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STEP BY STEP HEALING GUIDE (Part One)
Step by Step Guide to Healing Naturally
Chances are, if you suffer from a chronic illness you’ve googled everything you can find out about it and how to best live with it and treat it naturally. Most of the time the endless amount of information is so overwhelming you don’t know where to begin or how to go about implementing it.
After receiving the question, “Do you have a step by step guide on how to heal” quite a few times – I decided to write a simple instruction on how best to accomplish this. It takes dedication and sacrifice but it’ll be well worth the effort in the long run.
The best way to tackle it is not necessarily by one huge change; but in small, manageable changes. However the faster you can implement them all, the faster your road to healing can begin.
STEP ONE: Reduce Histamine Load/DETOX
Food
Products/Toilettries
This is single handedly the most important step of them all. You’ll want to cut out all the guilty foods/products that you’re reacting too and making you ill. The best way to start out the healing process is to eliminate all:
Dairy
Gluten (Bread, pasta, cereals, wheat flour, couscous, barley, rye, bulgur, seitan, gluten added oats) You want dedicated gluten free oats.
Salt (over 2000mg) Can increase water weight, heighten blood pressure etc
Sugar (all refined sugars and artificial sugars are damaging and promote inflammation; including white, agave, aspartame etc) Use honey if not allergic or stevia- but keep it light.
Soy (all soy in the US is GMO and known to create inflammation)
Nuts
Nightshades (peppers, tomatoes, potatoes) as these have different PH.
Vinegar
Lectins (plant protiens that promote inflammation –like gluten, starchy rice, quinoa, corn etc)
Plant oils (corn, vegetable, safflower soybean, sunflower). You’ll want to use Olive oil or coconut oil as these are both soothing and healing to your gut. (**unless you have allergy to it)
Processed Meats (free of Nitrates and Nitrites. Cold cuts, deli meats, bacon, hot dogs etc) If still eating meat, use fresh grass fed and/or uncured meat free of harmful nitrates and nitrites
Alcohol
Histamine dramatically rises in meat during the cooking process and continues to rise long after the cooking stage and only refridgeration will stop the increase.You want to be sure to get FRESH, GRASS FED meat and cook it right away. Either plan so that you have no leftovers or family members will eat them, as leftover meat can be harmful to mast cell sufferers or those with histamine intolerance.
You want to make sure you get a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and make sure your diet consists mainly of fruits and vegetables. Try making smoothies, fruit breakfast bowls etc.
The best fruits I’ve found tend to be the root vegetables, squashes (like zucchini, acorn, spaghetti squash, butternut etc). However due to everyone’s unique biochemistry, eat as many vegetable varieties as you can tolerate. Don’t be afraid to try to some new ones, as this will help increase the variety of nutrients and vitamins the body gets. Best fruits tend to be berries, however be careful with different fruits as some are mast cell liberators or lower DAO. Use caution with citrus fruits and stone fruits as these can also create additional symptoms and further damage the gut.
I know it may seem like a lot and can be overwhelming to implement at first; however the foods listed above promote inflammation and contribute to the decline of gut health.
For some, this will be the only step needed to obtain optimum health again, and for others they’ll have to continue the steps to regain quality of life. However, even if you implement all other steps, the healing process can’t begin until you cut out the damaging foods.
You may want to follow a low histamine diet, the Dr Fuhrman diet, Healing Histamine diet, GAPS diet, vegetarian diet with slight changes to certain ingredients to accommodate your allergies and sensitivities. It may seem daunting at first, but you get much better at it with time.
PRODUCTS:
You want to get rid of toxic products that are filled with health damaging toxins. If you cant pronounce the ingredients or don’t know exactly what they are – chances are you want to get rid of it. During the daily routine for women and the products used; the toxins in different toiletries add up to approx. 186 different chemicals that are known to damage health. To get an idea of how damaging they can be you can look up your individual products on EWG.org. The products are individually rated based on toxicity and allergen.
Replace your toiletries with homemade organic soaps, shampoo bars, conditioners, hair products. These items can be found via Etsy, Amazon, or you local health food/herbal stores.
**NOTE: It takes time to for hair to adjust to natural hair care vs the chemically filled products you may be used to. Also you’ll need to switch to completely organic hair care as natural products with chemically processed hair don’t work well together. But don’t give up – its totally worth it in the long run.
Organic goats milk soap seems to work the best when trying to switch from chemical laden products to natural, or if in an extremely dry climate or have dry hair.
