I'm going to try and make this as clear and concise as possible but informative and hopefully save some people a lot of medical bills, worry, stress and confusion.
My story: Since I know some of you might have come here from my Instagram post where I explained what happened, you can skip down to the next section. In June of 2016 I had spent all day at an amusement park in the drizzly rain. When I got home I got in the shower and started to feel itchy everywhere. I thought it had to do with the rain keeping my clothes wet on my skin all day. But then I noticed a welt on my thigh. I still thought ok must be some weird skin reaction to maybe the laundry detergent residue soaking into my skin all day (even though I almost only every use Free and Clear detergents, I hate Tide). That night it got worse and I struggled to sleep because I kept itching. The next day Ken took these pictures of me. I was miserable! I asked my family and friends what they thought and how to handle it. I had been on antibiotics for a possible tooth infection (while waiting to see my dentist I was given them "in case" it was infected because I was in a lot of pain which typically means infected). The problem was that I was now on my 2nd cycle of antibiotics. I thought the infection had gone away but then the pain returned and I still hadn't seen my dentist. And this hives outbreak was the result of too much antibiotics. I had completely wiped out my good and bad gut bacteria but didn't know it yet. I was having an "allergic reaction" to amoxicillin and the following night it got worse. I don't remember but I think I must have tried taking Benadryl that day and flushing out the antibiotics with fluids (but it doesn't work that way, or at least not fast enough). I wasn't sleeping, my lips were swelling (some people pay good money for that haha) jokes aside...my throat started to tighten. We drove straight to the emergency room where they hooked me up to an IV of Epinephrine and something for pain. My heart rate dropped to the low 40s. I was finally getting relief from all the burning and itching but I was also slipping in and out of consciousness. I had a 6 month old baby at the time and that was the most concerning to me because I wouldn't be able to breastfeed her which she had strictly only done since birth. Eventually, after a couple days, the welts went away. But ever since then I would start to
experience gut pain. It was usually at night as I laid in bed and it was so bad that I couldn't rotate my body to get comfortable. This would happen a few times a week and then a few times a month. I would ALWAYS be bloated. For someone who was working out consistently and eating 80% healthy this aggravated me because no matter how much weight I lost, my stomach always looked 4 months pregnant. My daughter even asked why my belly was still big after having the baby, haha, kids are cute buahahahah! For 2 years I thought my gut pain and bloating was from pregnancy doing a number on my body and tried accepting that this is just how life was going to be (which is not typical of me when it comes to health issues, I believe there is always a cure, you just have to find it). I thought maybe the nightly pain was ulcers from stress (which are actually caused by a bacteria H. pylori overgrowth). As a graduate of nutrition science it made sense for me to always be learning about our body and nutrition and one day I decided to do research for another family member who's son suffers from Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome. From there I came across gut health and my whole view on health and nutrition was forever changed. I know now and wish I had known sooner. I guess this wasn't covered in depth when I was in school.
Basics: Your gut is full of bacteria. Good bacteria and bad bacteria. Heck, the outside of your skin is covered in bacteria too. I think we all learn that as a kid and get grossed out so it sticks in our minds. But did anyone ever tell you about the bacteria inside your body? No not the stuff that gets inside your booboos or owies, but the kind that lives inside you all the time. Certain people have poor gut bacteria such as those on antibiotics, in premature babies and in unhealthy people in general (warning sign: tend to get sick a lot).
The bacteria inside your gut lines your intestines, and the good bacteria: helps digest food particles and make it usable for energy; produces Vitamin K, folate and short-chain fatty acid (an end product of fermentation and indigestible carbs). Good bacteria, aka probiotics, destroy bad bacteria and keeps their population down, when the probiotics get outnumbered, sicknesses arise. The lining of the gut is covered in good bacteria which prevents food particles from making its way out of the gut lining which is what happens when a person has leaky gut syndrome (Crohns, Celiac, IBS).
Why is a healthy gut important? Weight gain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, auto-immune diseases, diabetes, rashes, headaches, brain fog, food intolerance and allergies, depression, overall pain, sugar cravings, bad breath, anxiety, moodiness, low immunity, eczema and the list goes on, and even more so when the gut's health is compromise and not taken care of. Imagine if whatever ailed you was due to lack of proper nutrition and too much medication. A healthy gut is when your good bacteria outnumbers the bad bacteria. When you are on antibiotics it destroys both. It's not exactly called anti-bad-biotics haha (stupid joke). Your gut bacteria is unique to you and how you eat, your environment, genetics, medications, lots of things.
