Starting a new protocol

So I booked my hotel and purchased my ticket for the SIBO Symposium in Portland.  It will be nice to meet several people in person that I usually only talk to online.  We are going to party it up, without FODMAPs or alcohol of course!  Ha!

I found out from my mentor that the protocol used by the nutrition program I am taking is: Biocidin, GI Microb-x, Allimax (or Allimed) and MegaSpore Biotic.  I placed the order for these items yesterday.  I already had the MegaSpore on hand so I will start that tonight. Just 1/3 of a capsule to begin with.  I'm a bit worried about the "hypo-allergenic plant fiber prebiotic" in the other ingredients, but I'm going to try it anyway. Will take them again tomorrow night and then start to add in the other supplements when they arrive on Thursday.  Back to killing the bugs!

Oh, and my ND has me eating wheat again.  Can I just tell you how gross it is.  I never reacted to wheat in the past but it just leaves me feeling kinda swollen and yucky.  One more week and I will do the Cyrex Array 3 & 4 and then I can cut it out again.  Thank goodness!  I don't think I will ever eat wheat again.

Another free online summit

Functional Health Summit

Currently watching Dr. Axe.  Loved that he brought up the link between leaky gut, adrenal and thyroid dysfunction.

I plan on watching Mike Mutzel next.

Ahhh, that's better.

I hate to admit it but I feel much better on the T3.  I started with a 7.5mcg dose, took it for 6 days then bumped up to 15mcg.  My energy and strength is better.  I'm able to concentrate better which means I am having an easier time with the online course I am doing.  This time maybe my body will be able to reset itself and if not, hopefully I'll be able to tell which dose make me feel the best.

Learned yesterday that 500 times more melatonin is produced in the gut than in the pineal gland.  If you are having trouble sleeping, this could be why!  On a hormone panel if your melatonin is low it almost always is due to a gut issue.  I am one of the lucky ones, sleep has never been an issue for me!

I've completely gone off all anti-microbials for the first time in over a year.  It's a little scary, I must admit.  As always I'm being really careful with diet so as to not feed any of the buggers still hanging about.

I changed my Magnesium from a Citrate-Oxide blend (el cheapo) to a more expensive Glycinate.  One of the presenters in the Digestion Sessions says your body uses more of the glycinate, whereas the citrate and oxides are less absorbable and move on through.  For me this seems to be the case.  I can take a ton of glycinate throughout the day and if I don't add in some citrate in the evening I start to get a bit C.  Then again I also too out the anti-microbials at the same time (of course!).

More than you ever wanted to know about biofilms...

I am not a fast reader, if I want to absorb anything that is.  This article about biofilms is long and kind of scary but worth the read.  Take this exerpt:

"In just a few short years, the potential of biofilms to cause debilitating chronic infections has become so clear that there is little doubt that biofilms are part of the pathogenic mix or “pea soup” that cause most or all chronic “autoimmune” and inflammatory diseases."

And in most cases these bacterial infections won't kill you, at least not quicky, they are just debilitating.  The bacteria don't want to kill the host (you) because then they would have no place to live.

I've been consistently taking some sort of antimicrobial for over a year.  After reading this I may take a break and then start up again.

"But in the case of low, pulsed dosing, where an antibiotic is administered, withdrawn, then administered again, the first application of antibiotic will eradicate the bulk of biofilm cells, leaving persister cells behind. Withdrawl of the antibiotic allows the persister population to start growing. Since administration of the antibiotic is temporarily stopped, the survival of persisters is not enhanced. This causes the persister cells to lose their phenotype (their shape and biochemical properties), meaning that they are unable to switch back into biofilm mode. A second application of the antibiotic should then completely eliminate the persister cells, which are still in planktonic mode."

After reading this I'm not sure I'll be able to eat anything raw that is store bought or from a restaurant, the proposition is just too laden with risk.  That may sound extreme, but it's taken a long time for me to get this well, a nasty bout of foodborne illness could put me back to square one or further back even!

Bio-individuality

Bio-individuality is the most annoying and coolest thing ever.  How can we all be the same but different?  How come what works for me doesn't work for you?  Or in my case, works for everyone but doesn't work for me? Life would be so much easier (but less interesting) if it was one size fits all.

I am thinking about this because I was taking the EO combination of Thyme, Oregano, Sage and Lemon Balm (Melissa) and all it did for me was cause swelling and what appears to be a ton of water retention.  It has worked for so many other people in the form of Candibactin-AR.  It could be that my formula was different or it could be that I was reacting to one of the components, my guess is either the Sage (which the kind I was using can have hormonal effects) or the Lemon Balm.  I stopped taking it and within 4 days I lost 3 lbs and a full 2 inches off my waist.  Clearly my body did not like it and my immune system was telling me so.

It all made sense when I listened to Michelle Corey on High Intensity Health, episode #59.  Wow, she's a fast talker! She talked about how consuming things that don't suit your body cause inflammation and weight gain.

