Probiotics Are Dangerous, Should Be Regulated As Drugs

[zewe]

Yes, this is article I found because of facebook group "Ray Peat Inspired" and tried it with success.

What brand are you taking? And is it expensive?

 

[Broken man]

What brand are you taking? And is it expensive?

I am very happy that I found local brand with Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus.
But I am from Europe and its not expensive. Only thing I can tell you is that I was searching for "probiotics for children" when I found it.

 

[Such_Saturation]

What are some things that fight D-lactate directly? Especially in relation to making people realize if it's a source of their symptoms or not.

 

[zewe]

I am very happy that I found local brand with Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus.
But I am from Europe and its not expensive. Only thing I can tell you is that I was searching for "probiotics for children" when I found it.

Here in the USA, the closest I could find on the store shelves was Jarrow's. Websites sell specific brands for histamine intolerance but gosh they're expensive. The thing with the baby formulas is that they are closer to what are natural strains in us.

Jarrow Formulas : Baby's Jarro-Dophilus + GOS

 

[Obi-wan]

So you're effectively taking a potassium acetate/malate supplement?

A sodium/potassium/malate acetate.

 

[Bart1]

I have gut issues as well (constipation, bloating). Trying a lot of things. Bamboo shoots, Carrot Salad, Cascara. All seem to work a bit, but I'm not yet rid of it. Before I learned about Peat I used probiotics regularly. I cycled through various strains. I think I have SIBO, I have elevated B12 levels. I'm trying now a Phage product, Arthur Andrew Medical, Floraphage, 90 Capsules, Arthur Andrew Medical, Floraphage, 90 Capsules

I hope it helps. I did see a discussion here already on Phages

 

[Texon]

For those who are histamine intolerant:

Histamine Intolerance and Probiotics: Restoring Gut Bacterial Balance
In an attempt to restore gut bacterial balance, many people turn to probiotics for histamine intolerance.

Probiotics have shown in numerous studies to improve gut bacterial populations and improve overall health – however, histamine intolerance poses a particular conundrum.

As discussed above, the conversion of histidine to histamine by your gut bacteria is a natural process that’s actually performed by bacteria which are typically considered beneficial to the host.

In the case of histamine intolerance, specifically, these beneficial bacteria may have become so imbalanced that they are creating negative effects and symptoms of histamine intolerance1.

In fact, bacterial production of histamine is the very same reason why histamine intolerant individuals cannot tolerate fermented foods (bone broth, kefir, wine, cheese).

Because, while bacteria are busy digesting and fermenting to produce your wines and cheeses, they produce histamine and turn these into high histamine foods!

For this exact reason, grabbing any random bottle of probiotics for histamine intolerance off the shelf is one of the biggest mistakesyou can make if you’re histamine intolerant - even if you've heard it's the best probiotic on the market.

Almost all probiotics will contain strains of bacteria that produce histamine and, therefore, adding these into your body can further throw off your bacterial balance and worsen symptoms.

I have many, many clients who have experienced this and, as you can imagine, it’s not fun. It’s a waste of time, money, and a lot of extra suffering, only to worsen their condition.

To be clear, there is literally no upside to randomly taking probiotics for histamine intolerance, unless you know exactly which ones to take.

Otherwise, there's a solid chance you're making things worse.

Below is a list of all known probiotics for histamine intolerance that will help you to select the perfect probiotic avoid making this same mistake.

Probiotics for Histamine Intolerance
The list below details exactly which probiotics should be avoided, which have shown to be beneficial probiotics for histamine intolerance and which probiotics are still in question or may benefit certain symptoms only.

Species that may need to be avoided:

• Lactobacillus casei - this species increases both histamine and tyramine
• Lactobacillus Bulgaricus
• Streptococcus thermophilus
• Lactobacillus delbrueckii
• Lactobacillus helveticus

Species that may be beneficial

• Bifidobacterium infantis
• Lactobacillus gasseri
• Bifidobacterium breve
• Bifidobacterium bifidum
• Lactobacillus salivarius
• Lactobacillus rhamnosus (especially GG) – stabilizes mast cells, reduces sensitivity of histamine receptors and allergy-associated receptors while up-regulating anti-inflammatory cells2,3.
• Bifidobacterium longum – assists in histamine degradation. Enhances the expression of genes that create tight junctions, which are molecules that hold intestinal cells together, in order to reduce post-meal inflammatory response and prevent or improve intestinal hyperpermeability (“leaky gut syndrome”) which is a contributor to symptoms of histamine intolerance4.
• Bifidobacterium lactis – helps to break down both histamine and tyramine5.
• Lactobacillus plantarum – helps to break down several biogenic amines including histamine and tyramine6.

