Is your metabolism sick: 9 ways you may be hurting your metabolism

1.Weight

Let’s start with the low hanging fruit. Research in the 90’s determined that the overwhelming majority of women— 89%—want to lose weight and 3% wanted to gain weight. In contrast, 22% of the men who were dissatisfied with their weight wanted to gain weight. Today Americans are eating more calories than we ever did in the past. More importantly refined sugars and flour make up the larger part of the pie when compared to whole foods i.e. vegetables, fruits, meat, poultry, seafood.

The average woman in the US today weighs 168 pounds. This is approximately the same as an average man in the 1960’s (CDC). Men are up 30 pounds and 20% of children are obese.

As a nation we are addicted to convenient, hyper-palatable large portioned options and it is taking its toll in more ways than one. The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver, diabetes, obesity and cancer move in lockstep with a dysfunctional metabolism. It would be an understatement to say Americans are confused about food choices. Most are perplexed and making personal choices that provide the knockout punch to a struggling metabolism.

2.Overeating

Yes, food choice matters! Deciding to have repeat bagels or cereal instead of eggs and avocado or a shake with healthy fats and protein for breakfast negatively affects your liver and blood sugar. The effects may be less dramatic for some (those with a healthy weight and insulin sensitivity) and accelerate the negative effects for those that are overweight or prediabetic. A perpetual cycle of overeating chokes the liver and creates the perfect environment for systemic inflammation, high triglycerides (TAGs), elevated LDL- particle number, leptin resistance, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance.

Having a clogged liver is serious business. The liver is responsible for detoxifying the body. In today’s world it is under constant assault from toxicants. In addition to the liver’s detox duties it plays a large role in the conversion of fuel to energy. An overloaded liver creates a slow metabolism. Even worse it fails to recognize insulin signaling and continues to unload sugar into the blood stream. When your liver is struggling and you consume a high carb meal it is estimated that 80% of the sugar in the blood stream has its origin in the liver and not a spike from recently consumed food.

If your liver is clogged it may continue down four stages of disease progression:

NAFL - nonalcoholic fatty liver

NASH - nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Fibrosis - inflammation causes scar tissue

Cirrhosis - function impaired and can be life threatening

Eat the standard American diet for 5 years and chances are you may fit the criteria for Metabolic syndrome (MetS). MetS comes with a host of risk factors including cardiovascular risk. Click here to read more about the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Abusing stimulants such as caffeine can disconnect you from your natural circadian rhythm and disrupt cortisol patterns. Some people are better at metabolizing caffeine than others. Alcohol in excess can hijack restorative sleep and boost cortisol as well. Everyone is different and women typically produce less alcohol dehydrogenase that breaks down ethanol into acetaldehyde. If you have heard of alcohol flush this is due to accumulation of acetaldehyde and deficiency in aldehyde dehydrogenase 2. The point is you are taxing your metabolic resources.

3.Gut problems

If you are having gut issues, with intestinal symptoms or not, your metabolism and hormonal health may suffer. The renewed interest in our microbiome is a breath of fresh air. The microbes that inhabit the human GI tract play a role in human health and disease. For a tube whose contents are actually outside the body it plays a role in nutrition, digestion, immune processes, the central nervous system and energy homeostasis.

The disruption of the microbiome-gut-brain axis has a wide array of implications. You may be familiar with the term “leaky gut”, irritable bowel syndrome, metabolic endotoxemia or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Those that have intestinal permeability or a leaky gut may develop food intolerance and fat loss resistance. Give the book Wheat Belly or The Plant Paradox a read if you want to learn more. For those that want the deep dive check out The Mind-Gut Connection.

When the microbiome is restored to a healthy set-point it trains and regulates our immune system. It keeps gut inflammation at manageable levels, limits pathogenic growth, helps prevent allergies, reduces gas and has anti-tumor properties. You may not be aware that 20-25% of T4 is converted to T3 (active thyroid hormone) in the gut.

What can disrupt the gut:

Medications (PPI’s, antibiotics, Birth control, corticosteroids)

Wheat/gluten/lectins

Alcohol and high sugar intake

Parasites and infection

Low stomach acid

Poor intestinal motility

Sleep and Stress

4.Stress and sleep debt

When we are stressed our brain knows. Specifically the HPA axis (hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenals) is busy preparing the body to adapt to the four types of stress:

• Perceived stress e.g.mental/emotional and anxiety and depression)

• Inflammatory signals e.g. GI, allergies or cardiovascular signals

• Glycemic dysregulation e.g.insulin resistance and obesity

• Circadian disruption e.g sleep issues (pain/apnea) or light dark disruption

When we experience stress that lasts for weeks and months chronic levels of high cortisol are stuck in the redline position. There is evidence that chronic stress changes food preferences and leads to insulin resistance. Some researchers have found that people with sleep disturbances, high stress, depressed mood and anxiety are strong predictors of low back pain.

