were finding.
• 16:01
  Dr. Heather Finley: They were so kind and they sent me a huge container of it and said, just try it and see if it helps you, no strings attached and oh my gosh, it changed the game for me.
• 16:12
  Dr. Heather Finley: And I talk about this in the episode, if you want to listen to it, but.
• 16:16
  Dr. Heather Finley: Mycotoxins, which are produced by mold, are really harmful compounds, compounds that can trigger chronic inflammation, gut issues, et cetera.
• 16:27
  Dr. Heather Finley: Brain fog was one of the main symptoms that I had in fatigue which I had never experienced before, but immunolin has been shown to bind to these toxins, which helps reduce the reabsorption in the gut and just lowering systemic toxic load.
• 16:44
  Dr. Heather Finley: There's so many different studies published finding that immunolin is able to bind to specific mycotoxins supporting its role just in detox.
• 16:56
  Dr. Heather Finley: So like I said, I experienced this myself.
• 17:00
  Dr. Heather Finley: and saw even on follow up testing the reduction there.
• 17:04
  Dr. Heather Finley: I was breastfeeding at the time, and so I wasn't able to do any kind of intense detox protocol.
• 17:11
  Dr. Heather Finley: And even with just immunolin, I was able to significantly help.
• 17:16
  Dr. Heather Finley: My levels of mold which is pretty cool.
• 17:20
  Dr. Heather Finley: We also have had other clients with a similar story that have been able to use immunolin on their mold journey to help reduce bloating, fatigue, frequent headaches.
• 17:31
  Dr. Heather Finley: The other benefit is that immunolin is actious as a gentle binder alongside detox supplements.
• 17:39
  Dr. Heather Finley: So we have one client who I can think of who came to us who had mold and She was on this really intense mold protocol from another provider and she just couldn't tolerate it.
• 17:52
  Dr. Heather Finley: She was having horrible die off reactions, horrible, just detox symptoms, headaches, rashes, trouble sleeping, like her symptoms were getting worse.
• 18:02
  Dr. Heather Finley: And we added in immunoglobulins and actually took away some of the other supplements that she was taking and her symptoms greatly improved.
• 18:11
  Dr. Heather Finley: And then her mold, Issues also really improved.
• 18:15
  Dr. Heather Finley: The last thing that I'll talk about are actually two more.
• 18:18
  Dr. Heather Finley: The last two things is SIBO as well as chronic diarrhea or inflammatory bowel disease improvements.
• 18:26
  Dr. Heather Finley: So there are studies showing that immunoglobulins target toxins released by SIBO associated bacteria, such as E.
• 18:35
  Dr. Heather Finley: coli, such as club Ciela.
• 18:37
  Dr. Heather Finley: These are two bacteria that we see on the GI map.
• 18:40
  Dr. Heather Finley: The stool tests that we run.
• 18:42
  Dr. Heather Finley: And just because somebody has these two bacteria high does not, of course, confirm that they have SIBO.
• 18:48
  Dr. Heather Finley: But we do have some clients that come to us with past SIBO testing and know that they have positive SIBO.
• 18:54
  Dr. Heather Finley: But these toxins contribute highly to inflammation, bloating, diarrhea, and immunolin can actually neutralize these toxins.
• 19:01
  Dr. Heather Finley: It can alleviate gut symptoms.
• 19:03
  Dr. Heather Finley: It can support just overall balance.
• 19:05
  Dr. Heather Finley: So if you have SIBO and you're trying to just mitigate some of this toxin load in your SIBO or dysbiosis, then immunolin might be something that's really helpful for you.
• 19:17
  Dr. Heather Finley: And then lastly, if you struggle with inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, or you have chronic diarrhea.
• 19:25
  Dr. Heather Finley: That is actually what immunolin was originally used for it can help reduce gut inflammation by binding to bacterial antigens and help to lessen flare up symptoms, especially diarrhea.
• 19:40
  Dr. Heather Finley: So there's a variable amount of immunoglobulins that you may or may not have to use.
• 19:46
  Dr. Heather Finley: If diarrhea is a symptom that you have, you might have to use a much higher dose, but.