Additional Strains of Importance:

• Lactobacillus reuteri– although many histamine intolerance lists place this bacterial strain in a histamine producing category, Lactobacillus reuteri is an interesting case because, in addition to raising histamine, it also increases levels of anti-inflammatory cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)7.
• Saccharomyces-Boulardii – also helps to regulate digestive issues, especially diarrhea.
• Lactobacillus lactis – debate exists over whether helpful, harmful or neutral for histamine intolerance8.
• Lactococcus Lactis – used in producing some high-histamine foods but, other studies have suggested this strain to be histamine-neutral9,10.
• Lactobacillus acidophilus – debate exists over whether helpful, harmful or neutral for histamine intolerance.

Buying Probiotics for Histamine Intolerance
Although it's easy to put together a list of low histamine bacteria, finding an actual brand that carries a probiotic for histamine intolerance in stores is nearly impossible.

The difficulties in finding a probiotic for histamine intolerance are due to the fact that numerous high histamine species from the 'avoid' or 'questionable' lists, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus or Streptococcus thermophilus, tend to be some of the most commonly used ones.

FROM:
Probiotics for Histamine Intolerance: List of Low Histamine Probiotics

@haidut @Travis I can't tolerate anything fermented. Contracted ems from contaminated tryptophan in 1990. I no longer have my gallbladder so I take a digestive enzyme which is bacterially manufactured by fermentation. Sucks but little else seems effective. Just started 100 mgs doxycycline and I think with good effect. I understand the idea behind kimchi but I heard somewhere that Koreans have the highest rate of stomach cancer in the world. Any ideas for a better digestive aid? Maybe malic acid? I notice the IV nad clinics seem to use magnesium malate as part of the therapy.

 

[haidut]

@haidut @Travis I can't tolerate anything fermented. Contracted ems from contaminated tryptophan in 1990. I no longer have my gallbladder so I take a digestive enzyme which is bacterially manufactured by fermentation. Sucks but little else seems effective. Just started 100 mgs doxycycline and I think with good effect. I understand the idea behind kimchi but I heard somewhere that Koreans have the highest rate of stomach cancer in the world. Any ideas for a better digestive aid? Maybe malic acid? I notice the IV nad clinics seem to use magnesium malate as part of the therapy.

Have you tried the phage GI product from LEF? It seems to have helped a lot of people with git issues.

 

[Dave Clark]

Have you tried the phage GI product from LEF? It seems to have helped a lot of people with git issues.

Do you feel this is as good an option as the phage products that do not have the probiotics? Can't remember the full name, Arthur something, lol .
I only ask that since the topic is about probiotics being a possible problem, and thought wouldn't it then be better to just use the phages? Or is it that probiotics are not a problem for all people and just some, like SIBO people? I am totally on the fence about probiotics, since I never notice anything when I use them good or bad, with one exception, I used those soil based probiotics twice over the years, and I now know why they call them 'soil' based, since they soiled my drawers, lol. I am very reluctant to ever use them again.

 

[Texon]

Have you tried the phage GI product from LEF? It seems to have helped a lot of people with git issues.

Not yet this is the first I've heard of them. However I did just try 3 days of 100 mgs doxycycline and it made me feel like h#ll warmed over...the worst I've ever felt in my life (insomnia,anxiety, fearful, unbalanced, dissociated, cognitive impairment, etc. I have stopped and hope things return to somewhat normal soon. Maybe I will give low dose naltrexone a try again with valium per Dr Burksen in New Mexico. I wish there was something better than diazepam but I've tried about everything without result.

 

[Texon]

Have you tried the phage GI product from LEF? It seems to have helped a lot of people with git issues.

Meant to say... nad iv clinics.

