[g_podcast id="15464363"]
In this episode, I talk to the doctor and naturopath and head physician of the Paramed Group in Zug, Dr. med. Simon Feldhaus about holistic medicine, the connections between the psyche and the gut and the role of nutrition.
Among other things, we talk about:
Julia: I'm delighted to have Dr. Simon Feldhaus as my guest. Welcome, Simon, and thank you for being here.
Simon: You're welcome.
Simon: For me, it's still relatively simple. I have a certain family background. Both my father and my uncle were family doctors. It was a kind of growing in. I wasn't pushed into it. It just came out of life. Sometimes you're in the practice and I thought that was kind of cool.
Like many others, I walked around with a doctor's case from an early age. I just never put it down. That's how it went through school. I hardly ever had any other desire.
Julia: In hindsight, would you say it was a good choice?
Simon: Basically yes, in terms of the job and the whole thing. If you do it economically, you would have to be a banker or something like that today. From a purely economic point of view, there are better things. But professionally, it's very good.
Julia: I've gotten to know you as a very holistic doctor. Why is that important to you? What does holistic mean to you?
Simon: Ultimately, that's how it came about. My father had already done a few special things in his practice back then that didn't quite fall under conventional medicine. So I already knew back then that there was more to it.
I went to university with this in mind and then actually did a second training course during my studies. I studied human medicine and naturopathy at the same time. This allowed me to compare and experience both worlds. It turned out that both sides have their strengths and weaknesses. The funny thing is, if you look at it from an integrative, holistic perspective, I can use the strengths of one to compensate for the weaknesses of the other and vice versa.
That's actually where the point is, where the relevance is for me, where the fascination is. There is no right or wrong. There is no such thing as conventional medicine and naturopathy. There is only ever one. In certain areas one is more important or stronger, in other areas the other. The art is to get the best out of each individual patient. That is what I understand as "wholeness". It's all about finding the best possible treatment for the patient.
Julia: Can Is it also possible that certain things work for one person and not for another?
Simon: That's part of it, yes. There are things that work wonderfully well for one person and for the next patient - same clinical picture, different person - exactly what you think will happen doesn't happen. Then you have to do something different and sometimes use a different method that works better.
Julia: I couldn't help thinking about homeopathy, because there are people who say: "Homeopathy is the ultimate nonsense" and then there are others who swear by it and say: "It helped me so much!"
Simon: That also happens. You see cases where perhaps what Hahnemann described back then works very well. But you also experience cases where nothing happens. Really nothing at all. I don't think this is due to the method, but to the person concerned. Perhaps something is not working for them, why homeopathy is not working, and, and, and. You can't put a screen over it like this: "It always works. That's the way it has to be", but you really have to start thinking anew for each person and see what works.
Julia: And just because it doesn't work once doesn't mean that it's basically nonsense.
You are Head Physician of the Paramed Group. What is Paramed? What is Paramed's philosophy?
Simon: It's a combination. Of course, I'm primarily concerned with the outpatient clinic. We also have a training center, one of the largest for naturopathy in Switzerland. We train naturopaths of various kinds there.
The main area I'm responsible for is the outpatient clinic. We are a large therapy center - now probably the largest remaining in Switzerland - in which doctors, conventional physicians, naturopaths and the like work together as a team.
It's a big team. We are five to six doctors, if you add up the part-time positions. Plus ten alternative practitioners, therapists. It's a big team that works together and exchanges ideas. Ultimately, it's like a large GP practice. We treat all patients, from 0 to 100, from A to Z.
Logically, it's mainly chronic and difficult cases that come to us, not the typical cold patient. But we do integrate. We really do have conventional medicine, as well as other medicine, in one center.
Julia: Brilliant. How do you interact with each other?
Simon: As best we can, time permitting. There is always room for improvement. We would like to have many more conversations. The problem is simple: you have to have time for them. When you have so many patients, it's always on the periphery, a bit out of the way, lunch break ... But I think it's still very stimulating when people pass cases on to each other and say: "Have a look at this. I'm not so sure." There are things you can't do at all.
For example, I'm not a homeopath. I know a bit about homeopathy, but I'm not a homeopath. If I now have the feeling that the patient needs it, I give the patient naturally to someone who can do it better than me. And that's how you share the patients.
Julia: What do you focus on? What are your most common analysis methods or approaches? How do you work?
Simon: I'm a generalist in that sense, but of course I have a few specialties. One is pediatric medicine, i.e. diseases that children can all have. The second is oncology. That's one of my main areas at the moment: integrative, complementary oncology. We don't do chemotherapy here, we simply support patients who have other therapies. Then there are chronic diseases, inflammation, burnout, exhaustion. Those are the broad areas.
My main field of work is orthomolecular medicine, i.e. the sensible, targeted, individualized use of micronutrients. What we describe today as microbiological therapy - in other words, anything that involves the gut. I no longer think the term "gut rehabilitation" is correct. "Microbiological therapy" because we work with the little things.
Then the classic world of autohaemotherapy. The old medical procedures: Ozone therapy, oxygen treatments, co-blood-oxygen treatments, high dose infusion therapy of course, with micronutrients.
And then I also have TCM training, so I also do acupuncture when time allows, but that involves a lot of patient appointments that I no longer have for one patient.
Of course, the diagnostics are also based on this: from blood and stool analysis to stress tests with saliva tests and HRV tests, adapted to the clinical picture.
Julia: You also said in the preparation that you were interested in integrating old knowledge with modern methods. You mentioned this UriColor test. What is that exactly?
Simon: In my opinion, naturopathy involves being a "naturopath", in other words knowing about things. It's an old tradition. In the past, there was no high-tech medicine, but people had their old methods and in the old textbooks it says: "Your senses should be your diagnostics." So in naturopathy, we have always used what nature itself has given us - our hands, eyes, nose, taste - as diagnostic criteria, partly because we had nothing else. But that doesn't mean that it's all outdated and worthless just because we can now connect 3D computer machines from Russian space technology to patients.
I think that the basis of naturopathy should still be these old diagnostic procedures. The UriColor test is exactly that. Ultimately, it is what was perhaps still known as a "urine test". The patient's urine was looked at in order to make a diagnosis.
The UriColor specific is part of an intestinal diagnosis, i.e. we look at the urine by adding a test substance - a nitric acid-based mixture - to it. Then there is a shift reaction. This is a kind of color reaction. Gases can form. These are gas bubbles. I can deduce a great deal from what happens to the urine. Ultimately, how the intestines are doing. In other words, the presence of putrefaction, whether rather fungal contamination, protein themes ...
We can already recognize a lot of basic statements that give us a lot of information for therapy, which we can then - if we want to or have to, because certain diseases are present - deepen with the stool analyses. But even with the UriColor I have a wide spectrum of more putrefaction, more fermentation and large intestine, small intestine, giving me relatively good insights.
Julia: My podcast is called "Gut Happiness" - so it's all about the gut. How important do you think the gut is for health? Generally speaking?
Simon: It's not for nothing that there's this old saying: "A person's health is hidden in their gut." It was true, it is true, it will always be true.
I believe that the more chronic an illness and the more difficult and interconnected the process is, the more clearly the gut is at least integrated. Rarely completely alone, but clearly integrated. Everything that has to do with the immune system, everything that has to do with the skin or mucous membranes per se. You already know the interconnectedness.
If I look at my patients now, I would estimate that the gut plays a more or less important role in 80 percent of them. That's why, for me, this microbiological therapy - working with the gut in the broadest sense of the word - is certainly one of the most central measures of all.
And the new knowledge we have gained in the last six months about the networking of microbiomes! There is not just one microbiome in the gut. We know about a microbiome in the pancreas, we know about the microbiome in the vaginal system, the microbiome in the lungs ... These things are all networked and "talk" to each other.
The other thing is networking: the gut "talks" to the brain. Of course, these are completely different ideas: The subject of psychiatry, depression, schizophrenia. Perhaps we shouldn't look for them in the head, but in the gut.
Julia: That's very, very fascinating. It's called thegut-brain axis. Can you perhaps describe it briefly? How are they connected? What is this axis?
Simon: It used to be called the "brain-gut axis" in reverse. That still exists. The vagus nerve is a typical example that runs down there. Then we knew that there was a "gut brain" and "gut decisions". That was all known. What we know today, however, is that the much more important communication runs the other way round: Gut-brain axis.
