(Especially after 2+ months of holiday indulgences.)

Whether it be a juice fast or 3-day spa retreat, the idea of doing something, anything, to get back to a “blank slate” is incredibly appealing – whether you’re struggling with health issues or have just gained a few unwanted pounds.

But do you really need to cleanse or detox your body?

The answer is – as usual – it depends.

Your Body Cleans Itself

Here’s what the lady selling you the 12-day juice fast cleanse might not have told you – our body actually cleans and detoxifies itself (no juice needed).

All of our organs are involved in the cleansing and detoxifying process, but there are some that are especially important:

The Liver: Our liver is one of our largest organs (it weighs about 2 pounds!) and is the most important detox organ. The liver has many important functions – it regulates blood composition, filters toxins out of the blood, processes the nutrients in the food we eat, and manufactures cholesterol and other important enzymes and proteins.

The Kidneys: Our kidneys work day in and day out to filter our blood and produce urine. This process helps keep our blood composition stable and electrolyte levels balanced.

The Lymphatic System: Our lymphatic system is a series of tubes that drains lymph fluid and circulates it through the bloodstream. The lymphatic system serves several purposes – it also drains interstitial fluid and transports white blood cells, among other roles.

But, The World Is Pretty Dirty

In a perfect world, our body’s natural detox processes would be completely adequate.

Unfortunately, we live in a very polluted world where most of us are exposed to hundreds of chemicals and toxins every day, from…

• Conventional produce and factory farmed meats
• Cosmetics
• Prescription drugs
• Processed foods
• Air and water pollution

(Not to mention the additional burden chronic stress places on all of us.)

So, even though our body is created to detox itself, because our world is so polluted, at times we can over tax our natural detox systems. Fortunately, there are things we can do to help support our body in detox.

3 Ways You Can Support Your Body In Detox

#1: Reduce Exposure To Pollutants

This one is the most obvious, but also the most important. While we can’t completely eliminate pollutants and toxins from our lives, there are easy steps we can take to reduce our exposure.

You don’t need to be perfect (trying to will only drive you crazy!). Start by swapping out the things you use the most or can most easily change. These are some of the real things I and our team do to limit exposure to pollutants:

• Replace conventional meat with grass-fed, organic meat from local farmers, US Wellness Meats or Butcher Box.
• Choose local, organic produce (consider a CSA in your area). If you can’t go 100% organic, focus on foods from the EWG’s Dirty Dozen.
• Swap out your most-used cosmetics for natural versions. (We switched to AnnMarie Gianni for skincare.)
• Replace harsh cleaning products in your home for homemade solutions with essential oils or probiotic cleansers.
• Pay attention to the air quality in your city. Don’t exercise outdoors when the air quality is poor.
• Get a water filter for your countertop, shower, or whole house.
• Get a high-quality indoor air filter.

#2: Sweat More

Changing what you put in your body is most important, but helping your body get waste out is the next best way to support detox.

Sweating is one way our body detoxes. When your toxin load is too large for your kidneys and liver to handle alone, getting a good sweat can help. This study demonstrated that arsenic, lead and other heavy metals can be excreted through sweat.

If you have access, sitting in a sauna is one of the best ways to work up a sweat. If you don’t, that doesn’t mean you can’t get sweaty – a hard workout (if you can tolerate it), a walk in the sun, or even a hot bath can all be effective ways to get sweaty, too.

If you’re getting sweaty, be certain you’re also re-hydrating properly. Here are 3 hydration drinks to try post-sweat.

#3: Keep Regular

If you’re not pooping regularly, you’re not detoxing properly – no matter how clean your diet or lifestyle is. If poop is backing up, you’re at increased risk for toxic megacolon, diverticulitis, impacted colon, and anal fissures. Plus, it means toxins and waste are literally just sitting in your body.

So, what is “regular?” You should be going at LEAST once per day (up to after every meal is normal, too). When you do go, it should be quick and effortless – and you should have a #4 on the Bristol Stool chart every time.

If you’re not there yet, here are a few recommendations:

• Get a Squatty Potty to put your body in the right alignment for easy evacuation (this really works!)
• Make some dietary changes
• Avoid habit-forming laxatives (even natural ones)

If you’re still not pooping regularly, get more help here.

Step Away From The Juice

It’s not as flashy as a detox kit or juice fast, but these are the real ways you can support your body in detoxing.

Pair these 3 techniques with a healthy, customized-for-you diet and you shouldn’t need any other types of cleanses or detoxes.

In health,

Steve

P.S. What other practices do you use to support detoxification? I’d love to know what works for you.

The post 3 Ways To Support Your Body’s Natural Detox Process appeared first on Healthy Gut Company.

If getting healthy were easy and straightforward, everyone would do it with ease.

But the truth is, it’s rarely as black and white as we’d like it to be and there are more pieces involved than diet change alone.

There was a point in my healing journey when I realized this exact concept – changing my diet just simply wasn’t going to be enough to get me to where I wanted to be.

Don’t get me wrong, it helped a ton!

But something was missing.

With the help of trusted stool tests, I found out that a gut infections were one of the reasons I was still sick. And it wasn’t until I addressed them that my health began to turn the corner.

As it turns out, many people on this journey will need to do more than simply change their diet, and this was certainly the case for our friend Anna.

Read on, as Anna takes us through the ups and downs of her journey and graciously shares with us the tools and tips she used to overcome several challenges (including parasites, Candida, and H. pylori).

[Enter Anna]

My Relationship with Food Was Unhealthy From a Young Age

Back when I was a teen, I secretly suffered from bulimia. I didn’t have a healthy relationship to food, in any sense of the word.

Bulimia allowed me to eat “bad” foods that made me feel gross, but then get rid of the guilt, fear, and pain associated with indulgent consumption. I would eat a massive white chocolate frozen yoghurt in a waffle cone, then take a walk and purge my shame into my neighbor’s bushes.

Many Things Contributed to My Diagnosis of IBS

I was officially diagnosed with IBS at 17, after the use of birth control and the harsh drug Accutane to control acne. My symptoms at the time were fairly mild, but the diagnosis only served to demonize eating and escalate my rotten relationship with food.

At the age of 25, I became very sick. My binge-purge cycle was replaced by strict diet control because I could hardly eat anything. Raging food sensitivities, severe pain after eating, major bloating, and indigestion/GERD/heartburn were my constant companions.

My Symptoms Were Starting to Overtake Me…

In addition, I also suffered with: itching, acne, eczema, brain fog, difficulty breathing, insomnia, yeast infections, UTIs, interstitial cystitis, PMS, PCOS, muscle pain and weakness, intense sugar cravings, fatigue, insomnia, depression, mood swings, and anxiety.

During this time, I had moved from the US to the UK, gotten married, and secured an awesome job as a makeup artist for top productions in the film industry.

I Was Scared, Lost, and Hurting – Both Physically and Mentally

I should have been flying. But I wasn’t. I was hurting, alone, scared, riddled with pain and ruining my marriage.

The doctor’s office was the only phone number I knew by heart and the mind-altering cocktail of medications I was on only stoked the fire that was burning my life down.

Something was wrong… so totally wrong.

But my doctors assured me I was perfectly well and in the prime of my life (even though I was a 25-year-old in a 95-year-old’s body).

I Was Convinced I’d Be Sick Forever…

Desperation led me to try anything and everything – all creams and concoctions, every pill and herbal tea – over the counter, under the table, expensive, cheap, high-end, homemade.

I saw specialists, herbalists, quacks, and highly-qualified patronizers. I became addicted to Google, and researched my doom on the daily. I hated my life, floundered at work, and resented my husband.

But mostly, I simply believed I would be sick forever – and that terrified me.

I Found the SCD Diet and Finally Started to See Progress

I discovered SCD Lifestyle accidentally, and it quickly became my scripture. The SCD legal food chart, step-by-step guides, web content, podcasts and online summits were extremely helpful.

I devoured all the content and adhered to it religiously for two years without a single slip up. I was making progress and feeling good and healing in so many ways.

But I didn’t listen to Jordan and Steve’s advice about finding the right doctor and getting the right tests. I tried to do it on my own and didn’t want to spend any more time or money.

I Adhered to the Diet Religiously… But Something Was Missing

But here’s the hard part where I confess that the diet only helped so much. And the part where I tell you that I thought that if I was good enough, that if I followed the rules perfectly, I’d get better. But I didn’t.

I started going backward and could only eat about 5 foods. And all my symptoms were back and I gave up, ate junk food, stayed in bed, and hated everything. My eating disorder became my illness, my illness became my life, and my life became an unshakable nightmare.

I needed serious help.

I Needed the Help of a Trusted Practitioner…

“Parasites?”

“Yes. It’s very serious. You need urgent attention. It could be fatal.”

It was Christmas 2015. No doctor’s offices were open. I thought I was going to die.

My functional medicine practitioner read my test results to me over the phone. My heart, soul and mind felt like they were dying. Not only did I have parasites, but also H. pylori, SIBO, Candida, adrenal fatigue, fibromyalgia, and hormone imbalances.