A good night’s sleep will improve glucose metabolism, boost growth hormone secretion, and help normalize and help regulate cortisol levels. Because cortisol is released in a rhythmic fashion it’s not uncommon to see dysfunctional 24 hour cortisol patterns. This can contribute to fatigue throughout the day and difficulty sleeping in the evening. For example if a person has a disrupted cortisol rhythm but otherwise normal cortisol production symptoms may include fatigue, sleep disturbances, and higher perceived stress.

5.Excess Inflammation

Inflammation is a normal response to injury. We rely on inflammation to signal the immune system for cell injury and repair or defend us against bacterial or viral infections. When inflammation becomes chronic - metabolic disease begins to take hold.

Inflammation may be the most important mechanism driving “diabesity” (the one-two punch of diabetes and obesity). Elevated inflammatory markers are predictive of weight gain and insulin resistance. Those with higher levels of inflammatory cytokines and liver inflammation have an increased risk for diabetes. Inflammation of the brain leads to leptin resistance. Women suffering from endometriosis may be surprised to learn that it is best defined as an inflammatory disease. Are you beginning to see why we want to minimize nonessential levels of inflammation?

Food allergies are quite different than food intolerances. Many Americans have food intolerances and unknowingly consume these foods. For example men and women respond differently to grains when it comes metabolic dysregulation. Some may be completely free of intestinal issues while other exhibit a constellation of symptoms such as a thick waist, abnormal cholesterol, high blood pressure, and or problems with blood glucose. Because you need special enzymes to break down gluten, a protein found in wheat and grains, some researchers think that up to 80% of the population lack the necessary enzymes to properly digest gluten. Dairy sensitivity is also common however it seem more problematic when patients have a leaky gut, dysbiosis and consume low-fat non organic dairy products.

In the 90’s we were told to eat more grains and cut the fat. According to the CDC the diagnosis of diabetes has tripled. Even more concerning is the increasing trend in autoimmune disease in general. This includes Hashimoto’s/ Graves disease, Sjogren’s, irritable bowel disease (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis , lupus and celiac’s disease. The unsettling truth is that these autoimmune diseases are on the rise and in some cases are 2-3 times more common than a few decades ago. Experts believe that symptoms of autoimmune disease may be prevented by re-establishing intestinal barrier function.

An improper diet can lead to increased levels of inflammation. This includes diets low in calories i.e. 40% or greater caloric deficits over a 6 week period. Diets that lack comprehensive nutrient profiles such as veganism, fruitarian or vegetarianism are at higher risk of elevated inflammation in the long term.

6.Too much or too little exercise

Regaining metabolic flexibility is directly tied to your diet. Too much exercise, with a sluggish metabolism, is a big stressor. This is especially true if your performing long workouts on a low calorie diet. However, the right amount of exercise can provide some amazing benefits including increased insulin sensitivity, fuel expenditure, muscle health, glycogen production and mitochondrial health. If you are too sedentary and maintain a poor diet your muscles atrophy and you body composition will creep to higher fat and lower % of lean muscle. When that happens your resting metabolism slows down.

It’s very important that you sort out your “chemistry” before exercise is able help you in maintaining a healthy weight. Don’t forget your liver has to process all the calories and fuel you burn up during exercise.

7.Hormone imbalance

Whether you have adrenal fatigue, more correctly referred to as HPA axis dysregulation, excess estrogen, low testosterone, PCOS or diabetes it alters your metabolic machinery. That new metabolism you’re fighting for through diet and lifestyle changes will seem recalcitrant.

Books are written on this topic so let’s touch on the thyroid since it’s a major player in regulating your metabolism, and assuring good general health. Most people wrestling with weight need to address their relationship with grains. In addition to providing high amounts of calories they may lead to intestinal permeability and the body’s immune system attacking itself. For example, people with Hashimoto’s disease are usually put on thyroid hormones. Dr. Kresser uses an analogy of bailing water.

