Many people that diligently eliminate foods that they are “allergic” to (type II delayed sensitivity “allergic” – we are NOT talking about anaphylactic allergic) notice that the longer and they eliminate the “offending” foods – the more foods they find they must eliminate, over time, in order to avoid all that goes with “food allergy” suffering.  For those that even more diligently test for food sensitivities will confirm that same notion on testing.  Perhaps they start out with 8 really “offensive” foods, they behave well for several months, now it is 12… you guessed it – they come back several months after that… now it is 17.  What is going on here?

As a Naturopathic Doctor I like to work at the causal level of a health challenge, whenever possible, because that is simply what works best.  Eliminating foods that people react to can certainly take the load off of the system and support them to feel better… for awhile.  But why are they sensitive to a variety of healthy, whole, organic foods?  That is the question we ought to be asking.  For many – the digestive system – the entire system, is in a state of dis-repair and until that system is comprehensively returned to normal – identifying and eliminating offensive foods is a never-ending quest that can’t seem to be satisfied in an enduring way.

Total Digestive Repair can comprehensively restore health to the entire digestive system allowing man of those with type II delayed sensitivity reactions to respond normally to a healthy varied diet and “eliminate the elimination diet.”

Food Allergies… can’t live with ‘em, can’t seem to live without avoiding every food under the sun.  And just when you figure out how to replace wheat and dairy with spelt and soy… well, soon enough you are allergic to spelt and soy.  What is that?!?!

It is annoying, that’s what it is!

Food allergies are part of total digestive ill-health.  When the digestive system degrades so far… it is called “Leaky Gut.”  Leaky gut is associated with so many health problems, it is difficult to list them.  Easily associated are:  Allergies, multiple chemical sensitivities, delayed food sensitivities, (not Type I Anaphylactic allergies that close airways), chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, joint pain, headaches, foggy mindedness, eczema, acne… the list goes on.  People that are challenged in this way have so many problems, they get tired of hearing themselves list them!

Further, it is socially isolating to have food allergies and so many health challenges.   People don’t believe, they don’t understand and so many social settings are built on food.  Having pain and fatigue makes it hard to even leave the house to engage socially and then once there, the judgemental comments from well-meaning friends and family, almost make it not worth going at all.  I know.  I have been there.

On a personal note – after a long and disciplined history of food allergy challenges, and a very disciplined diet that spanned the better part of a decade, I thought “what if instead of identifying foods that bother me and eliminating them, I could heal my body and eliminate the fact that I am bothered!”

No one was doing it.  When I shared the dream with some of my colleagues, they suggested that I was just too lazy to want to follow the diet (if only they knew how dedicated I was, and for how long!)  Very few really seems to be doing it 15 years later, even though I have traveled the country teaching doctors how to “eliminate the elimination diet” in their patients’ lives.  But the truth is… it works!  And in fact, with all of the elimination diets that I followed, it seemed that all I got over time was… sicker.  Healing my body at the causal level is the only thing that ever made any sense.

If you knew me, personally, (and if you are reading this than likely you could benefit from developing a working relationship with me in order to find your own healing), you would see that I am vitally healthy!  It is only because of this health that I was able to enjoy making countless and rewarding contributions that I have made in natural medicine over the last 12 years.  Otherwise, I would probably still be trying desparately just to get through each day. 

I have worked with hundreds of patients over the last 12 years taking them through my total digestive repair protocol.  The stories they have to tell are heart-wrenching.  Their triumphs are like watching someone win the Lotto!

The work involves 6 – 18 months, on average (read not an overnight fix), of a fairly intense (read significant financial investment) nutritional supplement protocol, tailored to each individual but adhering to some core values on digestive health, which include:

• Improving the Digestion of Foods
• Decreasing Local Toxicity in the Digestive System
• Enhancing Healthy Bacteria
• Eliminating Overgrowth of Unhealthy Organisms
• Reducing Free Radical Activity
• Rebuilding the Digestive Lining

When you nurture all of these aspects at the same time, all day, over time… you can “get a leg up” on the poor health of your digestive system and completely resolve many seemingly unrelated health conditions, including food sensitivities.  Better yet, you can be done.  Yes, that means you finish the work, and you move on with your life.  Goodbye.  Call me when you need a good multivitamin or fish oil supplement!  Most of all, be so busy living the life you were missing out on for so long… maybe you don’t call me at all for awhile!