I became a haunted, hollow body, full of inflammation and existential loss. And as bad as it had been up till that point, and as low as I felt in those moments, it was only the beginning.

2016 was the hardest year of my life. I had almost zero support from my UK/NHS based physicians, who literally did not believe me when I showed them my test results; they said that I “probably didn’t have a parasite infection, and it was just a bad case of IBS and some neurosis.”

Getting Rid of the Infection(s) Changed Everything

In addition to a thorough herbal and supplement protocol, as directed by my practitioner, I had to take 3 massive rounds of debilitating antibiotics to squash the parasites. The infection was simply too serious and too far along, so we had to go straight in for the big medications.

It took me over two years to get rid of all the culprits (yeast, bacteria, parasites, and so on) – and that was with complete dedication and solid action taken every day. Keeping total wellness at the forefront, we focused on herbs and gentle supplements to bring my entire body back into balance. We mindfully resorted to pharmaceuticals when it was absolutely necessary, and always took care to restore harmony to the system afterwards.

Creating My Own Custom Version of the SCD Diet

My practitioner helped me create a version of SCD that was perfect for me. Instead of obsessing about what I was eating, the gentle parameters allowed me to feel safe and begin enjoying food again. It was really important for me to keep it simple for a long time.

It requires a lot of willpower and dedication, but taking the time to create my very own food safety zone and slowly customize a diet that works for me was an essential component to healing and maintaining results.

The Journey Was Long and Hard, But Worth Every Second

My journey was hard. It often felt impossible. I could have died – and felt that I was dying many times along the way.

I lost faith and friends. I wasted money and time. I got angry and blamed and criticized.

I became a victim. I wanted to be a victim. I’d spent over a decade degenerating, and didn’t know how to be a happy, healthy, thriving human – or that it was even possible.

All My Hard Work and Dedication Paid Off and It Felt Good

And all of a sudden, I could go on beautiful country walks with my husband. And food tasted good again. I could make healing blueberry jello and it was delicious and nourishing.

I felt well. Which was a novel concept, I assure you. I became myself again and saw the light, felt the freedom, and cooked food that fed my soul.

I learned to make space for healing – true, actual, long-lasting, and ongoing healing.

My 6 Tips For Overcoming Any Illness(es):

Take Responsibility

When I realized I was responsible for my own health and healing, I got depressed. I couldn’t handle the burden (or guilt). But when you choose to take responsibility, you realize that you can also choose to take control to get better, overcome blocks, and move forward on your own terms. (And not get hung up on that one doctor who told you that you were crazy, thereby wasting more of your precious life.)

Become Your Own Healer

Being your own healer is the essence of empowerment. It means building your own healing intuition, taking initiative, and being proactive, being open to all modalities of healing, trying what speaks to you, and then mindfully pursuing what feels right.

Be Your Own Advocate

Sometimes getting out of bed is the greatest achievement. I get it. It’s a slap in the face and a scandal to find out that no one is going to do this healing thing for you if you don’t (or won’t or can’t). It’s just bad news on a bad day at a bad time. But the good news is you are always going to be your very best advocate – because you know yourself best, because it’s your life.

Create the Right Mindset

This is non-negotiable. It means aligning your thoughts with your highest vision of health and healing. Honing your mind to expect success. Getting serious about your healing goals. Conditioning your mind so that you heal with every thought. Digging into your subconscious and uncovering habits and patterns that have brought you here and are keeping you sick.

Accept Help

I’m a chronic self-helper. I’m very independent, self-motivated, and determined – and this got me into deep trouble on my healing journey, because I was certain I could figure it out on my own. The result was years wasted and thousands of dollars spent on zero progress. It wasn’t until I employed the help of my amazing Functional Medicine Practitioner, Dr. Brie Wieselman, that I got clear about what was at the root of my symptoms. It was a step that literally saved my life and gave me back all the vitality I thought I’d never ever have again.

Follow Through

You are going to eat the chips, drink the wine, and skip your appointment, even though you know what kind of disaster is waiting. You’ll probably even hate yourself for doing it. That’s OK. Honor your human experience. And then, get up. Keep going. Finish what you started, no matter what.

Healing is a choice. It’s a lifestyle. It’s action taken every day that moves you forward on a journey of purpose, meaning and connection. Choose to heal. You got this.

[Re-Enter Jordan]

Achieving the ultimate goal of becoming healthy can be messy and sometimes complicated.

But, as you’ve seen from Anna’s story, where there’s a will there’s a way.

Changing your diet is a great place to start, but for Anna, myself and many others, diet alone isn’t enough to become fully healthy.

So, whether you’ve yet to address your diet, are working on reducing and identifying sources of stress, or need the help of a trusted practitioner, we’re here to help.

To get started now, grab a copy of our eBook, and let us know how we can support your health transformation.

What is the number one thing you need help with? Let us know in the comments section below.

-Jordan

The post How Anna’s Life Changed: The Parasite-IBS Connection appeared first on Healthy Gut Company.

The year was 2003 and it was supposed to be one of the best years of my life. I had anticipated it for so long that my expectations were through the roof. This was the year I was supposed to see all my hard work pay off on the basketball court, living out my Division 1 college dream.

I can still recall the first day of practice. My emotions were high, masking what I was really feeling inside.

What I was really feeling was pain… A LOT of it.

My stomach was cramping. my legs felt like bricks. I was exhausted and my muscles were so sore I wasn’t sure how I was going to continue physically exerting myself for the next 2 hours, let alone the next 4 years.

I chalked it up to not being tip top shape, lack of sleep and nerves. I knew tomorrow would be better; it had to be.

But it wasn’t… not even close!

The Downward Health Spiral….

As I continued to tune into my body, I began to realize what I was feeling wasn’t just because of nerves, a new home, or a higher level of play. Something wasn’t right and it began to scare me. My face was starting to look puffy, I couldn’t recover from any of the workouts, and I had a hard time waking up for class, even after sleeping for 12 hours straight. My stomach cramps were so bad, I’d have to ask for frequent water breaks just to leave practice so I could bear the pain. I would stand in a place where no one could see me and push on my stomach in hopes of making it stop. I couldn’t eat anything without this occurring. In addition, the acne on my face was so bad, I didn’t want to leave my dorm room.

Not the year I had expected… at all.

Over the next 3 months, I began to isolate myself from the team, who happened to be the only people I knew in a 200-mile radius. I was too fatigued to join in anything fun and all I really wanted to do was sleep. I found myself reliant on NSAIDs to get through the day and was simply taking a turn for the worse as loneliness and depression began to set in.

I came to the realization that I had to figure out what was going on inside my body. If I wanted to be able to function as a part of society on a daily basis, I had no choice but to do something.

So, I did what most people do when they feel sick…. I called the doctor.

It felt great, I immediately had hope that I was going to get better and this was surely a step in the right direction.

Taking Action…

After a 20-minute consult and written instructions to 1) see a counselor and 2) fill my prescription for Zoloft (a depression medication), all my hope turned to despair.

I’m not really depressed, am I? Why didn’t they address my stomach issues? What about the fatigue and pain I felt every day? To be honest, I was so confused.

My intuition told me to keep searching, look deeper, and leave the pills where they belonged – in the bottle. At that time, I didn’t even know holistic medicine existed. I grew up in a small town of 2,500 people in the middle of nowhere and was not exposed to anything but conventional western medicine. For me, that was my only choice and I had to find a way to make it work.

Six doctors and numerous appointments later, I gave up on that route. I couldn’t stand to be handed one more bottle of something I couldn’t pronounce. I mustered up enough energy to go to the bookstore and simply began reading. As my memory serves me, I recall reading about the Paleo diet and how our gut health affected the whole body. Those 2 things really stuck in my mind. With every turned page, I could feel hope and healing on the horizon and knew this was my ticket back to health.

A Breakthrough…

While I couldn’t fully comprehend everything I had read, one thing was clear: My diet was killing me and it had to change. My low fat, grain- and sugar-filled diet had finally caught up to me.

I felt very angry that not one of those doctors mentioned the word food.

Not. One. Time.

After my 3-hour bookstore session, I instantly became fascinated with the whole health food connection. I continued to come across life-changing information, like this podcast with Jordan, Steve, and Sean Croxton and a quiz similar to this one here.

I was inspired to put together a little plan for myself, that included 3 simple rules.

1. Absolutely no sugar (cane, beet, syrups, alcohols, artificial)
2. Eliminate any food that comes from a box, wrapper, or can
3. Eliminate Dairy and grain for 30 days

What happened to me in the next 30 days and beyond was nothing short of a transformation. My skin looked much better and less inflamed, my joints stopped aching and the best part of all – my stomach cramps were substantially less. I found myself waking up early in the morning with more energy than I’d ever known and my mood began to stabilize. I was in complete disbelief that simply changing my diet could have this effect. I knew there were more improvements to be had, but I was over the moon with joy and a sense of relief.