People with low thyroid may need thyroid hormone as a necessary part of the treatment. But unless the immune dysregulation is addressed (plugging the leaks), whoever is in that boat will be fighting a losing battle to keep it from sinking. Meanwhile, that person will struggle with weight loss resistance.

8.Ignoring key body measurements

Time to move away from BMI as it’s not as predictive as other measurements. Waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist-to-stature ratio have larger effects on increased CVD risk compared with body mass index (BMI).

For most of us we get an up close look of our bodies in the shower and when we are dressing. Measurements looking at central obesity, fat deposits in the abdomen, and around the viscera organs are better independent predictors of cardiovascular disease, fatty liver and diabetes.

9.Not testing basic biomarkers

Looking at the blood is an imperfect proxy, but it is one of the better ways to see whats going on under the metabolic hood. Below is a list of biomarkers that I would recommend for a baseline functional medicine workup.

CBC with differential

CMP (includes liver enzymes)

Fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin and HgA1C

Homocysteine

NMR lipoprofile

Full thyroid panel ( TSH , T4 reverse T3, w/Antibodies)

Perhaps a Urinary DPD (assesses bone resorption rates)

Earlier in the article I mentioned Metabolic syndrome or MetS. So what is MetS? The criteria have changed over the years, but here is the general consensus.

ANY three of the 5 Criteria below:

• Obesity -- Waist circumference >40 inches for male and >35 inches for females

• Hyperglycemia -- Fasting glucose ≥ 100 mg/dl or pharmacologic treatment

• Dyslipidemia – Trigylcerides ≥ 150 mg/dl or pharmacologic treatment

• Dyslipidemia (separate criteria) – HDL cholesterol < 40md/dl male, < 50 mg/dl females; or pharmacologic treatment

• Hypertension -- >130 mmHg systolic or > 85 diastolic or pharmacologic treatment.

*Note: LDL particle (LDL-P) number appears to be the most accurate marker for predicting metabolic syndrome. How do you test LDL-P. A test called NMR lipoprofile.

If you have questions regarding any of the topics covered in this article email them to nick@spineandjointoc.com

Soft Tissue Work and Healing

Sometimes people’s muscles hurt. Research estimates that massage therapy was a $16 billion dollar industry in 2017. If you have spent any time in a gym or physical therapy office you have probably seen an increase in foam rollers, massage guns like the Hyperice, “The stick”, Thera Cane, fascia blaster, PSO-RITE Psoas Release Tool and Personal Massager and the list goes on. Muscles hurt for a number of reasons such as joint misalignment, tension, stress, overuse, minor injuries, and nerve dysfunction.

Your body is made up of cells. Together those cells make tissues. Tissues make up organs and organs make up entire systems such as the digestive system or musculoskeletal system. Some cells are specifically programmed to help the body heal from trauma. These are known as stem cells. You have probably heard about stem cell injections as they continue gain more attention.

Trauma leads to:

1. Structural damage (disc herniation or muscle sprain/strain)

2. Inhibits normal circulation to that area

3. Triggers inflammation

Stem cells may respond to trauma and come out of an inactive state. They have the ability to move towards sites of injury and differentiate (change in order to carry out a specific function) into cells required for healing. This means they can become bone cells (osteocytes), chondrocytes (connective tissue), muscle cells (myelocytes) and fat cells (adipocytes).

So where do stem cells live? To name a few sites, they reside throughout the body in brain tissue, muscle tissue, fat tissue, and in a baby’s umbilical cord.

There are 4 main approaches to healing a musculoskeletal injury.

1. Eat nutrient dense foods and remove toxins (processed carbs and medications)

2. Adequate rest to avoid further injury followed by gradual exposure to activity aka “corrective care,” and other stress that create positive adaptations (i.e. sauna, fasting, and supplementation)

3. Correct structural misalignments with specific adjustments and rewire poor movement patterns. This will restore balance to the nervous system that plays a key role in healing through control of the neuroimmune system.

4. Help accelerate the body’s ability to heal by working on the soft tissue (muscles, ligaments, fascia)

I’m not going to expand on number 1 & 2 in this article. However, number 3 should be in a chiropractor’s wheelhouse. To correct a misalignment a specific adjustment should be used. Gross manipulation and a cookie cutter approach fall short in my opinion. Let me give you an example of a specific patient. We’ll call him Mike. Mike plays collegiate baseball. In the last few years he’s torn his quadriceps and his opposite leg’s hamstring. He has worked with the team PT, massage therapist and even a practitioner specializing in myofascial release.