On the whole, it can be summarized simply: The bacteria in the gut - it still needs to be clarified which ones perhaps do this more specifically, but I'll say it now - communicate with our brain. They use the vagus nerve for this, namely the parts of the nerve that - what we didn't know before - go from the bottom to the top. The vagus nerve used to be a purely efferent nerve, i.e. a nerve that only transmits information from the brain to the gut. We now know that it also contains fibers that bring information back to the brain. And that is the "telephone line" through which the intestinal bacteria talk directly to the brain.
In this way, it can be clearly demonstrated that anxiety and depression are transmitted via the gut and ultimately arise in the gut and are then communicated to the brain. Of course, you can also do this in a positive way. If I then clean it up down there, there are also positive commands for the brain. That is clear.
Julia: Exactly, that's what a lot of people who have reorganized their bowels say: That they are simply in a better mood and have a clearer head, that they feel completely different in their body again. I hear people say that very, very often.
Or even panic attacks, where you have the feeling that you have to give them some kind of psychological counseling or something, that sometimes people say: "I don't have this anymore." I find that very fascinating. That doesn't mean that it always has to work like that on its own, but I always find it very short-sighted not to include the gut in a disorder like this.
Simon: It's exactly that. There is no black and white. There is no 100 percent and 0 percent. There is always something. But it would be fatal to ignore it.
Unfortunately, the whole thing has another dimension one level higher: that practically all psychotropic drugs, drugs that interact with the psyche somewhere, ultimately have constipation as their main side effect. Ultimately, a negative effect on the bowel. While we now know that there are obviously other connections, this is perhaps one of these explanations: that the medication could improve certain symptoms on the one hand, but on the other hand contribute to the fact that it doesn't go away at all. So we can't get away from the medication. That's just the way it is, if you don't take this into account and don't work on the gut at the same time, then it's unfortunately very uncausal.
Julia: Do you already know why the gut sends signals such as anxiety? Is it simply caused by the "wrong" bacteria? Why, for example, anxiety of all things?
Simon: We're not 100 percent sure yet. One thing is clear: if we have pathogenic bacteria - these are bacteria that belong there but tend to have negative effects - and too many of them because there are too few good ones, an imbalance occurs. Then they simply pass on more information. Basically, anxiety and mood disorders are not necessarily a negative thing. It can be a protective factor. It can be a factor that reduces my mood so that my drive is less when I have a certain illness. Perhaps nature intended that if a Neanderthal had a problem in his stomach, he would stay in his cave, retreat and heal instead of going out into the world. In this respect, it is fitting that the gut provides the brain with information.
However, if this information is not correct and is not actually necessary - and this can happen if the gut does not function as it should - then this leads to pathological things. Not every anxiety and not every upset is automatically pathological. But it can become a pathological problem if it is wrong. We are not yet sure which bacteria specifically. We already have Klebsiellen also suspected.
But it's probably the same thing again: It is nota germ, but the functional imbalance. That a certain group of bacteria increases putrefaction in the gut. I don't think that means that Klebsiella or Clostridium bacterium X exactly causes depression. I don't believe that. I think it will be the mixing ratio that is not right.
Julia: Yes. I thought what you just said was a very good explanation: If the person or the gut wasn't well now, that the body then said "Okay, just stay at home for once. Stay in your cave." Today we have a tendency not to "be able" to stay at home. "I have to go to work" or "I have to take my child to school" etc. That we use whatever means to push ourselves so high that we leave our cave after all.
Simon: Exactly. I can't stay at home. I have to get out somehow. Yes, yes.
Julia: The question now is, of course, if someone has a burnout or depression, would it actually be best to start in the gut first? If that alone doesn't produce the desired result, would it be best to look further to see if you can do something psychologically as well?
Simon: Ultimately, this would also be an individualized, integrative approach. If the mood is now very much in the foreground - "I'm completely depressed. I can't see all day in the morning because of all the mountains" - then you can't say: "Now let's do the bowels and don't make such a fuss!" You also have to give a symptomatic, antidepressant therapy to stabilize the mood system. Of course, this could also be St. John's wort. But certainly treat the bowel at the same time, of course.
But then there are other cases that are perhaps more like mood disorders: "I'm not feeling well, but now I'm notso bad off." In these cases, I first work on the digestive tract and don't let any major psychological or psychological therapy get in the way. But maybe you can also give hydroxytryptophan - a certain amino acid - which does something via the serotonin system. Then treat the intestines at the same time.
But it's like this: I think, depending on the severity, the gut is very much at the forefront, but it should certainly run in parallel with another therapy. That would be highly recommended.
Julia: I still think that part of it, which most people don't like to hear, is ultimately a certain change in behavior. In other words, to look at your thoughts for once or to look at that one problem that you always put off and never want to see.
Simon: You have to, yes. There always has to be another factor that triggered it. Is it the cause? But that there's some kind of burden involved, yes. If I'm not prepared to question myself, my life and my lifestyle - it's called "lifestyle" in modern terms - then it becomes difficult with such illnesses. So, having the feeling: "I've got nothing anyway. You have to now make me healthy again. You're going to heal my intestinal flora and give me a tablet and then I'll be fit again", would of course not be a holistic view of the patient. You really have to expect the patient to be willing to participate and to look at themselves. There's no question about that.
Julia: Of course, this is an expectation that you doctors suffer from even more than us coaches. With us, people expect that they also have to participate. And I think doctors often have the expectation: "Make me healthy. Give me a remedy. Give me a pill. Give me something that will make this go away."
Simon: That's the case. Of course, that's what the healthcare system teaches us. I go to the healthcare system, you have to treat me. Actually, I'm just the guy who takes pills. But I'm not actually responsible. The doctor is responsible for that. It's his job to make me healthy. That's what I've paid health insurance contributions for.
The idea that I should contribute to this is not necessarily supported. It's not encouraged either. I won't get a reduction in premiums if I integrate. Which is the biggest mistake in our healthcare system, especially in GP practices. We're a bit lucky that the whole development of our center means that patients who think a bit further ahead are more likely to come to us. But the normal doctor out there is, of course, stuck in this vortex. "Give me a tablet now. Then I'll be fine. But I'll carry on as before." That doesn't work at all.
Julia: I would like to come back to one topic very briefly, namely fear. We are living in a time where there is a lot of fear, and a lot of fear is being consciously spread. Do you have the feeling that this fear can also have a negative effect on the gut? So not just that the gut sends anxiety to the brain, but that when we are in an anxious or anxiety-ridden environment, the gut or the body also suffers as a result?
Simon: "Peeing your pants with fear". The old proverbs don't come from nothing. There is still the brain-gut axis. It's not as if it no longer exists. Both exist. But of course, when there's an anxiety-filled situation, which can be quite real ... It's not always absurd fears. I'm afraid of the sabre-toothed tiger that's back there, or now of this strange virus that everyone is talking up.
If your mind is filled with fear, then that in turn changes your mood via serotonin and the like.naturally the reaction of my digestive tract to all of this. There is no question that chronic anxiety or other psychological symptoms - banal stress - change the gut.
We now know that - if we specifically address the issue of stress - chronic stress causes the same damage to the intestinal flora as antibiotic therapy. Of course, that's what people don't want to hear. But if I were to say in the practice: "Now take an antibiotic tablet every morning for the next two weeks", everyone would say: "You're out of your mind!" Every day itself In such a stress-filled system, in which I also cause some of the stress myself: "Nope, that's not a problem. It's part of life. Why? What's the problem?" Yes, hello? That destroys the very same gut bacteria. Are you still okay?
That's just because you don't want to hear it. That can't be right. Stress has to be healthy. That stress, if you put it simply, has an effect on the being, on the psycheclearly have an effect on the gut is beyond discussion. That's why I can't do intestinal rehabilitation if that remains. I can't rehabilitate the gut against stress. That doesn't work. I can improve it, yes. And the symptoms will get a little better, that's okay. But it won't last. In other words, either the patient has to take something for the next ten years - which isn't exactly funny - or they just keep coming back. Then, of course, they complain: "Why isn't it getting better? "
Julia: Yes, yes. Thank you for saying that. I always say that too, and sometimes people don't believe me. But it really is the case that stress ...
Simon: That's a peccadillo. Someone had the stupid idea of inventing "positive stress", the term.
Julia: "Eustress".
Simon: That's nonsense. Every stress reaction always has a physical reaction, and it's not always positive. It's all a question of dose. Everything is a poison. I can also get sick from positive stress. Why not? It's nonsense. It's all a question of "how can I cope?" And: "How well is my gut in shape?" The worse it was to begin with, the more sensitive I am, of course.
