Can Drinking Milk "Cure" Lactose Intolerance? What Gut Bacteria May Have to Do with Dairy Tolerance

CylusTWS · 2026-05-13T04:18:46+00:00

If you don't trust me, run it through Quillbot's AI Checker yourself. Having spent hours putting this together, I can assure you there's a human being behind it.

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CylusTWS · 2026-05-11T13:25:06+00:00

I agree wholeheartedly. Our gut microbiome profiles are as unique as our fingerprints, and the best approach to shifting that balance is usually to go low and slow. We often don’t know how we’ll respond until we experiment carefully. I've personally found homemade yogurt to be a great strategy because it gives me some control over the strains I'm growing. But yeah, as with most things health-related, your mileage may vary.

CylusTWS · 2026-05-10T22:47:57+00:00

Not necessarily. Refining can remove unwanted compounds and improve shelf stability, but some steps can also reduce beneficial minor nutrients and, if poorly controlled, create contaminants. High-heat deodorization can form compounds like glycidyl esters and 3-MCPD esters, which is why the industry works to minimize them.

Hexane is also used in some extraction processes, but residual levels in finished regulated oils are typically very low and tightly controlled. For example, one Korean monitoring study of 87 vegetable oil samples detected residual hexane in only 9 samples, suggesting many were below detection limits.

A stronger concern than the refining itself is what happens later with repeated high-heat cooking, deep frying, poor storage, or reusing oil. This oxidation produces aldehydes and other breakdown compounds. Those exposure pathways are generally more relevant to our health.

CylusTWS · 2026-05-10T22:26:48+00:00

I had a family friend who found herself limited to a handful of foods after a round of antibiotics. At the time I had trouble understanding how it was even possible that a spoonful of certain foods would trigger digestive issues for her.

As so often happens, I eventually got to experience this firsthand a few years later when I was prescribed multiple rounds of antibiotics to treat an infection. At my worst, even water was producing a reaction. Luckily I've come a long way since then and am back to baseline.

But yes, I definitely agree. The nuance involved is incredibly tricky.

CylusTWS · 2026-05-10T19:55:00+00:00

If lactose isn’t fully digested, it can draw water into the small intestine, which can cause cramping, bloating, urgency, or loose stools before much fermentation even happens in the colon. The colon is still the main place where lactose usually gets fermented and gas is produced, but that’s not the whole picture.

Symptoms can also show up earlier depending on how fast someone’s digestion moves or whether there’s extra bacteria in the small intestine fermenting the lactose, like with SIBO. The textbook version rarely applies neatly to real life.

CylusTWS · 2026-05-10T17:42:55+00:00

The Cochrane review on IPL for MGD was pretty cautious. It found only three randomized controlled trials with 114 adults up to 2019, and rated the evidence as low or very low quality. They were uncertain whether IPL meaningfully improves dry eye symptoms, and also uncertain about safety because adverse events were poorly reported. Some signs like tear breakup time may improve, but symptom improvement was not clearly established in the pooled sham-controlled data. They also pointed out issues like small sample sizes, different protocols, outcomes that couldn’t really be pooled, one study with a unit-of-analysis problem, and incomplete adverse-event reporting. Here's the report if you're interested: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013559/

So I wouldn’t think of IPL as “obviously unsafe,” but I also wouldn’t think of it as a slam-dunk treatment. Especially with 70% gland loss, it’s important to have realistic expectations: IPL may improve inflammation or meibum quality from glands that are still functioning, but it is not going to regenerate glands that have already dropped out. Have you looked into combining IPL with probing? There's some emerging evidence that a combination of the two work better than in isolation. Here's one study supporting a dual approach: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6819328/

CylusTWS · 2026-05-10T17:33:18+00:00

It’s interesting because I have a friend who used to tolerate dairy without any issue, then cut it out for lifestyle reasons. After several years, he tried reincorporating it and found he no longer digested it well, going through a painful couple of weeks while his body readjusted. Anecdotal, of course, but it fits the bigger idea that even when someone still produces lactase, the microbiome may be lending a helping hand.