Mike continues to play and his schedule is rigorous. The pain is becoming more frequent and increasing in intensity especially with throwing and hitting.

After evaluating Mike it became pretty obvious what was wrong. He presented with muscle asymmetries in his low back, significant pelvic distortion (rotated and un-level), specific areas tender to palpation, and his non-painful side was severely restricted. His painful side was picking up the slack and overworked. Had Mike decided to continue to play, rely solely on physical therapy and soft tissue treatments without specifically correcting the joint issue - my sense is that he would continue to play injured and below his potential.

Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IAST).

Let’s dive a little deeper into number 4. Using the ceramic spoon is known as instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IAST). The instrument is run along the skin, subcutaneous tissue, fascia, muscles and ligaments. This is essentially trauma indicated by bruising (e.g. petechiae) that initiates a cellular inflammatory response.

I’d theorize that the “scraping” may be manipulating the local native stem cells populations at the site of treatment. That said, the literature does not support the theory that you are breaking up scar tissue and I agree with the evidence. This reminds me of a quote:

“If you’re not prepared to be wrong you will never come up with anything original.”

The treatment rationale varies as does the type of tool, force, and application used by the practitioner.

Despite the variations in treatment the general premise is to

• decrease pain,

• enhance myofascial mobility aka connective tissue

• stimulate tissue resorption,

• induce regeneration and repair.

New studies are being published to assess the efficacy and how stem cells work in a clinical setting both in the body and in vitro (outside a living organism)

While we don’t always have perfect information scientists have made great strides understanding how the body works.

How to Avoid Spine Pain: Lessons From a Plane Crash

In 1972 an airplane carrying 163 passengers crashed into the everglades. This was a scheduled flight from NYC to Miami. The flight was routine until it began its approach into Miami. Shortly after lowering its landing gear the entire crew in the cockpit became preoccupied on an indicator light.

Normally this light lit up green signaling that the nose landing gear was locked down. It turns out that tiny indicator light only appeared to be off as the bulb was burnt-out. This created a diversion and the crew failed to notice that the autopilot had been inadvertently disconnected, resulting in a loss of altitude and a deadly crash.

Upon review the National Transportation Safety board cited the cause of the crash as “pilot error.” The crew was distracted by the landing gear light and failed to monitor critical instruments tracking their altitude.

By no means am I attempting to make light of this particular story. Instead, the story provides an essential lesson. This was a situation where the big picture was eclipsed by the hyper focus on the indicator light.

Patients will ask what causes joint misalignments, muscle pain and loss of range of motion.

Sometimes there is a simple answer, but most of the time it’s hard to boil it down to one specific cause. Unlike flight 401, the underlying cause of musculoskeletal pain is due to the inverse mistake:

relying on autopilot and not responding to the distress signals.

The demands we put on the musculoskeletal system are unbelievable. From the moment we wake up we are bombarding the system with information and postural requests. We begin to create movement habits to conserve the drain on cognitive energy.

The day begins

Negotiate a safe departure from the bed, shower, cook breakfast, dress the kids, empty the dishwasher, commute to work, sit for 6- 8 hours, back in the car, stop at the gym, take out the recycling, load laundry/fold laundry. I’ll leave out the most of the minutia. Whether you’re standing cock-eyed brushing your teeth or flexing over to tidy up some toys off the floor your muscle and joints are at work. Together the joint, muscles and connective tissue function as kinetic architecture. These movement patterns exist as kinetic images in the brain and make up an individual’s “autopilot coding.”

Eventually, through thousand of iterations, we establish a fixed set of movement patterns. We don’t think much about these patterns and in many ways we rely on this internal autopilot.

Over time a constellation of signs and symptoms emerge. Some examples include:

• Flexing from the torso,

• Slouching while driving

• Loss of trunk rotation

• Lack of hip mobility and independent movement from lumbar spine

• Preference towards forward head posture

• Rocking your pelvis back (posterior tilt) while sitting

• Rock your pelvis forward when standing

• Decrease in sacral flexion and extension

• Prolonged static positions where hips and shoulders are not squared up

• Walking using the lower legs as the primary movers

• Disengaging the core

When looking at the big picture we need take into account load and capacity. Capacity is the ability to do work and the load is the work you do. In all living organisms there is a relationship between structures. The postural problems mentioned above leave you susceptible to tissue damage. The paradox is that pain does not move in lockstep with tissue damage. By the time you are experiencing pain, (absent acute trauma such as rolling your ankle) injury has set in and your body is struggling to meet hose demands

What’s happening from a physiologic standpoint is a cycle of damage, inflammation, and compensation. Diet, sleep, gut health, weight, and immune function add complexity to the cycle of pain and healing, but we’ll save that for another post.