Plus, there's also this individuality. Some people can - supposedly - get away with anything. Others are affected much more quickly, also through their psyche. They may be severely depressed and there is little to be found in the gut. In others, who are less depressed, you find a lot in the gut. Of course, you still have to keep that in mind. People are not machines. There are all the individual fluctuations we can imagine.
Julia: When we talk about the gut: We've already talked about bacteria and pathogenic bacteria. But there are also parasites. I have the feeling that this is a topic that is not yet being discussed very prominently. But it is slowly coming up. Do you also have the feeling that parasites could already be a topic that might come to light now? Which also has an impact on our well-being?
Simon: Basically, yes. However, I think we have to pay very, very close attention to the reliability of the statement and the diagnostics, because otherwise exactly the same thing will happen that is currently happening with corona. I'm a bit worried about that. At the moment, a kind of "parasite mania" has broken out in the naturopathic system. I have lots and lots of patients who just say: "You're full of parasites! There are critters inside you, they are swirling through your ... They are hiding and you have ... blah blah blah."
If you think about it now: What are you actually doing? Then it's the same as coronavirus. "If you go there now and someone coughs, you'll end up in intensive care." It makes no difference. I create a kind of anxiety-filled unease in the patient because I'm telling them something they can't grasp. I can't grasp viruses. I can't really grasp parasites either. The idea of "there's something crawling around inside me, some kind of critter" and so on ... That's not healthy for the psyche. In other words, we really have to be careful. We need a scientific approach, and unfortunately parasite diagnostics is not that easy. That really is the crux of the matter.
But there are some interesting methods. The fact is that more and more parasites are being found. But the next question is: if I find one, is it really bad? That would be the second question. How relevant is that? I think there is certainly an issue behind it. That's out of the question. But I think you have to examine it very seriously so that this fear-filled issue doesn't suddenly go in a completely different direction. Then we'd have exactly the same mess that we have with corona: Patients are obsessed with parasite mania and think they have to eat tapeworm medication all the time.
Now you have to know: antiparasitic drugs are some of the worst we have. It's anything but fun. Just taking a bit of black cumin oil is not always the solution. Here too, you have to think very carefully: Which parasite? How should I treat it? Do I need to treat it at all? And some parasitesmust I have to treat them with conventional medicine because I can't get it right with natural remedies.
So, it's a very, very, very complex topic where I think more work needs to be done and where research is still very, very poor. But things have improved recently. Something is happening. That's good. But we have to leave the church in the village.
Julia: At the end of the day, it's simply about restoring the environment as it should be. The body can then defend itself against many things. So, an intact environment can also ward off a lot, can repair things. I think you probably see the current virus crisis in a similar way.
Simon: Exactly.
Julia: We have always lived with viruses. We're probably full of viruses.
Simon: Yes, yes.
Julia: I don't think we know that yet. I don't think we even know how many viruses are in us.
Simon: No, I only know about the ones I know. I can't measure the ones I don't know and then I don't know at all. That's how it is.
Julia: Yes. And that's why it's actually about getting all the systems back in order, isn't it? Which can actually work at full power. Then I can already do a lot ...
Simon: Yes, and you can see that people who are well equipped with their defenses - in the broadest sense of the word - don't even get the coronavirus from their nose into their lungs. In other words, it's gone. That's why they don't have antibodies, even though they were positive.
Others, where this is not the case, the stupid thing crawls deeper and can then trigger the worst diseases. But the same applies to parasites! If my intestinal defense system is good enough, the parasite has little chance. We're talking about the normal ones now. We're not talking about fish or fox tapeworm, which can do really nasty things. But the typical, common parasites can actually be controlled locally by the intestinal immune system and the intestinal germs. That's exactly the point.
Julia: Yes. I have a bit of a suspicion that a lot of the panic is also fueled by people who classify themselves as high-risk patients because they have an autoimmune disease, because they may have diabetes or have someone in their family who does, and they are ... I don't want to say that this is the case. I haven't done a study on it, but I have the feeling that most of the panic comes from people because they suddenly realized: "Hey, here I am.I'm I'm affected!"
Simon: Yes.
Julia: Is there anything ... If someone says: "Okay, now this corona situation is here. But I have an autoimmune disease." Is there anything that someone like that can do to strengthen their immune system even though they already have a certain pre-existing condition?
Simon: Yes, of course. That's the crux of the matter again. Ultimately, we come back to the issue of fear. The difficulty is that - and this is why you really have to be so careful on all levels, which certainly includes naturopathy - as soon as I come into contact with the emotion of fear, I enter a very sensitive area. Because then at some point I get to the primal fears of human beings. That is survival. Everyone has that. And that is our reptilian brain. The reptilian brain is not subject to reason, because the reptilian brain ensures our survival. Otherwise we wouldn't be able to hoard toilet paper. That is not rational. In other words, if half of Switzerland has cellars full of toilet paper, that's not rational - they all work as lizards. And they walk around with their lizard brains, collecting canned ravioli and toilet paper. Which is nonsense. But there's no point in saying: "That's nonsense." So. In other words, it all runs on this fear system. And fear destroys my intestinal flora and then my defenses go down. And then it hits me. It's such a vicious circle.
That's why one of the most important things here as protection - whether it's coronavirus or ... it doesn't matter - is to build up confidence. We don't have to spread fear messages every day. We need to spread messages: You can do something about it! You can protect yourself! There are options and there are options.
If I'm a high-risk patient - which there undoubtedly are now - although it's not yet clear who exactly that is, but there are people like that. They simply need special protection. They have to do more than the average person. They may need more input from outside, help from a trained therapist or doctor.
How do I protect myself? Because there's no point in taking a little bit of zinc and then having the feeling, That's about it. But there are many things you can do. There have been some studies on rockrose, on a larch extract - a special Russian larch - which has enormous potential to block the virus.
We have many, many things, because with an autoimmune disease I have to be very cautious with immune stimulation. I can't do that, because in the worst case I activate the disease. But I can build up protection against viruses, i.e. I can improve the body's defense barriers so that viruses can no longer dock on so easily. There are an incredible number of measures.
The point is that you have to give these people who are at risk, these people who are filled with fear, a goal. You can't say: we have something that protects 100 percent. That doesn't exist in life. You still have to be careful and protect yourself. But we have options for you to build your protection. Instead of saying every day: "Another 100 more. Now half the Swiss are dying!", pass on positive information somewhere so that people know: You can do something about it. You're not alone against this virus. Most people can catch the virus. So I have to help people to get rid of this virus.
The same goes for the intestines. Most people manage the stupid parasite thing, so I just have to help those who haven't managed it to manage it.
Julia: Yes, that's right.
Simon: It's not that easy. But that's the idea.
Julia: Yes, because the narrative at the moment is of course: there's something dangerous and we don't have an antidote.
Simon: Yes, exactly.
Julia: That sounds terrible at first, of course.
Simon: Yes, we'll have to live with that for the next ten years. "Travel is no longer possible without a vaccine." So, playing up these negative scenarios like this is anything but biologically helpful.
Julia: But from your point of view, you would say that with the right tools and probably the right advice from someone like you, for example, there's actually a lot you can do to avoid having to be afraid in the first place?
Simon: I'm convinced of that. As I said, we have individual small studies that definitely show options that could and should be used. That's why I believe that if you don't belong to the maximum risk potential, with the most severe drugs, they should be taken out. But with the others, I think we have good options to say we're going to do something. Which is not to create unreasonableness, but it is simply an additional protection that I am now taking.
Julia: But it's certainly better protection than just walking around wearing masks.
Simon: That's clear. Of course, if the patient goes to a club anyway, dances with 100 people in a drunken stupor and sweats ... even the best protective plant won't help. It's very difficult to combat people's stupidity. You have to be honest about that.
Julia: We're slowly coming to the end of our conversation. There is one more topic that would interest me, namely nutrition. That is very often treated very neglected - especially by doctors, without wanting to offend you doctors. They often say: "You can't do anything with nutrition." How do you see that?
Simon: That's a huge problem. It's also because we're not told anything other than "eating sensibly is enough, it's all in there anyway", which is quite nonsense.
Firstly, not everything is in the food, and secondly, it still has to be digested. It may be that the food contains all the good things, but if only half of it is absorbed, that doesn't help me either. After all, eating is always digestion. You get one day of nutrition in six years of study. That's ridiculous.
Then nutrition is a big problem because it is very often linked emotionally, which is good and normal in itself, but not in a therapeutic context. The emotionality of food is needed in everyday eating, but not in medical treatment. Other non-medical areas that spread dogmatic-ideological nutritional ideas are also addressed.
