IBS / IBD CURES

The Diet for Disease Remission

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:54:55 +0000

The Diet for Disease Remission A correct diet is only half the battle, the other half is correcting intestinal dysbiosis A Word of Advice: The books and diets presented here provide a wealth of information surrounding the appropriate diet that is absolutely essential for recovery and achieving optimal health. Your healing will be delayed if you choose not to follow a strict diet regimen. Your doctor may even lead you to believe that nutrition and diet is of little importance, but that could not be farther from the truth. Each of the diets presented here is uniquely different; some stress high protein / low fiber, while others recommend more fruits and vegetables. The common thread among each however is that carbohydrates are a problem food (grains in particular). They need to be eliminated, or closely monitored during recovery. I find its best to eliminate them completely as they can be tantalizing in small quantities. I followed several of the diets presented here for at least a month or more and have provided brief reviews of each. What I’ve found to be most effective is simple: Meat and vegetables, with limited consumption of fruits, grain, nuts and seeds, and that’s it. Nothing off a shelf, in a can or in a box. Keep it fresh, and feel free to experiment with the wide range of vegetables and meats available. Preferably grass-fed and organic if you can afford it. It is wise to thoroughly cook your meat and vegetable at first, as it will aid the digestion process (consider adding digestive enzymes). You should entirely eliminate nuts, seeds, and any high fiber foods until inflammation subsides as they can be highly abrasive (this could be several months). And don’t be afraid to consume fat- it’s good for you, despite what you’ve been lead to believe. There is plenty of evidence in the recommended literature to support that claim. This is where the bulk of your calories should come from: fat and protein. It is your bodies preferred energy source and is a great source of essential fatty acids, amino acids and other fat soluble nutrients. Especially if you’re dealing with a bowel disorder, fat and protein are absolutely essential for recovery. I would advise against heavy seasonings and spices at first as they can be irritating during acute inflammation. Do not be afraid to forgo sugar and carbs, as sugar is a non-essential dietary component. Your body manufactures all the glucose it needs when given sufficient fat and protein. This is a fact. This is the healthiest diet for mankind. If you disagree with me, then I suggest you take a look at some of the literature recommended here. The science is out there people. It’s an undisputable fact at this point; this is the diet of man, the diet for life. I encourage you to learn as much as you can by reading the literature presented here, do some of your own research and make the transition as soon as soon as possible. Everything we’ve come to understand about health and nutrition up to this point is ass-backwards. The last 30+ years we’ve been told to avoid fat and protein, and where has it gotten us? We now have epidemics in obesity, heart disease and diabetes (Life Without Bread). But can you blame us? The USDA’s food pyramid that’s been beaten into our heads since grade school is a disaster. The food we have available to us is in supermarkets such as Raleys, Winco or Safeway is nutritionally dead and we have fast food restaurants on every corner in town. It really doesn’t surprise me to see widespread autoimmune disorders and bowel disorders among increasingly younger age groups. We can figure out how to send astronauts to the moon, but for some reason proper diet and nutrition remains an utter quagmire. After all there’s no money to be made if everyone is healthy. One industry that’s continuously bustling despite the current economic downturn is the healthcare industry. Ever spend any time at a hospital? The staff is continuously overwhelmed. Busy, busy, busy. No money to be made from healthy people. Our healthcare industry is stressed to the max right now resulting in astronomical healthcare costs. If you want to minimize your time at the doctors office, then it starts with your diet and what you choose to put into our body. Its that simple. “Let thy food be thy medicine”

Probiotics- The most underrated and powerful tool at your disposal.