The most notable of all may have been my mood. I no longer felt down in the dumps on a day-to-day basis and my thoughts were much more clear. I could actually process stressful times in a different manner, which always come in handy the first year of college. To this day, if my diet slips beyond what I can tolerate, my mood starts to slip too. It’s like a built in doctor telling us what we can handle and what we can’t. If you would have told me before I changed my diet that my mood would change, I would have thought you needed your head examined.

A New Beginning

Those changes motivated me to continue for longer than 30 days. In fact, I still follow those 3 simple rules.The bulk of my diet consists of local free range eggs, veggies, fruit, grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, local pork, small amounts of nuts/butters/milks, and an occasional bowl of quinoa or rice. Beside small amounts of grass-fed butter, dairy does not sit well with me. Don’t get me wrong, I still love something sweet now and again. I’ve gotten pretty good at making treats that are devoid of white sugar, grain, and syrups (and all those ingredients that bring me back to feeling sick). This is no longer just a diet, but it’s my diet and more so a way of life.

The amount of health information out there is astonishing and I’m committed to taking in as much as I can. As they always say, you’re only one tweak away from feeling great. I’ve learned to never underestimate the power of changing one thing in your diet and the impact it can have.

Continued Improvement…

Over the past 13 years, I’ve learned a few things that have really helped me manage my health and I’d like to share them with this community

1. Health is a journey with many moving parts and it’s up to us to keep all those parts (stress, gut health, spiritual, mind, etc) moving in the right direction.
2. Growing your own food is one of the most nurturing things you can do for you mind, body and soul.
3. Stay in tune with your body. Stop and listen to what it’s telling you, as it is your best doctor.
4. Constantly reevaluate your health regime and don’t settle for mediocrity.

Personally, it’s time to be honest with myself and reevaluate some of those parts. While my diet has remained very clean and I’ve felt really good the majority of the past 13 years, I believe stress has taken it’s toll. Despite my best efforts to incorporate yoga, deep breathing, exercise, and other stress management tools, my body is telling me something is not right again. As part of a continued promise to never settle for mediocrity, I’ll be taking a BioHealth 201 Adrenal Stress Profile to obtain a clear picture of my adrenal function. It’s so important to be in tune with your body, so don’t be afraid to stop, listen, and reevaluate your situation, too.

My very own health journey has inspired me to not only share my story, but help others along the way. I am blessed to be part of an amazing team here at SCD Lifestyle, where each of us has had our own health struggles. We get it. We can feel your pain across the computer screen and we’re here to help.

I consider myself very lucky, because I know for some folks it isn’t as easy as removing a few foods and feeling better. If you’ve started a real food diet and feel worse, this is for you. If you’re stuck and need some help figuring out what the next steps should be, please read more here.

If you know someone who could really benefit from learning how food affects our everyday lives (and how it might be keeping them sick), please direct them here:

FREE Online Presentation: “How to Solve Your Leaky Gut and Reverse Chronic Illness”

We’d Love to Hear YOUR Story

How has food impacted your life? Do you have a story that could change the lives of others, so they too can find freedom from everyday health struggles? Connect with us by replying in the comments below, or shoot us an email at support@scdlifestyle.com

If we can not only learn to stop and listen to our body but actually trust what it’s saying, great things can happen. Listen to your inner doctor.

In good health,

Lori Jo

The post How Food Changed My Life: Overcoming Crushing Fatigue, Depression, and Digestive Issues appeared first on Healthy Gut Company.

It’s called the Bonk.

The point in athletics when you run smack into a wall.

Not just any wall, but an Energy wall.

Worst part is many of us feel like we’re bonking every day. For those who have low energy, consider that the thyroid may be at the root of it. And yet often it’s not the thyroid’s fault.

Sure, when your thyroid hormones are low, your cells are literally running out of energy. Without proper amounts of thyroid hormone, cell function slows down. Since cells are the building block of every organ you FEEL this slow down.

But that doesn’t automatically mean the thyroid is broken. The real story is much more fascinating and intriguing.

It Starts With Small Power Plants

Cells are the basic building blocks of all the tissues in our body. You have an estimated 37,200,000,000,000 cells in your body – 37.2 trillion cells! We have all kinds of specialized cells, like red blood cells designed to carry oxygen, nerve cells to transmit signals, and skeletal cells are able to contract. What they all have in common is each contains a unique little factory inside.

Just like factories in our society, it takes energy to run these little factories. You can almost think of each cell as its own little city and every city needs an energy source. But instead of windmills, solar panels, or power plants, our cells have mitochondria. Mitochondria are the power plants of the cell; they make energy for your body.

Energy in this case is called ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Think of ATP as packets of chemical energy. Mitochondria make ATP which is why they are so important.

Thyroid Hormones Affect Your Power Plants

It’s now known that your thyroid hormones act directly on your mitochondria. Remember, the thyroid makes two primary hormones T4 and T3 and that these hormones regulate metabolism, which is the rate of chemical reactions inside the cells. So, how is it that the thyroid hormones reduce metabolism in cells? It partially has to do with those mitochondrial power plants.

The specific effects of thyroid hormone on mitochondria are not yet fully understood. However, in general, the more mitochondria you have inside the cell, the more ability for that cell to produce energy. And it’s generally thought that anything that increases the number of these power plants is a good thing.

New research is suggesting that thyroid hormones directly affect the number of mitochondria in a cell. At what level remains unknown, but it’s possible that low amounts of thyroid hormone reduce mitochondria. The research is also showing a link between thyroid hormone and the quality of inner membrane of the mitochondria, which would reduce energy output as well.

This means that the fatigue you feel begins at the cellular level and is partially controlled by hormones from the thyroid.

But how does this translate up to the rest of your body?

Building From Cells to Organs to Systems

As we zoom out a bit, thyroid hormone affects cells, organs and the systems that they make up.  For example, your cardiovascular system is extremely sensitive to fluctuations in T3. All forms of T3 dysfunction, both high (hyperthyroidism) and low (hypothyroidism), can cause heart arrhythmias, decreased cardiac output, and other heart diseases. But as the study points out even subclinical thyroiditis is a serious issue, which means that just being “in-range” with your thyroid hormone lab results doesn’t really mean you’re “healthy” or protected from diseases.

To tie this back to the mitochondria and energy output, your cardiovascular system is responsible for delivering nutrients and things like oxygen to all those trillions of cells. Your mitochondria utilize oxygen to make energy. If thyroid hormones are below optimal, then your power plants won’t get enough raw material to produce the required energy.

It’s like having a coal-driven power plant that runs out of coal to burn every day. So, not only are your power plants being affected but their fuel source is as well.

This can put you in a massive energy deficit.

What Happens To a Hypothyroid Body

Hypothyroidism is a condition of low thyroid hormone levels. Hypothyroidism shows up on a sliding scale and depending on lab test results is often referred to as clinical or subclinical. Both of these diagnoses depend on measuring levels of thyroid hormone. Clinical hypothyroidism is generally categorized by modern medicine as low free T4 levels and increased TSH and subclinical labs are seen with “normal” free T4 and increased TSH.

If you have elevated thyroid antibodies, as about 50% of people with hypothyroid do, then you have the autoimmune version called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Either form of hypothyroidism can result in:

• fatigue
• appetite loss + weight gain – metabolism slowing
• constipation
• dry skin
• Inability to handle cold – metabolism slows down, so less body heat is produced
• Cardiovascular problems
• Cognitive/neurological problems

These are just some of the effects of a slow thyroid and slowed metabolism.

Here’s the kicker; in modern medicine they don’t tend to measure free T3 much, which, as we’ve been discussing, is the most important part of the thyroid hormone picture. Not only that, if you have hypothyroid symptoms that’s all that matters in my opinion. You could have a normal TSH, low-normal free T4 and still have a thyroid problem.

Modern medicine likes to put everything in a box, but the thyroid isn’t built to be put in a box. Everything in the body is related and to act like they’re not is complete ignorance.

But is it Your Thyroid’s Fault?

There are many levels at which thyroid hormone production can get messed up.The gland itself can be damaged or broken. When the gland itself is affected it’s called primary hypothyroidism; most often this results from an autoimmune disorder.

If your immune system is waging a war on the thyroid tissue, it won’t be able to produce proper amounts of hormone. And it’s not really your thyroid’s fault; the problem is your out-of-whack immune system.

When hypothyroidism is caused by something other than thyroid gland dysfunction, it’s known as secondary hypothyroidism. Remember, T4 gets converted to T3 in peripheral tissues (primarily the liver, kidney, and gut). If any of these organs are not functioning properly, thyroid hormone levels can be affected.

But that’s not all; the thyroid is part of an axis called the HPATG axis. In simple english, your brain, thyroid, adrenals and sex organs form a bigger system and the output of each is regulated by the others.

The hypothalamus regulates the output of TRH (thyroid releasing hormone), which acts on the pituitary. The pituitary releases TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), which acts directly on the thyroid telling it to make and release T4 and T3. It’s like a chain of command; if any link is broken or dysfunctional the orders won’t be carried out correctly. But that’s only scratching the surface. Cortisol, DHEA, estrogen, testosterone and so many others impact the brain, thyroid and the T4 to T3 conversion…

Which means the thyroid output, or conversion, may be inhibited but it might have nothing to do with the thyroid gland itself.

