If you have been following my blog since the beginning then you know I have been struggling with my health on and off for the past 6 1/2 years. I have discovered a few things along my journey and most have given me knowledge, power, and relief from my symptoms. Some on the other had have only given me relief for a limited time. I have tried may different things, chiropractor, yoga, nutritional therapist, western medicine, all kinds of testing, labs, procedures, you name it, I have had it done. Now, I know what you must be thinking about now...this girl is crazy and a hypochondriac. Let me defend myself first of all by saying, I may be crazy, but these symptoms are REAL! And I am not alone in how I feel! The symptoms are all encompassed under the umbrella of "Autoimmune Disease". Now what is autoimmune? It is basically where your body starts to attack itself because it thinks of itself as a foreign substance. Scientists have found out that almost all of these diseases begin in the gut. Due to the highly toxic world we live in, our guts can get these tiny holes in the lining and we get "leaky gut" which is what causes the attack on self. You may be thinking, I don't think I live in that toxic of a world, but let me point out a few things here.
~chemicals in pesticides from non-organic foods we eat
~pesticides in GMO foods we eat (this means genetically modified and that means the seed contains the pesticide in it so that bugs and pests won't eat the produce)
~Beauty products
~water
~medicine
~cookware
~plastic storage containers
~aluminum foil
~bad oils used for cooking
~pollution in our air
The list could go on for ever!
So if bugs and pests wont eat GMO grown produce, then why would we want to? It's like eating pesticide! Products that are most heavily GMO, corn, soy and rice!
What can you do about all of this? Buy local from your farmers market where you can talk to your farmer and ask these questions. Buy from Trader Joes who's mission is to always sell NON-GMO foods! Whole Foods, Kroger, Wal-Mart and Publix also carry a variety of non-GMO foods, just look for the label on the product! (most always found in the organic section)
Most recently my adrenal fatigue symptoms started sneaking back in a little bit. The ones of feeling like I was spinning and going to pass out, and the inability to cope with the issues of daily life. It was not as debilitating as it was, but now I can recognize the symptoms and get to the bottom of things in the beginning instead of letting them get me DOWN!
So I attended a health speaking engagement that one local chiropractor put on for the community for free. He talked about leaky gut, inflammation, heavy metal toxins, thyroid issues, and weight loss resistance.
Things I knew I had were, bad bacteria in my gut from the stool samples the NT had discovered and how baffled she was after 3 months of antimicrobials that some were killed , but even more came back. Also I was always in pain in my back! I have scoliosis and have since I was 11, but I have had severe back pain since I was 22. That's been 15 years of suffering a bad back that flares up from simply mopping my floors. I occasionally had a metallic taste in my mouth, but never thought much about it, and over the past 6 months, I had began gaining weight at a rapid rate. I was eating like I always do, paleo/primal, and working out 5-6 days a week, so this continual weight gain was so discouraging!
I decided to do the initial testing with this chiropractor and was shocked to find I had the highest level of inflammation you could have and that I failed all parts of the heavy metal toxin test. This immediately brought concern to my mind. I know that diseases LOVE to live in an inflamed environment, especially cancer! With my family history so strong on both sides of cancer, I do not want to take any chances! So I told him I wanted to do his CORE cellular detox program.
In the beginning of the plan I had to make homemade beef broth from grass fed beef bones and could only consume broth and water with salt and coconut oil for 4 days. This was SO hard! I did not feel well at all and (sorry for the details), I felt like I was prepping for a colonoscopy for all 4 days. During this time I was also taking supplements to kill of all the bacteria in my gut, good and bad, along with any yeast, and fungus. Then a binder to flush all the dead stuff out. After the 4 days, I could introduce beef, lamb, venison or chicken as long as it was wild, grass fed or free range. It had to only be seasoned with salt and could be topped with real butter or coconut oil. I could also eat eggs. I followed this all protein for 11 days, still drinking broth and taking the supplements. On day 16, I was allowed to introduce fiber and carbs in supplement form and through veggies and more healthy fats in avocados. I was reinnoculating my gut with the good bacteria though kefir drinks and whey water along with fermented veggies and probiotics. The fiber and carbs feed the bacteria so this good bacteria will flourish and grow! After about 4 full days of this part of the plan, I began to feel very bloated and miserable! I contacted the Dr. and he said that I should stop all carbs and fiber and back up to the protein again. Apparently I had not killed off all the bad guys and the fiber and carbs were also feeding them. I have been back on the protein now for 5 days and the killing supplements again for 3. I am feeling better, so I feel very confident that he was right about that being the problem. Here's the crazy thing...when I started this plan my weight was about 12-15 pounds more than my normal. The first 4 days on the broth it went up 2.5 more pounds, due to the fluid volume overload. Then once I was on the protein for a week, I had lost 6 pounds. When the carbs got reintroduced, the weight shot back up 3.5 pounds. Then once I went back to the protein, I lost the 3.5 pounds in 3 days. To me that was crazy how much weight can fluctuate from bloat caused by bad bacteria growing in the gut and taking over.
I am such a strong willed person that I do plan to stick this out all the way to the end no matter what! I am hoping and praying that this will be the solution to my leaky gut. Heal and Seal it! That's what I am going for!
I have not had any pain whatsoever in 24 days, which is huge for me! And my belly is flat again without having to try so hard to hold it in all the time! I have tons of energy and I am sleeping better than I have since before I had kids!
I can tell by taste and smells that my body has detoxed the heavy metals, but I will have those checked again once I am done with the fast. You may wonder how I was so toxic...mercury, titanium dioxide, aluminum, are all found in beauty products, medicines, cookware, foils, and gum. Read your ingredients and you'll be shocked! (mascara, "natural" gums and toothpaste, mineral makeup)
I also had my thyroid checked, which is more than just the typical TSH test. My TSH was always normal, however my reverse T3, was off the charts. That's a whole other blog post, talking about the many tests for thyroid that are not being performed!
So...stay tuned for more results and hopefully a cure to the autoimmune problems I suffer from! One that will last forever!
