Vitamin D, Microbiome, Gut Health - Dr. Beltran Oct 2024

---

YouTube Interview

147 minutes

---

YouTube timeline

00:00 Pre-show notes & podcast context.
04:16 Guest introduction.
05:30 Overview of Dr. Beltran's work.
13:46 What is leaky gut / intestinal hyper-permeability?
23:21 Introduction to microbiome.
37:20 Fiber, fermentation & the mucosal guardian.
43:10 Why do people report improvement on a carnivore diet?
51:00 Does disease begin in the gut? Cluster headache included?
1:00:50 Gut brain immune axis, autoimmune disease.
1:11:04 Dysbiosis, lipopolysaccharides, cluster & migraine headache.
1:21:15 Gliadin vs Vitamin D3. Gluten & intestinal hyperpermeability.
1:26:46 Biofilms. What are they and how do you treat them?
1:37:42 Treating Biofilms. Pulsed use of herbal antimicrobials.
1:41:00 Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Psoriasis - the gut-skin-immune axis.
1:49:04 The LGS Protocol vs The Coimbra Protocol. High dose Vitamin D3 therapy.
1:54:12 The "Full Monty" & The LGS Protocol. A comprehensive approach to treating disease.
2:02:22 Plant lectins & ferments.
2:04:28 Breath testing for SIBO & SIFO - small intestine bacterial & fungal overgrowth.
2:10:10 Keto Uncomplicated. This doesn't look like keto!
2:16:31 Psychology vs physiology, vagal tone & balancing the autonomic nervous system.
2:25:07 Summary & where to learn more about Dr. Beltran's work.

---

Summary by an AI

(00:00) The conversation opens with the effectiveness of high-dose vitamin D (600,000 IU) for quickly elevating serum levels. The guest emphasizes that vitamin D is “extremely safe” and clarifies that this discussion does not replace medical advice.

(01:15) Host Craig Stewart shares his personal experience treating cluster headaches with vitamin D since 2015. He notes approximately 80% of cluster headache sufferers benefit from vitamin D therapy; the discussion aims to explore why the other 20% may not respond.

(02:28) Focus of the episode is introduced: vitamin D, gut health, and the microbiome—specifically how they intersect in treating autoimmune conditions, chronic headaches, and inflammatory diseases.

(04:56) Guest Dr. Eduardo Beltrán Monasterio is introduced as a distinguished researcher in integrative and functional medicine, creator of the LGs Protocol, specializing in dermatology, internal medicine, and high-dose vitamin D therapy.

(05:32) Dr. Beltrán describes his journey, sparked by seeking treatments for his son’s autism. Realizing the lack of focus on vitamin D and the microbiome in conventional medicine, he began researching genetic polymorphisms (SNPs) affecting vitamin D metabolism in autoimmune patients.

(09:21) The guest recounts a pivotal case study where a patient on high-dose vitamin D still showed low vitamin D receptor (VDR) expression. Treating candida with oregano oil and curcumin improved her microbiome, restored VDR expression, and helped overcome “vitamin D resistance.”

(12:14) Explanation of how increased intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”) allows toxins like lipopolysaccharides (LPS) to enter circulation. This triggers chronic inflammation, impairs VDR expression, and can set the stage for autoimmune diseases and headaches.

(18:09) The gut-brain connection is highlighted. With 85% of the immune system in the gut and extensive nerve pathways to the brain (especially via the vagus nerve), microbiome imbalances can contribute to neuroinflammation, migraines, and cluster headaches.

(26:29) Discussion on the importance of dietary fiber to feed beneficial microbes, generate short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and maintain a protective mucosal layer. While restrictive diets (like carnivore) can temporarily reduce certain symptoms, a comprehensive gut-focused approach often yields more lasting improvements.

(43:41) Final reflections emphasize a holistic strategy—addressing diet, microbiome testing (e.g., GI map), high-dose vitamin D with proper co-factors, and psychological well-being or “soul healing.” Dr. Beltrán’s LGs Protocol merges microbiome modulation, immune regulation (via vitamin D), and epigenetic support to treat chronic and autoimmune conditions.

(44:00) “Carnivore Diet & Microbiome Testing”
Craig references individuals with cluster headaches who try an all-meat (carnivore) diet and still show intestinal permeability and bacterial overgrowth (e.g., C. diff) on GI maps.
Dr. Beltrán explains that while removing carbohydrates and lectins can reduce certain inflammatory triggers, it does not automatically heal the microbiome. Testing (GI map, SIBO breath tests) often reveals lingering infections or dysbiosis.