How Do You Figure Out What’s Going On?

As you can see, there’s much more going on here than blaming the thyroid. This means that when you have low energy we must look at many areas of the body at once…

Which is one of the reasons modern medicine fails in helping thyroid disorders.

If you have an energy issue, I want you to take 2 steps today:

1.  Get screened for physical problems. I want you to book an appointment with your doctor to get an ultrasound of your thyroid. This will tell you about the physical health of the gland.

2.  Grab access to our gut-hormone presentation. On it, you get the list of thyroid labs you’ll need to understand your thyroid. We’ll also be teaching what you need to know about the commonly accepted “optimal ranges” for each lab. And then we’ll cover the other tests you’ll want to have to figure out what else might be impacting your thyroid.

Instead of relying on “in-range” labs, which could still mean you’re sick, you’ll have a blueprint of what optimal labs look like and what else to check. Then, we’ll walk backward into how most functional medicine practitioners begin to fix this and share our personal stories about how we did it.

We included a deep understanding of the HPA axis, how the adrenals affect the thyroid, my story about how my brain ended up being the organ that held my thyroid back, and so much more.

Get access to the gut-hormone presentation here.

– Steve

P.S. – This call would have saved me hundreds of dollars in co-pays for lab tests that were incomplete, wrong and not value added. Knowing this info would have sped my healing time up, just through avoiding simple mistakes.

The post Is a Hypothyroid Causing Your Low Energy? appeared first on Healthy Gut Company.

If you’re struggling with constipation, diarrhea, or stomach pain… it may be related to your thyroid. In fact, your thyroid might be a root cause for your current health issues. It was for me.

My acne never seemed to go away even though I was doing everything right for years. And my energy wasn’t really all that robust. Not to mention every time I traveled I’d get constipated. It wasn’t until I fixed my thyroid that my skin got clear, energy really took off and the travel constipation stopped happening.

This is an example of how the body is a complex system and just focusing on the pain can lead to symptom management and never getting to the root cause of your problems. In today’s post, we’ll explore why anyone with gut issues should get their thyroid tested.

Why is the thyroid so important?

It’s a hormone factory responsible for two seriously important hormones that do a lot of heavy lifting in the body, like running your metabolism. Every single cell in your body has a need for thyroid hormone… and when things go wrong, your whole body takes a hit.

It starts with the metabolism…

Our Metabolism Isn’t as Complex as it Seems

Our human metabolism is made up of all the chemical reactions that take place inside your body:

• Fat metabolism
• Carbohydrate metabolism
• Protein synthesis
• Protein catabolism
• Insulin secretion
• Cognition and nervous system responses
• And cardiac output

… just to name a few general ones.

Think of the metabolism as the cells in your body doing exactly what they need to do, when they need to do it. Depending on the location of these cells, certain jobs or reactions will be performed. Add up all of these reactions and this is your metabolism.

The cells in our bodies are told what to do by inputs from messengers. The messenger inputs that give cells directions are mostly hormones. So, if your hormones are either high or low, then problems begin to occur with the reactions inside the cells (metabolism). This cascades into symptoms we can actually feel. Particularly, too much or too little hormones are problems, because our cells will perform too many or too few reactions as signals are received.

Now, let’s get nerdy about Thyroid Hormones and the role they play with your gut.

How the Thyroid Gland Impacts Your Digestion

Remember too much thyroid hormone is just as bad as too little. When thyroid dysfunction is overactive it’s called hyperthyroidism. There is a common hyperthyroid autoimmune condition called Graves’ disease. When there isn’t enough thyroid hormone, it’s called hypothyroidism and the autoimmune condition is called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Either one of these scenarios affects the gut.

Much of what the studies focus on are constipation and diarrhea as a result of thyroid hormones affecting the following areas of the gut:

• Digestive juice excretion
• Rate and strength of peristalsis
• T4 to T3 conversion
• Gut flora’s role in level of thyroid hormone

There have been many studies showing that those with thyroid dysfunction are prone to developing specific GI issues.

For instance, those with Grave’s disease were found to have 5 times the risk of developing Celiac disease and there are associations with Grave’s and Crohn’s. And IBD has been connected with patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Having a happy thyroid is so crucial to having a happy body, because the thyroid makes and secretes the hormones responsible for all this metabolism/digestive stuff. Thyroid hormones help turn the cogs of the great machine, so to speak. But to understand the root of why thyroid hormones are low or high, we first need to talk about the 2 common ones:

The Thyroid Hormones T4 and T3, which affect nearly all parts of digestion.

Meet Your Friends T4 and T3 (and How Your Gut Health Influences Them)

The thyroid gland makes T4 in response to the brain sending it a chemical messenger called Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). But most cells in the body want T3, which means this whole process gets complicated fast. When I say thyroid hormones I’m speaking about T4 and T3:

• T4 – Tetraiodothyronine aka Thyroxine (think inactive form)
• T3 –  Triiodothyronine (think active form)

T3 and T4 are made from iodine (notice: tetraiodothyronine) and can’t be synthesized without it. Produced directly by the thyroid, these hormones enter the bloodstream and are able to talk to all kinds of cells and help direct them in their jobs.

So, say that the thyroid has just squirted out some of its hormones (I don’t know if it actually “squirts” but I imagine it that way), the majority of that hormone will be T4. This T4 actually gets converted into T3 in peripheral tissues. One of these peripheral tissues is THE GUT! As I mentioned above, T3 is the main hormone that the cells want and it’s easiest to think of T3 as the active thyroid hormone.

Many of the problems people have with thyroid hormones is in this conversion.

Conversion is Key

The conversion of T4 to T3 is not so simple; neither is the gut’s role in all of it. Conversion occurs in the kidneys, liver and gut, but it’s not just about what tissues are doing the converting. The health of the tissue and the enzymes involved in the conversion are vital. There are several enzymes, like Type I Iodothyronine 5’ deiodonase (5’-DI1), and micronutrients, like Selenium, that play a role in the process of converting T4 to T3.

Basically, there are a lot of steps in this process that could affect the amount of T3 produced. Scientists are still trying to uncover all of it, but they are finding that the gut may play a critical role in thyroid hormone regulation as well as in storing T3. And healthy gut flora have been found to assist in these T4 to T3 conversions, while bad bacteria have been shown to reduce plasma concentrations of thyroid hormones through endotoxin release.

To sum it up, a healthy gut and gut flora are important for converting T4 to T3 and to keep our cells happy and running properly.

Regardless of the health of your gut, if the rest of your body is producing too little or too much TSH, T4 or T3, then you might experience diarrhea or constipation.

Is Your Thyroid Causing Diarrhea or Constipation?

Diarrhea and constipation are typically never caused by one singular problem, so I’m not totally blaming the thyroid. What I am saying is if you’re someone who’s been eating SCD or Paleo, using lots of supplements and still seem to have motility issues then it could be because of your thyroid.

The research suggests that too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) in the body is linked more heavily to causing diarrhea. There could be several reasons for this diarrhea  including:

• Fat malabsorption
• Intestinal hypermotility
• Hypersecretion of bile
• Pancreatic enzymes and secretin in small intestine tissue
• And increased intestinal transit time

This is basically saying that your digestive system is running on high and this super speedy processing results in wasted food and loose stools.

In contrast, constipation is typically found in conjunction with hypothyroidism. This is thought to be due to slower intestinal peristalsis, which is the movement of food and waste through our intestines. If the cells that control this have a lowered metabolism due to less hormone signals, the waves are slower and/or less powerful. However, there could be other culprits as this paper points out.

And lastly, this study shows 54% of people with a sluggish thyroid also had SIBO, which may suggest that we should always be looking at these two at the same time.

Always Look at the Thyroid and the Gut?

Beyond the study above, why might we always want to look at this duo together? Well, it comes back to how systems work.

When we look at how parts of systems talk to one another, we always want to find the feedback loops. In the body, these are pathways of signals that feedback to other areas. For instance, we’ve already mentioned in this article that thyroid hormones affect how the gut moves, but the gut can also give signals back to the thyroid.

The two “talk” back and forth through many signals such as the conversion of T4 to T3 in the gut, gut flora and levels of inflammation in the gut. Let’s say, for example, you’ve got a bunch of inflammation from a parasitic infection (which reduces nutrients), the conversion of T4 to T3 can go down. Also, higher levels of inflammation could change the output of TSH from the brain. Furthermore, the gut’s ability to digest and absorb critical nutrients, like the Iodine and Selenium necessary for proper thyroid hormone health, is very important.

It’s the old chicken or the egg scenario; which one came first? And anytime we face this problem, the best thing to do is assume nothing and test and address both at the same time. A big mistake happens when Hashimoto’s or Graves’ patients don’t also pay attention to their gut.