The Mind Gut Connection:A great book I read By Dr. Mayer, The Mind Gut Connection, explained in detail how in evolutionary terms the digestive system existed first. Picture little microscopic bacteria living in the sea evolving to create a protective layer (digestive system) and then over years of evolution began creating a nervous system, aka your brain (his explanation is no much better but that is the image I was left with). Your gut is directly linked to your brain by various nerves that signal each other back and forth all day long. Those gut wrenching pains or lack of appetite you feel during times of stress; those butterflies you feel in your gut; that nausea
from your headache. When you begin to stress or feel anxiety, a repetitive cycle or worrying, you put your digestive system on the back burner so that more energy can be spent on your worrying. The worse time to eat is when you are stressed because it won't digest properly. Your entire lively hood is dependent on a healthy gut. Let me say that again. Your entire health, mind and body, is dependent on your gut's health.
So how do you make sure you keep a healthy gut?
You have to nurture your gut, mind and body. The types of food you consume regularly determine your microbiome makeup. So if you live off a typical Western diet of fast foods, greasy foods, highly processed, low nutrient diet, then your gut bacteria is paying the price. Foods that will help protect your gut bacteria:
Fermented foods because they contain probiotics: tempeh, sauerkraut, miso, kefir, kombucha, kimchi, real yoghurt, pickles (just about anything pickled)
Bone broth
Prebiotics that help promote probiotic growth: apple cider vinegar (I swear by this stuff and I drink a tablespoon every single day!), fruits, onions, greens, bananas, garlic, asparagus, artichokes, cabbage, lentils, lots and lots of whole healthy choices.
Exercise: Research has shown that exercising helps keep your gut healthy
Sleep: I feel like I just mentioned this in my last post about how to lose belly fat. Sleep is beyond crucial to your health, mental health and overall wellbeing. If you aren't getting quality sleep and at least 7 hours (or whatever you feel your body functions best off of. I know some people like only 4 or 5 and function successfully in life). But whatever you have to do to get some shut eye, do it.
My personal elixir: warm or hot water with fresh lemon juice, fresh ginger and apple cider vinegar.
Take a quality probiotic and prebiotic supplement.
So how did I treat my dissolved gut bacteria?
If I hadn't decided to do research on my cousin's CVS I would have never learned that my own gut was in trouble. I had at first started with cutting out certain foods and started to develop
cibophobia (fear of food) because I couldn't determine what foods were causing the gut wrenching pain. My diet dwindled down to eating only a select few things to almost avoiding eating entirely. Today though, I am better and have determined what foods exacerbate any symptoms (such as this random rash on my shin). I've cut wheat (gluten) and dairy out almost 100% and try to reduce my sugar cravings as much as possible. I don't eat sliced bread or pasta unless its a veggie type pasta like zucchini. I've recently been drinking Shakeology and that has curbed my cravings significantly. But the big ticket that I absolutely noticed changing my daily bloating, pain and indigestion was this: Every single morning before I drink coffee or eat I drink warm or hot water with fresh ginger, fresh lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. The days that I don't do this I regret it. If I happen to get gluten or dairy from something processed into my body and I haven't had my Elixir as I call it, I have bad digestion, bloating and gas, but if I drink it then the effects of those foods which I seemingly cannot tolerate, it actually makes it easier to digest. I went to see a gynecologist in April of 2018 because I thought my gut pain could be endometriosis or something to do with my ovaries but he quickly told me I am healthy physically but because I broke down and cried in his office he said I was probably under a lot of stress and recommended a therapist who I actually still see to this day. But the pain continued so I went to a family dr first and he asked me lots of questions and ordered blood tests. He also said it sounds like IBS which to me is an umbrella term for almost every known gut issue (aka he didn't know yet which). After several tests and ultrasounds I am still waiting for more specific results and answers but since I've decided to take a really proactive approach to my own health and incorporated my Elixir, I haven't been experiencing any pain and my bloating is non-existent (on days that I avoid dairy and gluten). Plus the next round of tests involve stool samples and colonoscopy which I am not looking forward to.
Could your gut be in trouble?
Here's a quick checklist:
Acid reflux
Constipation
Diarrhea
Gut pain
Bloating
Depression
Anxiety
Diabetes
Brain fog
New food intolerances
See a doctor but they will not be able to pinpoint it right away so you have to be proactive and take care of your self, yourself.
Love and Light my Friends
Juliette Ries
Some more reading you might find interesting:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4939913/
The Mind Gut Connection by Dr. Emeran Mayer
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4939913/