Let the negotiations begin..

The last couple of days I have been reading through Aglaee Jacob's book.  I had dismissed it for one reason or the other the last several times I checked it out from the library.  I guess desperation has finally set it.  I was interested enough in the copy I checked out that I purchased it on Amazon, it was only $5.99 on Kindle (they always sucker me in!).  Her elimination phase diet consists of protein, fat and vegetables, specifically zucchini (peeled and seeded), carrots, green beans and spinach.  Wednesday night I was all in.  Today having not even started the diet, I'm already negotiating.  "I didn't react positive to kale (or broccoli or bell peppers) on my Array 10, surely I can eat those", my brain argues.  It's been a good day with minimal itching so that doesn't help strengthen my resolve :)  I didn't really start itching until I took my Resolor.  Could be just a mind thing since I know it has lactose. I'm going to see if I have any refills on my LDN script, switch to that, see if I calm down a bit.

Dr. Ruscio released another SIBO podcast this week.  


Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Love and Be Kind to Yourself

Most all of us take our body for granted.  It struggles and we just keep eating what we want even though it sends us signals, quiet and loud, not to.  I say this as I drink a cup of Jasmine tea which is making me nauseous.  It only does this sometimes so I keep drinking it.  It has even made me puke once, at a child's birthday party.  Embarrassing!  Why do I keep drinking it?  I love it.  I wasn't reactive on the Array 10 (some excuse).  The only other thing I really drink is water.  How boring!  But clearly, CLEARLY I shouldn't be drinking jasmine tea. My body has been kindly asking me not to and I'm a bitch and ignore it.  

I've been thinking a lot about this today as I have been so itchy and yucky feeling in general, knowing I have flagellated bacteria burrowing into the lining of my digestive tract does not help (have you SEEN the pictures???).  I need to listen to my body.  I'm not digesting protein well (haven't for eons and duh keep eating it) and I can't really chew it properly in the first place so I need to work on decreasing my consumption while increasing amino acid support insert *gag* here.  I need to be eating more soups, green juices and I need to try smoothies again with perhaps ginger or cinnamon to make them "hotter".  In Ayurveda they said cold foods dampen digestive fire and I really don't need my ability to digest dampened at all. I've been afraid to try hemp but I've got to do better about giving my body an opportunity to heal.

No plan yet but you can be sure it will include drinking cabbage juice.  Which Katie swears is delicious.  Okay, not so much.  I've got several digestive health books on request at the library.  I've perused them all before but need to take another look.  Hoping to formulate a plan and start slowing incorporating some things over the next week.  I probably should do it before my weird outrageously expensive African tea gets here.  That supposedly can cause some mucho bad reactions for a short period of time.  I am just so done.  I was contemplating going elemental and just climbing into bed.  Instead I will get my butt outside and walk the dogs.  Just keep moving forward!

New Protocol - Repair

Just to remind all of you, I am not a healthcare provider of any kind.  I just do a little research and add what I feel works for me.  SIBO is such a strange animal so you have to figure out (hopefully with a qualified provider) what works for you.

I've decided to work on gut repair and motility since my reactions to foods are mostly in the form of belly itchiness which I contribute more to permeability and not SIBO per se.

I should also note that there is a bit of a brouhaha right now about FCO (fermented cod liver oil).  You can read about it here (and in many other places).  I am opting to continue with my bottle but not sure I will buy it again.  It's fairly difficult to keep fish oils from becoming rancid and they are expensive.  It's better to include some fatty fish in your diet a couple of times a week.  If you've been following along you might remember that on my Array 10 I am reacting to salmon, tilapia, trout, tuna, squid, and shrimp.  I did not react to sardines but for some reason they are making me nauseaus when I eat them.  My guess is it's a placebo thing.