If you find yourself with chronic brain fog, acne (everywhere your hair sits), fuzzy or itchy eyes, swollen eye lids, and sinus pain- chances are you’re reacting to your makeup, lotions, perfume, and hair care. Trust me; your head and brain will thank you for it in the long run by switching to organic.
(I will be teaching how to make them all. However in the mean time you can get organic soaps, shampoo bars, conditioner bars on line or at your local health food/herbal store or online.)
Popular ones I use:
- Dr.Bronners soap (like lavender)
- Meyers Soap
- homemade goats milk soap/shampoo bars
- JR Liggetts shampoo bars
- honey silk conditioner bars
- homemade soaps using oils or castile soap
- Kiss My face olive oil soap
- Beauty and the Bees Tasmania Australia natural shampoo bars
The cool thing about this, is many of these soaps can be versatile. You can use oil soap bars, goats milk soap bars etc, as shampoo AND as a body soap. They’re much cheaper, healthier for you, and they last longer. The harder the soap, the longer it lasts.
Don’t be afraid of Lye in bar soaps/shampoos. Its in EVERY SINGLE bar soap – you can’t have bar soap without it, and it is completely saponized off in the cooking process, so there is none left after the soap is completed. It converts the oils into a solid form. (common names sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide)
Some other natural healthy items are:
Shea Moisture Hair Detangler/Hair spray (little to no scent),
Dr Bronners Hair Cream,
natural dish/hand soaps like Meyers and other plant based soaps are best.
When using lotions keep it simple like rosehip oil, coconut oil, olive oil etc. (I have some recipes on my site.) Its actually simpler than it seems and your body and skin will love you for it.
There are also organic makeups out there, but makeup can also be made pretty easily. Best part about it is you’re actually feeding your skin with healthy ingredients versus toxic surfectants, phthalates, parabens, glycols, SLS, etc.
Popular brands may be: (always look at ingredients to be sure no toxic chemicals FOR YOU)
-Pacifica
- 100% Pure Organic makeup (watch antioxidants if sensitive)
- Tarte makeup
- Organic Wear (Physicians Formula)
- Burts Bees (watch out for soy)
- Organic mineral wear makeup
- Zao makeup
- RMS beauty
When making your own products you can guarantee they’re safe for you, most ingredients are in your kitchen, and its actually kind of fun and makes you feel a little like a mad scientist.
Also don’t forget about your jewelry. Most people may have a nickel allergy and many pieces of jewelry have nickel in them. Even a lot of hypoallergenic jewelry can still have nickel in it. So if you’re having reactions to certain jewelry, chances are you are allergic to the nickel in it.
In recap – this step is absolutely the most important step of them all. For some this one step will be enough to start feeling far better. For others we may have to continue the other steps as well. However, it is important to note that you can complete every other step and if you don’t get rid of the damaging toxic foods/products you’ll always find yourself trying to play ‘catch up’ or walking on egg shells with your daily routine.
STEP TWO: Healing Your Gut
This is the next step to regaining your health.
For some reason, leaky gut isn’t widely recognized in the medical world.
Health damaging foods and lifestyle choices can all lead to a damaged gut and the American and European diet/lifestyle is rich in gut damaging ingredients. If you’re suffering from a chronic illness and have seen many doctors that can’t seem to figure out whats wrong; chances are you have a leaky gut. Leaky gut is suspected to be behind many chronic health issues, however we’re severly lacking in research and treatment.
So lets start with “What is Leaky Gut…”
Leaky gut, also known as increased intestinal permeability, is a digestive condition in which bacteria and toxins are able to "leak" through the intestinal wall.
Many of you may have noticed by now, that if the gut isn’t happy – NOTHING IS HAPPY. Kind of like “happy wife, happy life?” Well in this case: Happy Gut, Happy Body.
In fact, your gut and your immune system are very closely linked, and 70 to 80 percent of your immune tissue is situated in your digestive tract. Because our intestines are inside our bodies, most people don't realise that it forms a protective barrier between our bloodstream and the external world.
The small intestine is where the gastrointestinal associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) lives. The gut lining is a key barrier, much like the skin, that protects our blood stream from the external environment. The responsibility of the GALT is to target and kill off unwanted opportunistic organisms that make their way into the small intestine.
When the GALT gets overwhelmed, it results in high levels of inflammation in the gut that damage the intestinal lining. When the gut barrier opens and undigested food particles and microbes are able to get into the pristinely clean blood stream, the body launches a full scale attack on the foreign invaders causing an autoimmune response and increases the inflammatory response to protect against a systemic infection. This increased level of inflammation impacts other major organs and bodily regions.
