The whole purpose of going there was to get as much information about leaky gut as I could and also to purchase whatever I needed to help the process along.
The first thing on the list was VitaKlenz, a herbal based product designed to aid the first stage of healing leaky gut; the weeding stage. This is an important stage in the healing process because it requires abstinence from the causes and gut irritants like grains, dairy, drugs, alcohol etc.
The causes of leaky gut can vary from person to person, these causes can be fungal, parasites, consumption of drugs, alcohol and certainly without a doubt the consumption of junk food.
Also if you suspect that you have leaky gut (after reading most of my posts relating to symptoms you will most likely know if you do) then the damage from having it for years could have severely compromised your whole digestive process. I recently heard a story about a lady who had been vegetarian for many years and had eaten what appeared to be an extremely healthy diet. Only she looked sick and felt as equally unwell. She spent over $3000 on tests from a GP in integrated medicine down in Sydney and was told that her whole digestive system had almost failed as a result of years of leaky gut. She was not absorbing anything from her diet and her body was essentially withering away from lack of nutrients. The doctor ordered she go back to eating meat immediately... here is the scary part... her digestive process was at such minimal functionality that she had to have predigested protein (blended meat). After this change in diet her body was able to heal itself with the most important nutrient, protein, and minimal stress on the digestive system. As far as I know this particularly lady is still required to consume all her food blended but now looks amazing because her body is slowly repairing itself.
So as you can see when this condition gets out of hand the recovery process can be long and not quite what you might expect.
That is why after researching leaky gut for a couple of days I realised in order to get a proper diagnosis on the extent or severity of leaky gut it's advisable to see a naturopath or GP in integrated medicine. Due to the huge conflicts in information I have found or been told, I can't appropriately advise anyone on leaky gut, including myself. Many naturopaths will conduct tests to identify the root causes for the weeding stage. It is also important to know whether your body is even absorbing from food because if it isn't you may be required to supplement wherever needed.
Recently I have met or know of several people being treated for leaky gut where the treatment was completely different so my advice would be to get off all processed food because that is definitely not doing anyone any good and see someone asap about treating it specifically.
Depending on the type of leaky gut (fungal, parasitic or both) diet will vary slightly and the weeding stage might be longer. Minimum time is usually 4 weeks but most suggest anywhere up to 6 weeks or over.
The Symptoms of Leaky Gut
- bloating
- constipation/diarrhea
- mood swings
- itchy skin/eczema
- abdominal pain
- fatigue
- allergies
- food intolerance
- weak immune system
- muscle cramps
- malnutrition
- autoimmune disease
Causes of Leaky Gut
- diet high in refined sugar
- diet high in refined carbohydrates
- alcohol
- drugs
- stress
- candida fungal infections
- parasitic infections of the gut
- antibiotics
- anti inflammatory drugs
Healing Leaky Gut
- eliminate grains and processed carbohydrates
- eliminate refined sugars
- eliminate dairy
- eat only above ground veggies during the weeding stage
- don't consume any lacto fermented foods for 6 weeks during the weeding stage
- don't consume a probiotic for 6 weeks during the weeding stage
- don't consume drugs or alcohol
- eat only small amounts of fruit because all sugars feed parasites including fructose
- eat a diet high in meat, fat (correct fats) and above ground veggies
- take a strong herbal formula designed to eliminate parasites from the body (available at all good health food stores)
- take a good bio-available fish oil high in omega 3
- have apple cider before you eat
- chew food properly
Currently I am only in the weeding stage so I will limit my info with what is relevant to my circumstances but I will most certainly be dedicating a post to seeding and feeding when the time comes in the near future.
Now back to the Paleo Challenge Day 5; lunch was only eggs and pork and turkey meatballs.
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