My digestive system has taken me on a physical, emotional & spiritual journey of epic proportions! (and it is definitely not over yet!)
It began in 2016, after I was diagnosed with the thyroid condition, Hashimotos. My science geek brain immediately began doing research about this autoimmune condition, which led me to Dr. Isabella Wentz… The Thyroid Pharmacist. Her book “Root Cause” single handedly helped me get Hashimotos into remission without medication.
I began taking the supplements that she recommended… but the real magic happened when I began to take steps to heal my guts!
Did you know that the common link present in all autoimmune conditions is Leaky Gut?
Yup… IBS, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Psoriasis, Diabetes, Celiac Disease, Crohn’s, Eczema, Graves, Hashimotos, Raynauds, Vitiligo, Asthma & many more… the science links all of these conditions back to increased permeability in the walls of the small intestine.
Our digestive system is a long tube with openings at both ends… it is like a moat around a castle… it is the last line of defense before substances are allowed into our bodies!
When a person has Leaky Gut… the moat has been breached!
A layer of cells covers the entire intestine and has the important role of providing a protective barrier between the dirty environment inside of our intestines (partially digested food, molds, bacteria, viruses, etc.) and the rest of the body.
Normally these important cells have a very tight weave (think of 660 thread count sheets)… but with Leaky Gut that weave opens up and the junctures are not tight anymore (think about a loosely crocheted blanket). This open weave allows substances that normally would not gain access… to get into the body’s circulation.
The Immune System recognizes them as foreign substances and freaks out! This leads to inflammation in the body and gut, further increasing permeability and triggering food sensitivities and autoimmunity!
I truly believe that Leaky Gut is responsible for the majority of chronic health problems that we are currently facing in Western society. So why don’t we hear more about this condition? Because it cannot be fixed with a pill or a surgery and requires an incredible amount of buy-in and adherence from patients… the medical system does not want to touch it with a ten foot pole… as it requires way too much monitoring with already stretched medical system resources!
It took me about 18 months to heal my guts and get my Hashimotos into remission… but it kept flaring back up! I was working so hard at maintaining good gut health practices and I was still feeling like crap at times! More research and a great Naturopath led me to SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) treatment… which in turn led me to the discovery that I have low stomach acid!
I am writing this blog on my first day of freedom from treatment & I seriously do not even know where to begin in recounting my adventure and how much I learned and uncovered!
So… I made up a “Strategies To Improve Your Digestive System” handout to help get you started if you are experiencing sore, bloated guts, heartburn, low energy and/or autoimmune conditions! It is full of awesome resources!
⬇️ Click here to grab your copy ⬇️
But…what I really want to talk about here… is the mental and spiritual journey that this last 9 weeks of treatment with herbal antimicrobials has provided!
The first 5 weeks I slowly increased my dose of the herbs every 3 days… which caused die-off symptoms… sore joints, headaches, brain fog, low energy… basically the flu every third day!
The last 4 weeks I stayed at full herbal antimicrobial dose. The die-off symptoms became milder… but the mental strain of a restricted diet, strict herbal protocol and frequent upset stomach felt particularly heavy!
It was a lot of friggin’ action work!
It became very clear to me somewhere around the end of week 5… that I could do all of the hard action that I wanted, but unless I did the alignment piece first… I was never going to see progress!
I had no idea I was so disconnected from my food… I buy local and organic, cook from scratch with my sweetie, pick produce that sparkles, eat lacto-fermented food with each meal!
Shit man! Food is all I think about… I totally believe it is our medicine… how can I be disconnected from it!
The disconnect happens when I go to put it into my mouth!
I need to say… I am pretty sure that I had an eating disorder through my 30’s as I trained to race triathlons and until I stepped through this treatment protocol… I did not know how many of those messed up, strict, controlling beliefs were still playing in my mind!
Too sweet, too late, too much, too high fat, too high carb, too processed, too GMO… always some messed up belief just as the food passed my lips! Good God! No wonder my digestive system is inflamed and overrun with bacterial critters… every bite feeds my body a negative belief!
I thought that the herbal antimicrobials were the solution to my digestive woes! Nope! They were just a tool that led me to the real solution… ✨ALIGNMENT✨
I know this stuff… I teach this stuff… but we all have to go through our very own action journey to be able to do the hard work of observing what bullshit beliefs are hiding deep in our guts!
So… I am currently blessing my food and practicing staying present with each bite! Savouring the flavour and the texture, expressing gratitude to the food chain and the beautiful people in it and loving each new addition that helps to build and heal my body!
I can feel that I am healing quickly now and that alignment was, yet again, the most important piece of the puzzle.
I have completed my 9 weeks of treatment… but I can tell this is only the beginning of the healing process! I am excited to continue to unpack my journey with you on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok! ❤️
Much Love,
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