Overuse results from cumulative stress on the muscle, bone, tendon or bursa. This may lead to partial tears, joint instability, and promote non-anatomic joint position.

Periodically it’s beneficial to manually restore awareness and filter out poor mechanical patterns. In an effort to keep the muscles limber and joints healthy we have to rewrite some of the automatic patterns and inadequate muscle coordination.

If left unchecked these postural distortions will become harder to reverse and escalate through every day activities. I would encourage you to cultivate better sensory awareness and connect back to deliberate bodily movement.

This can be done through training conscious movement, adopting spine care, integrating breath and movement, and exercises that activate, strengthen, and balance.

Is Your Liver Happy

Here we are a month into 2019 and what we knew about health last year remains pretty much the same.  For the large majority of people we find a “health lane” and stick to it. For one person that may look like high-activity levels 5-6 days of “training” per week, a Whole 30 eating protocol, 5-day work week at the office, and the occasional cocktail outing with friends. On the other end of the spectrum person “x” eats mostly vegetarian, engages in yoga once a week, prefers snuggling with their cat, and enjoys church activities.  

People tend to find their comfort zone and begin habit building from a young age. In many cases adopting practices and ideas from their parents and peer groups. Cue the “my mom and dad had this or that issue, must be my genetic cards,”

However we choose to behave it is altering our bodies and physiology at a cellular level. In some ways, and much like our current healthcare system, these behaviors feel uncoupled from our health trajectories. This is because while some activities (injuries, sleep, caloric consumption, food choice, activity levels etc.) have short-term effects the long-term patterns result in ramifications that trickle out over 5 -20 years before we realize their full effect. Often times it’s very difficult to rule out early stage pathology or disease barring an invasive diagnostic test.

Overtime the body gives back, adapts, based on what has been required of it. As a student of the musculoskeletal system the research is quite clear when it comes to how quickly the neuromuscular complex can refashion itself. The Center for Healthy Aging and the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen concluded that it takes two weeks for a young person not using a leg to lose 1/3 of their muscle strength and mass leaving them on par with a person who is 40-50 years their senior.  

Inactivity does not discriminate and affects both young and old. What is more interesting is that after 2 weeks of immobilization participants cycle trained 3-4 times per week for six weeks. This was not enough for them to regain their muscle strength unless they included weight training.

This example demonstrates how quickly the body adapts to inactivity and results in rapid muscle loss.  The real kicker is that it will take you three times the amount of time to regain the lost muscle mass.

 Let’s look at a few examples of disease that require a period of 10-20 years before the disease has fully developed and spill over into other organ systems.  Most people don’t realize that cirrhosis of the liver and the deposition of connective tissue (scarring and fibrosis) requires about 80 grams of ethanol daily for 10- 20 years.  For those wondering what’s 80 grams - there is roughly 14 grams of ethanol in a 12 oz beer.  

More importantly, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD parallels that of obesity and has steadily risen over the last 30 years. NAFLD is projected to become the leading cause of liver related morbidity and mortality within 20 years and a leading indication for liver transplantation in the next few years.

Some researchers are calling diabetes a disease of the liver first. The liver is an important organ especially for energy metabolism and storage. The development of Type 2 Diabetes takes around 5-10 years in adults and can take much less time in children. These are 2 examples of long-term metabolic disorders. Atherosclerosis (think plaque and eventual heart attack) would be another example of inter-related long term metabolic stress that leads to maladaptive changes to an individual’s physiology.

Nutrition in the broader context of caloric intake

If you overload the system with continued doses of  “fuel” whether alcoholic beverages, sugar, or fat/protein for that matter, eventually the body will be unable to effectively process, detoxify and utilize these energy sources. A fatty liver is a signal that it is unable to burn fuel appropriately. A healthy liver ranges from 1-3 % fat and once it is at 5% normal function is on the line.

Judging by the statistics, if you’re an American, chances are you may stand to shed a few pounds. This tradeoff, excessive pounds for improved function, will increase your overall health and longevity. I’ve heard firsthand from patients, friends and family how difficult it can be to shed some weight and how to track progress when the scale seems to stall. Even exercise has its limits if your liver is struggling. Exercise is not a game changer for healthy weight loss as much as it is for maintaining a healthy weight. 