(50:00) “Biofilms and ‘Pulsed’ Herbal Treatments”
Discussion pivots to biofilms—the protective “slime layer” that bacteria and fungi create to evade antibiotics.
Dr. Beltrán emphasizes cycling (“pulsing”) herbal antimicrobials (e.g., oregano oil, berberine, garlic extracts) alongside supplements like N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and alpha lipoic acid to disrupt biofilms gradually and avoid severe die-off reactions.

(1:03:00) “LGs Protocol vs. Coimbra Protocol”
Dr. Beltrán contrasts his LGs Protocol with the Coimbra Protocol for high-dose vitamin D therapy.
Coimbra typically uses very high doses (e.g., 1,000 IU per kg of body weight) to suppress PTH for autoimmune diseases.
LGs Protocol similarly uses high-dose vitamin D but focuses more on concurrent microbiome modulation (treating dysbiosis) and epigenetic compensation (addressing genetic SNPs that affect vitamin D metabolism, detox pathways, etc.).

(1:15:00) “Diet Diversity, Ancestral Eating & Fiber”
They delve further into the importance of dietary fiber for short-chain fatty acid production, mucosal barrier health, and balanced gut bacteria.
Dr. Beltrán notes that humans worldwide historically ate a variety of fibrous foods—even if meat-heavy. True “zero-fiber” diets can degrade microbiome diversity over time.

(1:27:00) “Ketogenic Diet & Fasting”
Another therapeutic angle: ketogenic diets combined with intermittent fasting.
Ketosis and fasting can starve harmful microbes (which thrive on carbs), improve stem cell activity, and reduce systemic inflammation.
Dr. Beltrán mentions cancer treatments utilizing metabolic therapy (Dr. Thomas Seyfried’s work) where limiting glucose and glutamine is key.

(1:40:00) “Mind-Body Connections”
Craig raises the psychological dimension—how trauma, chronic stress, or adverse childhood experiences affect immunity and inflammation.
Both agree that emotional well-being and a supportive social/family network are crucial. Healing unresolved trauma can be just as important as dietary changes and supplements.

(1:55:00) “Clinical Practice & Patient Monitoring”
Dr. Beltrán explains how, in practice, he correlates GI map data with breath tests, patient symptoms, and inflammatory markers (like calprotectin, zonulin).
He uses a scoring system (the SIBO-Microbiome Concordance Index) to track progress. Pulsed herbal therapies, diet adjustments, and high-dose vitamin D are fine-tuned over multiple cycles.

(2:10:00) “Spiritual & Social Aspects of Healing”
They address the importance of faith, community, and personal support in sustaining lifestyle changes.
Emotional or spiritual resilience can bolster adherence to dietary regimens, herbal protocols, and other integrative measures—ultimately speeding up recovery.

(2:25:00) “Key Takeaways & Resources”
Dr. Beltrán reiterates that gut health and vitamin D are intimately linked; healing the microbiome often reduces vitamin D resistance by improving receptor expression.
He encourages listeners to learn more about the LGs Protocol via his website, YouTube channel, and books. Craig invites viewers to like/subscribe for upcoming content, especially around vitamin D, the microbiome, and cluster headache management.

---

References on YouTube include

Eduardo Beltrans YouTube Channel dreduardobeltran
Website: https://www.spims.org/
Vitamin D3 Anti Inflammatory Regimen for Cluster & Migraine Headache https://vitamindregimen.com/

---

See related Mechanisms of Autoimmunity – video and transcript – Beltran Nov 2022

---

VitaminDWiki – Overview Gut and vitamin D contains

• Gut problems result in reduced absorption of Vitamin D, Magnesium, etc.
• Celiac disease has a strong genetic component.
  • Most, but not all, people with celiac disease have a gene variant.
  • An adequate level vitamin D seems to decrease the probability of getting celiac disease.
  • Celiac disease causes poor absorption of nutrients such as vitamin D.
  • Bringing the blood level of vitamin D back to normal in patients with celiac disease decreases symptoms.
  • The prevalence of celiac disease, not just its diagnosis, has increased 4X in the past 30 years, similar to the increase in Vitamin D deficiency.
• Review in Nov 2013 found that Vitamin D helped
  Many intervention clinical trials with vitamin D for Gut problems (101 trials listed as of Sept 2019)
• All items in category gut and vitamin D 212 items

---

VitaminDWiki - 5 studies in both categories Gut and Immunity

This list is automatically updated

---

VitaminDWiki - 6 studies in both categories Gut and Autoimmunity

This list is automatically updated

---

Can treating gut issues help reduce the frequency of cluster headaches - Asked Perplexity AI Jan 2025

YES, - click here for details

---

4+ VitaminDWiki pages have both CLUSTER AND HEADACHE in the title

The list is automatically updated