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:52:55 +0000

PROBIOTICS- The most underrated and powerful tool at your disposal. ******************“80% of your immune system lies in your gut”************* It doesn’t matter which disease you have, if you are having problems with your intestines / bowels, then adding probiotics to your diet needs to be at the top of your “to do” list. Aside from dietary changes, this is the next best thing you can do for yourself. It is my belief that a deficit of good bacteria in your gut will inevitably lead to some form of autoimmune illness. That’s why this needs to be the focus of your healing protocol. There is just one problem, however. You can’t go down to the local health food store and pick up just any probiotic. Many of the products are simply weak, ineffective, have too many additives, or don’t contain effective strains. It’s imperative to find a supplement you can tolerate that’s as potent as possible, and begin taking it right away. We are all unique individuals and some people just do better on certain supplements than others. Some people can tolerate dairy based supplements no problem, while others do better on cellulose or starch based cultures. I know this may sound overwhelming to you, but I highly encourage you to explore this area. There are a lot of people out there that are turned off of probiotics completely, because they think it’s just another supplement that will sit in their cabinet until it expires. They may try one or two products with poor results then give up on the idea completely. I’ve spent a lot of money on various probiotics in the past with poor results and believe me, I was frustrated to say the least. But I don’t regret it entirely because I’ve learned a lot along the way. There are a lot of crappy products out there, and I’m here to tell you to that probably close to 80% of the products available are garbage. But, I do feel that probiotics can truly be your diamond in the rough. It made all the difference for me. Unfortunately, there may be some trial and error on your part as the consumer to figure out which kind you are most able to tolerate. You may find that culturing your own probiotics works best for you, or you may prefer the convenience of simply taking a pill. And as you begin to heal and your body adjusts, your tolerance may change. After a few months, you may find that you can now tolerate a full spectrum probiotic with multiple strains that before may have caused you problems. What I can recommend, based on my own personal experience is to start with a high potency probiotic from an established source with positive consumer reviews. A few reputable companies I’ve listed below. Customers are usually satisfied with these products, and excited that they’re finally getting results. Start slow and follow the manufacturers’ recommendation. More is not always better. HIGH QUALITY PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTS:

Custom Probiotics (Dairy Free, High Potency)
Natren (Dairy Free, High Potency)
Udos Choice (Dairy Free, High Potency)
Renew Life (NOT dairy free, High potency formulations available)
VSL#3 (NOT dairy free, High potency)

There is an increasing body of research implicating severe dysbiosis as a contributing factor to a plethora of bowel related issues, everything from IBS to Crohns disease. And it saddens me that modern medicine in America is not exploring this area the way it needs to be explored. Until more information develops, it’s up to you to figure out what suits your body best. Another thing you may want to try is fermenting your own foods. If you don’t like the idea of taking another supplement, then this is an awesome alternative. Not only will you be ingesting healthy live bacteria and yeasts, but they are also a great source of digestive enzymes that help break down foods and eradicate toxins from your body. I’ve listed some probiotic foods below just to give you an idea of what’s out there. Probably the easiest one to make is kefir. I haven’t tried the dairy version, but the water kefir is a piece of cake. The hardest part is finding the grains. But once you have the grains, you simply let them ferment in sugar water for 48 hours, and voila you’ve got a potent probiotic beverage. Click here for more explicit directions and recipes. PROBIOTIC FOODS:

Kimchi (fermented cabbage)
Kombucha (tea)
Miso (soybean)
Yogurt (dairy)
Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage)
Kefir (fermented milk / water)
Pickles (and other fermented veggies)
Fermented fish

A word of advice: begin with small quantities and increase slowly. You will most likely have an “adjustment” phase as your body adapts to the healthy bacteria and weeds out any harmful pathogens living in your gut. This is known as the Herxheimer effect, and it is real. You may have flu-like symptoms, fatigue, anxiety, diarrhea, constipation your symptoms may temporarily worsen, but don’t quit, this is a good sign that the treatment is in fact working as intended. If it’s too intense, try pulling back the dosage a bit. It’s pretty much a fact of life. You will have to endure a temporary worsening of your condition before it improves. Especially if it’s a deep seeded Candida infection. My suggestion is to just do it and get it over with. The sooner it’s over, the sooner you can start living life to the fullest. Good luck to you. There are Herxheimer remedies available to you to lessen this die-off effect. A short list is provided below: HERXHEIMER REMEDIES:

Mega doses of vitamin C
Enemas for constipation. (Limit these to once or twice a week max, dependency may develop)
Hot baths
Lots of rest and relaxation
Lots of water (at least half a gallon per day)
Any detox / herbal remedies should be mild and gentle on the body

**********************Good Luck to everyone dealing with health issues. Recovery is possible, despite your doctors best efforts.************************************

Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS) / Candida Cure

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:45:22 +0000

LEAKY GUT SYNDROME (LGS) / CANDIDA CURE– DON’T LET THIS RUIN YOUR LIFE I know how frustrating this can be, when you’re sensitive to everything you eat drink, breathe or touch. The overwhelming fatigue, the brain fog, achy joints, constipation, diarrhea. Your gut aches, and every morning you wake up feeling like you got ran over by a bus. The symptoms are endless and it is truly debilitating. If this is you, then you have a faulty immune system. An immune response is being triggered by just about everything you come into contact with. But don’t worry, there are ways around this. I myself have been through this, and now I want to share this information with you. Your natural immune defenses have slowly eroded with time due to one or more of the following: poor diet, poor lifestyle choices, pharmaceutical use (including OTC products), antibiotics, recreational drug or alcohol abuse, or any other form of toxicity that comes to mind. These natural defenses that I am referring to are the bacteria and organisms that live inside of you provide you with a myriad of health benefits- Probiotics. These little buggers are essential for breaking down foods, assimilating nutrients, neutralizing toxins and preventing the overgrowth of harmful pathogens in your intestines. Once you have decimated the good bacteria in your gut, it’s an uphill battle trying to re-establish symbiosis in your intestines. If you have leaky gut / Candida, then its imperative that you begin supplementing with probiotics right away. They work quickly to get your immune system back on track. However, you must follow the dietary principles as well; otherwise no amount of probiotics will help you. Candida is a yeast, and yeasts love sugar. Any and all forms, whether its the simple sugars found in fruit, or the complex carbs found in potatoes or beets, you must be very disciplined with your diet to keep the yeast at bay. Focus on getting your caloric intake from fat and protein, and eat plenty of vegetables if you can tolerate them. I found that I developed an intolernce to nearly all vegetables I ate on a regular basis, but I never had a problem with meat in any form (fish, beef, and poultry). I could eat turkey every day for a week and never develop intolerance to it. It was always the vegetable proteins that triggered an immune response. I think vegetable proteins appear to be most foreign to our bodies, whereas meat protein is more closely related, and therefore less likely to cause problems. When treating candida, its easy to make mistakes, especially with diet. People think that radical diet changes are enough to eradicate candida, but that is rarely the case. There’s a lot of misinformation out there on various websites and forums and I think most people make the mistake of focusing on antifungal treatments to eradicate Candida. This is great, and I advocate the use of natural antifungals. Many of them are powerful antioxidants as well (Olive leaf extract, garlic, oil of oregano, caprylic acid.) However, many of them are also potent antibiotics, and could very well be wiping out any good bacteria you might have left in your gut. If you’re food tolerances are so severe that literally everything is making you sick, then you need to start probiotics immediately as they provide enzymes and lactic acid that will help build up your immune system, digest your food and reduce your allergenic response. (See the Probiotics page for more information). Do not waste your time or money with the low quality inferior probiotics from supermarket shelves. I would hazard to guess that 80% of the products on the market are garbage. Find a high quality product that uses a hypoallergenic culture medium, and has a really high potency of colony forming units. I have provided a short list below of some of the better supplements on the market. These companies seem to be well established. There are several positive reviews for each of them, and customers seem to be generally well satisfied with these brands. HIGH QUALITY PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTS:

Custom Probiotics (Dairy Free, Hypoallergenic, High Potency)
Natren (Dairy Free, Hypoallergenic, High Potency)
Udos Choice (Dairy Free, High Potency)
Renew Life (NOT dairy free, High potency formulations available)
Kirkman Labs (Hypoallergenic, Dairy free, High Potency)
VSL#3 (NOT dairy free, High potency)

I recommend you research each of the companies above; there may be some trial and error on your behalf to figure out which ones you tolerate best. (See the probiotics page for more information.) Other beneficial supplements include high amounts of vitamin C. Up to several grams a day or more is not uncommon, (diarrhea may occur as you push your tolerance limits). Fish oil or Cod liver oil supplements are also great and should be taken in sickness and in health. They help to reduce depression and alleviate inflammation. They are also a primary source of Omega 3 fatty acids of which most people are severely deficient. Fiber supplements such as psyllium husk may be beneficial, as well as eating rich leafy greens such as kale, cabbage, chard, spinach, broccoli, etc. to help get the bowels moving and clean you out. In my opinion, the most underrated and overlooked therapy for Leaky Gut / Candida is taking a high quality, super potent, hypoallergenic probiotic. Rather than focusing on killing candida with antifungals, try to focus on promoting the growth of good bacteria through diet and supplementation, which will in turn correct dysbiosis, which is the underlying cause of candida to begin with (IMO). Some of you might be saying “yeah I tried that,” but the thing is, not all probiotics are created equal. You have to find effective products that are potency guaranteed. If you do this correctly you will notice an overwhelming improvement guaranteed. Natural healing is about lifestyle as well. To do this right, you need to reduce exposure to everything that triggers an immune response. That includes everything from the foods you eat to the cologne you wear, to the makeup you put on your face. If it’s bothering you, then stop doing it! It will prolong your healing. SOME exercise is good, but intense, strenuous exercise should be limited as well as it can aggravate your immune system and increase the toxic load on your liver and lymph system which are already overwhelmed to begin with. The goal is to alleviate that toxic burden.