How to Fix Your Thyroid and Your Gut (at the Same Time)

Great practitioners will be thinking about testing and supporting both of these systems at the same time. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for most of us (including me). Most of even my better practitioners ignored the gut-thyroid connection, and it was affecting me big time!

My energy wasn’t very reliable, my skin was still broken out and dry, and overall I didn’t really feel amazing. Of course, that was until I went into this area, which is why I think it pays to be in the know.

After all, you’re the CEO and ultimately responsible for your health.

If fact, if you understand how great practitioners attack this gut-thyroid connection you can actually guide your current doctor in doing so as well. It’s not always easy, but it’s very simple.

On our 2.5-hour gut-hormone presentation, I went into which thyroid tests are useful, optimal lab ranges that most great practitioners recommend and common treatment mistakes to avoid. Not to mention, I shared the exact step-by-step script and memory cheat I use with doctors. Because, let’s face it, who hasn’t gone into an appointment and forgotten what they were going to say?

Grab access to the gut-hormone presentation here:

http://energyhelp.scdlifestyle.com/

– Steve

The post Is Your Thyroid Destroying Your Gut Function? appeared first on Healthy Gut Company.

“I thought you said this would work! I’ve spent a lot of money and time and my energy still isn’t great, skin is not perfect and the cortisol test results aren’t improving. I thought you said this was the best protocol?” – Jim

Jim is not alone. He’s just one guy who represents a whole lot of other people who feel the same way. They’re motivated, trying hard and not seeing results.  How frustrating is that?!

Adrenal Fatigue (or Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Dysfunction) is real and very common – especially for anyone with a digestive complaint or autoimmune disease. In fact, it’s been my experience that if you want a healthy gut you need healthy hormones and the adrenals tend to be the easiest to damage.

The problem is healing this issue can get tricky because there’s not a lot of solid info out there about what can go wrong as you try to heal.

3 Simple Reasons Your Adrenal Program Isn’t Working

Maybe you’re wondering: Is my program actually doing the job? Well, if it is your follow-up test results will show that. For instance, if your initial total salivary cortisol reading was 19 and after several months of adrenal support it’s up around 30 or higher, that’s great news. But let’s say it’s only 21, then things might not be working out like you and the practitioner planned.

In addition to improved test numbers as you heal you should also notice improvements like:

• More energy in the morning and afternoon
• Any skin conditions improving and less dry skin
• Better moods
• Deeper and more restful sleep
• Less brain fog and better memory
• No dizziness upon standing
• Less hormone swings including improved PMS
• Food cravings improving or gone

Now, not all of these problems resolve in 6 months. Many times it can take up to 18 months. But what you want to see is a gradual improvement in test results and improvement in symptoms.

If they’re not, it’s understandable that you’d be upset, especially after investing $300-$1000 into tests, supplements and practitioner fees. Not only that, people expect results.  And why shouldn’t they? That’s a lot of resources, money and time to try to change something.

Often, though, there are 3 reasons the program isn’t working and the protocols aren’t always to blame:

1. You’re Eating Too Few Calories
2. You Require More Carbohydrates
3. You’re Still Stressed

That’s not really fun news to read; you might be the reason the program isn’t working. But let’s face it, you are the CEO of your health. When you decide to go down the road of taking responsibility for your health and you want success, you have to do it all or nothing. The same applies in relationships and business.

And unfortunately, most times (not all) it’s a problem that you have control over. So, let’s unpack these and make sure you understand how to not sabotage your adrenal healing program.

Starving Yourself Feels a Lot Like Adrenal Fatigue

To the body, not getting enough calories is a very important signal. It means there’s a problem, some kind of starvation is happening.  And it should begin preparing for the worst. So, as the body does this it has your back and it anticipates a future food shortage. It down regulates things like muscle building, fertility, energy, and immunity through many ways. At the cellular level, the metabolic processes that keep you alive begin to slow down, your hormones down regulate and blood pressure drops. Basically, your body slows everything down in an effort to keep you alive.

Adrenal fatigue is very similar in terms of change in hormone production. In adrenal fatigue, as in starvation, your cortisol, DHEA and thyroid hormones are all out of balance. The two conditions feel almost the same. And from a measurement standpoint it would take not only a highly skilled practitioner but likely one who’s seen this before (a rare combo) to tell the difference.

Unpacking the idea of starvation a bit more, let’s get into eating at a macro and micro level. If for instance you’re starving yourself of micronutrients like magnesium, then at least 300 processes in the body will be negatively affected. How would you know? Next time you’re having some blood tests done, ask for a Magnesium RBC blood test. This would do a lot to tell you where your levels are.

There’s too many micronutrients to cover in this post and it might not even be something you should worry about.

Calories Matter!!!

Macronutrients are the proteins, fats and carbohydrates your food is made of. If you’re eating a diverse real food diet and getting plenty of good fats each day, then the micronutrients and macronutrients will typically take care of themselves. Eating this way simplifies the idea so you can focus on CALORIES. I read this post well over a year ago and it made some great points.

Calories matter.

What! Isn’t that anti-paleo? Isn’t that so 1990’s dogma? Well, there are shades of truth in everything. I’ve talked with several people in the last week who have stellar diets; they eat all organic, free-range, high quality foods. They eat fermented foods and supplement wisely. But… they are starving their bodies. They aren’t eating nearly enough food.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater here. I know calories are an imperfect measure of our food, but we’re sort of stuck with them right now. So, with that in mind let’s use them even with all of their imperfections.

I don’t want to dive into a discussion about calorie calculators and activity levels and what not (they are imperfect remember). Instead, I’d like to lay out some simple guidelines for those with health problems to begin testing.

Women – Overweight/Maintenance Levels – At Least 1,800 Calories Per Day

Women – Underweight – 2,200 to 3,200 Calories Per Day

Men – Overweight/Maintenance Levels – At Least 2,000 Calories Per Day

Men – Underweight – 2,500 to 3,500 Calories Per Day

Let me be clear one more time; these are broad generalizations for people whose number one priority is healing their health issues. Not for people going for body recomposition.

Eat real food, eat fats and eat right at or higher than the numbers above and I bet your adrenal program will start working again. And trust me, if losing weight is what you desire and that is scaring you into undereating… it’s not going to work. If it did you’d already be skinnier. Eat more and give your body some time; the weight will come off in a few months.

I can confidently say this, because I was that person and I’ve watched many others go through the same transformation.

Eating a Low Carbohydrate Diet is Like Dancing

Have you ever been just grooving on the dance floor, really digging a song and moving your body in a certain way, then suddenly the DJ changes the song? Well, the same thing can happen with carbohydrates. Just like if you dance off-beat you’ll feel weird and awkward, if your carbohydrates are off the same feelings will arise. It’s time to stop thinking in terms of right and wrong and start feeling the music.

Our relationship to carbohydrates is complex and always changing. As the seasons of our life change so do our needs for carbohydrate. If you’re experiencing gut wrenching gas and bloating you may need to restrict carbohydrates (of all kinds) to very low levels to get rid of all your pain. The same goes if you have a brain dysfunction or diabetes.

But if you can both digest and control blood sugar, and you’re still eating low amounts of carbohydrate, then you might be doing your body harm.  Alternatively, eating too many carbohydrates can and does damage the body. So, let’s shift from beliefs and doctrines to dancing…

My belief is that you have an individual tolerance to carbohydrate that varies as your life changes. You have genetics, epigenetics, gut flora and hormone patterns that all predispose you to a certain level of carbohydrate in your diet. So, following a single blanket recommendation and applying it to your body is a poor choice. I’d suggest you begin to dance with carbohydrates especially if you are looking to fix a health issue. Experiment with adding more or subtracting.

This article is about those who are not responding to adrenal programs, so we will focus solely on those people and that pattern. If you are in adrenal fatigue, it’s highly likely that you are having some thyroid hormone problems. Adrenal fatigue will only increase any pre-existing thyroid issues, and many people who have hypothyroid issues end up no longer needing thyroid support once they correct their adrenal issues. How does carbohydrate play into this? Well, some studies and plenty of clinical evidence shows that reducing carbohydrate can reduce T4 to T3 production in many people. This will cause further HPA dysregulation. Also, cortisol is very important for blood sugar regulation. One of the reasons some practitioners recommend those in adrenal fatigue to eat every 2-3 hours is because they desire to keep your blood sugar levels stable. If you are too low carbohydrate (or too high) your need for cortisol to keep blood sugar levels stable increases. In adrenal fatigue, cortisol is already out of balance. So, it is thought that reducing the demands on cortisol will speed healing. Once again, we must dance with them.

So, for those of you who are struggling with adrenal fatigue, despite a well thought out protocol, I want you to up your daily carbohydrate to at least 150g a day. Also, try 200g and 250g a day and keep track of how you feel. Be sure to spread out your intake to say 50g per meal throughout the day instead of one giant carbohydrate rich meal. One of these levels is likely going to result in you feeling the best. Give each one a shot for at least 7 days.