But ultimately it's the same thing again: Why should Mr. Möller and Mrs. Meier both eat exactly the same thing? They are two different people who perhaps also have different illnesses and different intestinal compositions. Why should they all eat vegan? That's nonsense! Why should they all eat meat? That's just as stupid. The individuality of the person has to come out somewhere.
That's why, in my opinion, nutrition shouldn't be ideological, but just like everything else, individualized to the patient. If I like to eat bananas and he doesn't, why should he eat bananas? That makes no sense. You really have to look at it: What does this person need? Combined with a certain knowledge that there are already certain effects of food. You simply can't subscribe to the idea that quickly digestible carbohydrates are healthy. That's nonsense. There is certain data that we know, and we then have to lump it together with the patient and create an individual prescription.
I also need to be aware: How do I eat or how do I cook something? I shouldn't cook it so hot, but it has to have a certain heat. Do I have to mash it to get it out of the skin of the tomato? I think this whole story is crucial. For me, nutrition is much, much more than just saying: don't eat the egg and the bread and the sausage now, instead eat two swedes. It's about what, how, why, how to prepare it, how to store it and we have to teach people this whole story again. Nobody knows that anymore.
Julia: But we also have to do it in such a way that it's not too complicated or overwhelming, right? I don't think we've found the right tool if someone then says: "I have to be half a scientist so that I can stick to my diet plan."
Simon: Yes, or I have to travel halfway across Switzerland to collect my ingredients, because they're no longer available. Where can I get it?
Julia: Yes. But you would say that nutrition is a basic prerequisite for a healthy metabolism?
Simon: Yes. For me, that's part of this "lifestyle". Just as the patient has to rethink their life, they also have to rethink their diet and look at it: Where is it right? Where is it not right? Where do I have to, can I, should I - or shouldn't I - change things and where are things where you can say: Yes, that's always been the case, but it's still not healthy. How can we deal with this?
And of course we have to do the same for our world. We cannot use food waste to throw away food in quantities that are no longer tolerable. Other people have nothing to eat, while at the same time we discuss things like quality of life, while mountains of food simply end up in the bin. That can't be right.
Simon: It arose precisely from this point: you can talk a lot,you have to you have to do something! The idea was to hold an event like this, where the focus is not on whether I have to eat vegan, vegetarian, meat, flexitarian or any of that stuff, but on how I can eat the foods I choose: How can I prepare foods that I have chosen - and it doesn't really matter which ones - in a way that is actually intended by nature, in a way that is optimal for us humans?
Food pairing - how can I achieve a better effect by combining foods? On the one hand, better taste - strawberry and basil - perhaps everyone knows that. On the other hand, there are also combinations: Eggs and potatoes are much more effective than eggs alone. That would be food pairing.
And the second story is precisely this food waste. If I eat a potato, then I also have to eat the plant on top. Why should I throw it away? It's just not that easy to eat. If I only know how to prepare it, I can eat it. Why do I have to throw away nettles if you can eat them? Why do I have to make potato potato chips when I could make nettle potato chips, which are much healthier but just as crunchy?
All this in everyday life. Simple things that are part of everyday life, try to teach people that. There are things you can do. It's not that difficult. It protects our environment, prevents food waste, but also improves the quality of the food. It improves the supply of nutrients. Then I can eat better, I can digest better.
Of course, you have to have someone who knows how to cook, and that's the "Witcher" - Stefan Wiesner. I don't think there's anyone else in Switzerland who can do it like him. He also brings nature back into the kitchen. Collecting plants from the garden and eating them. I don't have to go to the Coop to buy lettuce when I can make a salad from my meadow. Show me all these things. And then, of course, how to prepare it.
Then there's Of course, there are always the skeptics and critics who say: "Yes, he always says so much." That's why you need the medicine man - that would be me - to simply show: "He's not crazy! But if he says that, he's right." Because if you combine this with that, it tastes good and, incidentally, this scientific study shows that this and that improves the usability of zinc, for example.
You can see that science and life, cooking and knowledge flow together wonderfully without having to have studied if you know how to do things. That's why it's one of the most important events I've ever done. When you simply have to take people back to basics and show them: What can I do with nature out there? Especially in times of coronavirus, it's perhaps something that nature wants to show us.
Julia: And where does it take place? When does it take place? Can I still register?
Simon: It will be on September 10, 2020, here in Zug. There's a beautiful location in the middle of nature. Logically, we'll be outside. There's a roof in case it rains, but otherwise we'll be outside. We cook over the fire, not on gas or anything like that, but we also use the fire. You can find the details on our SSAMP homepage: https://www.ssaamp.ch/home/. We are the "Swiss Society for Medical Prevention". You can find all the details there: what, where and how it will take place.
Julia: I think it's so great that you're doing this, because it really combines practical experience with the important theoretical knowledge behind it. What I also always find great about events like this is that you get to know like-minded people - because I think it's difficult for certain people to change their diet because all their friends and family laugh at them. So at least you can say: "Nah, there are others who are interested in it too."
Simon: "I'm not alone."
Julia: Yes, exactly. You can talk shop a bit. You get out a bit and come into contact with people who think like you.
Simon: All kinds of people! There really is everything. It's not standardized in any way. It's just chaos.
Julia: Sometimes you really are made out to be a weirdo. That even happened to me. I was denounced as a conspiracy theorist because I said that nutrition is important for the immune system. They said it was a conspiracy theory!
Simon: Of course. Probably also a Nazi and left-wing populist. You're everything.
Julia: I always think events like that are good, because you're not a weirdo, you're among like-minded people.
Simon: Exactly.
Julia: I think the other great thing is that you get to meet experts like you live and maybe even ask a question.
Simon: Yes, yes.
Julia: I think you're certainly available there too.
Simon: Yes, get to know each other, talk to everyone, eat something - you can also try a little something. We'll also have a few special surprises that you might not think you can eat. To show what nature has to offer.
Julia: Oh, oh. Earthworms?
Simon: No, no. Not that then! But everything else. We don't want to overwhelm people.
Julia: Good, I'm glad about that. My husband and I will be there too. So I'm happy about everyone. Talk to us when you've listened to this episode. We're definitely looking forward to it.
Finally, is there anything you would like to mention or pass on to my listeners?
Simon: Human health lies hidden in the gut. That's true, that was true, that will always be true. It's not the only thing in life, but it is very, very central. We have to look at our gut, at our inner being. We have to take care of it, make sure it stays healthy.
A mini tip - because this is something that I am happy to say is coming: fermentation has always been a very, very interesting cultural asset of our Central European culture. Sauerkraut, pickles, all of that. We need to teach people again that sour is healthy and that fermentation is something extremely helpful that everyone can do at home! Just ask your grandmother! She can help you and tell you about all the things you used to do. And incorporate them back into our lives. These are very simple things.
Julia: Great. Thank you very much. I' ve already done a podcast episode on this, "Sour makes you happy", if you know it.
Simon: No, not yet. I'll be happy to watch it.
Julia: Yes, you're welcome to watch it. There's also a company in Switzerland called "Pure Taste", which is based in Basel and also does fermentation. The Swiss can take a look at "Pure Taste" and the Germans can take a look at "Sauer macht glücklich".
Simon: Very good.
Julia: Thank you very much for your time. I'm glad we're in touch.
Simon: Yes, with pleasure. Thank you.
Julia: Thank you. Bye!
Links to the episode:
Paramed Academy:
https://www.paramed.ch/
Paramed Outpatient Clinic
https://www.paramed.ch/ambulatorium
Podcast episode Fermenting - Sour makes you happy
https://arktisbiopharma.ch/darmglueck-folge-090/
Pure Taste, Basel
https://puretaste.ch/
Sour makes you happy - Nuremberg
https://www.sauer-macht-gluecklich.de/
Do you have any questions for me? Or feedback on the podcast? Then feel free to leave me a voicemail!
https://arktisbiopharma.ch/voicemail
Now I recommend you subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode, and if you like what you hear, I'd really appreciate a rating on iTunes or Apple Podcast. Because these reviews also help other people find the podcast so we can spread the knowledge about gut and health more.
In this episode, I talk to the doctor and naturopath and head physician of the Paramed Group in Zug, Dr. med. Simon Feldhaus about holistic medicine, the connections between the psyche and the gut and the role of nutrition.
Among other things, we talk about:
- How conventional medicine and naturopathy complement each other perfectly
- The role the gut plays in our general health
- How the gut and brain communicate
- How stress affects the gut
- What role parasites play
- How powerful our self-healing powers are
Julia: I'm delighted to have Dr. Simon Feldhaus as my guest. Welcome, Simon, and thank you for being here.