Note:  While patients suffering with Celiac will always need to avoid gluten, they can rebuild their digestive system from the damage that so many years of gluten exposure caused them.  This work applies to delayed food sensitivity reactions and DOES NOT fix Type I Anaphylactic Food Allergies that cause airway restriction.

It’s time to get your life back!  Digestive health is the core of your well-being.  Repair it for good.

If you’re living with an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) you’re painfully aware of how quickly a day can turn from “good” to “bad.” Just when you’re feeling confident about your health, a sudden flare up of cramps, diarrhea, constipation, or even rectal bleeding (in the case if IBD) can ruin a perfectly fine day.

Fortunately, thanks to the latest nutritional research, we now know that IBD and IBS can be effectively managed through a targeted nutritional supplementation and dietary changes. And that potentially means a lot more good days are on the horizon!

You’re Not Alone

Being diagnosed with IBD or IBS may cause you to feel socially isolated. But take heart—you’re not alone! In the United States, more than 1 million people—mostly between the ages of 15 and 35—have been diagnosed with IBD. And every year, 30,000 new cases are diagnosed.  Further, an estimated 1 in 5 American adults suffer from IBS, twice as many women as men and for half of the sufferers of IBS all this trouble begins before the age of 35 – robbing them of some of their most active youthful years.

Managing IBD and IBS with a Targeted Nutritional Supplements & Dietary Changes

Traditionally, IBD is treated using steroidal medications or, in the most severe cases, surgery.  IBS has been very poorly managed by conventional therapy, if at all, and some of the medications have actually been taken off of the market due to unacceptable risks and side effects.  The good news is that a targeted dietary and nutritional supplement strategy can help effectively manage IBD and IBS.

Targeted Nutritional Supplements.

Certain nutrients can support the health of your digestive tract and immune system. These key ingredients can include:

• Quercetin for its anti-inflammatory properties on the intestinal lining.
• N Acetyl Cysteine, as targeted antioxidant support at the intestinal lining.
• Low-allergy potential, readily-digestible protein and amino acids
• L-glutamine, an essential amino acid that supports the immune system and helps maintain a healthy intestinal lining.
• N Acetyl D Glucosamine, a “building block” nutrient for the damaged intestinal lining.
• Gamma Oryzanol, documented in the medical research literature for its healing effect on gastritis.
• Anti-Inflammatory strains of probiotics, special strains of the “good bacteria” chosen specifically to bring down inflammation in the bowel.

Dietary Changes.

Because IBD affects your ability to absorb nutrients, it’s important to eat foods that are both nutrient-rich and non-irritating. This means making sure you’re eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and for some – cooked fruits and vegetables -  and avoiding processed foods, foods that are high in simple carbohydrates and fats, or high fiber foods (in the case of IBD) that can irritate the intestinal lining.

We use a variety of dramatically effective physician quality nutritional supplements targeting digestive system health at the causal level.  Individualizing protocols for some of the most seriously challenged people – working with them to find a healthy, satisfying resolution to their digestive problems.

Some of the formulas that are near and dear to our work include:

Restore Complex – Targeted intestinal lining support containing L-Glutamine and N Acetyl D Glucosamine.

Oxy Restore – Targeted anti-inflammatory and antioxidant support for the intestinal lining.

Bio Flamex – Special strains of probiotics (good bacterial) shown to exert a particularly anti-inflammatory effect on the intestinal lining.

Digestive health is basic to the healthy function of every other organ system in the body. Further more, restoring digestive health has the ability to allow any disease process to heal, or heal more easily or more quickly.

The digestive system, and especially food “allergies” or more accurately… food sensitivities, are a very important part of my practice.  I have devoted my career to achieving dramatic and permanent healing in this arena.