• 19:51
  Dr. Heather Finley: Okay.
• 19:51
  Dr. Heather Finley: Immunoglobulins will help bind to whatever is triggering that diarrhea.
• 19:57
  Dr. Heather Finley: And we have a client who had Crohn's disease, who used immunoglobulins to help just manage their chronic diarrhea within, a couple of weeks of taking it, her stool consistency, improved the urgency greatly decreased.
• 20:11
  Dr. Heather Finley: She reported feeling a lot more comfortable eating a wide variety of foods feeling more comfortable leaving the house because she wasn't having chronic diarrhea.
• 20:18
  Dr. Heather Finley: So.
• 20:19
  Dr. Heather Finley: For her, that was life changing because there was a lot of stress there related to her symptoms and just ability to be flexible with her plans.
• 20:29
  Dr. Heather Finley: Immunolin not only helps just, I guess, detoxify the gut or bind to harmful pathogens, but it also supports gut lining repair, which this is something that's often missed in gut protocols and really significant.
• 20:47
  Dr. Heather Finley: Going back to the cheesecloth analogy, we have to not only reduce the immune system's workload, but we also need to create an environment where the gut lining can then defend itself.
• 21:01
  Dr. Heather Finley: When you have SIBO, when you have mold, when you have chronic inflammation, when you have candida.
• 21:09
  Dr. Heather Finley: And you have intestinal permeability coupled with that.
• 21:13
  Dr. Heather Finley: It's one thing to address the candida.
• 21:16
  Dr. Heather Finley: It's one thing to address the SIBO, but you need to glue the gut back together and immunolin can do that.
• 21:23
  Dr. Heather Finley: You can reduce gut permeability.
• 21:25
  Dr. Heather Finley: You're going to see improvements in overall inflammation and So that's what makes immunolin pretty unique is that it binds and neutralizes harmful pathogens, but it's also, supported in research to help reduce inflammation, repair the gut lining and support immune function.
• 21:46
  Dr. Heather Finley: And so it can help in a twofold way which makes it a really effective product to spend your money on.
• 21:54
  Dr. Heather Finley: But the question becomes, how, if this is something that you're going to take, what dose do you take, how long do you take it, et cetera.
• 22:03
  Dr. Heather Finley: So the first, dose that you could consider would be a maintenance phase.
• 22:07
  Dr. Heather Finley: So this would be one to two grams a day.
• 22:10
  Dr. Heather Finley: This is for more ongoing gut and immune health support.
• 22:14
  Dr. Heather Finley: GI issues or it's flu season, cold season, you're just trying to help your body.
• 22:21
  Dr. Heather Finley: to remove anything that might make you ill.
• 22:25
  Dr. Heather Finley: Your kid's bringing home the flu from daycare or colds, etc.
• 22:30
  Dr. Heather Finley: One to two grams a day can be really effective, just as a maintenance.
• 22:33
  Dr. Heather Finley: This can also benefit you if you're prone to seasonal allergies.
• 22:38
  Dr. Heather Finley: We've seen immunolin be really effective, actually, for allergies as well.
• 22:43
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you're more in like a gut healing phase, then you're going to need a higher dose.
• 22:48
  Dr. Heather Finley: So during a gut repair protocol, so you're addressing intestinal permeability, dysbiosis, a gut infection like SIBO or H.
• 22:56
  Dr. Heather Finley: pylori, you're going to need a higher dose, probably closer to five or more grams a day.
• 23:02
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you're working to reduce candida, et cetera.
• 23:05
  Dr. Heather Finley: This is Research suggests that this dose helps to improve gut barrier integrity, reduce the inflammatory burden associated with any bacterial or fungal infection, etc.
• 23:20
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you're in an extremely acute situation, so let's say you have severe C.
• 23:24
  Dr. Heather Finley: diff, IBD flare, chronic diarrhea, etc.
• 23:29
  Dr. Heather Finley: You might need to take somewhere closer to 10 grams a day.
• 23:33
  Dr. Heather Finley: We had a patient.