So if you completed step one and are still having a hard time with gas, bloating, cramping, food coma, experience ‘food baby’, brain fog, continued sensitivities, more fatigued upon waking than when you went to bed; then chances are you have a leaky gut.
Many foods are damaging to the gut, gluten being the worst offender and most damaging. Other plant foods also contain proteins like casein, lectins (like gluten)- can cause more damage to the gut.
Other gut destroying factors are:
chronic stress
lack of sleep; can cause poor distribution of healthy gut bacteria
hormone imbalance
certain gut issues like SIBO, candida, celiac disease, Crohns
vitamin D deficiency
alcohol
strenuous exercise
medications; antibiotics, antacid, NSAIDS
Virus
smoking is a risk factor for several bowel conditions and may increase inflammation in the digestive track. Quitting smoking can help raise healthy bacteria in the gut and reduce harmful gut bacteria.
Excessive sugar inbalance (Dysbiosis)
Caffiene
Processed foods with artificial preservatives/food additives.
Food Allergies by continuing to eat foods you react too
Chronic acid/ Heart burn
Chronic Inflammation
Certain medical conditions (however its not understood if the leaky gut caused the condition or the condition caused leaky gut. There is an ongoing battle in that department)
The best methods to try and heal leaky gut:
The nice thing about this is that its versatile, so if one method doesn’t work for you, you can choose another.
There are quite a few methods to healing the gut, however if you suffer from a mast cell issue, or histamine intolerance you will have to take it slower and one step at a time. Taking on too much at one time can cause your system to “freak out” and create more symptoms versus healing them. So I tried to put together a method that is slow and methodical.
Take a probiotic supplement : probiotics contain beneficial bacteria that are naturally present in fermented foods. This alone can make a big difference in gut health. However if combating mast cell/histamine issues you’ll want to stick to a histamine reducing probiotic with DAO or take DAO separately.
I recommend:
Seeking Health ProBiota Bifido or ProBiota HistaminX,
DAO Ancestral Supplements Grass Fed Kidney.
Diet: changing your diet is single handedly the biggest step, and that’s why STEP ONE is so important. Without necessary dietary changes, healing this will be extremely difficult. Here are some simple steps to add to your diet. Switching to a GAPS diet, Dr Fuhrman recipes (Eat to Live) etc. is relatively easy. There are many recipes that you can adapt to get the most out of your healing.
-Incorporate grass fed Ghee: It is loaded with powerful gut supportive nutrients including fat soluable vitamins A, D, E, and K2. They also have omega 3 fatty acids and a small chain fatty acid called butyric acid that helps feed intestinal cells and reduces gut and whole body inflammation. Ghee is clarified butter in which all the lactose, casein, and whey are removed and it is just the fat solids that remain. Many individuals with leaky gut have sensitivities to lactose, casein and whey and so I only recommend ghee for these individuals and it is usually tolerated very well. You can also get coconut oil ghee.
- Beef Gelatin and/or Collagen Peptides: Gelatin and collagen are the main nutrients in bone broth and so they are rich in the key amino acids that help make up our joints, gut lining and skin. Using these products adds additional healthy protein to the diet and provides the key building blocks for these supportive structures in the body.
These are also considered beauty foods because they help to strengthen the skin tissue, reducing skin damage and wrinkle formation. In this way, they help to improve complexion and reduce the effects of aging on the skin.
By strengthening the gut lining, they reduce whole body inflammatory levels and improve digestive function, neurological health and thyroid function among other things. Always look for a grass-fed source of gelatin or collagen peptides.
Collagen peptides can be used in a similar manner as any other protein powder in smoothies and shakes. I recommend Great Lake Collagen Hydrosolate ( Green Can) and use it in soups, smoothies, and drinks. It dissolves nicely in any liquid – hot or cold.
Goal: 2-4 scoops daily in smoothies, soups and stews.
-Bone Broth Protein: like Ancient Nutrition bone broth protein; which is full of collagen protein from chicken bones that are rich in type II collagen, which is what makes up the intestinal lining. Grass-fed beef collagen is richer in type I and III collagen, which is the best for the joints of the body.
You can get bone broth protein in pure, vanilla, and chocolate.
-Bone Broth Fasting: For some this may be the quickest way to jump start your healing path, by going on a bone broth fasting spell. Some recommend 48-72 hour fasting period to get a break from the damaging toxic foods to your gut, and feed it with healthy nutrients to rev up healing. This step is where you only consume bone broth, however this can be difficult for some, so an easier method would be to try to incorporate it into one to two meals per day.