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:36:24 +0000

Food Allergies And Food Intolerance: The Complete Guide To Their Identification And Treatment

Jonathan Brostoff, Linda Gamlin; Healing Arts Press 2000

WorldCat⋅LibraryThing⋅Google Books⋅BookFinder

These diets apply to those who have leaky gut issues and food allergies. (I myself suffered with food intolerances to just about anything I ate.) If this is you, and you’ve been struggling for a long time with food intolerance issues that only seem to get worse, please see the “leaky gut / Candida” page. Rapid relief is possible. Many of my food intolerances disappeared within the first week of using the correct therapy. But, in the mean time, a food rotation diet can be helpful for those that are “pan-allergic,” or allergic to everything. It’s a pretty ingenious idea for controlling your symptoms, and for many it may be your ONLY option. It is certainly not a cure, but I found it to be very helpful when things were at their worst. When you consume a food that triggers that all too familiar fatigue, headaches, nausea, achy joints that seems to last for days at a time, that’s an immune response by your body. It’s attacking food proteins it sees as a foreign invader. It’s important to get this rectified because it could potentially develop into some kind of auto-immune disease. If you eat a particular food you are sensitive to, say broccoli, three or more times a week, you will notice your reaction increases in severity. With a food rotation diet, you are rotating food groups so that you only eat from a particular food group once every 4 or more days. This way, the immune system becomes desensitized to that particular food; thus your symptoms are reduced and become much more manageable. Foods are grouped into their respective botanical families because they contain similar antigens, and its best to rotate entire groups of food every four days. I have put together a list of foods and their respective food groups. I intentionally left out the meat / fish / poultry food groups because they did not tend to cause me problems. Vegetables and fruits are some of the most highly allergenic foods and should be rotated. If you happen to be particularly sensitive to meats, then those should be rotated as well. But do try to limit fruits as they can cause irritation and contain lots of sugar.

The “Biblelife” diet

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:24:28 +0000

www.biblelife.org

by Kent Rieske

Kent Rieske is very knowledgeable and a very interesting guy to speak with. Although, I’ve never actually spoken to him, I have had brief email correspondence with him. His website is a great reference for just about anything from diet recommendations to alternative energy sources to Jesus. His diet is one which stresses high protein and fat consumption, with minimal carbohydrates and fiber. He explains how meat is often overlooked as an essential source of nutrition, and discusses primitive societies that live perfectly healthy disease-free lives on an all meat diet. His website is also a great source for expelling many of the myths surrounding “proper” nutrition as outlined by the USDA and FDA. I particularly enjoyed the myths surrounding ketosis, which Kent clears up as being a perfectly normal biological process, again referencing the many primitive cultures that sustain themselves on an all meat diet. I followed this diet for about three months with great success at first. I had my cholesterol levels checked, and blood nitrogen levels checked after several monthss, and all fell within normal ranges for a 26 year old male. One problem I had was the lack of emphasis placed on fiber and vegetables. His stance is pretty radical for most people. The idea is that fiber can be aggravating to a sensitive intestine and should be limited. Which I agree with; initially one may want limit fibrous foods, or cook them thoroughly, until bleeding and inflammation have subsided. But fiber is a necessary component for healthy intestines as it provides sustenance for good bacteria in your gut, and promotes motility. Kent is a big fan of red meat, and so am I. It tastes great, and is satisfying. But don’t go out and eat red meat three times a day if you have a bowel disorder, especially if you’re limiting your fiber intake to the recommended 3 grams a day. It will stop a flare dead in its tracks. But at the same time it made me feel uncomfortable, it saps your energy, and makes you feel slightly more toxic. Believe me I tried it.