Feel, in this case, is subjective so please pay close attention to how you digest them, your poop quality, and your blood sugar. You might notice better moods, more energy, and higher body temperature. There are many more things to look for, but these are some of the most common.

Test it. Maybe you can’t eat this much and that’s okay. That’s why everything is a test. It might be the wrong season of your body for you to dance with higher carbohydrates, but at least now you’ll know.

I Hate to Break it to You But You’re STILL Stressed!

I know, I know. You tell me and everyone else that you aren’t stressed. You’ve even convinced yourself. The trouble is your body disagrees.

You can’t convince your body. It doesn’t respond to talking. It responds to the environment and your thoughts. And if either of those are still stressing it, then it’s going to keep you in adrenal fatigue. Stress increases cortisol in the beginning parts of adrenal fatigue, and then over time you stop generating enough to keep you healthy as you progress deeper into adrenal fatigue.

The sicker you are, the more relevant this is. Let’s say you cut back from working 80 to 60 hours a week. Congrats! That’s a big first step, but your body might need 40 or even 20 hours a week for a few months to really heal up the hormones.

Let’s say you just realized that you are nice to the whole world but an absolute monster to yourself. In other words, if people heard how you talk to yourself they might think about calling the cops for verbal abuse. If that sounds familiar, then you’re still stressed.

Another common one; maybe you were in a really toxic relationship, be it with a lover, family member or friend. But now you’re working on it. Things are changing… the problem is your body still sees it as toxic. Again, I do congratulate you but “working on it” might not be enough.

It’s less about what you might tell me, or try to convince your body and all about how your body actually reacts to life. Start paying attention to this; start tracking your heart rate, your energy swings, and your anxiety about life. Journal about when your body is triggered into fear and fight or flight.

Begin to find the stressors in your life. As you become aware of the triggers, you’ll be able to begin to deal with them.

I talk with so many people I sense are still stressed, but they’re fully convinced they’re not. The reality is, though, their bodies disagree and they’re not yet aware of their body and how it views the world. Getting in touch with this is step one.

Is the Adrenal Fatigue Program I’m On Wrong?

Let’s say you’re getting enough calories, you’ve danced with carbohydrates and you’re becoming aware of stressors in your life and changing them. But you still have adrenal fatigue symptoms and your test results are not changing.

It could be the program you are following. It might be wrong for where you are in life and health.

Based upon what we’ve seen and depending on how bad your hormones are, you might need one protocol over another. As you heal, you’ll generally switch again. If you fail to keep progressing, if you feel stuck, it’s likely because you are stuck on the wrong protocol.

Or maybe your thyroid could have you stuck.

To most people, this can get rather complicated quickly. But to us there’s a very simple pattern. And it shouldn’t be a mystery, which is why we’ve done a training session on all of this and more, called the Gut-Hormone Presentation.

We went into depth about hormones, adrenals and thyroid (and how they work together), tests, next steps, and what to watch out for.

We also covered the various programs we’ve seen work, including when it might be time to abandon your current adrenal program and move to something different.

Grab access to the Gut-Hormone Presentation here: http://energyhelp.scdlifestyle.com/

– Steve

The post 3 Reasons Your Adrenal Fatigue Program Isn’t Working (and What to Do About It) appeared first on Healthy Gut Company.

In this post, we’re going to dive into one of the most important hormones in your body… and why it’s usually depleted in people with gut health problems.

Low cortisol is the most common pattern we’ve seen in 100’s of labs from people with digestive problems.

It’s almost like an epidemic. We have yet to work with someone suffering from digestive problems that doesn’t have varying degrees of low cortisol.

You might know about cortisol… many people call it the “The Stress Hormone,” saying it shouldn’t get too high. And that is true, chronically elevated cortisol has its fair share of negative effects on the body.

But while everyone is pointing fingers at high cortisol for causing health problems, it’s becoming apparent to us that someone needs to look at the opposite side of this problem.

Because Chronically Low Cortisol Can Be Worse…

Most people don’t even realize how important cortisol is when dealing with chronic illness. Cortisol (a glucocorticoid) is necessary for several major body processes to function normally. It’s integral to blood sugar regulation, proper immune function, blood pressure, and the metabolism of fat, protein and carbohydrates.

And when it gets low, these systems begin to have problems.

For example, here’s a few symptoms related to low cortisol:

• Fatigue
• Chronic inflammation
• Poor response and “crashing” during stress
• Increased allergies and environmental sensitivity
• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar with irritability when hungry)
• Low blood pressure and dizziness upon first standing

Any of these symptoms ring a bell for you?

Most every person we work with writes down fatigue as one of the main complaints other than digestive problems. The remaining symptoms tend to come out later as we discuss their health in more detail.

And anyone dealing with digestive problems most likely suffers from severe chronic inflammation.

I suffered from every single one of these symptoms when I was sick. At the time, they didn’t seem related, but once I was treated for low cortisol they got substantially better. As I’ve gotten healthier, I realized the important role cortisol plays in a healthy body and why chronic inflammation is the first red flag you need to be aware of.

Chronic Inflammation Is Like a Fire Raging Inside Your Body

Inflammation is a normal immune response in your body. It’s usually our friend. Think of it like the first responder to the scene of the injury. Pain, swelling, redness, and warmth are all signs of inflammation arriving at the site and helping your body with the healing process.

After inflammation gets the job done, the body will release various controls like cortisol to turn off inflammation and go back to business as usual (1).

But sometimes inflammation doesn’t turn off… and that’s when things start to go wrong.

Inflammation becomes chronic when it stops being an acute response and remains a constant low-level physiological response. Think of it like starting a small camp fire meant to keep you warm that doesn’t get put out and then grows into a forest fire, burning 100,000 acres.

Chronic inflammation is when your body no longer has the ability to turn off the inflammatory response and it starts damaging healthy tissue in your body. It could damage the intestinal lining in your gut and cause digestive problems, it could damage the arteries in your heart and cause heart disease, and it could damage your joints or cause rheumatoid arthritis. It also leads to just about every chronic disease we know of.

Cortisol Is Your Inflammation Off Switch

Inflammation is just one part of our complex and amazing immune system and cortisol plays a huge role in how well it functions. Studies on the effect of glucocorticoids, like cortisol, on gene expression shows that they up-regulate and down-regulate up to 2,000 genes that are involved in regulation of the immune response (2).

The research on cortisol suggests it’s the main anti-inflammatory hormone in the body:

“There is a bidirectional communication between the immune system and the HPA axis, in which cytokines stimulate the HPA axis and the resulting release of glucocorticoids provides negative feedback control of the immune response, keeping inflammation in check. It is well established that glucocorticoids exert an important modulatory role on the immune system, both suppressing and enhancing a variety of immune functions.” (3)

The mechanisms for naturally controlling healthy levels of inflammation are complex and there are many different processes that play a role. However, cortisol is one of the biggest players in turning off inflammation, and when it’s low inflammation can run wild. (4)

The bottom line: Cortisol puts your inflammatory fire out. But not when it’s low.

Therefore, chronic inflammation is a strong sign you may have low cortisol. Your body doesn’t have enough of the necessary ingredient (cortisol) to put the fire out.

Most of our clients have a history of chronic inflammation and by the time we talk with them we find their cortisol levels are low. We’re talking about clients with issues ranging from Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, like Crohn’s or Ulcerative Colitis, to autoimmune conditions, like Celiac Disease, or even just general gut inflammation.

Our experience has been that cortisol is vitally important to having a healthy and fully functioning digestive tract, in which controlling inflammation is a requirement.

Unfortunately, That’s Why Prednisone Works

Earlier, I told you low cortisol seems like an epidemic in our private clients dealing with digestive disease. If you have low cortisol, your body is more susceptible to autoimmune and inflammatory reactions. That’s why steroid medications (corticosteroids), like Prednisone, are prescribed to suppress immune responses in people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Most of our clients have been on one at some point along the way, and typically it helped them a lot. But plenty also paid the price with weight gain, a moon face, early onset osteopenia and some become dependent on low doses to keep symptoms at bay. And that makes sense given what I explained in this post today, because taking Prednisone or hydrocortisone is taking a man-made form of cortisol (but with severe side effects).

So, if Prednisone worked for you… it’s a red flag that you’ve got low cortisol.

That’s why it’s so important to get to the root cause of the low cortisol issue. Because long-term use of man-made forms of Cortisol has a laundry list of negative symptoms and conditions associated with it.

So, if you’re someone who’s reading this article going, “Jordan, you’re totally talking about me,” then you need to work with a skilled practitioner that can order proper saliva testing and find the root cause of your low cortisol.

It could be a big step toward taking control of your symptoms and beginning to heal your gut. If anything, it’ll help you get a better handle on chronic inflammation and strengthen your immune system. Who doesn’t need a little of that in their life?

What to Do About Your Hormones

I hope this article on cortisol had an impact on you. I wish I could have read this years ago when I was banging my head against the wall trying to figure out what was really going on in my gut.