• 23:35
  Dr. Heather Finley: That was taking, 10 ish grams a day.
• 23:38
  Dr. Heather Finley: And that's the patient I was talking about where their chronic diarrhea really resolved.
• 23:43
  Dr. Heather Finley: It's going to help bind to more toxins at a time, the higher dose that you take what we have seen.
• 23:51
  Dr. Heather Finley: And there's not really research about this, but what we have seen with our clients is typically the higher dose you take, right?
• 23:58
  Dr. Heather Finley: Sometimes it can slow down your bowels just a little bit.
• 24:01
  Dr. Heather Finley: So if you're really sensitive, if you have constipation, then you're, you're going to want to go slow.
• 24:07
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you have diarrhea, I wouldn't be scared to ramp up the dose.
• 24:11
  Dr. Heather Finley: Of course, consult your medical provider on this and what would be appropriate for you.
• 24:16
  Dr. Heather Finley: But if you're more sensitive, you're going to want to go slower.
• 24:19
  Dr. Heather Finley: So while these recommendations are giving a general framework, please know that You're an individual, your needs are going to vary based on the severity of your symptoms.
• 24:31
  Dr. Heather Finley: What else is going on with you?
• 24:33
  Dr. Heather Finley: Et cetera.
• 24:34
  Dr. Heather Finley: So please consult your medical provider, on this.
• 24:38
  Dr. Heather Finley: Okay.
• 24:39
  Dr. Heather Finley: Last piece of this episode is I want to break down some of the immunolin based products that are on the market.
• 24:45
  Dr. Heather Finley: And please note that this entire episode is not sponsored at all.
• 24:49
  Dr. Heather Finley: This is just my clinical experience and opinion.
• 24:54
  Dr. Heather Finley: Nobody is paying me to do this episode.
• 24:56
  Dr. Heather Finley: And I'm talking about products that we often use.
• 25:00
  Dr. Heather Finley: Again, consult your own provider.
• 25:02
  Dr. Heather Finley: I am not your provider.
• 25:03
  Dr. Heather Finley: I am a dietitian.
• 25:04
  Dr. Heather Finley: I am not your dietitian.
• 25:05
  Dr. Heather Finley: Please consult your provider.
• 25:07
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you are thinking about trying something like this.
• 25:10
  Dr. Heather Finley: But I'm going to talk through some of the products that we often recommend.
• 25:14
  Dr. Heather Finley: So the first one is Ortho Spore.
• 25:16
  Dr. Heather Finley: This is a unique product because it's actually a combination of spore based probiotics and immunoglobulins.
• 25:24
  Dr. Heather Finley: So it has one gram of immunolins, so not a high dose, and spore based probiotics.
• 25:29
  Dr. Heather Finley: So this is more of a maintenance product.
• 25:32
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you've gone through SIBO protocols.
• 25:35
  Dr. Heather Finley: Candida protocols, et cetera.
• 25:37
  Dr. Heather Finley: And you're looking for just kind of something to help you maintain.
• 25:40
  Dr. Heather Finley: This is a great product.
• 25:42
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you're looking to help continue to diversify your microbiome gently remove antigens in your gut, et cetera.
• 25:50
  Dr. Heather Finley: Could be great if you're recovering from antibiotic use, et cetera.
• 25:54
  Dr. Heather Finley: This is not going to be a great product.
• 25:56
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you have chronic diarrhea and you need a higher dose.
• 26:01
  Dr. Heather Finley: Some of the other products might be better.
• 26:04
  Dr. Heather Finley: The next product is SBI protect.
• 26:06
  Dr. Heather Finley: This is probably one that we use more often than others.
• 26:09
  Dr. Heather Finley: It comes in a capsule or powder form.
• 26:12
  Dr. Heather Finley: And the reason that I like this one is because it allows for a little bit more flexible dosing.
• 26:18
  Dr. Heather Finley: So there's no additional ingredients.
• 26:20
  Dr. Heather Finley: It's just a concentrated source of immunoglobulins.
• 26:23
  Dr. Heather Finley: Making it very precise and customizable.