Simon: You're welcome.
Doctor and naturopath in one
Julia: You are a doctor. What would interest me is whether you can still remember why you became a doctor back then.Simon: For me, it's still relatively simple. I have a certain family background. Both my father and my uncle were family doctors. It was a kind of growing in. I wasn't pushed into it. It just came out of life. Sometimes you're in the practice and I thought that was kind of cool.
Like many others, I walked around with a doctor's case from an early age. I just never put it down. That's how it went through school. I hardly ever had any other desire.
Julia: In hindsight, would you say it was a good choice?
Simon: Basically yes, in terms of the job and the whole thing. If you do it economically, you would have to be a banker or something like that today. From a purely economic point of view, there are better things. But professionally, it's very good.
Conventional medicine and naturopathy complement each other
Julia: I've gotten to know you as a very holistic doctor. Why is that important to you? What does holistic mean to you?
Simon: Ultimately, that's how it came about. My father had already done a few special things in his practice back then that didn't quite fall under conventional medicine. So I already knew back then that there was more to it.
I went to university with this in mind and then actually did a second training course during my studies. I studied human medicine and naturopathy at the same time. This allowed me to compare and experience both worlds. It turned out that both sides have their strengths and weaknesses. The funny thing is, if you look at it from an integrative, holistic perspective, I can use the strengths of one to compensate for the weaknesses of the other and vice versa.
That's actually where the point is, where the relevance is for me, where the fascination is. There is no right or wrong. There is no such thing as conventional medicine and naturopathy. There is only ever one. In certain areas one is more important or stronger, in other areas the other. The art is to get the best out of each individual patient. That is what I understand as "wholeness". It's all about finding the best possible treatment for the patient.
The individual approach
Julia: Can Is it also possible that certain things work for one person and not for another?
Simon: That's part of it, yes. There are things that work wonderfully well for one person and for the next patient - same clinical picture, different person - exactly what you think will happen doesn't happen. Then you have to do something different and sometimes use a different method that works better.
Julia: I couldn't help thinking about homeopathy, because there are people who say: "Homeopathy is the ultimate nonsense" and then there are others who swear by it and say: "It helped me so much!"
Simon: That also happens. You see cases where perhaps what Hahnemann described back then works very well. But you also experience cases where nothing happens. Really nothing at all. I don't think this is due to the method, but to the person concerned. Perhaps something is not working for them, why homeopathy is not working, and, and, and. You can't put a screen over it like this: "It always works. That's the way it has to be", but you really have to start thinking anew for each person and see what works.
Julia: And just because it doesn't work once doesn't mean that it's basically nonsense.
Integrative and interdisciplinary
You are Head Physician of the Paramed Group. What is Paramed? What is Paramed's philosophy?
Simon: It's a combination. Of course, I'm primarily concerned with the outpatient clinic. We also have a training center, one of the largest for naturopathy in Switzerland. We train naturopaths of various kinds there.
The main area I'm responsible for is the outpatient clinic. We are a large therapy center - now probably the largest remaining in Switzerland - in which doctors, conventional physicians, naturopaths and the like work together as a team.
It's a big team. We are five to six doctors, if you add up the part-time positions. Plus ten alternative practitioners, therapists. It's a big team that works together and exchanges ideas. Ultimately, it's like a large GP practice. We treat all patients, from 0 to 100, from A to Z.
Logically, it's mainly chronic and difficult cases that come to us, not the typical cold patient. But we do integrate. We really do have conventional medicine, as well as other medicine, in one center.
Julia: Brilliant. How do you interact with each other?
Simon: As best we can, time permitting. There is always room for improvement. We would like to have many more conversations. The problem is simple: you have to have time for them. When you have so many patients, it's always on the periphery, a bit out of the way, lunch break ... But I think it's still very stimulating when people pass cases on to each other and say: "Have a look at this. I'm not so sure." There are things you can't do at all.
For example, I'm not a homeopath. I know a bit about homeopathy, but I'm not a homeopath. If I now have the feeling that the patient needs it, I give the patient naturally to someone who can do it better than me. And that's how you share the patients.
Julia: What do you focus on? What are your most common analysis methods or approaches? How do you work?
Simon: I'm a generalist in that sense, but of course I have a few specialties. One is pediatric medicine, i.e. diseases that children can all have. The second is oncology. That's one of my main areas at the moment: integrative, complementary oncology. We don't do chemotherapy here, we simply support patients who have other therapies. Then there are chronic diseases, inflammation, burnout, exhaustion. Those are the broad areas.
My main field of work is orthomolecular medicine, i.e. the sensible, targeted, individualized use of micronutrients. What we describe today as microbiological therapy - in other words, anything that involves the gut. I no longer think the term "gut rehabilitation" is correct. "Microbiological therapy" because we work with the little things.
Then the classic world of autohaemotherapy. The old medical procedures: Ozone therapy, oxygen treatments, co-blood-oxygen treatments, high dose infusion therapy of course, with micronutrients.
And then I also have TCM training, so I also do acupuncture when time allows, but that involves a lot of patient appointments that I no longer have for one patient.
Of course, the diagnostics are also based on this: from blood and stool analysis to stress tests with saliva tests and HRV tests, adapted to the clinical picture.
Combining old knowledge with modern methods
Julia: You also said in the preparation that you were interested in integrating old knowledge with modern methods. You mentioned this UriColor test. What is that exactly?
Simon: In my opinion, naturopathy involves being a "naturopath", in other words knowing about things. It's an old tradition. In the past, there was no high-tech medicine, but people had their old methods and in the old textbooks it says: "Your senses should be your diagnostics." So in naturopathy, we have always used what nature itself has given us - our hands, eyes, nose, taste - as diagnostic criteria, partly because we had nothing else. But that doesn't mean that it's all outdated and worthless just because we can now connect 3D computer machines from Russian space technology to patients.
I think that the basis of naturopathy should still be these old diagnostic procedures. The UriColor test is exactly that. Ultimately, it is what was perhaps still known as a "urine test". The patient's urine was looked at in order to make a diagnosis.
The UriColor specific is part of an intestinal diagnosis, i.e. we look at the urine by adding a test substance - a nitric acid-based mixture - to it. Then there is a shift reaction. This is a kind of color reaction. Gases can form. These are gas bubbles. I can deduce a great deal from what happens to the urine. Ultimately, how the intestines are doing. In other words, the presence of putrefaction, whether rather fungal contamination, protein themes ...
We can already recognize a lot of basic statements that give us a lot of information for therapy, which we can then - if we want to or have to, because certain diseases are present - deepen with the stool analyses. But even with the UriColor I have a wide spectrum of more putrefaction, more fermentation and large intestine, small intestine, giving me relatively good insights.
Human health lies hidden in the gut
Julia: My podcast is called "Gut Happiness" - so it's all about the gut. How important do you think the gut is for health? Generally speaking?
Simon: It's not for nothing that there's this old saying: "A person's health is hidden in their gut." It was true, it is true, it will always be true.
I believe that the more chronic an illness and the more difficult and interconnected the process is, the more clearly the gut is at least integrated. Rarely completely alone, but clearly integrated. Everything that has to do with the immune system, everything that has to do with the skin or mucous membranes per se. You already know the interconnectedness.
If I look at my patients now, I would estimate that the gut plays a more or less important role in 80 percent of them. That's why, for me, this microbiological therapy - working with the gut in the broadest sense of the word - is certainly one of the most central measures of all.
And the new knowledge we have gained in the last six months about the networking of microbiomes! There is not just one microbiome in the gut. We know about a microbiome in the pancreas, we know about the microbiome in the vaginal system, the microbiome in the lungs ... These things are all networked and "talk" to each other.
The other thing is networking: the gut "talks" to the brain. Of course, these are completely different ideas: The subject of psychiatry, depression, schizophrenia. Perhaps we shouldn't look for them in the head, but in the gut.
The gut-brain axis: communication from the gut to the brain and from the brain to the gut
Julia: That's very, very fascinating. It's called thegut-brain axis. Can you perhaps describe it briefly? How are they connected? What is this axis?
Simon: It used to be called the "brain-gut axis" in reverse. That still exists. The vagus nerve is a typical example that runs down there. Then we knew that there was a "gut brain" and "gut decisions". That was all known. What we know today, however, is that the much more important communication runs the other way round: Gut-brain axis.