Most of us aren’t having routine blood work that looks at our liver enzymes, and even if you are by the time they are elevated your liver has been under insult for a while. The only way to rule out fatty liver is with a biopsy. Dr. Alan Christianson shares an interesting statistic: in situations where healthy individuals are undergoing testing to provide liver tissue donation 40.2% were found to have fatty liver disease. These are individuals with otherwise healthy blood markers.

Height to waist ratio

How do I know if my liver is strained or how it is handling the cumulative energy load? One of the most important metrics is your waist circumference. Your waist should be less than ½ your height. If it’s larger you may be more likely to have higher triglycerides, lower HDL cholesterol, higher LDL particle size, elevated inflammatory markers, elevated blood pressure, and higher fasting glucose.

If you want to quantify your risk of fatty liver disease Dr. Christianson has a built a calculator (because, as we know, short of a biopsy every other marker is inherently imperfect).

Fatty Liver Index

All you need are some results and some measurements:

The measurements you need:

• Weight in pounds

• Height in inches

• Waist circumference in inches

The blood test results you will need:

• Fasting triglycerides

• Fasting GGT

Unlike your car, your liver doesn’t want to be “topped off” at every meal.  Whenever we eat above and beyond our basal fuel requirements metabolic processes result in elevated free radicals and inflammatory compounds. Energy production is a “dirty process” metabolically speaking and requires the liver to run it’s detoxification pathways.

 Trust me, the body is not trying to carry trapped fat around our midsection. If you give the liver no choice and subject it to fuel overload this will result in high density fat storage, high blood glucose aka pre-diabetes/diabetes type 2, suppressed metabolism, and increased levels of pro-inflammatory adipokines.

In addition to eating nutrient dense meats, dairy, fruits and vegetables, do I take any evidence-based supplements for liver health?

Liver specific support

• N- Acetyl-L - Cysteine: can raise the liver’s protective glutathione

• Milk thistle: shown to protect liver cells and safeguard it from cell death

•  Alpha lipoic acid, Taurine, and Betaine Anhydrous  

• Dandelion tea to enhance bowel secretion and liver function

Health care solutions when you have decided to stop chasing symptoms.

As a Functional Medicine nutritionist, I think like a detective to help my clients understand the "why" behind their "what" (the diagnosis). Sometimes, the "why" can be revealed in a simple conversation; more often, more investigation is needed (various types of functional testing and lab work).

The following is an example of one hunt for the root cause of a client's problem. It was a simple conversation over dinner. Amy showed me the dry itchy patches on her hands, which I recognized as eczema, the "what" or diagnosis. To really help Amy and keep her away from the stereo typical treatment with cortisone cream, I now needed to know the "why."

Me: How long have you had the itchy dry spots?

Amy: A couple of months

Me: Are you prone to UTI’s or yeast infections?

Amy: I had my first yeast infection a month ago.

My thoughts are that two things are happening within a month of each other, both possibly stemming from gut imbalances.

Me: Have you had a round of antibiotics within the last 6 months?

Amy: No

Me: Are you taking birth control pills?

Amy: Yes

Me: For how long?

Amy: 3 months

BINGO! Birth control pills are notorious for altering gut bacteria. We’d found the smoking gun, the "why."

I already knew that Amy had a history of chronic constipation as well as acne. Before starting the pill, she likely had bacterial imbalances and the BC pills triggered the eczema, which always has its origin in the gut.

Since she wasn’t ready to stop the birth control pills, the best path was to find ways to support her gut flora so that together, her acne, constipation, yeast and eczema would subside.

I recommended cutting out all dairy and adding probiotics and non-dairy fermented foods. For further support, I suggested 50 mg B6, in the absorbable form of pyridoxal -5- phosphate as BC pills deplete B6 (a vitamin that influences energy, metabolism and the formation of neurotransmitters, influencing sleep, anxiety and depression). Lastly, I recommended vitamin D to help modulate the immune system.

If these steps do not give us the results we expect to see within a couple months, I’ll recommend a stool test to determine the function of her digestion and to rule out any parasites or pathogenic bacteria.

Instead of giving Amy steroids indefinitely to control her eczema, the conventional method of treating eczema, we’re taking steps to heal her by identifying and treating the root cause.

To read more about gut health and bacteria click here. https://alivingbalance.net/2015/05/invitation-to-a-digestion-party/

Written by: Cindy Dupuie, CN

Edited by: Vicki Ronaldson

www.alivingbalance.net