 

[haidut]

Do you feel this is as good an option as the phage products that do not have the probiotics? Can't remember the full name, Arthur something, lol .
I only ask that since the topic is about probiotics being a possible problem, and thought wouldn't it then be better to just use the phages? Or is it that probiotics are not a problem for all people and just some, like SIBO people? I am totally on the fence about probiotics, since I never notice anything when I use them good or bad, with one exception, I used those soil based probiotics twice over the years, and I now know why they call them 'soil' based, since they soiled my drawers, lol. I am very reluctant to ever use them again.

I would prefer pure phage products without probiotics but I don't know how well they work. Some other people mentioned a few products containing only phages. If they work well I would prefer them over the probiotics as I think probiotics only provide benefit when the colon is infested with something truly pathological like C. difficile. Otherwise, they likely contribute to the problem as the study above said.

 

[Travis]

Not yet this is the first I've heard of them. However I did just try 3 days of 100 mgs doxycycline and it made me feel like h#ll warmed over...the worst I've ever felt in my life (insomnia,anxiety, fearful, unbalanced, dissociated, cognitive impairment, etc. I have stopped and hope things return to somewhat normal soon. Maybe I will give low dose naltrexone a try again with valium per Dr Burksen in New Mexico. I wish there was something better than diazepam but I've tried about everything without result.

Doxycycline can actually activate RORα, RORβ, and RORγ, the three main nuclear receptors for melatonin. Since this effect had been discovered before the endogenous ligand had been discovered—i.e. when they had truly been 'orphan receptors'—it could almost be seen as appropriate to call them the doxycycline receptors (e.g. DRα). Since this antibiotic/antiprotozoal drug can induce a genetic change normally executed by melatonin, I have the suspicion that 'post-lyme fatigue' is essentially 'post-doxycycline fatigue.'

[Transcription through RORα and RORγ is antagonized by noncalcemic forms of vitamin D₃, yet only in concentrations substantially higher than that required for activation by: doxycycline, melatonin, and 5-methyloxytryptophol. I feel it is intuitive that these hormones should antagonize each-other, and this is because vitamin D₃ is the biochemical signal for ultraviolet light while melatonin is synthesized in its absence.]

Slominski, Andrzej. "RORα and RORγ are expressed in human skin and serve as receptors for endogenously produced noncalcemic 20-hydroxy-and 20, 23-dihydroxyvitamin D." The FASEB Journal (2014)

'To induce ROR expression, cells were treated for 24 h with 1 μM doxycycline in the presence or absence of the vitamin D₃ analog indicated. RORE-mediated activation of the LUC reporter was measured with a Luciferase Assay Substrate Kit (Promega). Assays were performed in triplicate. cAMP-based cell viability was evaluated by the CellTiter-Glo Luminescent Cell Viability Assay (Promega).' ―Slominski​

​

I think that ingesting probiotic foods, such as sauerkraut and kimchi, is only beneficial to the extent they inhibit more pathological microbial strains. Germ-free rats do live and we have our own enzymes to break down food. Believe it or not, Lactobacillus plantarum and L. brevi has actually killed people despite its wide perception of being innocuous (Antony, 2000). But really: sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir likely had their origin as a means of food preservation, probably not to inoculate the body with relatively-less pathological strains of bacteria. I do think sometimes that simply eating the raw cabbage would be healthier than eating the kimchi, in most ways, and also that the idea of 'beneficial probiotics' could have almost as much to do with 'defending traditional foods everyone likes' than anything. It could be a bit different with dairy because Lactobacilli metabolize lactose. Even though I do like making kimchi and sauerkraut, there are many other fun things to make and you're probably not missing-out too much. I know that some types of cheese do have Lactobacilli, and also that others have other genera besides. The P. freudenreichii in Swiss cheese (Emmental) is reputedly a very good probiotic, often though to be better than Lactobacilli.

 

[Texon]

Doxycycline can actually activate RORα, RORβ, and RORγ, the three main nuclear receptors for melatonin. Since this effect had been discovered before the endogenous ligand had been discovered—i.e. when they had truly been 'orphan receptors'—it could almost be seen as appropriate to call them the doxycycline receptors (e.g. DRα). Since this antibiotic/antiprotozoal drug can induce a genetic change normally executed by melatonin, I have the suspicion that 'post-lyme fatigue' is essentially 'post-doxycycline fatigue.'