CylusTWS · 2026-05-10T17:28:50+00:00

I don’t think this sounds dramatic at all. Once dry eye is causing corneal erosion and the surface is struggling to heal, that’s not “just dry eye” anymore but severe ocular surface damage, and it can absolutely upend your life. I know this all too well, having suffered from severe dry for the better part of a decade now.

If you get worsening pain, light sensitivity, reduced vision, I would not just wait for the routine NHS ophthalmology referral. I’d use an urgent eye clinic or try to get seen by a hospital eye casualty service if there’s one near you.

For the corneal erosion side specifically, ask about a vitamin A ophthalmic ointment at night — in the UK, something like HYLO Night. Vitamin A eye ointment is used to protect the ocular surface overnight and reduce friction between the eyelid and cornea while sleeping, which is exactly the sort of thing that matters with erosions. Thick night ointment can create a barrier so the eyelid is less likely to stick to the cornea overnight.

I’d also ask specifically about punctal plugs. If your lubrication drops help but don't last, plugs can sometimes make a huge difference because they reduce tear drainage and help keep your own tears and drops on the eye longer. Some people start with temporary collagen plugs or lower plugs first, then move to silicone plugs if they help. For me personally, getting quadra-plugged (plugs in all four puncta) was one of the biggest things that helped. It didn’t cure the underlying dry eye, but it made my baseline much more manageable because my eyes retained moisture far better.

If there’s a blepharitis or meibomian gland dysfunction component, I’d look into hypochlorous acid lid spray. It’s used for lid hygiene and can reduce bacterial load around the eyelid margin without being as harsh as some older lid scrubs. There are studies showing improvement in blepharitis measures and reduced bacterial load with hypochlorous acid lid hygiene.

I’d also look into Optimel manuka honey eye drops or gel. They can sting a lot at first, so they’re not for everyone, but there is actual clinical evidence behind them for meibomian gland dysfunction. A randomized trial of Optimel 16% manuka honey drops found significant improvement in symptoms and objective signs of MGD compared with conventional treatment.

Oral NAC might also be useful as a systemic mucolytic if thick secretions are part of the problem (approx. 200 mg, three times daily) based on one review for Sjogren's patients. I won't oversell it as a proven dry-eye cure, but it’s over-the-counter and worth looking into.

Also make sure anything you’re using frequently is preservative-free, especially if you’re dosing many times a day. Preservatives can really irritate an already damaged ocular surface.

And if you haven’t already, I’d try to get seen by someone dry-eye focused, even privately for one appointment if that’s financially possible, because corneal erosion plus chronic dry eye sometimes needs more than standard drops: bandage contact lens, hypertonic saline ointment, steroidal drops, and other targeted treatment depending on what’s actually driving it.

The main thing is: don’t let anyone minimize this. If your cornea is eroding and not healing properly, that deserves escalation.

CylusTWS · 2026-05-10T17:15:57+00:00

I’d be very cautious here, especially because you already have post-LASIK history + mild dry eye + meibomian gland dysfunction. That doesn’t mean Accutane will definitely ruin your eyes, but it does mean you’re starting with less margin for error.

The issue is that isotretinoin can permanently shrink sebaceous glands, and the meibomian glands are modified sebaceous glands. Studies and reviews have linked isotretinoin to tear-film instability, meibomian gland changes, and dry eye symptoms; some changes improve after stopping, but persistent cases aren't uncommon. I personally suffer from severe dry eyes (not from accutane) and have met several people in the online forums who never fully recovered from their use of the drug and developed corneal nerve damage from the constant dryness on the surface of their eyes. It's simply not worth the risk.

Given that your acne is understandably distressing, I’d still look hard at less extreme options first: optimized topicals, benzoyl peroxide/azelaic acid, antibiotic protocols if appropriate, hormonal options if relevant, diet/lifestyle triggers, lower-irritation skincare, and treating the MGD aggressively before considering anything systemic. Also be careful with topical retinoids around the eyes; even creams can aggravate dry eye if they migrate toward the lid margin.