• 26:27
  Dr. Heather Finley: Whether you are trying to slowly increase your dose or take a high dose, you can really just add the scoops to your smoothie, your water, whatever.
• 26:38
  Dr. Heather Finley: You can get up to that 10 grams really easily, that 5 grams really easily.
• 26:42
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you do the scooper version of this, every scoop contains two and a half grams.
• 26:48
  Dr. Heather Finley: So if you're going for that middle dose of five grams, it's an easy two scoop a day.
• 26:54
  Dr. Heather Finley: The next product is Mega IgG 2000.
• 26:57
  Dr. Heather Finley: This is another popular product.
• 26:59
  Dr. Heather Finley: It comes in a capsule form.
• 27:01
  Dr. Heather Finley: It also comes in a powder form.
• 27:03
  Dr. Heather Finley: Again, flexible dosing, easy to add into drinks or.
• 27:07
  Dr. Heather Finley: capsules if you prefer that.
• 27:09
  Dr. Heather Finley: Again, a straightforward way.
• 27:11
  Dr. Heather Finley: Their scoop is a little bit less than two and a half grams.
• 27:14
  Dr. Heather Finley: So to get to the five grams, it's two and some change.
• 27:18
  Dr. Heather Finley: So it makes it a little bit more tricky, but honestly not that bad.
• 27:22
  Dr. Heather Finley: The next one is something called mega mucosa.
• 27:25
  Dr. Heather Finley: So the last two that I'll talk about are combination products.
• 27:29
  Dr. Heather Finley: So mega mucosa.
• 27:30
  Dr. Heather Finley: It has immuno in, it has four key amino acids, so L proline, serin cysteine, L three anine, as well as citrus bioflavonoids to support gut lining repair.
• 27:42
  Dr. Heather Finley: So the amino acids in this product help with mucin production, which helps with the mucus layer of the gut.
• 27:48
  Dr. Heather Finley: It strengthen, strengthens the intestinal mucosal barrier.
• 27:52
  Dr. Heather Finley: It protects against leaky gut.
• 27:54
  Dr. Heather Finley: And then the bioflavonoids provide additional just antioxidant support, polyphenols, et cetera, et cetera, to support gut inflammation.
• 28:04
  Dr. Heather Finley: So this can be helpful for severe intestinal permeability for those recovering from mold or toxin exposure, chronic inflammation, et cetera.
• 28:14
  Dr. Heather Finley: And it's by Microbiome Labs, just like the Mega IgG 2000.
• 28:19
  Dr. Heather Finley: So the difference of those two products is that the megamucosa has other things, the mega IgG is just immunolin.
• 28:27
  Dr. Heather Finley: And then the last product is something called IgGi shield.
• 28:31
  Dr. Heather Finley: This is immunolin paired with N acetyl D glucosamine.
• 28:35
  Dr. Heather Finley: It's a compound that supports mucin production as well.
• 28:38
  Dr. Heather Finley: This helps the mucus layer of the gut.
• 28:40
  Dr. Heather Finley: Protects the intestinal walls can be really helpful for those that have long term antibiotic use, chronic stress, autoimmune conditions Crohn's disease, et cetera.
• 28:51
  Dr. Heather Finley: So again, a combination product.
• 28:53
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you're more of a sensitive individual, you may just want to start with.
• 28:57
  Dr. Heather Finley: the SPI Protect or the Mega IgG and see how you do.
• 29:01
  Dr. Heather Finley: Again, everybody's going to be the right, a little bit different.
• 29:04
  Dr. Heather Finley: Evaluate kind of your goals.
• 29:06
  Dr. Heather Finley: Are you targeting microbiome diversity, gut lining repair, pathogen removal?
• 29:10
  Dr. Heather Finley: How much do you need to take?
• 29:12
  Dr. Heather Finley: Do you need flexibility in your dosing?
• 29:14
  Dr. Heather Finley: Is convenience a priority?
• 29:16
  Dr. Heather Finley: Match the formulation with your needs.
• 29:21
  Dr. Heather Finley: Immunolin is a great product.
• 29:23
  Dr. Heather Finley: Like I said, it's safe for adults, children, pregnant, breastfeeding individuals.