[Transcription through RORα and RORγ is antagonized by noncalcemic forms of vitamin D₃, yet only in concentrations substantially higher than that required for activation by: doxycycline, melatonin, and 5-methyloxytryptophol. I feel it is intuitive that these hormones should antagonize each-other, and this is because vitamin D₃ is the biochemical signal for ultraviolet light while melatonin is synthesized in its absence.]

Slominski, Andrzej. "RORα and RORγ are expressed in human skin and serve as receptors for endogenously produced noncalcemic 20-hydroxy-and 20, 23-dihydroxyvitamin D." The FASEB Journal (2014)

'To induce ROR expression, cells were treated for 24 h with 1 μM doxycycline in the presence or absence of the vitamin D₃ analog indicated. RORE-mediated activation of the LUC reporter was measured with a Luciferase Assay Substrate Kit (Promega). Assays were performed in triplicate. cAMP-based cell viability was evaluated by the CellTiter-Glo Luminescent Cell Viability Assay (Promega).' ―Slominski​

View attachment 10924
​

I think that ingesting probiotic foods, such as sauerkraut and kimchi, is only beneficial to the extent they inhibit more pathological microbial strains. Germ-free rats do live and we have our own enzymes to break down food. Believe it or not, Lactobacillus plantarum and L. brevi has actually killed people despite its wide perception of being innocuous (Antony, 2000). But really: sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir likely had their origin as a means of food preservation, probably not to inoculate the body with relatively-less pathological strains of bacteria. I do think sometimes that simply eating the raw cabbage would be healthier than eating the kimchi, in most ways, and also that the idea of 'beneficial probiotics' could have almost as much to do with 'defending traditional foods everyone likes' than anything. It could be a bit different with dairy because Lactobacilli metabolize lactose. Even though I do like making kimchi and sauerkraut, there are many other fun things to make and you're probably not missing-out too much. I know that some types of cheese do have Lactobacilli, and also that others have other genera besides. The P. freudenreichii in Swiss cheese (Emmental) is reputedly a very good probiotic, often though to be better than Lactobacilli.

Thanks Travis. I contracted eosinophilia myalgia syndrome in 1989 from purportedly contaminated tryptophan...very nasty. Several people died and were paralyzed from it. Do you see any possible connection here? To this day researchers have never been able to duplicate this condition in the lab.

 

[Texon]

Doxycycline can actually activate RORα, RORβ, and RORγ, the three main nuclear receptors for melatonin. Since this effect had been discovered before the endogenous ligand had been discovered—i.e. when they had truly been 'orphan receptors'—it could almost be seen as appropriate to call them the doxycycline receptors (e.g. DRα). Since this antibiotic/antiprotozoal drug can induce a genetic change normally executed by melatonin, I have the suspicion that 'post-lyme fatigue' is essentially 'post-doxycycline fatigue.'

[Transcription through RORα and RORγ is antagonized by noncalcemic forms of vitamin D₃, yet only in concentrations substantially higher than that required for activation by: doxycycline, melatonin, and 5-methyloxytryptophol. I feel it is intuitive that these hormones should antagonize each-other, and this is because vitamin D₃ is the biochemical signal for ultraviolet light while melatonin is synthesized in its absence.]

Slominski, Andrzej. "RORα and RORγ are expressed in human skin and serve as receptors for endogenously produced noncalcemic 20-hydroxy-and 20, 23-dihydroxyvitamin D." The FASEB Journal (2014)

'To induce ROR expression, cells were treated for 24 h with 1 μM doxycycline in the presence or absence of the vitamin D₃ analog indicated. RORE-mediated activation of the LUC reporter was measured with a Luciferase Assay Substrate Kit (Promega). Assays were performed in triplicate. cAMP-based cell viability was evaluated by the CellTiter-Glo Luminescent Cell Viability Assay (Promega).' ―Slominski​