Pre-meals     
Bitters (2 droppers)

Iberogast (2 droppers)

Red Yeast Rice       

LiverCare

Serrapeptase

Breakfast    
Multivitamin (2)

All-zyme

Magnesium Glycinate

Betaine HCL (1-2)

Fermented Cod Liver Oil

Vit C

Vit D 4000 iu (2 drops)

Vit K-2

Thyrosol

Adrenomend (2 capsules)

OrthoBiotic (every other day)

                  

9-10AM
T3 – 22.5mcg

Primal Defense (on days when no OrthoBiotic)

L-Glutamine (1)

GastricSoothe (2)

                  
Lunch           
Multivitamin (2)

All-zyme (1)
Magnesium Glycinate

Betaine HCL (1-2)

Vit C

PrescriptAssist (1)

Adrenomend (2 capsules)

Adrenaplex (2 capsules)

Dinner         
Multivitamin (2)

All-zyme (1)

Betaine HCL (1-2)

Magnesium Glycinate

Fermented Cod Liver Oil

Thyrosol (1 tablet)

Turmeric

9pm             
LDN – 5mg

Motilpro (3)

GastricSoothe (2)

L-Glutamine

Lion’s Mane (2)*

Magnesium Citrate (PRN)

*I haven't added the Lion's Mane in.  I added in the Motilpro last night and will add the GastricSoothe in tonight.  I've been taking Endozin for a while so shouldn't have a problem with the L-Glutamine and GastricSoothe since it's the same ingredients.  In a few days if all goes well I will add in the Lion's Mane.

Aquaporins

FInally got off my butt and asked NCNM for the spec sheet on aquaporins.  I came up positive on the Array 10 for corn+aquaporins and tomato+aquaporins.  Tomorrow will be the first full day of elimination (my old digestive enzymes had egg white, the replacements came today).  Anyway, here is an excerpt from the Cyrex spec sheet on aquaporins:

Aquaporins are found in all cells and help move water through the cells in an organized manner.  Aquaporin 4 (AQR-4), is a water channel protein in the CNS and is expressed in astrocytes, particularly in the astrocyte food processes at the blood brain barrier.  Some environmental proteins such as spinach, soy, corn and tomato contain aquaporin that have similarity to the brain AQR-4. Generation of antibodies against AQR-4 in general may contribute to the development of immunity and/or progression of multiple sclerosis.

Well alrighty then, I guess that ends that. Even if that paragraph is overblown I don't see any point in risking it. So, no corn or tomato until these antibodies go away which means SIBO gone and gut healed (if that ever happens!).

Elimination Time

In my last Skype appt with Dr. Keller we talked about my Cyrex Array 3, 4 and 10 results.  She wants me to eliminate all Out of Range foods, obviously, but she always wants me to eliminate all the Equivocal foods for at least 6 weeks and then slowly reintroduce them.  She said that many of these reactions are because the foods are FODMAPs and should resolve with the SIBO but the others are just causing inflammation in the body and we need to reduce that.  Could be due to intestinal permeability, that would be my guess, but I never eat things like cooked tuna or squid and those certainly aren't FODMAPy, so who knows.  She really cautioned me about the Aquaporins and said the response to them should be taken seriously.  She said she would send me a spec sheet about it.  All the Google links lead to long research articles that I really don't feel like reading right now.

Out of Range:

• Sesame
• Teff
• Corn
• Rice Cake
• Wild Rice
• Kidney Beans
• Celery
• Corn + Aquaporin, cooked
• Popped Corn
• Pea, cooked
• Pea Protein
• Tuna, Cooked
• Squid, Cooked
• Thyme (wonder if this means I can't do Candibactin-AR)
• Clove
• Beta-Glucan (polysaccharide)
• Gum Tragacanth (polysaccharide)

Equivocal:

• Oats
• Tapioca
• Egg White, cooked
• Wheat + Alpha-Gliadins
• Garbonzo beans, cooked
• Soybean Agglutinin
• Brazil Nuts
• Artichoke, cooked
• Chili Pepper
• Lettuce
• Onion + Scallion (raw and cooked)
• Pumpkin + Squash, cooked
• Tomato + Aquaporin
• Tomato Paste
• Apple Cider
• Apricot
• Kiwi
• Mackeral, cooked
• Salmon, cooked
• Tilapia, cooked
• Trout, cooked
• Shrimp, cooked
• Parvalbumin
• Lamb, cooked
• Gelatin
• Paprika
• Mastic Gum + Gum Arabic

I'm definitely going to have to hang this list to avoid some oops!  Most of the foods listed I don't even eat so it's not a big deal really.  But I did like to eat salmon, shrimp and eggs on occasion.  And I love spicy, so the chili peppers make me sad.

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