Instead of helping people identify the foods that bother them, and guiding them in their elimination of these foods; I help them heal their system of “being bothered” so that they can enjoy a full array of healthy food choices.  This affords people the ability to eliminate the “allergy” or sensitivity… instead of the food!  (NOTE:  This does not apply to anaphylactic food allergies nor does it apply to Celiac.  People with anaphylactic reactions should always avoid the foods that cause these reactions.  People challenged with Celiac should always avoid gluten.)

It is not a simple do-it-yourself process and it takes time, but people get better, finish their work with me and they stay better.  For many, this experience is completely life-changing because food sensitivities lead to the types of conditions can completely rob a person of their life.  Getting their health back is like getting their life back!

When food that isn’t properly digested into nutrients for absorption, it will, conversely, ferment (rot) into “endotoxins.” Endotoxins are toxic chemicals that are created when the digestive environment in the stomach and intestines doesn’t contain the right digestive enzymes and microorganisms, and isn’t working at the proper pH. The undigested food ferments in this environment, changing the chemical make up of the food from something that should be nutritious -  into something that is toxic to the system.

This environment allows opportunistic or “bad bugs” to overgrow and crowd out or starve out the “good bugs”.  This situation is known as “dysbiosis” where there exists an imbalance in the beneficial and non-beneficial life forms living in the digestive tract.

The good bugs (bacteria) actually support a healthy pH environment, aid in absorption of nutrients and defend the local immune system in the digestive tract.  The bad bugs can be irritating and destructive.

When your digestive system isn’t operating properly, the unhealthy environment actually destroys the lining of the digestive tract.  This scenario has become known as “Leaky Gut” and can drive systemic inflammation and either cause or aggravate a variety of inflammatory and auto-immune conditions.  At the very least it will lead to food sensitivities known as “food allergies.”  When you completely and comprehensively repair the leaky gut, you can eliminate food sensitivities.

Some of the key nutrients used for healing and maintaining the digestive system include:

Acid stable digestive enzymes, Quercetin, N Acetyl Cysteine,  L-Glutamine, N Acetyl Glucosamine, Phosphatidyl Choline, probiotics, and gentle fiber.

Digestive enzymes break food down into nutrients preventing them from fermenting (rotting) into toxins. The probiotics repopulate the intestines with beneficial bacteria supporting healthy immune function, nutrient absorbption and they also compete for space and nutrients with harmful microorganisms that may be present, diminishing their numbers.  L-glutamine, N Acetyl D Glucosamine and Phosphatidyl Choline actually help to rebuild the mucous membrane that lines the digestive tract, ensuring proper absorption of nutrients.  This is the “back-bone” of the healing process for “Leaky Gut”.

Nutritional therapies can correct the underlying causes and restore digestive health, resolving food “allergies” (sensetivities) in most cases.  Anaphylactic reactions and Celiac Disease are an exception.  Care must be taken to avoid any foods causing anaphylaxis.  While people suffering from Celiac Disease can make considerable repairs to the digestive system irritated by eating gluten, long term complete avoidance of gluten is required to maintain health.  Total digestive repair can drive wellness for complaints such as: indigestion, heartburn, intestinal gas and bloating, abdominal cramping, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis and Crohn’s disease.  Health challenges  that may improve when you repair your digestive health include: arthritis, eczema, allergies, fibromylagia, chronic fatigue, obesity and autoimmune disorders.

Physician quality nutritional supplements that dramatically support digestive health include:

Gastric Restore – Patented complex containing zinc carnosine shown to quickly relieve many stomach complaints.

Smart Fish – Omega 3 EPA and DHA in a convenient higher dose gel-cap.  Documented to be non-toxic and non-rancid (stable)… a very important distinction in the fish oil industry.

Flora Max – High dose and powerful human strains of probiotics that resist stomach acid as they make their way through the digestive system.  Probiotics are documented to support the digestive system’s role in the body’s detoxification process.

Bio Defense – Verified strain of Sacharomyces boulardii entensively researched and shown to be useful in conditions where the normal balance of intestinal flora (bugs) has been compromised.

Immune Right – Dairy free immune globulins shown to be supportive in inflammatory bowel and leaky gut conditions.