On the whole, it can be summarized simply: The bacteria in the gut - it still needs to be clarified which ones perhaps do this more specifically, but I'll say it now - communicate with our brain. They use the vagus nerve for this, namely the parts of the nerve that - what we didn't know before - go from the bottom to the top. The vagus nerve used to be a purely efferent nerve, i.e. a nerve that only transmits information from the brain to the gut. We now know that it also contains fibers that bring information back to the brain. And that is the "telephone line" through which the intestinal bacteria talk directly to the brain.
In this way, it can be clearly demonstrated that anxiety and depression are transmitted via the gut and ultimately arise in the gut and are then communicated to the brain. Of course, you can also do this in a positive way. If I then clean it up down there, there are also positive commands for the brain. That is clear.
Julia: Exactly, that's what a lot of people who have reorganized their bowels say: That they are simply in a better mood and have a clearer head, that they feel completely different in their body again. I hear people say that very, very often.
Or even panic attacks, where you have the feeling that you have to give them some kind of psychological counseling or something, that sometimes people say: "I don't have this anymore." I find that very fascinating. That doesn't mean that it always has to work like that on its own, but I always find it very short-sighted not to include the gut in a disorder like this.
Simon: It's exactly that. There is no black and white. There is no 100 percent and 0 percent. There is always something. But it would be fatal to ignore it.
Unfortunately, the whole thing has another dimension one level higher: that practically all psychotropic drugs, drugs that interact with the psyche somewhere, ultimately have constipation as their main side effect. Ultimately, a negative effect on the bowel. While we now know that there are obviously other connections, this is perhaps one of these explanations: that the medication could improve certain symptoms on the one hand, but on the other hand contribute to the fact that it doesn't go away at all. So we can't get away from the medication. That's just the way it is, if you don't take this into account and don't work on the gut at the same time, then it's unfortunately very uncausal.
Anxiety arises in the gut
Julia: Do you already know why the gut sends signals such as anxiety? Is it simply caused by the "wrong" bacteria? Why, for example, anxiety of all things?
Simon: We're not 100 percent sure yet. One thing is clear: if we have pathogenic bacteria - these are bacteria that belong there but tend to have negative effects - and too many of them because there are too few good ones, an imbalance occurs. Then they simply pass on more information. Basically, anxiety and mood disorders are not necessarily a negative thing. It can be a protective factor. It can be a factor that reduces my mood so that my drive is less when I have a certain illness. Perhaps nature intended that if a Neanderthal had a problem in his stomach, he would stay in his cave, retreat and heal instead of going out into the world. In this respect, it is fitting that the gut provides the brain with information.
However, if this information is not correct and is not actually necessary - and this can happen if the gut does not function as it should - then this leads to pathological things. Not every anxiety and not every upset is automatically pathological. But it can become a pathological problem if it is wrong. We are not yet sure which bacteria specifically. We already have Klebsiellen also suspected.
But it's probably the same thing again: It is nota germ, but the functional imbalance. That a certain group of bacteria increases putrefaction in the gut. I don't think that means that Klebsiella or Clostridium bacterium X exactly causes depression. I don't believe that. I think it will be the mixing ratio that is not right.
Julia: Yes. I thought what you just said was a very good explanation: If the person or the gut wasn't well now, that the body then said "Okay, just stay at home for once. Stay in your cave." Today we have a tendency not to "be able" to stay at home. "I have to go to work" or "I have to take my child to school" etc. That we use whatever means to push ourselves so high that we leave our cave after all.
Simon: Exactly. I can't stay at home. I have to get out somehow. Yes, yes.
Julia: The question now is, of course, if someone has a burnout or depression, would it actually be best to start in the gut first? If that alone doesn't produce the desired result, would it be best to look further to see if you can do something psychologically as well?
Simon: Ultimately, this would also be an individualized, integrative approach. If the mood is now very much in the foreground - "I'm completely depressed. I can't see all day in the morning because of all the mountains" - then you can't say: "Now let's do the bowels and don't make such a fuss!" You also have to give a symptomatic, antidepressant therapy to stabilize the mood system. Of course, this could also be St. John's wort. But certainly treat the bowel at the same time, of course.
But then there are other cases that are perhaps more like mood disorders: "I'm not feeling well, but now I'm notso bad off." In these cases, I first work on the digestive tract and don't let any major psychological or psychological therapy get in the way. But maybe you can also give hydroxytryptophan - a certain amino acid - which does something via the serotonin system. Then treat the intestines at the same time.
But it's like this: I think, depending on the severity, the gut is very much at the forefront, but it should certainly run in parallel with another therapy. That would be highly recommended.
Health needs more than just pills
Julia: I still think that part of it, which most people don't like to hear, is ultimately a certain change in behavior. In other words, to look at your thoughts for once or to look at that one problem that you always put off and never want to see.
Simon: You have to, yes. There always has to be another factor that triggered it. Is it the cause? But that there's some kind of burden involved, yes. If I'm not prepared to question myself, my life and my lifestyle - it's called "lifestyle" in modern terms - then it becomes difficult with such illnesses. So, having the feeling: "I've got nothing anyway. You have to now make me healthy again. You're going to heal my intestinal flora and give me a tablet and then I'll be fit again", would of course not be a holistic view of the patient. You really have to expect the patient to be willing to participate and to look at themselves. There's no question about that.
Julia: Of course, this is an expectation that you doctors suffer from even more than us coaches. With us, people expect that they also have to participate. And I think doctors often have the expectation: "Make me healthy. Give me a remedy. Give me a pill. Give me something that will make this go away."
Simon: That's the case. Of course, that's what the healthcare system teaches us. I go to the healthcare system, you have to treat me. Actually, I'm just the guy who takes pills. But I'm not actually responsible. The doctor is responsible for that. It's his job to make me healthy. That's what I've paid health insurance contributions for.
The idea that I should contribute to this is not necessarily supported. It's not encouraged either. I won't get a reduction in premiums if I integrate. Which is the biggest mistake in our healthcare system, especially in GP practices. We're a bit lucky that the whole development of our center means that patients who think a bit further ahead are more likely to come to us. But the normal doctor out there is, of course, stuck in this vortex. "Give me a tablet now. Then I'll be fine. But I'll carry on as before." That doesn't work at all.
Stress damages the gut just as much as antibiotics
Julia: I would like to come back to one topic very briefly, namely fear. We are living in a time where there is a lot of fear, and a lot of fear is being consciously spread. Do you have the feeling that this fear can also have a negative effect on the gut? So not just that the gut sends anxiety to the brain, but that when we are in an anxious or anxiety-ridden environment, the gut or the body also suffers as a result?
Simon: "Peeing your pants with fear". The old proverbs don't come from nothing. There is still the brain-gut axis. It's not as if it no longer exists. Both exist. But of course, when there's an anxiety-filled situation, which can be quite real ... It's not always absurd fears. I'm afraid of the sabre-toothed tiger that's back there, or now of this strange virus that everyone is talking up.
If your mind is filled with fear, then that in turn changes your mood via serotonin and the like.naturally the reaction of my digestive tract to all of this. There is no question that chronic anxiety or other psychological symptoms - banal stress - change the gut.
We now know that - if we specifically address the issue of stress - chronic stress causes the same damage to the intestinal flora as antibiotic therapy. Of course, that's what people don't want to hear. But if I were to say in the practice: "Now take an antibiotic tablet every morning for the next two weeks", everyone would say: "You're out of your mind!" Every day itself In such a stress-filled system, in which I also cause some of the stress myself: "Nope, that's not a problem. It's part of life. Why? What's the problem?" Yes, hello? That destroys the very same gut bacteria. Are you still okay?
That's just because you don't want to hear it. That can't be right. Stress has to be healthy. That stress, if you put it simply, has an effect on the being, on the psycheclearly have an effect on the gut is beyond discussion. That's why I can't do intestinal rehabilitation if that remains. I can't rehabilitate the gut against stress. That doesn't work. I can improve it, yes. And the symptoms will get a little better, that's okay. But it won't last. In other words, either the patient has to take something for the next ten years - which isn't exactly funny - or they just keep coming back. Then, of course, they complain: "Why isn't it getting better? "
Julia: Yes, yes. Thank you for saying that. I always say that too, and sometimes people don't believe me. But it really is the case that stress ...
Simon: That's a peccadillo. Someone had the stupid idea of inventing "positive stress", the term.
Julia: "Eustress".
Simon: That's nonsense. Every stress reaction always has a physical reaction, and it's not always positive. It's all a question of dose. Everything is a poison. I can also get sick from positive stress. Why not? It's nonsense. It's all a question of "how can I cope?" And: "How well is my gut in shape?" The worse it was to begin with, the more sensitive I am, of course.
