Important Steps of Healing Process
Picture by Food Revolution Network
As we can hear from doctors, scientists and health experts, any problem connected to health is caused by inflammation and from the immune system strengths and capabilities to fight invaders.
One of the most mentioned and proved cause of today’s diseases is due to stress and toxins exposure or to microbes like bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa and other types; therefore, it is so important to find the root cause or causes because sometime there are more than one reasons. The approaches are different, the expertise is different, some principles and believes are different, but substantially all scientists and specialists convene to same conclusions for the most.
For some it is more a matter of the conjunction of more causes and essentially triggered from stress, poor sleep, diet, exercise, and lifestyle exposures; for others is due to leaky gut, or SIBO, or other causes, but all the reasons bring to inflammation and progressively to degeneration and diseases.
Most of all is due to progress and technologies advancing, food processing escalating always more due to demand of growing populations, industries’ releases of gas and pollutants, vehicles’ s gas emissions and more, and mainly to the toxins in the surrounding environment today and in the products that we use, for cleaning, for personal hygiene, and for aesthetical purpose.
Every conclusion or consideration in regard of any type of health’s issues underlines the importance of eating healthy, stay away from toxins and get rid of bad bugs in our body because this way we heal or “repair” any leaky digestive tract and “rebuild” our microbiota or intestinal flora and so each microbiome in our body. Especially important thing because, “unfortunately,” all is direct from the right balance of microbes in our microbiota, each of them with specific function. If there is overgrowth of bad bacteria or other germs there will be more toxins in the body and by-products like endotoxins also known as LPS, or lipopolysaccharides- for example- from the cell coat of Gram-negative bacteria that with leaky gut can travel through our body’s system and spread all over in body causing all the type of problems.
First step therefore for any type of disease is “removing” as the experts call; removing toxins, or microbes or wrong foods and wrong choices, and removing can mainly happen through detoxification, or cleanse, and avoidance of exposure, or elimination diets in case of foods.
Detoxification
Detoxification can be realized in different ways, there are light detoxification that can just be accomplished through right choices of foods and/or with light types of binders, as elements that binds toxins, or that remove even bacteria or other germs, and there are strong detoxifications in case of more serious problems as for example in case of poison from drugs or intoxication from foods, but I am not discussing about these last ones in this case.
Let us look in specific at the different type of foods that can help to eliminate toxic compounds from our body and binder elements, as suggested from specialists.
One of the first food, pretty much mentioned that comes to my mind and helps to bind toxins is cilantro, it seems that cilantro can bind also heavy metals, artichokes are very good detoxifier, in Italy are eaten on regular basis, they are known as clean food that helps especially with liver problems, their detoxifier properties are due to nutrients that help support bile production in liver but they also contain inulin, very important prebiotic fiber present in many pre and probiotics today.
Chlorella e spirulina are green superfood, antioxidants, usually in complex for cleans or in prebiotics formula, green tea is considered a superfood for the presence of catechins that neutralize free radicals and therefore another particularly good antioxidant and, in certain ways, detoxicant, and any green juice or smoothie is of course a detoxifier, as well known.
Other beneficial foods for this purpose are beets, beets help with elimination of toxins, but they have multiple benefits, for their content in betaine beets support proper digestion and inflammation, and also support liver function; additionally, they are good source of nitrates to improve circulation.
Broccoli, as sulfuric compounds contain a substance that- as N-acetyl-cysteine- is the precursors of glutathione, the best body’s detoxifier and antioxidant, while sauerkrauts, as fermented cabbage are also rich in sulforaphane which helps to detoxify besides their content in probiotics for gut health although fermented foods are not recommended for SIBO, or small intestine bacterial overgrowth, and which can be another reason or root cause of health problems and that needs to be addressed with other tools of elimination.
Activated charcoal is a particularly good binder, not just to absorb gas caused from IBS or SIBO problems, but it can bind toxins in general and is also used as purifier, another binder that moves particles out is called Iberogast.
SIBO, or small intestine bacteria overgrowth, seems to be one of the causes of IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, the therapies suggested from naturopaths usually include herbal remedies and elemental diets which are supposed to be sort of physiologic solutions including essential micro and macronutrients, very difficult to sustain, and therefore they also suggest antibiotics therapy in alternative, and which differs based on the type of gas product from bacteria.
Herbal remedies usually include a variety of spices and herbs, the most powerful and utilized are oregano and thyme, or wormwood, or berberine, but there are more, combinations can include different of them; these are utilized for any kind of microorganisms, also for fungi and protozoa.
A naturopath from one of the summits where I learned part of these things, Christa Orecchio, was mentioning a combination of oregano and pesto to get rid of candida overgrowth, she was also mentioning that yeast seems to develop in association with heavy metals, and so getting rid of the yeast a person gets also rid of heavy metals, or vice versa; she also was suggesting the use of bentonite clay, a sort of past that seems to derive from volcanic ash and that must be mixed with water for removing difficult biofilms.
Biofilms are another huge problem connected to this type of issues, I have been talking about this in a previous blog, a doctor specialized with this type of studies and research, Dr. Paul Anderson, and who specifically is involved with oncology research, has developed a specific product for biofilms based on bismuth, a-lipoic acid and black cumin, or nigella sativa, but there are other products that combine bismuth instead with thiol.
In any case there is to be careful with the use of these products and always consult a provider to instruct with the steps of the process that requires few weeks and does not guarantee a total resolution, the biofilms are difficult to remove, and they reform, especially with chronic conditions.
When finally, the systems get rid of the bad stuff, toxins and/ or microorganisms it is possible to repair the damage and rebuild the GI tract and the intestinal flora with appropriate pre and probiotics and healing elements as for example those in bone broth, and so recommended from all naturopaths, or apple sauce, but from real apples cooked on stove.
Healing elements for GI are well known and in different combination now on the market, the most recommended is glutamine, but also DGL, marshmallow, slippery elm, and zinc carnosine, then there are things like alginic acid, anise, chamomiles and all those elements that helps to soothe and heal the gastric mucosa and the lining of the intestinal wall.
In regard of repairing the damage, I would like to mention the benefits and importance of bromelain and of other digestive enzymes, as much as of turmeric, or curcumin, and of the omega’s, to cool down the inflammation and so the fight response from the immune system that reacting to the invaders create inflammation; if its reaction resolves quick it is a good thing and helps the body healing, but if keeps going with time and becomes chronic will be causing collateral damage and so disease.
Thanks for Reading
Mariarosaria Malham
Sources:
Healing SIBO masterclass, Shivana Sarna and Dr. Allison Siebecker
Gut Health workbook, by Christa Orecchio, Food Matters Institute
Biofilms: What Have We Learned from the Research? NDNR, by Dr. Paul S. Anderson, NMD
Gut Health masterclass, Institute of Functional Medicine
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