Keeping Digestion Calm in a Season of Chaos

By Colette Chandler, NBC-HWC, FMCHC, Nationally-Board Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach, Mold Recovery Coach & Midlife Hormone Coach.

The holidays are meant to be joyous. Yet for anyone dealing with gut issues like H. pylori, mold sensitivity, or digestive challenges, this season can quickly become a whirlwind of stress, pain, and food anxiety. Long travel days, sugar-laden treats, and endless to-dos can trigger flares and leave digestion in chaos.

What many people don’t realize is how deeply connected mold toxicity and H. pylori can be. Mold exposure suppresses stomach acid, weakens the immune system, and irritates the gut lining. Those three things create the perfect doorway for H. pylori — a common, spiral-shaped bacteria — to activate or worsen. When stomach acid drops, H. pylori thrives. When stress spikes, H. pylori thrives. And when the gut lining is inflamed from mold or toxins, H. pylori really thrives.

So, when someone has both mold toxicity and H. pylori, symptoms often feel louder, stronger, and harder to calm.

I know this firsthand. As a Functional Medicine and Mold Recovery Coach, I’ve helped countless women heal their guts, hormones, and increase their energy— but even I wasn’t immune to the perfect storm.

After a recent mold exposure, my body became highly reactive. That exposure opened the door to a resistant H. pylori infection—one that wasn’t responding to my usual gut protocol. I also had multiple other infections brewing and, at the same time, had to travel to care for my daughter during her hospital stay.

Stress was high. Sleep was short. H. pylori was flaring.

And here’s what H. pylori can look and feel like in real life:

burning or gnawing stomach pain
nausea or loss of appetite
bloating or early fullness
burping, indigestion, or acid reflux
fatigue and irritability from poor sleep
inability to tolerate stress
stomach discomfort that wakes you at night

I experienced several of these symptoms. My stomach was burning. My energy tanked. My sleep was fractured. And I needed to stay functional for my daughter —not just for me.

That’s when I leaned on all of the skills I teach my clients: structure, mindset, and small, consistent habits that support digestion and calm the nervous system. Surprisingly, they worked. Even in chaos.

Supporting Your Body During H. Pylori & Holiday Stress

One of the hardest parts of healing H. pylori is that stress and lack of sleep can flare symptoms quickly. I often woke up in the middle of the night with stomach discomfort, and that pain made it even harder to sleep—which in turn made digestion worse.

To support my body, I combined lifestyle habits with specific products chosen strategically for H. pylori, stress, and mold recovery:

Microflora Mood & Mind Support

I deliberately chose this because it contains Lactobacillus plantarum DR7, a researched bacterial strain shown to help:
• reduce gut inflammation
• regulate the stress response
• support immune function
• lower markers of anxiety and irritability
• help rebalance gut flora disrupted by H. pylori

Studies show DR7 can modify pathways related to stress hormones and inflammation, which is powerful when H. pylori and mold are both involved.

Digest Assist

When H. pylori is active, stomach acid often drops, making proteins harder to digest and leading to bloating, heaviness, and fatigue after meals. Enzymes temporarily step in as “digestive helpers” so your body can absorb nutrients instead of fighting food.

BioActive Binder

H. pylori and mold both release toxins that burden the gut and liver. A gentle binder helped “catch” those toxins, so they didn’t recirculate, especially important when traveling or staying in environments with possible mold.

MycoDetox Liver Support

Milk thistle, turmeric, dandelion — all chosen to keep bile, detox pathways, and the liver moving. When the liver stalls, H. pylori symptoms feel sharper.

Ahhh Sleep Formula

Sleep is medicine, especially during H. pylori flares. This helped me fall back asleep after waking with stomach discomfort, allowing my body (and mood) to repair overnight.

Some notes on DGL

DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) is a soothing, mucosal-repairing supplement I used to calm the burning and protect my stomach lining. But it does come with caveats:

Choose DGL, not regular licorice root — the glycyrrhizin in whole licorice can raise blood pressure.
If you have high blood pressure, are pregnant, or take certain medications, consult your practitioner.
Chewable forms work faster because they coat the lining.
It’s meant for soothing, not long-term daily use.

It was incredibly helpful for me once I confirmed my blood pressure and mineral levels were stable.

Top 10 Habits That Keep Digestion Calm (Even During Holidays)

Calm Before You Consume

Take 3–5 deep breaths before eating. Inhale 4 seconds, hold 4, exhale 6–7. Activating the Vagus nerve shifts your body from “fight or flight” into “rest and digest.”

Believe Healing Is Possible

Mindset shapes biology. Remind yourself: “My body knows how to heal.” This encourages planning, confidence, and calm instead of fear.

Simplify & Organize

Label supplements by time of day and keep them in small bins. When energy is low, clarity is medicine—less stress means better digestion.

Eat to Soothe, Not Stress

Stick with cooked, easy-to-digest foods — chicken, turkey, salmon, sweet potatoes, and steamed veggies. Keep sugar low, especially during holiday meals, to avoid feeding H. pylori and destabilizing blood sugar.

Move Gently After Meals

Even a 10–15 minute walk helps regulate blood sugar, improve motility, and reduce bloating—perfect after holiday gatherings or travel days.

Support Stomach Lining & Fire

Once inflammation is calm, consider HCL support if stomach acid is low. Get curious about what else you need before, during and after meals. I needed enzymes, Mind and Mood Support, DGL, Taurine, and Zinc Carnosine to soothe and strengthen my stomach lining.

Soothe With Castor Oil Packs

A warm pack over your abdomen or liver 3–5 nights a week promotes bile flow, liver detox, and lymphatic drainage — while also calming the nervous system after busy holiday days.

Protect the Sinus–Gut Connection

Mold exposure impacts both sinuses and the gut. CitriDrops Nasal Spray 2–3 times per day reduced total mold load and eased gut inflammation.

Sleep Like It’s Medicine

Healing happens overnight. Limit screens, use magnesium glycinate, journal before bed, and apply a castor oil pack. Use Ahh Sleep Formula if stomach discomfort wakes you.

Anchor Your Mindset — Be Before You Do

Pause before reacting. Ask, “Who do I want to be right now?” “How do I want to feel?” Choosing calm over chaos slows stress chemistry and directly supports digestion.

Pain is Real. Stress is Real.

But so is your body’s ability to heal — even during life’s most stressful seasons. By combining calm mindset practices with gentle movement, strategic nutrition, and supportive tools like DGL, castor oil packs, and Micro Balance products, you can protect your digestion and move through the holidays with strength and grace.

Healing doesn’t have to pause for the holidays—it just needs a plan.

If you’d like personalized support, you can learn more about my services at www.bewellwithcolette.com, where you’ll find tools like the LIGHT Fall Reset, and the Mold Mini-Course to guide your gut, hormone, and energy healing — even during hectic seasons.