Plus, there's also this individuality. Some people can - supposedly - get away with anything. Others are affected much more quickly, also through their psyche. They may be severely depressed and there is little to be found in the gut. In others, who are less depressed, you find a lot in the gut. Of course, you still have to keep that in mind. People are not machines. There are all the individual fluctuations we can imagine.
What role do parasites play?
Julia: When we talk about the gut: We've already talked about bacteria and pathogenic bacteria. But there are also parasites. I have the feeling that this is a topic that is not yet being discussed very prominently. But it is slowly coming up. Do you also have the feeling that parasites could already be a topic that might come to light now? Which also has an impact on our well-being?
Simon: Basically, yes. However, I think we have to pay very, very close attention to the reliability of the statement and the diagnostics, because otherwise exactly the same thing will happen that is currently happening with corona. I'm a bit worried about that. At the moment, a kind of "parasite mania" has broken out in the naturopathic system. I have lots and lots of patients who just say: "You're full of parasites! There are critters inside you, they are swirling through your ... They are hiding and you have ... blah blah blah."
If you think about it now: What are you actually doing? Then it's the same as coronavirus. "If you go there now and someone coughs, you'll end up in intensive care." It makes no difference. I create a kind of anxiety-filled unease in the patient because I'm telling them something they can't grasp. I can't grasp viruses. I can't really grasp parasites either. The idea of "there's something crawling around inside me, some kind of critter" and so on ... That's not healthy for the psyche. In other words, we really have to be careful. We need a scientific approach, and unfortunately parasite diagnostics is not that easy. That really is the crux of the matter.
But there are some interesting methods. The fact is that more and more parasites are being found. But the next question is: if I find one, is it really bad? That would be the second question. How relevant is that? I think there is certainly an issue behind it. That's out of the question. But I think you have to examine it very seriously so that this fear-filled issue doesn't suddenly go in a completely different direction. Then we'd have exactly the same mess that we have with corona: Patients are obsessed with parasite mania and think they have to eat tapeworm medication all the time.
Now you have to know: antiparasitic drugs are some of the worst we have. It's anything but fun. Just taking a bit of black cumin oil is not always the solution. Here too, you have to think very carefully: Which parasite? How should I treat it? Do I need to treat it at all? And some parasitesmust I have to treat them with conventional medicine because I can't get it right with natural remedies.
So, it's a very, very, very complex topic where I think more work needs to be done and where research is still very, very poor. But things have improved recently. Something is happening. That's good. But we have to leave the church in the village.
Valuable self-healing powers
Julia: At the end of the day, it's simply about restoring the environment as it should be. The body can then defend itself against many things. So, an intact environment can also ward off a lot, can repair things. I think you probably see the current virus crisis in a similar way.
Simon: Exactly.
Julia: We have always lived with viruses. We're probably full of viruses.
Simon: Yes, yes.
Julia: I don't think we know that yet. I don't think we even know how many viruses are in us.
Simon: No, I only know about the ones I know. I can't measure the ones I don't know and then I don't know at all. That's how it is.
Julia: Yes. And that's why it's actually about getting all the systems back in order, isn't it? Which can actually work at full power. Then I can already do a lot ...
Simon: Yes, and you can see that people who are well equipped with their defenses - in the broadest sense of the word - don't even get the coronavirus from their nose into their lungs. In other words, it's gone. That's why they don't have antibodies, even though they were positive.
Others, where this is not the case, the stupid thing crawls deeper and can then trigger the worst diseases. But the same applies to parasites! If my intestinal defense system is good enough, the parasite has little chance. We're talking about the normal ones now. We're not talking about fish or fox tapeworm, which can do really nasty things. But the typical, common parasites can actually be controlled locally by the intestinal immune system and the intestinal germs. That's exactly the point.
Julia: Yes. I have a bit of a suspicion that a lot of the panic is also fueled by people who classify themselves as high-risk patients because they have an autoimmune disease, because they may have diabetes or have someone in their family who does, and they are ... I don't want to say that this is the case. I haven't done a study on it, but I have the feeling that most of the panic comes from people because they suddenly realized: "Hey, here I am.I'm I'm affected!"
Simon: Yes.
Coronavirus and at-risk patients
Julia: Is there anything ... If someone says: "Okay, now this corona situation is here. But I have an autoimmune disease." Is there anything that someone like that can do to strengthen their immune system even though they already have a certain pre-existing condition?
Simon: Yes, of course. That's the crux of the matter again. Ultimately, we come back to the issue of fear. The difficulty is that - and this is why you really have to be so careful on all levels, which certainly includes naturopathy - as soon as I come into contact with the emotion of fear, I enter a very sensitive area. Because then at some point I get to the primal fears of human beings. That is survival. Everyone has that. And that is our reptilian brain. The reptilian brain is not subject to reason, because the reptilian brain ensures our survival. Otherwise we wouldn't be able to hoard toilet paper. That is not rational. In other words, if half of Switzerland has cellars full of toilet paper, that's not rational - they all work as lizards. And they walk around with their lizard brains, collecting canned ravioli and toilet paper. Which is nonsense. But there's no point in saying: "That's nonsense." So. In other words, it all runs on this fear system. And fear destroys my intestinal flora and then my defenses go down. And then it hits me. It's such a vicious circle.
That's why one of the most important things here as protection - whether it's coronavirus or ... it doesn't matter - is to build up confidence. We don't have to spread fear messages every day. We need to spread messages: You can do something about it! You can protect yourself! There are options and there are options.
If I'm a high-risk patient - which there undoubtedly are now - although it's not yet clear who exactly that is, but there are people like that. They simply need special protection. They have to do more than the average person. They may need more input from outside, help from a trained therapist or doctor.
How do I protect myself? Because there's no point in taking a little bit of zinc and then having the feeling, That's about it. But there are many things you can do. There have been some studies on rockrose, on a larch extract - a special Russian larch - which has enormous potential to block the virus.
We have many, many things, because with an autoimmune disease I have to be very cautious with immune stimulation. I can't do that, because in the worst case I activate the disease. But I can build up protection against viruses, i.e. I can improve the body's defense barriers so that viruses can no longer dock on so easily. There are an incredible number of measures.
The point is that you have to give these people who are at risk, these people who are filled with fear, a goal. You can't say: we have something that protects 100 percent. That doesn't exist in life. You still have to be careful and protect yourself. But we have options for you to build your protection. Instead of saying every day: "Another 100 more. Now half the Swiss are dying!", pass on positive information somewhere so that people know: You can do something about it. You're not alone against this virus. Most people can catch the virus. So I have to help people to get rid of this virus.
The same goes for the intestines. Most people manage the stupid parasite thing, so I just have to help those who haven't managed it to manage it.
Julia: Yes, that's right.
Simon: It's not that easy. But that's the idea.
Julia: Yes, because the narrative at the moment is of course: there's something dangerous and we don't have an antidote.
Simon: Yes, exactly.
Julia: That sounds terrible at first, of course.
Simon: Yes, we'll have to live with that for the next ten years. "Travel is no longer possible without a vaccine." So, playing up these negative scenarios like this is anything but biologically helpful.
Julia: But from your point of view, you would say that with the right tools and probably the right advice from someone like you, for example, there's actually a lot you can do to avoid having to be afraid in the first place?
Simon: I'm convinced of that. As I said, we have individual small studies that definitely show options that could and should be used. That's why I believe that if you don't belong to the maximum risk potential, with the most severe drugs, they should be taken out. But with the others, I think we have good options to say we're going to do something. Which is not to create unreasonableness, but it is simply an additional protection that I am now taking.
Julia: But it's certainly better protection than just walking around wearing masks.
Simon: That's clear. Of course, if the patient goes to a club anyway, dances with 100 people in a drunken stupor and sweats ... even the best protective plant won't help. It's very difficult to combat people's stupidity. You have to be honest about that.
Is nutrition ineffective?
Julia: We're slowly coming to the end of our conversation. There is one more topic that would interest me, namely nutrition. That is very often treated very neglected - especially by doctors, without wanting to offend you doctors. They often say: "You can't do anything with nutrition." How do you see that?
Simon: That's a huge problem. It's also because we're not told anything other than "eating sensibly is enough, it's all in there anyway", which is quite nonsense.
Firstly, not everything is in the food, and secondly, it still has to be digested. It may be that the food contains all the good things, but if only half of it is absorbed, that doesn't help me either. After all, eating is always digestion. You get one day of nutrition in six years of study. That's ridiculous.