The Makers Diet

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:23:37 +0000

The Maker's Diet

Jordan Rubin; Berkley Books 2005

WorldCat⋅LibraryThing⋅Google Books⋅BookFinder

ordan Rubin gives an in-depth account of his personal journey with Crohns and the toll it took on his life mentally, physically, and emotionally- It nearly killed him. Through diet, supplements, and the love and support of his family, he was able to heal himself of his disease, and he is now in the business of helping others with their IBD / IBS issues. Appropriately titled the Makers Diet, it’s essentially a broad collection of the foods that were consumed during biblical times. Basically you can eat whatever foods were allowed by our Creator. Jordan spent a lot of time, meticulously scouring the pages of the bible for foods that are “appropriate” according to the word of God. He outlines a 40-day diet program with the beginning of the program being very strict with the foods you’re allowed to consume, and towards the end of the 40-days, you slowly incorporate more and more foods into your diet as you can tolerate them. Explicit instructions and food recommendations are given. The first two weeks are definitely a struggle, as your food choices are very limited, but Jordan claims it’s a necessary step to eliminate the infections in your gut. The last two weeks of the program are a little more liberal, as complex carbohydrates are introduced. This is definitely a sound approach, however, he strongly encourages the use of Homeostatic Soil Organisms (HSO) as a form of probiotic, which I’ve read elsewhere that they are not the safest way to balance intestinal flora. HSO’s can be extremely aggressive and difficult to eliminate. Yes they are great competitors for pathogenic bacteria and yeast, but there are too many questions abound regarding their safety. However, I do strongly encourage the use of probiotics, as they are essential for a rapid recovery, just not the HSO type. For more information regarding their use, please see “link to probiotics page”. Also, at the end of the 40-day program, he is a little too lose with grain consumption in my opinion. I prefer to just stay away from complex carbs until symptoms disappear entirely. They can be rather tantalizing and generally caused my symptoms to flare.

Breaking the Vicious Cycle

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:18:48 +0000

Breaking The Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet

Elaine Gloria Gottschall; Kirkton Press 1994

WorldCat⋅LibraryThing⋅Google Books⋅BookFinder

Description: The primary focus of this diet is to eliminate all sources of complex carbohydrates- grains, including corn, starches, potatoes, bread, pasta, and any supplements containing hidden starch fillers. This book revealed to me how important our diet is for altering and maintaining healthy intestinal flora. The theory is that complex carbs consist of polysaccharides, or complex sugars, and are not readily absorbed by your intestines like the simple sugars found in fruit and honey. These complex carbs then travel through your gut in an undigested state feeding pathogenic bacteria that normally reside there. Over time this will alter the symbiosis in your gut and create an overgrowth of bad bacteria and yeast. These harmful pathogens will then ferment the undigested carbohydrates in your gut excreting harmful byproducts damaging the sensitive lining of your intestines. The simple sugars in fruit and honey however, are absorbed very quickly in your intestines and are not available as a food source to the pathogenic bacteria in your gut. Hence, fruit and honey are allowed in ample quantities on this diet. Many people do very well with this diet, it is very nutritious and she provides a lot of great recipes with a lot of variety. However, I simply could not tolerate a lot of the foods allowed on the diet. Fruit is loaded with sugar, which can irritate a damaged intestine, and also contributes to blood sugar fluctuations throughout the day. Nevertheless, it is a good read, and a good place to start. It has a lot of great information in it. Most people start with her diet and quickly realize that fruits and honey need to be controlled as well.

Life Without Bread: How a Low carbohydrate diet can save your life.

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 01:10:50 +0000

Life Without Bread

Christian B. Allan, Wolfgang Lutz; McGraw-Hill 2000

WorldCat⋅LibraryThing⋅Google Books⋅BookFinder

Written by two doctors who have dedicated themselves to helping thousands of people heal their IBS / IBD as well as a host of other illnesses using a low carbohydrate diet. This book is a must read for anyone suffering ANY chronic health condition. If I could strongly recommend one book, this would be it. These doctors have one simple rule to follow: do not consume more than 60-72 grams of carbohydrates per day. Instead obtain your calories through a high protein and high fat diet. They also go on to explain that sugar is an unnecessary dietary component, and that your body can manufacture all the glucose it needs when given sufficient fat and protein through a process called gluconeogenesis. They provide evidence of this fact by measuring blood sugar levels of patients who have been following there diet for sufficient time, only to show a perfectly constant blood sugar level with little to no fluctuation. They also discuss the evolutionary aspect of our digestive system, and how we as humans are not biologically fit to consume the typical Western diet high in grains and refined carbohydrates, without suffering the consequences of chronic disease. This may sound counter-intuitive to what we’ve been taught about nutrition for the last thirty years, but the truth is we all will be much healthier by following a low carb, high fat, high protein diet. It’s undeniable at this point. The science is out there. If you are skeptical, the book provides plenty of clinical proof, and will have you medication free in no time.