Explore the Possibility of Healing the Gut for Good
It’s a beautiful Saturday evening in Raleigh, North Carolina. We are having a wave of winter warmth, characteristic of this region, yet pleasantly unexpected. It’s date night. The babysitter has been hired and I’m getting dressed. My husband and I, self proclaimed foodies, are scouring websites for places we haven’t yet tried, excitedly jabbering about what we might be in the mood to eat, and Facebooking friends for recommendations. Then it comes, the dreadful moment we experience every time we try something new. Eric: “ This place looks good, I like the look of the Thai curry.” Gin: “Hmmm, thai means coconut. Could we try something else?” Eric: “ How about this new Italian eatery, it has great reviews.” Gin: “ Do they have anything marked gluten free on the menu?” Eric: “I can’t tell for sure, but it looks like they have dairy free.” Gin: “ If its not marked could you call ahead and ask how they handle food allergies?” Eric: “{sigh} ok.”
I’ve been dealing with food intolerance since I was a child, although I didn’t know at the time that my recurring Urinary Tract Infections (that started at age six) were a symptom of my gluten allergy. I was first diagnosed with gluten sensitivity in 2004. Luckily I was living in California at the time, where the availability of fresh ethnic food meant that I didn’t have too much of an issue learning to avoid it. Next I lived in New Zealand, where they have the highest per capita rate of Celiac disease. There were gluten free goods everywhere, and their no nonsense attitude about life made it easy to assimilate to a gluten free lifestyle.
But over the years, likely from leading a hard-driving, take no prisoners, work-hard-no-rest lifestyle, my food intolerances got worse. Much worse. Paired now with Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism, I seem to develop random intolerance to foods at any given time. My symptoms show up as skin imperfections, swollen belly and joints, and a couple of pounds of inflammation on the scale. Pinpoint the culprit and I can recover in a few days. (Unless, God Forbid, I get a gluten exposure- that will flair up my Autoimmune Disease for 30 days minimum.) I now know I cannot have dairy or coconut, and with regular applied kinesiology muscle testing I can escape the offender of the week – which can vary from almonds to corn to caffeine.
The Frustration of the Vicious Cycle
If this is my story, and I am a Health Coach, you can imagine the frustration experienced by someone not as closely attuned to their body. I’ve heard these frustrations from clients who complain of random attacks with a variety of symptoms. Diarrhea, gas, bloating, neck aches, headaches, joint pain, vomiting – all related to food intolerance and often to what holistic health practitioners refer to as “leaky gut.” Leaky gut, or intestinal permeability, is a condition in which the lining of the small intestine is compromised, and large food particles, metabolic waste and bacteria leak through the intestinal wall to the bloodstream. The body interprets the excess waste (known as ama in Ayurveda) as invaders, and does what it must to protect itself. This is why, so often, we see food allergies paired with Autoimmune Disease. Once the body is in hyper react mode, the symptoms that were slow at first to onset compound over time, inflammation and bacteria take hold, and the body begins to attack its own systems. In this vicious cycle [inflammation – food intolerance – leaky gut – Autoimmune Disease – inflammation] it becomes frustratingly difficult to know which symptom to treat first and how to begin the process of self healing.
I Want to Live in That Body
I would consider my system to be somewhat healed. I don’t get many attacks or flair ups, I have good dietary practices and get good sleep. I practice the ten habits of Body Thrive. All of these things help keep my symptoms under control. But I am not content with “somewhat healed.” I know what it means to be truly healthy. It is a feeling of utter and complete freedom, a feeling that the body is dancing with joy and vibrancy. It is the experience of life without aches and pains, free of Autoimmune Disease, in harmony with a healthy and happy body. I want to live in that body again.
I went crowdsourcing for real answers, and I found other Yoga Health Coaches in our community who had similar issues to my own. Grace Edison and Dr. Michele Summers Colon both shared their stories with me. While I am still a work in progress, I am inspired to think their outcomes will change my own and hopefully yours too.
Dr. Michele’s Story
Dr. Michele struggled with her digestion and gut health for ten years. Like me she found there were a litany of foods she could not tolerate or digest. Unlike me, her symptoms were severe – painful bloating after each meal with abdominal distention that made her “look five months pregnant.” She had such chronic constipation that she was prescribed laxatives which allowed her to eliminate only every few days.
Her Journey to Healing Her Gut for Good
For the first five years of her journey she consulted medical doctors in multiple disciplines, ending up with an appendectomy and a diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease (an Autoimmune disease of the digestive system) along with Interstitial Cystitis (an Autoimmune disease affecting the bladder). Frustrated with colleagues in her own profession, she began to work with an Ayurvedic practitioner, whose use of diet, herbs and teaching of habits helped Michele to decrease her leaky gut symptoms greatly, managing her constipation and eliminating her pain effectively, but not to fully heal.
Through her own research she was able to determine that her leaky gut was due to SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth). Having had her successes with diet and herbal management, she wanted to proceed with the same course of treatment, but needed some guidance to proceed on the best route. After attending the SIBO summit she found Dr. Alison Siebecker and siboinfo. She followed a 9 week diet protocol called the Elemental Diet, and was excited to find that she felt 70% better! Working with a qualified nutritionist she was retested at that stage and guided to try antibiotics. She started with 3 weeks of the herbal antibiotics, but needed more, and finally took a round of prescription antibiotics.
Dr. Michele has been testing foods (eating things she hasn’t been able to have in years) and is not having any reactions! She is excited to feel like she has fully healed her gut. She still follows the healthy habits of Ayurveda, eats healthy, and remains amazed at her own success (as am I.)
Grace’s Story
Grace had a severe dairy allergy that began in infancy. She would have outbreaks of eczema on her arms and face, even her eyelids.(Ouch!) She remembers it being horribly painful, becoming increasingly worse until age 12 when they figured out the source. Like me, Grace’s dairy allergy went hand in hand with gluten intolerance. She also had UTI’s and itching. She correlated her gluten intolerance with severe stomach pain and constipation. She also noticed that gluten contributed to depression and brain fog.
Grace tried removing lactose and taking lactaid pills, and removed gluten. She, too, noticed that once removed even a small exposure would yield an intense reaction. These actions controlled symptoms, but weren’t healing her gut.
Grace Healed Her Gut
Grace turned to meal spacing and intermittent fasting which created the space for her gut to recover between meals. Adding fermented foods rebuilt her gut biome. Finally she worked on building agni (the Ayurvedic term for digestive strength) by waiting until she truly felt hungry to eat. She also drank warm lemon water throughout the day. Grace considers herself healed in that she hasn’t had any eczema issues in over two years, and no longer has pain or constipation. Her gut is healed and her digestion is much stronger. She continues to avoid gluten, sugar and alcohol because she discovered that they are major contributors to depression and disruptors of mental clarity.
Advice from Gut-Self-Healers Pros
Dr Michele warns those that suffer from digestive issues not accept all medical advice as infallible. When symptoms persist, you must persist. She also warns that diet and herbs are an absolutely imperative part of the healing process, and believes that antibiotics alone would not yield the same result.
Grace urges you to listen to your body when it comes to what you should eat, how much and when. Just because you can eat something doesn’t mean you should. Ask yourself how this food makes you feel, and if you notice it link to symptoms of discomfort (like brain fog) go green instead. Feeling great is worth it!
Dr. Michele, Grace and I all had similar symptoms. Bladder dysfunction, skin conditions, itching, painful bloating with constipation and food sensitivity. My clients have presented with many more symptoms, including migraines and diarrhea. If this sounds like you then you must continue to explore your resources. Be persistent and know that full and complete healing is within your reach.
