Bile salt

Bile salts are found naturally in bile which is created and secreted by the liver. Bile acids are created from cholesterol (a type of fat), bile (digestion fluid), and proteins also found in the liver. The purpose of bile salts is to help breakdown and transport lipid compounds out of the intestinal lumen and into the intestinal cells. Some examples of molecules that need bile salts for absorption include cholestrol and fat soluble vitamins.

Bile salts are recycled by the body. In fact, only approximately 5% of the bile salts that are used are excreted. This metabolism of bile salts is called enterohepatic circulation.

Bile Salt Supplementation
Supplementing biles salts has been suggested for those with biliary sludge (build up of bile) but not for individuals who have had their gallbladder removed. Experts at Harvard Health claim that there is no reason to supplement bile salts as long as you have a healthy functioning liver.

There may be reasons to consider supplementing with bile salts if you have high cholestrol or have problems absorbing fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K). Note that unnecessary supplementation of bile salts has been known to cause diarrhea-- also known as bile acid malabsorption (BAM). BAM is considered to be a major cause of urgency and loose stool in ~1/3 of those with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Post-viral complications due to having had a virus, such as fatigue may be due to a reduction in bile acid production, which would require the addition of bile salts. A virus infiltrating macrophages, the mechanism of primary immune response, may also affect specific phenotypes and also therefore organs that produce the white blood cells.

A noted symptom of chronic fatigue such as constipation can be alleviated with Bile Salts, and is the correct supplement. Bile Salts are also needed to assist in the creation of Bile Acids, which may have been reduced during a viral infection and never restored.

The chronic fatigue sufferer may have developed excellent sleep hygiene, zero sugar intake, zero caffeine intake, taken a raft of pharmaceuticals, tried every supplement available and still have chronic fatigue. A lifetime of experiencing every virus that can contribute to the condition will also have availed themselves of macrophages for transportation.

Supplementation with Bile Salts may be problematic, requires the body to produce insulin in order to be effective. Taking Bile Salts with every meal may be counterproductive, inducing sleep after meals during the day. Recommended to take with a meal five hours before bed. Supplementation with Bile Salts may observe minor relapses of symptoms.

Side Effects
Bile Salts contain appreciable quantities of calcium phosphate and vitamin D3.

Over-supplementation with Bile Salts can result in ‘skid-marks’

Calcium Phosphate
Calcium phosphate is produced by the body in quantity as a response to viral infections or mycoses. Calcium phosphate supplementation works very simply and effectively against the onset of a virus. Too much supplementation of calcium phosphate will result in fatigue.

A person suffering from a complication from having had a flu virus such as fatigue will observe significant addition to fatigue supplementing with calcium phosphate though sniffles and sneezes will be taken care of almost immediately. The body’s response to the onset of a virus by producing calcium phosphate in quantity continues long after the viral infection is dealt with.

The body produces calcium phosphate to assist the primary immune response by impeding viruses from using macrophages as a transmission method. A long term response to multiple viral infections over a lifetime is observable by small fractures that don’t heal, or perhaps a jaw bone that does not entirely close after a tooth is pulled.

Since Bile Salts contain calcium phosphate, supplementation after a period of 25-30 days will probably result in a very obvious resumption of post-viral complication such as fatigue. This would be a metabolic change and a sign to stop supplementation.

Once supplementation is stopped, it will take several days to normalize.

Vitamin D3
Vitamin D3 can contribute to heart palpitations after lengthy supplementation. A sign that the body is excreting D3 would be reddish fluid(not blood) on toilet paper after excretion. This is a very minor result of supplementing with D3 and a sign of metabolic change.

A common complaint for sufferers of chronic fatigue is heart palpitations or post orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. POTS is presumed to be as a result of low blood volume. Obviously a person with chronic fatigue but not low blood volume can observe heart palpitations with Bile Salts, but should only be a minor relapse.

If supplementation with Bile Salts has gone on for 25 days or more and heart palpitations or a resumption of fatigue occurs these are signs of metabolic change, thus supplementation should be discontinued, and to wait out normalization.

Bile Salts and the Immune System
Bile salts are capable of communicating with macrophages (a kind of white blood cell) and facilitating an immune response. Therefore it is possible that those with altered concentrations of bile acids may be at risk for a lack of response to infections.

Secondary infections as a complication to having the flu virus are caused by the lack of immune response, probably as a result of a virus infiltrating macrophages production and become a transmission method.

Calcium Ion Channel Impairment

Sufferers of chronic fatigue have a noted reduction of specific macrophages, reduced in number compared to a healthy person with no post-viral complications.

Recent discoveries suggest a calcium ion channel impairment, for which a test is being developed:

https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/people-with-chronic-fatigue-have-a-defective-channel-in-immune-system-cells/

Other Resources
Dr. Berg with a good explanation of bile salts:

https://youtu.be/wKLiXJqVIY8

A link between polymorphonuclear leukocyteintracellular calcium, plasma insulin, and essentialhypertension

https://bit.ly/2TLu2MP

Reprogramming of pro-inflammatory human macrophages to an anti-inflammatory phenotype by bile acids

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-18305-x

”The ability to infect and replicate in macrophages is implicated in the pathogenesis of many viruses, such as influenza virus [1], rabies virus [2], and dengue virus [3].”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4774560/

The role of macrophages in influenza A virus infection

https://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/pdf/10.2217/fvl.14.65

Calcium Ion Channel impairment in chronic fatigue sufferers:

https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/people-with-chronic-fatigue-have-a-defective-channel-in-immune-system-cells/

Macrophages In Action

Note how macrophages are relatively stable and ‘absorb’ or digest E-coli:

https://www.the-scientist.com/image-of-the-day/image-of-the-day-macrophages-in-action-65701