So, when you are cruising web pages, blogs, fb groups and the like, always keep in mind what is a wonder elixir for one person could be a poison for you.  (BTW - that doesn't mean they are wrong and you are right or vice versa.)  And unfortunately sometimes the only way to know for sure if something is going to help you is to try it for yourself.  Always do so cautiously, starting slowly and keeping a journal so you can see how your system is responding, hopefully quicker than I do!

Soup for dinner

I love Against All Grain, so when this recipe showed up in my inbox I knew I had to make it (adapted to keep it low FODMAP of course).  Do the usual garlic/onion substitution.  I used garlic infused coconut oil, about 3 times what was called for and a boatload of green onions.  I left out the celery, but you could substitute green beans.  I'll definitely do that next time.  I left out the sweet potatoes because I don't tolerate them and instead chopped up a bit of leftover parsnip.  Instead of chicken breast I used chicken thighs because it's what I have on hand and I'm obviously I'm not afraid of fat.  Topped it off with chopped cilantro and a bit of avocado.  Delicious!  Would have been nice to have some corn chips or plantain chips on the side but oh well, it was nice to have some spicy mexican flavored soup.

Clearly I need to at least clear off the counter before I take a picture.  Jeez!  Never said I was professional.  Ha!

I'm continuing to feel better and better, glad I got over that hump, whatever it was!

Don't think past stress is a problem??

Watch this.  It's short and so worth it.

http://www.ted.com/talks/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_health_across_a_lifetime?language=en

Peanut Butter

Oh how I love thee.  Seriously love thee.  I knew about aflatoxins, it didn't deter me.  It's low FODMAP and surely since I buy the expensive organic peanut butter it would have less aflatoxin, right??  Then I read this on Dr. Axe's website:

Peanut Butter – Yes, peanut butter is tasty, but it can also kill your gut health.  Peanuts are grown on the soil and stored moist in silos which then cause them to grow a type of fungus called aflatoxins which can effect the health of your gut.

Peanuts are one of the most common allergens today and have been linked to food sensitivities, leaky gut and a slow metabolism.  This aflatoxin in peanuts can compete with probiotics in your gut which we know damages digestive health.

Also, peanuts are very high in omega-6 fatty acids which can cause serious inflammation in the body.  For these many reasons, peanut butter is a metabolism death food!

Sorry peanut butter, I'm no longer on your team.  The "competes with probiotics in your gut" did it for me.  I have enough of a dysbiosis, I don't need to be eating something that's "can" steal food away from the good guys. It's almond butter all the way for me now.

Changing it up

I have been doing the Candibactin AR formula in my own doTERRA essential oils - Thyme, Oregano, Sage and Lemon Balm.  I've been doing it 7 days so it was time to change it up.  Yesterday at lunch I took a capsule with Melaleuca, Thyme and Rosemary.  Not sure if it was coincidence but by late afternoon I started feeling better than I have in a while.  I took did the same combination at dinner.  Today I will switch to Cinnamon, Clove and Myrrh.  We'll see how it goes.

I'm down a pound and a full inch around my waist.  In yoga a couple of nights ago I barely recognized my ankles and feet, they were so puffy.  Thankfully the excess water seems to be leaving my system and I'm returning to my normal self.

If you haven't checked out Mike Mutzel's podcast High Intensity Health, you should.  I've listened to #6, 7 and 73.  #5 is up next.  I always start with the gut related podcasts for obvious reasons :)  Have a notebook on hand, you may need to take notes!

MTHFR results

Finally got my 23andMe results and ran them through GeneticGenie.  Turns out I am Heterozygous MTHFR A1298C.  There is speculation that this can cause up to a 30% reduction in enzymatic function.  I don't know that there is any solid proof with this particular SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms), pronounced "snip"*.  There is also concern that it may impact neurotransmitter formation (seratonin, dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, melatonin). One of the possible symptoms - IBS.  With a heterozygous SNP the effect is far less than if the SNP was homozygous (meaning you got an altered gene from both parents instead of just one). There can also be combinations of SNPs that have a far greater impact. For more information you can check out the following website and podcasts:

http://mthfr.net/ - Dr. Ben Lynch's website

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/undergroundwellness/2014/11/19/dr-ben-lynch-mthfr-made-easy - You can never go wrong with a Sean Croxton interview!

Testing is easy.  You order a 23andMe kit ($99).  Once you get the results back, you can upload them into Genetic Genie (requested donation of $10) and they spit back a report in a matter of seconds.  Of course once you get these results back it's best to check with your healthcare provider to see what steps need to be taken to support your body.  I will do that in a couple of weeks and let you know what Dr. Keller recommends.

*From GeneticGenie "We have two copies of most of the genes we are born with - one from our mother and one from our father. Genetic Genie uses the SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) generated from your unique DNA sequence to determine if one or both copies of your genes have a mutation at a specific location in a specific gene."

Up, Up, Up...