View attachment 10924
​

I think that ingesting probiotic foods, such as sauerkraut and kimchi, is only beneficial to the extent they inhibit more pathological microbial strains. Germ-free rats do live and we have our own enzymes to break down food. Believe it or not, Lactobacillus plantarum and L. brevi has actually killed people despite its wide perception of being innocuous (Antony, 2000). But really: sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir likely had their origin as a means of food preservation, probably not to inoculate the body with relatively-less pathological strains of bacteria. I do think sometimes that simply eating the raw cabbage would be healthier than eating the kimchi, in most ways, and also that the idea of 'beneficial probiotics' could have almost as much to do with 'defending traditional foods everyone likes' than anything. It could be a bit different with dairy because Lactobacilli metabolize lactose. Even though I do like making kimchi and sauerkraut, there are many other fun things to make and you're probably not missing-out too much. I know that some types of cheese do have Lactobacilli, and also that others have other genera besides. The P. freudenreichii in Swiss cheese (Emmental) is reputedly a very good probiotic, often though to be better than Lactobacilli.

I say purportedly contaminated because although the tryptophan was isolated to one manufacturer Showadenko, I'm wondering if the tryptophan supplement itself induced the condition in genetically susceptible people.

 

[Travis]

Thanks Travis. I contracted eosinophilia myalgia syndrome in 1989 from purportedly contaminated tryptophan...very nasty. Several people died and were paralyzed from it. Do you see any possible connection here? To this day researchers have never been able to duplicate this condition in the lab.

I view eosinophils as being ultimately responsible, mostly by secreting eosinophil basic protein and eosinophil neurotoxin. Other eosinophilic conditions appear to have similar symptoms, such as Spanish toxic oil syndrome, and cardiac and muscle involvement appears common. Eosinophil basic protein specifically binds the inhibitory muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-2 (Jacoby, 1993), which I see as a teleological device to induce contractions: Eosinophils are the immune cell best equipped to destroy multicellular parasites (De Simone, 1982), and the contractions they induce could me a means of expulsion. Eosinophils are also the only immune cell that secrete a neurotoxin (Durack, 1981), ostensibly only active against pathogens with extensive nervous systems. Skeletal muscle has some of the highest concentrations of M2 receptors, and serotonin is chemotactic factor for eosinophils at nanomolar concentrations (Boehme, 2004).

 

[Travis]

I say purportedly contaminated because although the tryptophan was isolated to one manufacturer Showadenko, I'm wondering if the tryptophan supplement itself induced the condition in genetically susceptible people.

I do know the bacteria that had been used to synthesize tryptophan—genetically engineered for greater output—also had produced novel indole metabolites. However: the concentrations were quite very low if I remember correctly, and there's also reason to suppose plain tryptophan could do this. Individuals will naturally convert tryptophan into serotonin, tryptophol, 5-hydroxytryptophol, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid at different rates than others. The relative amounts of each species ultimately created depends on niacin intake, cortisol concentrations, γ-interferon titer, muscle catabolism, ethanol intake, and liver expression of such enzymes as: alcohol dehydrogenase, tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase, and monoamine oxidase. Cytokine profiles and presence of other plasma chemotactic factors could help determine eventual eosinophil counts, and even something as simple as a cyclooxygenase inhibitor can increase leukotriene B₄ by sparing arachidonic acid (20∶4ω−6). Fatty acid ratios could also play a part: This is because leukotriene B₅—made from eicosapentaenoic acid (20∶5ω−3)—is about 5,000 × less potent than leukotriene B₄ while the Mead acid (20∶3ω−9) product, leukotriene B₃, is comparatively-ineffectual by roughly fivefold. I believe biology is largely deterministic, should we ever know enough, but since there exists so many biochemical factors the rare conditions can almost appear to strike at random. I believe that you've found a good forum, and this because Ray Peat emphasizes the avoidance of linoleic acid (18∶2ω−6)—the precursor for arachidonic acid. However: I would avoid cyclooxygenase inhibitors because they increase leukotriene B₄, another powerful chemotactic for for eosinophils (Nagy, 1982). Baicalein is the classic lipoxygenase inhibitor, and it also has been shown to reduce eosinophil and eotaxin concentrations (He, 2011).

 

[Regina]

Doxycycline can actually activate RORα, RORβ, and RORγ, the three main nuclear receptors for melatonin. Since this effect had been discovered before the endogenous ligand had been discovered—i.e. when they had truly been 'orphan receptors'—it could almost be seen as appropriate to call them the doxycycline receptors (e.g. DRα). Since this antibiotic/antiprotozoal drug can induce a genetic change normally executed by melatonin, I have the suspicion that 'post-lyme fatigue' is essentially 'post-doxycycline fatigue.'

