Klebsiella is one of the more frequently detected bugs in Hompes Method stool testing and we probably see at least one case per week of Klebsiella overgrowth on stool culture analysis.
Klebsiella species are ubiquitous in nature and?can be found in food and water. As with many of the common or “minor” bacteria, western medicine hasn’t really grasped the potential of Klebsiella overgrowth to cause acute and chronic symptoms.
This is evidenced, for example, when you run a search in the UK NHS database and come up with nothing. There’s ZERO information. Thus, if a stool test comes back positive for Klebsiella, there’s no decent information for you in the UK.
This is exactly what happened with one of our clients, Robert. He received a stool test result from us and wanted to talk to a medical doctor about the Klebsiella finding.
He paid two specialists in clinics at London’s famous Harley Street, which must have cost a small fortune as you can’t usually get an appointment on Harley Street for less than £200 per hour or so.
His gastrointestinal doctors said there’s no way Klebsiella would cause intestinal inflammation. As you read this article, you’ll see how poorly informed this advice was for poor old Robert, who became confused at the lack of solid advice his doctors were able to provide.
According to the US FDA’s Bad Bug Book, which is a decent resource in some ways, but an incomplete one in many other ways:
“In regard to foods, Klebsiella pneumoniae may be considered as an enteropathogen, since this organism produces heat-stable and heat-labile (HT and ST) enterotoxins and has been associated with a few foodborne cases, usually associated with the presence of very high numbers of the pathogen. In some cases, colonization of the gastrointestinal tract is the initial stage for a systemic infection. Klebsiella also can be found in unpasteurized milk.”
Apart from documenting a Klebsiella outbreak from hamburgers, that’s pretty much the only paragraph in the entire book.
So there’s no information at the UK NHS website and the FDA doesn’t really consider Klebsiella to be too much of a problem.
But when you go to Wikipedia, you can find paragraphs like:
“K. pneumoniae is the most common cause of nosocomial respiratory tract and premature intensive care infections, and the second-most frequent cause of Gram-negative bacteraemia and urinary tract infections.”
“Klebsiella organisms can lead to a wide range of disease states, notably pneumonia, urinary tract infections, septicemia, meningitis, diarrhea, and soft tissue infections. Klebsiella species have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis and other spondyloarthropathies. The majority of human Klebsiella infections are caused by K. pneumoniae, followed by K. oxytoca. Infections are more common in the very young, very old, and those with other underlying diseases, such as cancer, and most infections involve contamination of an invasive medical device.”
The lack of complete information is interesting, isn’t it?
If we take it a step further, we can look at information presented by true experts, who work in the field of microbiology and natural healthcare, where minds are more open to the possible effects of common bacteria.
For example, Dr. Alex Vasquez, a highly prominent and respected authority, states:
“Klebsiella pneumoniae: many cases of gastrointestinal colonization with this microorganism produce no acute gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, or diarrhea. Patients may have mild general symptoms such as fatigue and dyscognition (“brain fog”). Klebsiella can cause diarrhea and acute gastroenteritis. It is associated with reactive arthritis such as ankylosing spondylitis. Since it is a gram-negative bacteria, it produces an endotoxin that is capable of impairing cytochrome p-450 and reducing clearance and excretion of drugs.”
He goes on to say:
“Patients with acute and chronic rhino-sinusitis commonly display a rich mixture of bacteria and fungi in their sinuses. Regarding bacteria, both anaerobic and aerobic bacteria are seen, as are gram-positives such as Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus sp., and gram-negative (endotoxin-producing) species including Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Bacteroides, Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Peptococcus/Peptostreptococcus.”
If we sift through the symptoms listed in these various passages, we get:
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
- General malaise
- Respiratory tract symptoms such as rhinitis (blocked and runny nose, postnasal drip, etc.)
- Urinary tract infections (frequent urination, burning urinary tract, possible prostate problems in men, vaginitis in women)
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Impaired detoxification (which itself can cause a whole gamut of symptoms)
Furthermore, Klebsiella causes, or is associated with, several specific diseases:
- Pneumonia
- Septicemia
- Meningitis
- Soft tissue infections
- Ankylosing spondylitis
Why the Wide Range of Symptoms?
As with many other “bad bugs”, confusion lies in the fact that a given bug can cause symptoms in one person but not in another.
Many factors contribute to the symptom and disease-causing potential of these bugs. If you have a weak immune system, other infections, nutrient deficiencies, toxins and general low vitality it’s likely that something like Klebsiella will cause some problems for you.
It’s very important to consider the Hompes Method Vitality Scale in all cases. You don’t develop chronic, long-term bad bug infestations when you’re healthy, full of vitality.
It’s a depletion of vitality that opens the door for bad bugs to get a foothold in your gut, urinary tract, nasal passageways, etc. and the depletion in vitality is due to the way you’re living your life:
- Too many bad foods
- Too many bad toxins
- Not enough good foods
- Not enough good nutrients
- Not enough good bugs
- Too much or too little exercise
- Too many late nights
- Mental and emotional stress
Thus, when you have bad bugs show up in your stool test result, they’re teaching you to be prudent and consider improving your overall vitality.
Klebsiella Summary
Klebsiella is an opportunisic bacterium that can cause problems in several areas of your body.
Unfortunately the medical system doesn’t really consider it in situations where folk have chronic symptoms.
The literature clearly implicates Klebsiella common, every day symptoms and in certain serious conditions.
Like other bad bugs described in Hompes Method, Klebsiella will only tend to cause ongoing problems when it’s allowed to, i.e. when your energy, vitality and immune function are diminished.
Getting Yourself Tested
If you’ve found this article because you’re experiencing certain symptoms and you’re looking for reasons for those symptoms, I recommend you either arrange a consultation with a Hompes Method practitioner or order a comprehensive digestive health check-up package.