For the past 10 days I have been packing on the pounds, like 8lbs!  I haven't changed my diet except for eating jasmine rice 3 or 4 times, maybe a little more honey than I should (still well under 2 tsp a day), certainly not an extra 28,000 calories :)  I've been walking less than usual too, now that I think about it.  I usually walk 2 miles every day.  I've been taking days off here and there.  I'm sitting more with school - watching videos, taking notes, studying. So overall less active.  Still attending 5 or 6 yoga classes a week.  Still not sure that should add up to that much extra weight and when I measured last night I was a full 2" bigger around my belly. Yowza!  No wonder I feel like crud.

The other thing I have done is discontinued the T3 and added in the Adrenomend, Thyrocare and Adrenal PX.  Seems like hormones more likely are having a bigger impact than the above.  I added back in the T3 two days ago as my temps have been too low again (although my temporal thermometer just told me I'm at 100.00 degrees!).  Wonder how long it will get everything to normalize??

And the 3rd thing is the festering infection in my face that I mostly ignored until it started traveling down my neck and up my face. This last screw is a bugger. It just won't heal and I'm sure I'm getting food trapped in the wound so I've become diligent the last several days about using my Hydrofloss after every meal and then oil pulling with MCT and a few drops of OnGuard, Melaleuca and Clove.  I made a topical formula that I am rubbing on the outside of my cheek and on the bottom of my feet every couple of hours.  Thankfully it is resolving because my husband was about to drag my butt to the doctor.  That kind of physical stress can provoke a cortisol response which further messes with hormones.  I have one week to get it completely healed and then they place one on the other side. Hopefully I've learned my lesson with this one and will do better next time.

I think I've got things back under control again and was down 1/2 lb this morning, the first drop I've seen in weeks.  Phew!

The sucky part is with all the new herbals for adrenal and thyroid (6), and the anti-inflammatory supps (3) I've added I am up to more than 20 pills with breakfast.  There is only ONE capsule that is a SIBO killer.  ONE!

New Supplements for the HPA axis crapola

These came via UPS today (like that matters).  

The Adrenal PX is a crap-ton of Vitamin B5 with some calcium, magnesium, DHEA, Pregnenalone and Ashwagandha root.

The ThyroCare is iodine (which I eat fairly regularly), selenium (which I was taking and just stopped), Bladderwrack, Blue Iris, Myrrh, Nettle, Ashwagandha root, Triphala, Ginger root, and 3,5 Diiodotyrosine.  This one should stimulate motility a bit too with the Triphala and ginger, we'll see!

Just when I was getting away with taking less pills!!!  I've added 4 Adrenatone with breakfast and now 1 of each of these both morning and night.  Dr. Keller is going to send a new T3 kit too and that will add 2 more.  So that's 8 more a day.

I wish this were an April Fools Joke

This was in a newsletter I got from my ND today:

"Age-related muscle loss typically begins around age 30 and accelerates in later decades of life. Physical inactivity and inadequate or low quality dietary protein intake may contribute to, and even hasten, this natural muscle loss, leading to reduced strength and function in older adults—referred to as sarcopenia. A report from the World Health Organization noted that older adults have a greater requirement for protein as a proportion of total energy intake (calories). Small interventional clinical studies have reported improvements in sarcopenia—including increased muscle mass, strength, and physical function—in older adults associated with specific dietary protein formulations that included specific amounts and types of amino acids.

The kind of protein you choose matters. High quality proteins, such as a pea and rice protein blend enhanced with essential amino acids (particularly branched-chain amino acids), can provide advanced nutritional support for healthy aging of skeletal muscle and reduce muscle loss. All proteins are composed of amino acids, some which can be synthesized by the body and others (known as essential amino acids) that must be acquired through the diet. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are a subset of the essential amino acids. Leucine is an especially critical BCAA that plays a role in helping build and maintain muscle. A leucine-enriched, balanced amino acid protein product that includes a fast digesting protein base may provide an advantage to help maintain muscle mass as you age—to support mobility and promote vibrant, independent living. "

My body does not process protein well to begin with, smoothies with protein powders have not been sitting well with the SIBO and I had to give up weight training a few months ago because it was just too much for my body to handle while trying to heal.  I am getting so much weaker and seriously my butt is a saggin'.  Makes me so discouraged sometimes.  And of course I have awesome amino acids in pill form but do I remember to take them, no! Ugh!

Food Sensitivity

Ever wonder why you go on an elimination diet and suddenly react violently to foods that you thought you were okay with?  We all speculate. Have we lost the enzymes to digest that specific food?  Many people hear this happens and don't want to do an elimination diet for this very reason.  I stumbled across an old podcast from the Paleo Mom where they talk about gut health.  In a nut shell she says the body has several immune responses, among them one that reacts to the food and another that dampens that response.  When you eliminate a food the immune response that dampens goes away more quickly then the immune response that reacts.  So when you reintroduce that food the reaction is there in full force but the dampening has been reduced so you really feel the full effects of the immune response.

Here is the podcast if you want to listen for yourself.  The first 20 minutes are just banter which you can forward through if you just want the information. 

http://www.thepaleomom.com/2013/05/tpv-episode-39-show-notes-gut-health.html