Then nutrition is a big problem because it is very often linked emotionally, which is good and normal in itself, but not in a therapeutic context. The emotionality of food is needed in everyday eating, but not in medical treatment. Other non-medical areas that spread dogmatic-ideological nutritional ideas are also addressed.
But ultimately it's the same thing again: Why should Mr. Möller and Mrs. Meier both eat exactly the same thing? They are two different people who perhaps also have different illnesses and different intestinal compositions. Why should they all eat vegan? That's nonsense! Why should they all eat meat? That's just as stupid. The individuality of the person has to come out somewhere.
That's why, in my opinion, nutrition shouldn't be ideological, but just like everything else, individualized to the patient. If I like to eat bananas and he doesn't, why should he eat bananas? That makes no sense. You really have to look at it: What does this person need? Combined with a certain knowledge that there are already certain effects of food. You simply can't subscribe to the idea that quickly digestible carbohydrates are healthy. That's nonsense. There is certain data that we know, and we then have to lump it together with the patient and create an individual prescription.
Back to the roots
Then comes something that I think is most often forgotten: Now I also have to cook properly! Because what good is the selection if I prepare it wrong? Eating a carrot that is Demeter-grown, that contains everything perfectly, raw, without oil is now utter nonsense.I also need to be aware: How do I eat or how do I cook something? I shouldn't cook it so hot, but it has to have a certain heat. Do I have to mash it to get it out of the skin of the tomato? I think this whole story is crucial. For me, nutrition is much, much more than just saying: don't eat the egg and the bread and the sausage now, instead eat two swedes. It's about what, how, why, how to prepare it, how to store it and we have to teach people this whole story again. Nobody knows that anymore.
Julia: But we also have to do it in such a way that it's not too complicated or overwhelming, right? I don't think we've found the right tool if someone then says: "I have to be half a scientist so that I can stick to my diet plan."
Simon: Yes, or I have to travel halfway across Switzerland to collect my ingredients, because they're no longer available. Where can I get it?
Julia: Yes. But you would say that nutrition is a basic prerequisite for a healthy metabolism?
Simon: Yes. For me, that's part of this "lifestyle". Just as the patient has to rethink their life, they also have to rethink their diet and look at it: Where is it right? Where is it not right? Where do I have to, can I, should I - or shouldn't I - change things and where are things where you can say: Yes, that's always been the case, but it's still not healthy. How can we deal with this?
And of course we have to do the same for our world. We cannot use food waste to throw away food in quantities that are no longer tolerable. Other people have nothing to eat, while at the same time we discuss things like quality of life, while mountains of food simply end up in the bin. That can't be right.
Event: "The sorcerer and the medicine man
" Julia: You have an exciting event coming up where nutrition also plays a role. It's called "The Witcher and the Medicine Man". What exactly are you doing there?Simon: It arose precisely from this point: you can talk a lot,you have to you have to do something! The idea was to hold an event like this, where the focus is not on whether I have to eat vegan, vegetarian, meat, flexitarian or any of that stuff, but on how I can eat the foods I choose: How can I prepare foods that I have chosen - and it doesn't really matter which ones - in a way that is actually intended by nature, in a way that is optimal for us humans?
Food pairing - how can I achieve a better effect by combining foods? On the one hand, better taste - strawberry and basil - perhaps everyone knows that. On the other hand, there are also combinations: Eggs and potatoes are much more effective than eggs alone. That would be food pairing.
And the second story is precisely this food waste. If I eat a potato, then I also have to eat the plant on top. Why should I throw it away? It's just not that easy to eat. If I only know how to prepare it, I can eat it. Why do I have to throw away nettles if you can eat them? Why do I have to make potato potato chips when I could make nettle potato chips, which are much healthier but just as crunchy?
All this in everyday life. Simple things that are part of everyday life, try to teach people that. There are things you can do. It's not that difficult. It protects our environment, prevents food waste, but also improves the quality of the food. It improves the supply of nutrients. Then I can eat better, I can digest better.
Of course, you have to have someone who knows how to cook, and that's the "Witcher" - Stefan Wiesner. I don't think there's anyone else in Switzerland who can do it like him. He also brings nature back into the kitchen. Collecting plants from the garden and eating them. I don't have to go to the Coop to buy lettuce when I can make a salad from my meadow. Show me all these things. And then, of course, how to prepare it.
Then there's Of course, there are always the skeptics and critics who say: "Yes, he always says so much." That's why you need the medicine man - that would be me - to simply show: "He's not crazy! But if he says that, he's right." Because if you combine this with that, it tastes good and, incidentally, this scientific study shows that this and that improves the usability of zinc, for example.
You can see that science and life, cooking and knowledge flow together wonderfully without having to have studied if you know how to do things. That's why it's one of the most important events I've ever done. When you simply have to take people back to basics and show them: What can I do with nature out there? Especially in times of coronavirus, it's perhaps something that nature wants to show us.
Julia: And where does it take place? When does it take place? Can I still register?
Simon: It will be on September 10, 2020, here in Zug. There's a beautiful location in the middle of nature. Logically, we'll be outside. There's a roof in case it rains, but otherwise we'll be outside. We cook over the fire, not on gas or anything like that, but we also use the fire. You can find the details on our SSAMP homepage: https://www.ssaamp.ch/home/. We are the "Swiss Society for Medical Prevention". You can find all the details there: what, where and how it will take place.
Opportunity to get to know like-minded people
Julia: I think it's so great that you're doing this, because it really combines practical experience with the important theoretical knowledge behind it. What I also always find great about events like this is that you get to know like-minded people - because I think it's difficult for certain people to change their diet because all their friends and family laugh at them. So at least you can say: "Nah, there are others who are interested in it too."
Simon: "I'm not alone."
Julia: Yes, exactly. You can talk shop a bit. You get out a bit and come into contact with people who think like you.
Simon: All kinds of people! There really is everything. It's not standardized in any way. It's just chaos.
Julia: Sometimes you really are made out to be a weirdo. That even happened to me. I was denounced as a conspiracy theorist because I said that nutrition is important for the immune system. They said it was a conspiracy theory!
Simon: Of course. Probably also a Nazi and left-wing populist. You're everything.
Julia: I always think events like that are good, because you're not a weirdo, you're among like-minded people.
Simon: Exactly.
Julia: I think the other great thing is that you get to meet experts like you live and maybe even ask a question.
Simon: Yes, yes.
Julia: I think you're certainly available there too.
Simon: Yes, get to know each other, talk to everyone, eat something - you can also try a little something. We'll also have a few special surprises that you might not think you can eat. To show what nature has to offer.
Julia: Oh, oh. Earthworms?
Simon: No, no. Not that then! But everything else. We don't want to overwhelm people.
Julia: Good, I'm glad about that. My husband and I will be there too. So I'm happy about everyone. Talk to us when you've listened to this episode. We're definitely looking forward to it.
Finally, is there anything you would like to mention or pass on to my listeners?
Final words and a mini tip: Fermenting
Simon: Human health lies hidden in the gut. That's true, that was true, that will always be true. It's not the only thing in life, but it is very, very central. We have to look at our gut, at our inner being. We have to take care of it, make sure it stays healthy.
A mini tip - because this is something that I am happy to say is coming: fermentation has always been a very, very interesting cultural asset of our Central European culture. Sauerkraut, pickles, all of that. We need to teach people again that sour is healthy and that fermentation is something extremely helpful that everyone can do at home! Just ask your grandmother! She can help you and tell you about all the things you used to do. And incorporate them back into our lives. These are very simple things.
Julia: Great. Thank you very much. I' ve already done a podcast episode on this, "Sour makes you happy", if you know it.
Simon: No, not yet. I'll be happy to watch it.
Julia: Yes, you're welcome to watch it. There's also a company in Switzerland called "Pure Taste", which is based in Basel and also does fermentation. The Swiss can take a look at "Pure Taste" and the Germans can take a look at "Sauer macht glücklich".
Simon: Very good.
Julia: Thank you very much for your time. I'm glad we're in touch.
Simon: Yes, with pleasure. Thank you.
Julia: Thank you. Bye!
Links to the episode:
Paramed Academy:
https://www.paramed.ch/
Paramed Outpatient Clinic
https://www.paramed.ch/ambulatorium
Podcast episode Fermenting - Sour makes you happy
https://arktisbiopharma.ch/darmglueck-folge-090/
Pure Taste, Basel
https://puretaste.ch/
Sour makes you happy - Nuremberg
https://www.sauer-macht-gluecklich.de/
Do you have any questions for me? Or feedback on the podcast? Then feel free to leave me a voicemail!
https://arktisbiopharma.ch/voicemail
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