ION* Gut Support (formerly RESTORE) Function and Directions for Use Guidelines
See all ION*Biome products here.
Our Disclaimer: In compliance with the FDA/FTC regulations of the supplement industry, Restore has not been evaluated or approved to diagnose, treat, or change the course of a disease. We are prohibited from speaking directly about specific disease conditions. Due to the extremely high volume of inquiries from our customers, it is not possible for our doctors to respond to individual health inquiries. We recommend that you refer to your healthcare provider to discuss your specific health concerns and the role of Restore in your health.
Founder and CEO of Biomic Sciences Dr. Zach Bush has been using ION* successfully for years with patients in his Virginia clinic with numerous health situations. He says:
“We use ION* Gut Support as a foundation of health for a broad spectrum of patients. ION* does not treat any disease. Instead, it promotes strong membrane integrity through its direct and indirect effects on the tight junctions of the bowel wall and vascular systems of the body, and restoration of the bowel ecology with the unique bacterial communication attribute of the supplement. Microbiome balance and tight junction integrity are widely recognized to constitute a major portion of the human immune system, and directly affect DNA transcription of human cells to promote optimal health. The well-proven biology of Restore demonstrates its role as a foundational resource in your pursuit for optimal health.”
The following is a more comprehensive explanation of the function of ION*Biome/Restore from Dr. Bush:
Is ION* similar to fulvic and humic acids? The active ingredient in ION*, lignite extract, is a very unique element within the complex components of the rare material mineral layer. This active ingredient is a large family of carbon molecules with oxygen-binding sites. These are produced by bacteria when they digest nutrients. The more diverse the bacterial population is, the more diversity you have in these carbon redox molecules. We extract this primary ingredient from ancient, fossilized soil that once thrived with a biodiversity that we no longer see in the diminishing ecosystems of our planet. Our raw ingredients are inert without any biologic function when they arrive in our labs. We then go through a series of biochemical procedures to balance the oxygen redox potential via the addition of trace minerals. The soil extracts are pH-controlled at a high alkaline pH at every stage of production.
The result is a dietary supplement (Terrahydrite™) with unique biologic function and safety not seen in any other supplement, including other soil extracts that have been marketed under a variety of poorly-defined heterogeneous categories including humic acids, fulvic acids, shilajit, etc. We have tested the most popular fulvic and humic products on the market. They produce none of the biologic actions of ION* and consistently produce kidney toxicity inducing apoptosis (cell death) in kidney tubule cells. We are excited to introduce you to the first and only supplement on the market that delivers the health benefits and safety of ION*.
The tight junctions at the gut wall are the foundation of health that affects the gut, blood vessels, and organs including the brain. Tight junctions are protected by the carbon and mineral metabolites of bacterial digestion. When the intestinal bacteria are balanced and thriving in optimal extreme diversity of 20,000 or more species, this matrix of metabolites produces a strong enzyme defense system that protects the tight junctions from the toxin zonulin, which is made at the intestinal lining.
Over the last sixty years there has been a steady loss of biodiversity in our bowel bacterial ecosystem. Factory farming, processed foods, and widespread antibiotic use have all played major roles in this decline. The most potent of the common triggers for the zonulin impact to the gut wall in our diet is glyphosate — the most common ingredient in weed killers, including RoundUp, for which RoundUp-ready crops were created to allow widespread use of the chemical in the production of human and animal feed. Gluten is the most potent of naturally-occurring triggers for zonulin production in our modern diet.
ION* is the first dietary supplement that delivers a balanced family of these bacterial metabolites to promote a healthy firewall of tight junctions in the gut wall and blood-brain barrier. These metabolites provide the communication network to support the return of biodiversity to the gut ecosystem that supports normal immune function. Restore is the first supplement on the market that functions as an answer to glyphosate and gluten impact at the tight junction, by promoting increases in production of the enzymes that break down zonulin and thereby strengthen tight junctions.
ION* has numerous trace minerals and amino acids in it. We are well aware of the vulnerability to some of these elements that certain individuals have. The concentrations of these trace minerals in ION*, including glutamic acid, nickel, and others, are far below the concentrations seen in the daily intake of a healthy plant-based diet. The presence of these naturally-occurring trace minerals and amino acids is necessary to balance the charged elements in ION* that enable the communication capacity of the supplement. To remove these would diminish the extreme safety of the product, and would require chemical processing of the raw ingredients.
Glutamic acid, nickel, and many other minerals and heavy metals have been recognized to be present in some mitochondrial, neurological, and metabolic situations. This is rarely due to overdose of these minerals, but instead due to unregulated absorption of these minerals from normal healthy diet sources. Not only are the minerals present in ION* well below dietary levels, the rapid promotion of normal tight junction activity and support to this innate gut firewall reduces mineral toxicity from any source in the diet.
Safety: We have demonstrated in the cell laboratory that ION* has no cellular toxicity, and strengthens tight junctions fast (18 hours), even in the face of 20,000 times the EPA-allowed levels of glyphosate. Not only is there no toxicity — even in the super-sensitive kidney tubule safety studies, cell lifespan actually increases with each increase in concentration of Restore, to the point of 100% concentrations in cell culture. This safety profile has not been demonstrated with any other compounds on the market.
