Beginner's Guide

[Jessica Oakley]

I have a girlfriend who is suffering from chronic illness (long term antibiotic use has led to chronic GI problems, insomnia, depression, infertility). I have started this primer to introduce to her why and how to rebuild her health. I would love some feedback from you wise women. Iis that sexist? I'm used to the mothering boards. Are there men on here?

1. Heal your gut.

Why? 70% of your immune system is in your gut. All of the other systems in your body will fall behind if your gut is not providing sufficient nutrients.

How? You should start on an anti-fungal treatment to remove what shouldn't be there, and then probiotics to replace what should be there.

Natural anti-fungals:

Dietary sources (can be taken all at once):

Raw garlic (start with 1 average sized raw clove per day in order to minimize "die-off" symptoms, and gradually increase it to 4 or 5 cloves per day, mixed in foods or taken with meals.)
Coconut oil (1 tsp up to 5 Tbsp/day, divided)
Kombucha (fermented tea) (4 oz/day) (unless you have mercury fillings)
Pau d'arco (tea) ( Drink 4 cups or more per day, for no more than 6 weeks)
Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate) (4 g/day) (sodium ascorbate = ascorbic acid + baking soda)

Supplemental (one at a time, in rotation):

Grapefruit seed extract: (2-4 drops, 2x/day)
Clove Oil: 1 drop of 100% clove oil 3 times per day, increased gradually up to 3 drops 3 times per day.
Olive leaf extract: ( Olive leaf extract is currently available in the form of 500 mg. tablets. The routine dosage is one tablet every six hours or four throughout the day. Take the supplement between meals for best results.)
Oil of Oregano: (600 mg of emulsified oregano essential oil daily for six weeks, or dilute it with coconut or extra virgin olive oil - put 1 or more drops in 1 teaspoon of oil Start with 1 drop three times a day, and increase it slowly to 3 drops 3 times daily. It can be taken on an empty stomach or with foods.)
Caprylic acid (500–1,000 mg. three times daily with food)
Castor oil
Enzymes - Candidase (Enzymedica), Candex (Pure Essence), Candizyme (Renew Life)

*Note to self - need to mark which are contra-indicated for pregnancy/nursing

Probiotics:
Kefir
Kombucha
Homemade yogurt
Fermented vegetables (eg. sauerkraut)

Learn more:
http://www.enzymestuff.com/conditionleakygut.htm
http://www.womentowomen.com/digestionandgihealth/dysbiosis.aspx?id=...
http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-options/treatment-information/...
http://www.treatingandbeating.com/yeastovergrowth.html
http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/intro2.php#s28
http://curezone.com/foods/oliveleaf.asp

2. Modify your diet - Eat healing foods / avoid stressing foods

Why? Your body is missing a lot of nutrients from your gut issues. There are also a lot of foods that can cause inflammation in your body and limit your body's natural ability to heal itself. Most of the inflammatory foods are also the ones that spike insulin levels (especially refined carbs - sugar, flour, white rice, etc.) When you spike your insulin your adrenals respond with adrenaline. Overtime this causes adrenal fatigue. You can kill your adrenals doing this. Your adrenals also have the ability to regenerate and heal.

How?

Healing Foods to maximize:
Green, leafy vegetables
Homemade Bone Broth
Homemade fermented veggies (sauerkraut, fermented carrots, fermented pickles)
Free-range eggs (if not IgE)
Liver (from grass-fed beef, actually has a mild flavor, use a small amount with ground beef)
Coconut Oil
garlic, onion, beans
asparagus, avocadoes, and walnuts
berries, grapes, beets, cooked tomatoes, pomegranate, and organic green tea
tumeric, cilantro, parsley, and walnuts in cooking
watercress broccoli, broccoli, sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, arugula, kohlrabi, radish, daikon, bok choy.
Olive oil

Stressing Foods to eliminate:
Caffeine
Sugar
Gluten/Flour (wheat , rye, barley, spelt)
Dairy
Soy
Alcohol
Trans fats
GMO corn


Weight: I don't address this specifically, because this "diet" is not aimed at losing weight, but on making you healthier. If you change your eating patterns, the weight will come off on its own. There is no restriction on the amount of whole food you can eat. You can eat 3000 calories/day of real food and still lose weight, conversely you can eat 1500 calories/day of crap and still gain weight. Check out Gary Taubes' " Good Calories, Bad Calories" from the library to understand how our body processes fats, carbs, and proteins. This is also not a temporary weight-loss plan, it is a permanent change in eating habits.

Learn more:
http://www.westonaprice.org/Broth-is-Beautiful.html



3. Improve your digestion
*Does this need its own section, or will diet and nutrients bring this into balance on its own?

Why? Proper digestive enzymes and stomach acid will help you break down food while your gut heals, as well as break down the yeast in the gut.

How? Digestive enzymes and HCl supplements

Apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice in water with meals

Learn more:
http://www.enzymestuff.com/conditionbacteria.htm
Link to beet pee test

4. Restock nutrients

Why? Your body has not been able to properly absorb nutrients from your food, and you are probably severely deficient in several vitamins and minerals. You can have a blood test done to check your vitamin levels, and a hair test done for mineral levels. There is also a taste test kit to test for different minerals. It would also be beneficial to get your thyroid and hormone levels checked at the same time. I don't believe in supplementing long-term, unless there is something that can't be obtained through diet (for example: our soils have been severely depleted in selenium, so it's very hard to get that through foods anymore, or living in latitudes where we can't get sufficient vitamin d from the sun). However, in acute cases, it is essential to restore proper balances with supplements that can then be maintained through diet. Even in acute cases you cannot just take high doses of everything to rebuild. Because of the interaction of minerals in the body, it is important to achieve the proper balance, not just the proper levels. So getting a good baseline, through hair, blood, or tasting, is important. Take liquid supplements whenever possible. It increases absorption and is less stressful on the body but watch the sugar content. if you put it in a shot glass it goes down easier

How? Make sure your supplements are biologically appropriate:

Vitamin A: This can be toxic so limit this to food sources and cod liver oil (CLO)

B vitamins: Folate (NOT Folic acid), nutritional yeast

Vitamin C: Sodium Ascorbate, 3-4000 mg/day (up to bowel tolerance)
Vitamin D: vitamin D3 only (NOT D2), 1-3000 IU/day (from CLO)
Vitamin E: leafy greens
Vitamin K: leafy greens

Selenium: brazil nuts (2/day)
Magnesium: Magnesium citrate (NaturalCalm)
Zinc:
Calcium:green leafy veggies
Trace minerals: wet grey sea salt


Learn more:
http://www.understand-andcure-anxietyattacks-panicattacks-depressio...
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=406983 (Nutrition 101)
http://www.bodybio.com/BodyBio/docs/BodyBioBulletin-LiquidMinerals.pdf

5. Additional Support

Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate) Baths (2 cups/bath 1x/day)
Milk Thistle

[Pat Robinson]

This is so comprehensive!!! Thank you so much for sharing. I'm delighted. :-)


Pat

[Jessica Oakley]

Thanks Pat. You might notice some of the language looks familiar.....

[Pat Robinson]

It was a delight to meet you all yesterday. :-)

I'm excited to find a way to ferment some veggies. Trying to figure how to keep the cats and boy out of it...


Pat

[Jane Bertone]

How do people rotate the supplements (grapefruit seed extract etc.)? Do you do one for a few days or switch it up daily?

Thanks!