(**please note: if you can’t tolerate the other bone broth/collagen methods this step will be the best method. However if you can tolerate the other methods you can incorporate as many as you wish.)
Bone broth has a variety of nutrients that act to soothe an overactive immune system while providing the body with raw materials to rebuild stronger and healthier cells. This is why it is an incredibly healing food to have when the body is encountering stress from bacterial or viral infections as well as digestive disorders and leaky gut syndrome.
Bone broth can be made from any animal with bones and the most popular soup bones include those of fish, chicken, turkey, beef, lamb and venison. The bones house a variety of powerful nutrients that become released when they are slowly simmered in water for a few hours. These nutrients include bone marrow which helps provide the raw materials for healthy blood cells and immune development.
Goal: Drink 8oz – 2x daily of either homemade (the best) or an organic store bought variety.
- Marshmallow Root: believe it or not, marshmallow root can be very helpful. If you suffer from a lot of chronic acid reflux, heartburn, GERD etc that acid is damaging to you the lining of your organs. We’ve all heard of taking a medication that you drink to coat your insides to protect it from further damage and offer relief, however there is a natural solution as well. This item is Marshmallow Root. You can get it in a powder or tea.
Marshmallow root and deglycyrrhizinated licorice are two adaptogenic herbs that help the gut in several ways:
Stimulate the production of protective mucus
Decrease inflammation of the stomach lining
Help the gastrointestinal lining
Reduce digestive discomfort such as constipation and diarrhea
Improve acid function
This potent combination of herbs will help support your stomach while it heals. This may not be as potent as the pharmaceutical drugs used to help control this, however it does work, and helps you to heal without causing additional side effects.
L- Glutamine: many natureopaths may recommend a digestive aids. However its important to start with ONE at a time. Most mast cell patients can not handle a supplement with many different ingredients all at once. Not to mention there could be ONE ingredient they are allergic to in the digestive aid compound, and the whole process will still make them sick instead of getting better – or worse yet make you allergic to every last ingredient in them. Where digestive aids come in handy for many people, I suggest starting out slow and one at a time. It’ll help you recognize any reactions to any of the ingredients and prevent body from going into a sort of “shock” from trying to add on too much to quickly. If tolerated, one important one is L-Glutamine. L-Glutamine might be the most effective gut healer of all, as it plays a vital role in rebuilding, healing and maintaining the structural lining of your digestive tract. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, protects your cell walls and promotes good digestion and nutrient absorption while reducing inflammation.
Glutamine are peptides are often derived form wheat. So be sure to opt for L-Glutamine instead. Stress depletes your body of this gut-healing amino acid, so it’s especially important to restore your body’s supply by supplementing during times of chronic stress.
Slippery Elm: was a regular in the medieval medicine cabinet – this ancient herb has been used for centuries to treat a multitude of digestive issues, including gut inflammation, stomach ulcers, diverticulitis, colitis, and an overabundance of stomach acid. Slippery elm comes by its name naturally: it encourages your gut to create “slippery” compounds that coat the lining of your digestive tract and create a soothing barrier that can promote healing. It’s antioxidant effects can also be very effective for treating irritable bowel disease.
Reduce Stress: Chronic stress has been shown to harm beneficial gut bacteria. Activities like Yoga or meditation can help.
Avoid Smoking: Cigarette smoke is a risk factor for several bowel conditions and may increase inflammation in the digestive tract. Quitting smoking can raise healthy bacteria numbers and reduce harmful gut bacteria.
Sleep More: Lack of sleep can cause poor distribution of healthy gut bacteria and possibly increase intestinal permeability.
Limit Alcohol Intake: Research has shown that excessive alcohol intake increases intestinal permeability by interacting with certain proteins.
From Here, please see the "Cycle of Illness" video Series
which then goes in to what this cycle is, what it does, how it works, and how to heal it.
However, I can't stress enough the importance of watching these in order. The Information builds from video to video and helps you to see how this whole cycle is tied together and affects your genetic expression and immune system. We must heal the entire cycle to improve our quality of life.
Cycle of Illness Pt 2
(there's a part one which is the intro, my background etc. Part 1 can be found on same youtube channel):
Fixes for Histamine:
DAO Video
Cycle of Illness: Inflammation
Cycle of Illness: Mitochondria:
Cycle of Illness: Methylation Coming Soon as well as Integrated Healing Protocol.
My Mast Cell Story: https://youtu.be/VcVx4L4vNdE
There are 3 types of mast cells and a couple of them have NO TRYPTASE and why so many of us have great difficulty in getting a proper diagnosis using tryptase testing.
Love and Light,
Happy Healing