Gapsdiet.Com Faqs
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GAPSdiet.com FAQs Please find below GAPS questions that are not addressed in the GAPS book. Each month new questions are answered by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride and posted below. Questions may be submitted to [email protected]. Only general GAPS questions, not specific to individual medical concerns/conditions will be considered. Please contact a Certified GAPS Practitioner if you have a personal health question or concern. Please do not submit a question before reading the GAPS book. No questions will be answered that are addressed in Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. Please note that the answers provided below are the opinion of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. CATEGORIES Most Recently Added FAQs Addictions Adrenals Aloe Vera Anti-nutrients Autoimmune Bacteria, Candida, & Fungus Biofilms Blood Pressure & Heart Rate Cancer Children Cholesterol Constipation, Diarrhea, Stool Issues Cooking, Preparation, Ingredients & Miscellaneous Foods Cystitis Detoxing, Die-off, & Other Symptoms Diabetes, Insulin, & Leptin EMFs Enemas Eyes Fermented Foods & Drinks Food Intolerance & Sensitivities Fructose Malabsorption Gas/Flatulence Gout Hair, Skin, & Nails Headache & Migraines Hernia Heart Disease 1 www.GAPSdiet.com These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is opinion and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Homeopathic Illness & Medications Insomnia Introduction Diet Juicing Ketosis Kidneys Liver & Gallbladder Lyme Disease Nausea & Vomiting Nutrition Parasites & Worms Pregnancy & Nursing Restless Leg Syndrome SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) Supplements Teeth Testing Thyroid Urinary Problems Vertigo Vitamins & Minerals Warts Water Weight Women Issues & Hormones Miscellaneous/Other MOST RECENTLY ADDED FAQS I have lipedema. I wondered if you have any knowledge of this condition and do you have any recommendations? Lipoedema or lipedema is an inflammatory condition which involves growth of fat cells and damage to the lymphatic system. It happens in women only and abnormal balance in female hormones is involved in the process. The condition can happen both in overweight and underweight women, as well as in women with normal weight. The fat tissue is a place where the body normally stores toxins. Accumulating toxins trigger inflammation; that is why in many sufferers the fat tissue is painful. In my book on heart disease (Put your heart in your mouth. What really causes heart disease and what we can do to prevent and even reverse it.) I explain the metabolic syndrome, which is very common today due to the way people eat. In this situation the person’s body is in a pro- inflammatory state. So, the inflammation in the fat cells cannot stop, it becomes chronic. There is a tight relationship between our lymphatic system and the fat tissues in the body; fatty tissues 2 www.GAPSdiet.com These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is opinion and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. have a rich network of lymph vessels, and a constant exchange of active molecules happens between the two. Chronic inflammation in the fat tissues involves the lymphatic system making it sluggish and inefficient. As a result the fat tissue accumulates large amounts of water causing the characteristic lumpy appearance of the legs, arms or thighs. GAPS Nutritional Protocol removes the basis for metabolic syndrome, so the body stops being in a pro-inflammatory state. At the same time it removes many toxins and strengthens the lymphatic system. The hormones in the body get back into proper balance and start functioning normally. In order to recover from this condition I would try the GAPS Nutritional Protocol. Depending on your digestive symptoms and your life style you may want to start from the Full GAPS Diet, because it is easier to implement. In about 6 months of following the Full Diet try to do a period of the GAPS Introduction Diet and then move back into the Full GAPS Diet. It is essential to change your life style in order to stop toxins coming into your body, and to start removing toxicity out of your body. It is a good idea to work with a Certified GAPS Practitioner to get ongoing support and guidance through the programme. Are you familiar with achalasia and any specific recommendations after surgery? Supplements seem to make the heartburn worse. Achalasia is a problem of the lower part of the oesophagus when it closes up and the person cannot swallow the food. Initially it happens occasionally during a meal. So, the person has to stop eating and wait for an hour or longer for the spasm of the lower oesophagus to subside, and then they can eat