Since working with 500 people 1-on-1 over the last 2 years, we’ve seen 100’s of examples of this exact same problem. Not only that, but I would argue that most people with gut health issues also have a problem with their hormonal axis. That includes adrenals, sex hormones, and thyroid.

If you’re still struggling with digestive problems despite all your best diet, supplement, and lifestyle changes… you could have a hormonal problem. I highly recommend you check out our Gut-Hormone presentation, where we dove into what to do about this root cause problem…

During the Presentation, We Covered:

• Is Adrenal Fatigue real? (and how to prove it to your doctor with tests)
• What NOT TO DO when you have adrenal fatigue (most miss this one)
• Signs and symptoms of a slow thyroid
• The key differences between hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism and what happens if you combine them with a leaky gut (hint: autoimmunity)
• The specific thyroid tests to get from your doctor
• Why gut problems, adrenal fatigue and thyroid issues all work together to destroy energy (and what to do about it)
• Steve’s battle and shocking discovery about sub-clinical hypothyroidism
• Jordan’s struggle to overcome the adrenal fatigue that kept him scary skinny and exhausted

We’ve recorded the call and transcribed it for you, so you’ll have the info you need to take action as soon as possible.

Grab access to the Gut-Hormone Presentation today: http://energyhelp.scdlifestyle.com/

Hope this helps you,

– Jordan

The post This Hormone Could Be Keeping You Sick appeared first on Healthy Gut Company.

As I decompressed in March, after the project completion, I talked with Jordan. There was a much scarier reality headed towards us like a 100 foot tsunami. In 3 months, we were going to pull off our most ambitious project yet – much more complex and unknown than just building the program, a full scale product launch of it.

We had just given back a large chunk of our health by overworking, stressing and neglecting ourselves. And now, with minimal rest, we were going to shoot for a project that was about 3 times larger.

This Was Borderline Dumb For Me to Attempt

Remember, I wasn’t riding into this new stressful project high on my health horse. Most of my healthy and supportive habits had degraded away during the last project – I was a wreck.

As I approached the public launch of Solving Leaky Gut I knew things had to be different or I might suffer Karoshi (the Japanese term for literally working yourself to death). I started with outsourcing the two things I totally failed on in the previous 3 months: exercise and diet (more on that in a bit).

Next, I needed a different game plan for stress and the most powerful non-stimulatory supplement stack that I could think of (and afford).

I survived the launch much better than I thought possible, which when looking back proves a few things:

1. Where there is a will there is a way with health. Only the bounds of our imagination and determination hold us back from the level of health we want regardless of external circumstances.
2. When the stress isn’t just about me, I can endure much more than I thought possible.

What follows is how I survived the most stressful 3 months of my life. I hope that some of this might support you in your next period of high stress (it will come).

Outsourcing Your Most Important Variables to Thrive

It’s counterintuitive to think about outsourcing the most important things in your life. And until now I had never attempted it. But I knew, based on the previous 3 months, without some expert help I would fail and fall apart again. I couldn’t spend time and energy on planning food and body love. Food is of first importance for me and then second is moving my body.

During the first 3 months of this year, the variety and quality of my food intake plummeted. Anything that took extra time and prep was out – vegetable consumption, organ meats, and fermented foods were no longer parts of my diet – and my health suffered. So luckily, I found an amazing local woman who was knowledgeable about SCD, GAPS and The Wahls Diet. In other words, she got it when it comes to food. She supported me with green juices, organ meats and a whole diversity of foods during this time. It was amazing!

This step alone was one of the most powerful time and attention savers I’ve ever attempted.

Next, I outsourced exercise and body love. I hired a trainer who got it and shared with him what I was up against. I didn’t second guess him or try to direct it (which I typically do). I just let go and trusted him. He had me working out 2-3 times a week and he adjusted the intensity to match my level of fatigue.

Lastly, I did weekly massages to support my energy and relaxation levels. In my opinion, one of the most overlooked areas of health is human touch. Most of us, including myself, don’t get nearly the amount our ancestors did. My social life took a massive hit during this time period and getting some supportive human touch was very helpful.

These actions took putting my trust in perfect strangers but it was well worth it. I couldn’t have done it without them. The key here lies in the people you hire and you must have complete trust in them.

I Lowered Stress by Watching More TV Than Ever

I’ve talked before about my continued struggle to lower stress. By March of this year, most of my stress reducing activities completely disappeared from my life. Meditation, yoga, journaling, fun reading, play, sports, weightlifting – these were no longer happening on a regular basis. Because of this, my body started to shut down on me.

As I moved into the next 3 months, I tried hard to meditate but it didn’t stick. And so, exhausted and short on time and attention for the other activities, I rediscovered the television.

Typically, I don’t watch much TV or Movies, but this time around I unconsciously chose this numbing stress reduction habit. What I normally do is binge on movies, sports or a TV series every few months. I’d say dividing this out means I’d average 1-2 hrs of total TV time per week (more like 8 hrs in one week and then none the rest of the month).

During the last 2 to 3 months, though, I’ve probably watched an average of 1 hour a day (usually at night). I consumed movies and TV series at a rate unheard of for me. They were funny and lifted my spirits not to mention health (laughing helps with hormones). It also gave me a period of time each day where I was finally unplugged and not thinking. Normally I don’t believe in avoiding problems through things like TV, but in this case it worked very well for a small time.

The one stress reduction habit I did consciously choose was journaling. It’s one of the simplest, least time-consuming ones out there, but it’s remarkably powerful. Reflecting on the daily ups and downs, making gratitude lists and reminding myself there was a life at the end of this project kept me sane.

I recommend journaling to every single one of my coaching clients. I think it’s one of the most powerful tools we humans have to help us stay connected to ourselves as we live life.

I’m not suggesting that TV is the answer for everyone. There are many other activities I believe will make us healthier and happier, but it worked for me when nothing else did. I am suggesting, though, that journaling is for everyone. Take time to do it morning and night. Get to the point where you feel bad if you don’t record and reflect on your days.

Non-Stimulatory Supplement Cocktail For Stressful Times

During the first 3 months of the year I tried a supplement cocktail full of products I’d used before. These were supplements to biohack the brain, hormones and energy levels. In the past, I liked the results of the products but this time they only hurt me and made my health worse.

I didn’t need any further stimulation with the high levels of stress and overwhelm in my life. I believe this stimulatory stack was a major part of the racing heart, panic attacks and other problems I experienced. So I shoved them back in my cupboard and re-thought the next 3 months.

I decided to just support my detox and adrenals with non-stimulatory supplements only. And it worked remarkably well! Not only did I make it through the last 3 months, but my skin never broke out, I didn’t gain much weight and I didn’t get any overstimulation episodes. Stress hits everyone differently, but for me it shows up in the form of acne flares and extra weight on my belly.  Not this time, though.

Here’s what I used:

• Magnesium Malate (400-600mg a day)
• B complex (1-2 a day)
• Vitamin C (2000-3000mg a day)
• ALA (900mg a day)
• Ubiquinol (high quality CoQ10) (300-600mg a day)
• 5-HTP and L-Tyrosine (ratio of 100:1000 – work w/ a practitioner)
• Ovation S-Acetyl-Glutathione (600-900mg a day)

NOTE: If you wanted to try the stack above you could except for the brain support of 5-HTP and L-Tyrosine. My doses were given to me by Dr. Kalish. Anything above a daily max of 300 mg of 5-HTP and 3000 mg of L-Tyrosine should not be exceeded without practitioner guidance.

The fascinating thing is, I’ve been on the brain support, b vitamins, and magnesium for over a year. So while they are great if you haven’t tried them I don’t believe they were the needle movers for me. I was actually super impressed with the Ubiquinol at higher doses as well as the S-Acetyl-Glutathione. I could actually tell on a daily basis if I skipped either of them.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this.

Ubiquinol, the more bioavailable form of CoQ10, helped increase my energy and helped me think more clearly. This doesn’t really come as too much of a surprise, though, since CoQ10 is well-known as a potent antioxidant and important for energy production and brain health.

Your Body Falls Apart Without Glutathione

I’m not shocked that Glutathione worked either, but what was surprising is that a bottled supplement form of it actually worked for me. I’ve tried 99% of the brands on the market – reduced, liposomal, other acetyl-glutathione – and not one of them ever gave me noticeable benefit. I’ve read many research studies on why the liposomal form should work but they just didn’t for me. There will be an upcoming blog post all about glutathione, but for now know this…

During states of stress, disease, inflammation and high toxicity, glutathione is typically depleted quickly.

Glutathione is one of the most important antioxidants in the body. It is very important for liver health, DNA repair, protein synthesis, amino acid transport, and enzyme activation. In other words, it plays a major role in almost every single system in the body. But it’s especially important for GI health, brain and nerves, immune system and cellular function.

The amazing thing is it’s not just me. Jordan also used it during the launch and we use it extensively in our consulting practice. Besides Betaine HCL and digestive enzymes, it’s the one supplement that many people would never give up it helps so much.