[Transcription through RORα and RORγ is antagonized by noncalcemic forms of vitamin D₃, yet only in concentrations substantially higher than that required for activation by: doxycycline, melatonin, and 5-methyloxytryptophol. I feel it is intuitive that these hormones should antagonize each-other, and this is because vitamin D₃ is the biochemical signal for ultraviolet light while melatonin is synthesized in its absence.]

Slominski, Andrzej. "RORα and RORγ are expressed in human skin and serve as receptors for endogenously produced noncalcemic 20-hydroxy-and 20, 23-dihydroxyvitamin D." The FASEB Journal (2014)

'To induce ROR expression, cells were treated for 24 h with 1 μM doxycycline in the presence or absence of the vitamin D₃ analog indicated. RORE-mediated activation of the LUC reporter was measured with a Luciferase Assay Substrate Kit (Promega). Assays were performed in triplicate. cAMP-based cell viability was evaluated by the CellTiter-Glo Luminescent Cell Viability Assay (Promega).' ―Slominski​

View attachment 10924
​

I think that ingesting probiotic foods, such as sauerkraut and kimchi, is only beneficial to the extent they inhibit more pathological microbial strains. Germ-free rats do live and we have our own enzymes to break down food. Believe it or not, Lactobacillus plantarum and L. brevi has actually killed people despite its wide perception of being innocuous (Antony, 2000). But really: sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir likely had their origin as a means of food preservation, probably not to inoculate the body with relatively-less pathological strains of bacteria. I do think sometimes that simply eating the raw cabbage would be healthier than eating the kimchi, in most ways, and also that the idea of 'beneficial probiotics' could have almost as much to do with 'defending traditional foods everyone likes' than anything. It could be a bit different with dairy because Lactobacilli metabolize lactose. Even though I do like making kimchi and sauerkraut, there are many other fun things to make and you're probably not missing-out too much. I know that some types of cheese do have Lactobacilli, and also that others have other genera besides. The P. freudenreichii in Swiss cheese (Emmental) is reputedly a very good probiotic, often though to be better than Lactobacilli.

"Doxycycline can actually activate RORα, RORβ, and RORγ, the three main nuclear receptors for melatonin. Since this effect had been discovered before the endogenous ligand had been discovered—i.e. when they had truly been 'orphan receptors'—it could almost be seen as appropriate to call them the doxycycline receptors (e.g. DRα). Since this antibiotic/antiprotozoal drug can induce a genetic change normally executed by melatonin, I have the suspicion that 'post-lyme fatigue' is essentially 'post-doxycycline fatigue.'"
Travis, I wish I could think of a more intelligent question. In my ignorance, I am left wondering what is meant by your doxycycline missive (post-doxycycline fatique) ???

 

[energyandstruct]

I view eosinophils as being ultimately responsible, mostly by secreting eosinophil basic protein and eosinophil neurotoxin. Other eosinophilic conditions appear to have similar symptoms, such as Spanish toxic oil syndrome, and cardiac and muscle involvement appears common. Eosinophil basic protein specifically binds the inhibitory muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-2 (Jacoby, 1993), which I see as a teleological device to induce contractions: Eosinophils are the immune cell best equipped to destroy multicellular parasites (De Simone, 1982), and the contractions they induce could me a means of expulsion. Eosinophils are also the only immune cell that secrete a neurotoxin (Durack, 1981), ostensibly only active against pathogens with extensive nervous systems. Skeletal muscle has some of the highest concentrations of M2 receptors, and serotonin is chemotactic factor for eosinophils at nanomolar concentrations (Boehme, 2004).

If not parasites, what do you see high eosinophils as a sign of ? The only abnormalities in my lab work so far are low total IgG, high IgE, and high eosinophil count, along with small red blood cells

 

[Dave Clark]

If not parasites, what do you see high eosinophils as a sign of ? The only abnormalities in my lab work so far are low total IgG, high IgE, and high eosinophil count, along with small red blood cells

I remember my doctor telling me one time that eosinophils will be high due the body fighting an allergen. Not sure if he was right or not.