Uuuugghhhh!
I suspected after my initial visit with my most recent doctor that it was coming and here it is — I have a leaky gut.
Many of you know I have been on a journey for YEARS to try and put a cause to a host of what I call nit-pickey symptoms that have been driving me insane. Chronic post nasal drip, sore throats, itching and aches and pains top the list of complaints. As I have started to use my voice more frequently with my job, the throat problems have increased along with that change.
Fast forward five years and six doctors later and I have a diagnosis I optimistically feel right about. Yes, you read that correctly, I have been trying for 5 years to get to the root cause of my issues, but as is frequently the case doctors have been a huge let down, both in the holistic community and especially in the traditional one. Leaky gut is not recognized by “traditional” medicine and we aren’t exactly swimming in functional medicine doctors here in New Orleans, so getting to a professional that knew what they were doing to a LOT of persistence and out of pocket cash.
One New Orleans doctor who considers himself to be living a bit on the fringe of the good part of the hippy world. (and will remain nameless), actually said to me after my third visit to him with no improvements to my post nasal drip, “It’s the New Orleans crud. Everyone has it. Get used to it” then tried to get me in on his multi-level marketing scheme for Body by Vi. I am NOT lying. And yes, I paid real dollars for that visit.
The bottom line is this. YOU have to advocate for yourself when you go to the doctor. YOU have to do your due diligence and learn what you can about your symptoms/illnesses. Just because a doctor has a degree doesn’t mean (s)he knows what (s)he’s doing. Look for reviews on line. Trust me, they are there. Google EVERYTHING. I can GUARANTEE you there are a ton of other folks out there just like you who can get you pointed in the right direction. NEVER deal with a doctor who wants to put a bandaid (pill, drugs, injection, surgery) on your problem. Functional and Integrative Medicine doctors are the only ones that are going to try and get to the CAUSE of your problem.
Remember, medicine is a business. Sick people make doctors a LOT of money. A LOT. Keep your dollars where they belong, investing in YOU.
Strap on your seat belts kids, because what I am learning about leaky gut is about to turn your world UPSIDE DOWN.
Looking forward to what you turn up. I’ve been dealing with some variation on “leaky gut” and IBS for a dozen years or more. I have tried every kind of diet and food elimination. Glutamine powder. Fermented vegetables. Probiotics of the more traditional mode. It gets better, then something kicks it off again. The latest being an encounter with Cipro about 6 months ago. What HAS helped this go round–the worst ever in terms of fatigue, weight loss, & diarrhea–is elimination of all dairy, all wheat, using lacto-fermented sauerkraut, vaginal ozone treatments, and our very own Cloud Forest Botanical Gut Health formula. It has to be a multi-pronged approach.
I wish you the best of luck as you track down your triggers and seek balance. It’s a struggle–and you are right. I no of NO allopathic physicians and few alternative healers who have a handle on this, the cause of so many “diseases.”
Thanks for the input, Elizabeth. I’m always interested in how others are making it work.
I’m fortunate in that I know what triggers it because I had the Genova Diagnostics test. Yes for me on the dairy and wheat as well. And also high on the irritation chart for me are soy, peanuts, cantaloupe and flax seeds. I’m fairly certain that there are a bunch of related issues going on inside as well. One step at a time. I’m jumping in with both feet in the next week or so with a rotation diet that will get me away from the trigger foods and hopefully help get the gut towards healing.
One thing I am absolutely certain about is this– there will be no more GMOs in my diet. I’m convinced they are what got me where I am today.
I don’t see your formula for Gut Health on your website. Please send me a link.
Salud bueno, amiga.