I know that as you read this you are probably dealing with some stress. Maybe it’s from being sick, the kids or something that’s happening at work. Stress comes at us from every which way. Or maybe you are one of the millions who’s having seasonal allergies or adrenal fatigue right now.

This year, one of our goals is to expose you to different ideas and treatments that we use that might change your life. And this supplement is definitely one of them.

It’s such an important nutrient for so many areas of the body, and I’m excited to hear your feedback on how it works for you in the comments.

-Steve

The post How I Survived the Most Stressful Time of My Life appeared first on Healthy Gut Company.

There’s a cortisol-inflammation epidemic going on… and if you don’t know about it please watch this video.

The bottom line: Cortisol is extremely good for you, but it’s bad if your cortisol levels are too high and it’s even worse if your cortisol levels are too low.

The worst part?

Once we know this information, most of us are so focused on “reducing our stress,” it makes us even more stressed out!  Like when I used to think I was “doing it wrong” because I didn’t feel better after meditating or I kept forgetting to do Yoga.

Instead, I like to focus on doing things that counteract the negative effects of stress without even thinking about it.

Which brings me to today’s post.  I originally published this research in 2011.  It’s a good time to bring it back out and talk about stealthy ways to counteract chronic stress and have more fun.

It Starts With a Story About Cancer

“Sue, I’m sorry.  I don’t know how to tell you this, but you have Cancer… maybe 18-months to live.”

Once the news hit, Sue signed early retirement papers and sold the house.

She moved to Florida to be closer to her kids and grand-babies…

She started mentoring inner city kids and helping them get into college… something she never had time for in the past.

Friends and family made it a point to spend more time with her… taking road trips and weekend getaways.

12 months later, she was back in the Doctor’s office…

“Sue I can’t explain it, but you’re in complete remission.”

Is it that far-fetched?

We’ve all heard stories that go something like this… could spending more time with friends and family help reverse chronic illness?

Is there any science to it?

Why Locking Yourself in the House Could Make You Worse

Typically, when animals are critically injured in the wild they’ll run to a safe, secluded place and lie down.

They give their body the resources to start healing, and in some cases they’ll lay there for days without moving.  If the wound isn’t fatal, there’s usually a point when they know they need to get up and re-integrate with the herd….

But what’s fascinating is once the injured animals get back with the herd their wound tends to heal FASTER than when they were in isolation.

A 2003 PNEC study on the Social Facilitation of Wound Healing, found that:

“Social interactions buffer against stress and promote wound healing… The data imply that social isolation impairs wound healing.”

The background on this study is interesting so I had to geek out on it (read the full text here).  Scientists wanted to test the impact of social interaction on wound healing.  For this study, they used Siberian Hamster models separated into two test groups:

• The first group was completely isolated from social contact.
• The second group was paired up and able to freely interact.
• Each hamster received similar injuries and had their wounds measured to track the rate of healing.  (I know it sounds bad… but it’s in the name of science, right?)

Here’s the fascinating twist: both groups of hamsters were split into two more groups and placed under stress every day (kind of like going to work)… so it looked like this:

1. Socially isolated group: no stress
2. Socially isolated group: stressed
3. Paired up group: no stress
4. Paired up group: stressed

The results?

The wounds stayed significantly worse in the socially isolated group than in the paired up group (P < 0.05) (see the cool chart below).

[NOTE: P< 0.05 means statistical significance] 

 Image Ref: Social Facilitation of Wound Healing

The data led the authors to conclude that social isolation impairs (slows down) wound healing. 

It made me think.

When I first started the SCD Diet, and still had hardcore digestive problems, all I wanted to do was turn off my phone and lay in bed.  I usually found ways to skip family time during the holidays and avoid my friends’ calls on the weekends.

Looking back, I can’t help but wonder if I slowed down my body’s natural ability to heal by spending less time with friends and family.

But let’s dig deeper…

What’s the Connection Between Social Interaction and Wound Healing? 

It’s all about Cortisol… the “Fight or Flight” hormone.  Cortisol gets a bad rap, but in the days of Woolly Mammoths it was critically important for staying alive.

During intense stress (like running for our lives), the Adrenal Glands release the “stress hormones” cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.

Why is this important?

These chemicals put our body into a state of “Flight or Fight,” which creates a short burst of heightened awareness and the energy to stay alive if we have to run away from a threat or even fight back.

In today’s modern lifestyle, rush-hour traffic, high-stress jobs, toxic chemicals, and toxic foods have all replaced Woolly Mammoths… and created chronic stress in our lives.  Chronic stress initially leads to elevated levels of cortisol, which over time will cascade into severe adrenal fatigue and low cortisol (which is also really bad for you).

Cortisol dysregulation can cause a myriad of bad stuff like raising blood sugar, weakening the immune system, leaky gut, hormonal imbalances, depression, anxiety, and mood imbalances^[1]…

But more importantly, cortisol dysregulation is associated with slower wound healing^[2].  And data from both human and animal models have linked cortisol dysregulation with slower wound healing^[3].

Ok, so if most of us are under chronic stress and dealing with cortisol problems, how does social interaction play into all of this?

Well, it’s all about Oxytocin… the “love hormone.”

Oxytocin is released in response to physical contact, social contact, and social bonding.  In positive social situations, oxytocin can suppress your body’s reaction to chronic stress and improve immune function by decreasing the cortisol concentrations that are high during chronic stress^[4].

Remember the hamsters?

Here are the cortisol concentration readings from the two groups:

Image Ref: Social Facilitation of Wound Healing

It’s been shown that psychological stress (and the correlating jump in cortisol) impairs wound healing^[5].  As it turns out, the socially isolated group experienced a profound jump in cortisol levels during the period of stress.  This data led the authors to conclude that…

Social interactions buffer against the negative effects of stress and promote wound healing.

Although I’d like to review more studies validating this idea with humans, I think it raises an interesting point.  Since most of us are dealing with chronic stress and cortisol dysregulation (slowing down our ability to heal), it seems important to spend time with family and friends to mitigate the impacts of cortisol and encourage faster wound healing.

I acknowledge there’s more I haven’t reviewed surrounding the different stages of wound healing and how that plays into chronic illness…

… but it might make sense to conclude that:

Spending more time with family and friends can counteract the negative effects of chronic stress… and help you heal faster.

How to “Get Your Social Interaction On” (and Reverse Chronic Illness)

When we’re dealing with Chronic Illness, especially digestive disease or fatigue, it’s easy to feel like you “just want to be alone.”

But what I’m arguing here is that social interaction can be an important part of reducing the negative effects of stress on your body and help you heal from chronic illness faster.  Many times we get the diet and supplements right, and then focus entirely on managing stress.  But social interaction offers another tool in the fight against our modern stressful lifestyle.

Here’s 3 ways to incorporate social interaction into your chronic illness treatment.  Pick one and start testing it for the next seven days…

1.  Get out of the house and do something social 1 day a week…

Go for a walk with your family or go see a movie with a friend (assuming you’re healthy enough for it).

Plan it into your life alongside following SCD or taking supplements.  Give yourself an excuse to make new friends doing activities that don’t depend on food like:

1. Yoga classes
2. Volunteering
3. Joining a club (like a book club, movie club, eagles, etc.).
4. Take hobby classes (woodworking, instruments, etc.)
5. Recreational Sports (softball, volleyball, etc.)
6. Religious groups
7. College courses on topics you’re interested in, and on and on…

2.  Fix (or end) bad relationships…

This is a tough one, but it’s important.  Mend a bad relationship or end it and move on.  If you’re suffering with chronic illness, there’s no room for the negative effects these relationships have on your ability to recover.  This is life or death…

Hostile or abrasive relationships affect physiological function and health… and slow wound healing^[6].  Not only that, but having better control over feelings of anger has been shown to improve wound healing^[7].

Mend bad relationships or remove them from your life.  You may be surprised by how much better you’ll feel (and how much faster you’ll heal) when they’re gone.  The goal is to spend more time having fun with friends and family.

3.  Practice being present and increasing your awareness…

Being present will help you have more fun with your friends and family.  Not only that, but relaxation interventions seem to facilitate faster wound healing from things like surgery ^[8].

I’ve practiced meditation over the years and it increased my awareness of the present moment and allowed me to experience more joy in my daily life.  It can help you experience more joy from the relationships you have with your friends and family.

If you’re just starting out, I would recommend Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book “Wherever You Go There You Are.”

I’ve been very impressed with his work in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, which combines both Meditation and Yoga to improve physical and emotional health.

You can learn more about his methods in another one of his books, “Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness.”

Social Interaction is Just as Important as Diet…

If you want to heal your gut and recover from chronic illness, it’s important to maintain social interaction in your life.

Make social interaction as important as your diet and supplements.  Pick one of these three things and try it in your life for 7 days.  Track your symptoms and see how you feel.

Go spend some time with friends and family and let us know how you’re doing…

– Jordan

P.S. – For extra credit, laugh every day!  Try looking at pictures of smiling faces when you wake up like pictures of your family or anything that makes you smile.

You can automate the process here: http://www.ajokeaday.com

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