Directions for Use Guidelines:
Standard Usage: 1 teaspoon three times a day before or with meals for those over age 2, and 1/4 teaspoon three times a day typical usage for under two years old. Use can increase to 1 Tablespoon three times daily to support health goals, although 3 teaspoons per day is adequate for most individuals. At 3 teaspoons per day, an 8 oz bottle is a two-week supply, 16 oz a one-month supply, and 32 oz the best value as a two-month supply. Taking Restore before meals is preferred for maximum efficacy. Optimally 30 minutes before a meal because of ION’s protective effects versus gluten and especially glyphosate, but you can take it immediately before, with a meal, or after a meal, or on an empty stomach, and still receive benefit. Restore is vegan, naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, latex-free, sulfite-free, preservative-free, non-GMO, and is produced in a facility free of allergens, including peanuts and tree nuts.
If You Consider Yourself Hypersensitive:
Results vary with initial ION* usage, with many customers reporting rapid and profound early results of the supplement. These clinical results are not the direct effects of the supplement, but instead reflect the innate healing process that occurs in a body as the firewall system is optimally up and running. For many, this is an improvement in mental clarity and sensory processing in as little as hours or days of first use. There is a subset of individuals, however, that can experience symptoms of tiredness, headache, bloating/increased gas, or bowel changes including constipation and greenish loose stool.
In these situations, it is helpful to take a very slow and gentle approach to tight junction and immune and brain health. 3-5 drops of ION* in food or drink daily or twice daily is a good starting point in hypersensitive individuals. During this slow introduction they are able to recover an adequate reservoir of glutathione (antioxidant). This low dose can be very effective in supporting initial health outcomes in most gut environs. After a few weeks the usage can be increased slowly as tolerated. The goal is to get to 1 teaspoon three times a day before or with meals for those over age 2, 1/4 teaspoon three times a day typical usage for less than two years old. Many healthy family members simply start at these standard usage guides.
Does ION* cause constipation? As ION* strengthens the tight junctions in the gut wall, it is not uncommon to experience mild, temporary constipation as full hydration is promoted. In these cases, the first and best response is to increase consumption of water and herbal teas. There is general scientific agreement that people should consume at least nine glasses of water or herbal teas a day. You may need to drink more water if you exercise and even more if you live in a hot and humid area of the country. If you feel Restore is causing constipation despite adequate hydration, I recommend my patients take either magnesium powder (such as the Calm brand), or if capsules are preferred, magnesium malate, 1250 mg daily at bedtime for adults, half that for children. Also, you can decrease your daily usage of Restore in half until your stools return to normal with the above adjustments in hydration and magnesium intake for a couple of weeks, then increase back to recommended usage of ION*.
Probiotics and Enzymes: We do not recommend long-term use of probiotics or digestive enzymes when using ION*. We prefer that the communication network of Restore be allowed to balance the normal bacterial biome and enzymatic digestive process. Oral introduction of high-dose enzymes by mouth changes the rate and location of digestive breakdown in the gut. Similarly, long-term use of probiotics creates an oversimplified monoculture in the bacterial biome. Use of either probiotics or digestive enzymes for a couple of weeks after antibiotic exposure or a viral illness is reasonable.
Fermented foods are fine to consume when using ION*. Variety is important. In addition, I avoid dairy-based ferments — ie yogurt, kefir, cheese — instead selecting coconut milk or other non-dairy yogurts, etc.
Handling and Interactions: ION* does not need to be refrigerated, even after opening, although it can be refrigerated for long-term storage or for taste preference. Shelf life is minimum two years. ION* is quite stable — we recommend taking it alone or adding it to non-chlorinated water in most cases; fresh juices or whole foods can also be used to mix it with a dietary element, though in general for best efficacy we like it before food intake. It should be taken separately from iodine and ASEA. Please note — ION* supports healthy gut membranes. This returns expected drug absorption to normal levels, and may improve bioavailability of your supplements and food nutrients. If you are on a medication that requires blood level testing to adjust the dose, such as blood thinners or seizure medications, you should discuss ION* with your doctor, who may want to get testing done within a week of taking ION*, as you would do with a diet change or adding other mineral supplements.
Does ION* cause detox? The clinical spectrum of signs and symptoms that have been attributed to the word detox are vast. The term is poorly understood by doctors and patients, and it is often unclear if it is to be regarded as a good thing or something to be feared. If we consider the full term — detoxification — we can bring some clarity to the process. The need to remove toxins from the body is part of the body’s natural lines of defense, and a healthy body has vast mechanisms for toxin removal.
Many people starting ION* have noted almost immediate signs of toxin clearance from the body. Urine, sweat, breath, and skin, in the case of mineral foot baths, can all reveal toxin clearance. This is the result of the extremely rapid changes in the tight junction integrity as ION* promotes functional tight junctions in the gut, blood vessels, kidney tubules, etc. To be clear, ION* does not detoxify anything. The body’s natural systems, once back online with intelligent membranes, produce all the natural detoxification pathways.
If tight junction repair throughout the system is the reason for the mobilization of toxins and subsequent removal (detoxification) from the body, there is no redistribution of the toxin to other tissues. The toxins are instead trafficked to appropriate clearance sites of urine, breath, and sweat. We are excited for you to experience normal physiologic detoxification. Restore health, live clean, live vibrant.
Independence from ION*: You can take ION* as long as you are getting exposure to those environmental factors known to impact the tight junctions in the gut, including gluten, glyphosate, and antibiotics. Healthy (especially organic and non-GMO) and gluten-free are great; avoiding exposure to glyphosate is the bigger challenge, as it has been shown to be contaminating even our rainwater. However, 12-24 months may be necessary to “achieve independence” from ION*. Some of the patients at my Virginia clinic have stopped taking it after nine months to a year, and this worked for about 20%, but approximately 80% went immediately back on it.
Best of health to your entire family. We look forward to working alongside each of you to spread good news and hope to so many in their relentless pursuit for health.
Humble Regards,
Zach Bush, MD