again. During the episode even saliva cannot be swallowed and the person has an achy pain in the middle of the chest. After some months or years of episodic symptoms the problem can become chronic. At that stage degenerative and sclerotic changes start happening in the wall of the oesophagus and it can become permanently semi-closed, so swallowing becomes difficult all the time. The lower part of the oesophagus gets stretched by accumulating food, fermentation develops there and the person suffers from reflux and periodic vomiting. Usually episodes of achalasia are triggered by chemicals in foods. Liquid smoke is particularly known to cause this (when we eat smoked fish or meats, or use barbecue sauce and other smoky- flavoured things). Unfortunately this chemical is rapidly replacing the traditional way of smoking, using wood smoke, and it is often difficult to distinguish how a particular smoked food was prepared. The traditionally smoked foods usually don’t cause this reaction. Other chemicals in foods can cause achalasia, so all processed foods can be a culprit. People who have amalgam fillings in their teeth often develop this problem; the mercury from the fillings accumulates in the lower parts of the oesophagus and causes achalasia and other problems in the area. Chemicals invite growth of pathogenic microbes on the wall of the oesophagus, most commonly yeast/candida. Inflammation sets in and autoimmunity develops. Very often these people are diagnosed with GERD, eosinophillic oesophagitis, reflux, indigestion and other related conditions. 3 www.GAPSdiet.com These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is opinion and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Various muscle-relaxing drugs and surgery are used for achalasia, which can provide relief but often do not deal with the cause of the problem. In order to deal with the cause we need to remove toxins, re-establish normal microbial flora on the walls of the oesophagus and heal the whole area. GAPS Nutritional Protocol will do that. It is important to follow the Introduction Diet at some point; you may want to start from the Full GAPS Diet, but in a few months attempt the Introduction Diet. Juicing and using GAPS milkshakes is important. Chlorella, diatomaceous earth and zeolite should be used at some point to remove toxins. Just make sure that enough healing has happened in the walls of the oesophagus, so it is ready for these supplements. Probiotics are important to have for quite a few years in the form of fermented foods and supplements (make sure that you open the capsule of the probiotic and mix the content with water, so when you drink it the good bacteria can settle on the walls of your gullet). The treatment may take a few years to really heal your oesophagus. Achalasia is a chronic serious condition, so you have to give it time. I have recently developed a deep vein blood clot and been prescribed an anticoagulant (wafarin). Do you know what impact these drugs will have on my GI tract and if there is anything I can do with the GAPS system to help, while on the drugs, and after the clot is gone, to help my system? Like any drug, which has to be taken for a prolonged period of time, wafarin can cause a lot of side effects, including damage to the digestive system. Diarrhoea, symptoms of damage to pancreas and liver can happen and bleeding in the GI tract. It is a good idea to stay on the GAPS Diet while taking any long-term medication. If you get diarrhoea or/and black stools (usually means bleeding in the digestive system somewhere) or see blood in your stool, then stay on the 1-2 stages of the GAPS Introduction Diet until these symptoms are fully gone (and speak to your doctor about removing wafarin). Supplementing fish oils will accomplish what wafarin is usually prescribed for, and much more. Fish oil will improve your blood flow and reduce any danger of clot formation, as they work as natural anticoagulants. It is a known fact in the mainstream medicine; that is why doctors tell you not to take fish oils while on wafarin treatment. It is up to you what you want to choose to take. If you want to add fish oils while taking wafarin, start gradually from a small dose. As you increase the dose of fish oils you can gradually reduce the dose of wafarin (and maybe even remove it altogether). On a recent GI stool test the markers for Chymotrypsin were abnormally low (3 where ‘abnormally low’ is less than 4). The results stated ‘chymotrypsin is a marker enzyme for pancreatic exocrine output. A low chymotrypsin value is suggestive of poor pancreatic output of all enzymes. Is there anything special to help the pancreas work properly? I have been on the program for 18 months. You can take some digestive enzymes with your meals and between meals.