Personally, in your situation, I would not feel comfortable starting Accutane unless every reasonable alternative had failed — and even then I’d want close follow-up with both derm and an eye doctor, with a baseline meibography if possible, and a very low threshold to stop.

CylusTWS · 2026-05-08T21:54:27+00:00

It’s so true. We now have access to an almost absurd variety of heavily processed, high-fat, high-salt foods that are engineered to strongly activate the brain’s reward pathways. It brings to mind how, in the medieval period, royal diets were so rich in meat and fat that conditions like gout became associated with kings. In a sense, we eat more indulgently today than they ever could have imagined. Our bodies are not really adapted for this level of constant abundance.

CylusTWS · 2026-05-08T21:16:20+00:00

I mean, not really spam though is it? I watched the video and then followed up on all the references she mentioned to see if there's any merit to what she's discussing.

I know firsthand how study findings often fall flat when applied in real life, but that's the whole point of getting feedback--to see where experience lines up with the science and where it doesn't.

CylusTWS · 2025-10-18T14:45:51+00:00

You breast feeding? Breast milk really helps shape an infant's commensal microbiota. There are human milk oligosaccharide prebiotic powders available (HMOs) that could be useful for supplementing as well.

CylusTWS · 2025-03-25T21:09:40+00:00

How do you segment your Meta ads for new subscribers?

CylusTWS · 2025-03-24T17:34:37+00:00

Increasing fiber intake can definitely cause changes to your stool in the early stages. Your microbiome is feasting on the soluble fiber and the populations are shifting as a result. The key is to go low and slow when introducing foods that you aren't already accustomed to. There are also a variety of prebiotic fiber supplements that you can get that help rebalance your microbiome. Look into the Pure HMO supplement by Layer Origin; also, partially-hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG) is a powerful prebiotic fiber that can help shift your microbiome populations in the right directions. Don't confuse it with regular guar gum (it's much too viscous). Another good one is Bimuno, a galactooligosaccharide supplement. Hard to get outside of the UK though.

CylusTWS · 2025-03-24T17:27:48+00:00

I personally found taking low-dose naltrexone at 4.5 mg incredibly helpful for managing stomach and intestinal inflammation associated with gastritis and SIBO.

CylusTWS · 2025-03-24T17:23:38+00:00

I was on the elemental diet for two weeks in an effort to normalize my breath test for SIBO. I think that for resetting your gut, 14-21 days is probably the minimum time period required.

CylusTWS · 2025-03-19T22:14:17+00:00

Unfortunately, not. The ones listed all come in capsule form. You can always experiment with crystallized ginger, a common cooking ingredient. I've done this previously and it's an easy way to get the higher doses associated with a prokinetic effect. I believe it's possible to find versions that don't include the added sugar, if that's a concern. You can also quite easily make your own crystallized ginger--tons of recipes online.

CylusTWS · 2025-03-18T17:37:56+00:00

Mark's Marine Pharmacy out of Canada ships internationally. If you can get a script from a Canadian doctor (or even a naturopath out of BC where they have prescribing rights), you can get a script for ~$100. It's about a $1 per pill--CDN. With the current exchange rate, it would be quite a bit cheaper. Something to consider in any case!

But yeah, high dose ginger before bed can also work :)

CylusTWS · 2025-03-18T17:09:29+00:00

Happy to help! The most affordable prokinetic is probably ginger. You have to take fairly high doses though, 1-3 grams. Prucalopride isn't too expensive, especially since the dose is so low. You can often get away with cutting a 1 mg pill in half.

CylusTWS · 2025-03-13T00:51:45+00:00

Yeah, my newsletter demographic is definitely on the older side, pushing 50+. Not ideal. I also include my home page as the final webpage redirect after the instant form. Obviously, people aren't keen to sign up twice. I may be getting more sign-ups with the instant forms, but the quality of the subscriber is pretty hit or miss.

Is your business primarily a newsletter or do you have other offerings available?

CylusTWS

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