• 29:27
  Dr. Heather Finley: It is not safe for those with alpha gal syndrome or a beef allergy.
• 29:33
  Dr. Heather Finley: You really just want to make sure that you are being safe.
• 29:38
  Dr. Heather Finley: You are consulting your provider.
• 29:40
  Dr. Heather Finley: But there's really no research that suggests that it should be harmful for anyone except for the alpha gal and beef allergy that I mentioned.
• 29:49
  Dr. Heather Finley: So when it comes to supporting gut health, immune health like I said, colostrum has its benefits, particularly, if you're looking to boost your immunity, heal your gut.
• 29:59
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you need lactoferrin growth factors, et cetera, but immunolin has emerged as a superior option.
• 30:07
  Dr. Heather Finley: It just doesn't have the marketing behind it.
• 30:11
  Dr. Heather Finley: Like you're going to see from some of these colostrum products on social media, it has a higher concentration of immunoglobulins, like I said, 15 percent more.
• 30:20
  Dr. Heather Finley: And so it's just.
• 30:22
  Dr. Heather Finley: A, I think an easier choice especially if you have a sensitivity to dairy or lactose intolerance and you're looking for something that's going to help support your immune system and help support your gut.
• 30:35
  Dr. Heather Finley: I hope that this episode is helpful.
• 30:37
  Dr. Heather Finley: And I guess to summarize is, is colostrum worth the hype?
• 30:41
  Dr. Heather Finley: Colostrum can be worth the hype, but just make sure that, some of the things you're looking into the sourcing, you're looking into.
• 30:51
  Dr. Heather Finley: The processing and manufacturing and just some of the consistency with some of these companies and also compare costs, look at the cost of taking immunolin and taking colostrum and you might actually get more bang for your buck elsewhere.
• 31:06
  Dr. Heather Finley: So not that the colostrum product that you're taking is really going to do any harm because it's likely not, it's probably going to help you to an extent, but may not help you as much as.
• 31:18
  Dr. Heather Finley: What I suggested here at the end of this episode.
• 31:21
  Dr. Heather Finley: So I hope that this was helpful.
• 31:23
  Dr. Heather Finley: I have listed in the show notes, a list of the products that I mentioned.
• 31:30
  Dr. Heather Finley: Once again, not sponsored at all, just my own Just experience with these products now using it for years with clients.
• 31:38
  Dr. Heather Finley: I've listed a link to where you can purchase them through full script.
• 31:41
  Dr. Heather Finley: If that's something that you want to do.
• 31:43
  Dr. Heather Finley: And remember just this podcast is for educational purposes only.
• 31:48
  Dr. Heather Finley: I am not intending to diagnose, treat, or cure any condition.
• 31:52
  Dr. Heather Finley: Consult your healthcare provider when you're trying a new supplement.
• 31:56
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you do try an immunogen product and it helps you and you learned about it on this episode, I would love to hear from you and see what you noticed.
• 32:04
  Dr. Heather Finley: So share this episode with a friend, especially during cold and flu season.
• 32:08
  Dr. Heather Finley: Have a very happy holidays.
• 32:10
  Dr. Heather Finley: If you're listening to this, when it actually comes out and I will catch you on the next episode of the love your gut podcast.
• 32:18
  Dr. Heather Finley: I'm giving your gut a thumbs up because you just finished another episode of the love your gut podcast.
• 32:24
  Dr. Heather Finley: You know that in order to live a life free from uncomfortable bloating, you need to figure out why you're actually bloated, right?
• 32:31
  Dr. Heather Finley: The best way to do that is by taking my free quiz.
• 32:34
  Dr. Heather Finley: Take the next steps towards determining your root causes by visiting drheatherfinley.
• 32:39
  Dr. Heather Finley: co backslash quiz and learn what it is that's causing your bloating.
• 32:44
  Dr. Heather Finley: Soon enough, you'll be transforming your gut issues and I can't wait to help you.
• 32:49
  Dr. Heather Finley: Be sure to tune in next week for the next episode of the Love Your Gut podcast.