Tag: inflammation

Do you ever wonder what the root cause of your headaches is? Probably not in the middle of having one! Realistically, you just want it gone. The functional medicine approach does not stop at the symptoms. It is a whole-body approach that asks what the root cause of those symptoms is. It’s at the moment you realize that your headaches don’t start in your head, that you are on your way to healing.

 

4 Types of Headaches

There are 4 different types of headaches, each with their own distinct symptoms but all are debilitating, no matter the form. Distinguishing the symptoms will help you categorize the type. These types are migraines, tension headaches, cluster headaches, and secondary headaches. Let’s explore the symptoms of each.

 

Migraine Headaches

The most severe and longest-lasting of all types of headaches are migraines. Migraines often times are preceded by an aura, flashes of light or blind spots. Sufferers may have difficulty speaking and experience tingling on one side of the face, an arm, or a leg. The throbbing or pulsing pain lasts from hours to days and is normally felt on one side of the head. Other symptoms of migraines can include light and noise sensitivity, nausea, and vomiting.

 

Tension Headaches

The most common headache is called a tension headache, or stress headache, It feels much like squeezing or “vice” like feeling around the head, temples, and upper neck. This type of headache is continuous and lasts anywhere from a half-hour to a week and symptoms can include trouble sleeping and difficulty concentrating.

 

Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches, lasting 15 minutes to 3 hours occur in cluster periods, over a longer period of time. These are considered the most painful or excruciating types of headaches developing on one side of the head, in or around one eye and one side of the face. The severe, burning pain strikes at night.

 

Secondary Headaches

Secondary headaches are those that are caused by other conditions. These conditions can include sinus issues; high blood pressure, overexertion, medication side effect, withdrawal, or hormone imbalances, just to name a few. 

 

The Functional Medicine Treatment of Headaches

Functional Medicine treats all types of headaches with success by looking deeper at the causes. We have remarkable success in treating headaches because we look deeper at the causes and treat accordingly. Often, more than one underlying cause contributes to each headache. Conventional medicine treats headaches and migraines with over the counter and prescription pain medications.

 

Noting the History of Your Headaches

Linden & Arc Vitality Institute doctors and practitioners will take thorough notes on the history of your headaches, along with an in-depth look at your full health story.  We examine the location, type of pain, measured intensity, duration, and any other symptoms associated to determine the potential causes of the type of headache you are suffering from. We use the LMMD 7 Core Nodes of Healing approach to assessing your individual root causes and dig deeper. Let’s apply Linden & Arc Vitality Institute 7 Core Nodes of Healing to your headache relief.

 

7 Core Nodes of Healing For Headache Relief

 

The Gut

One of the 7 Core Nodes of Healing is the gut. Managing the gut and food reactions in terms of managing headaches could be the answer to headache relief. Food sensitivities and allergies are some of the most common reasons for headaches that we see in the clinic. You may not have symptoms immediately with a delayed IgG food sensitivity, the inflammation that grumbles from repeated exposure to a triggering food can result in daily headaches for some. 

 

Histamine and Tyramine food reactions are common triggers of headaches and migraines. As well, dysbiosis, an imbalance in good and bad bacteria, can trigger headaches. An example of dysbiosis is high opportunistic candida overgrowth in the gut. 

 

Hormones 

High levels of cortisol, one of our main stress hormones, can lead to headaches. Therefore, take note of the timing of the headaches during your menstrual cycle. Typically, migraines are caused by an imbalance in Estrogen and Progesterone in women. This is why we typically see a surge in headache symptoms the week leading up to the period. Functional Medicine physicians call this Estrogen Dominance. High levels of Xenoestrogens in our environment and inflammation both cause headaches as well. We can manage migraines/ headaches in a cyclical fashion, using supplements or hormones at different stages of the menstrual cycle.

 

Energy

Mitochondria, the little ‘powerhouses’ or ‘factories’ in the cells, make our body’s energy (or ATP). They do this using nutrient substrates and oxygen. These mitochondria can function sluggishly from nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, chronic infection, and toxicity. This leads to a cascade of events that causes “energy failure” in the nerve tissue. This energy failure can activate headaches.We are able to test the Krebs cycle to assess for mitochondrial dysfunction and can test the individual nutrients that we know fuel the mitochondria.  Riboflavin (B2), coenzyme Q10, magnesium, niacin (B3), carnitine, alpha-lipoic acid supplements are very effective in giving the mitochondria the boost that they need. Intravenous nutrients can start functioning much quicker in someone with an unhealthy gut. 

 

Detoxification

The body needs regular detoxification to remove the many external toxins that we are faced with on a day to day basis. These exposures come from many different sources. These sources can be anything from pesticides on our food to the air we breathe, the water we drink, chemicals in our cosmetics, and cleaning products. We are exposed to other endocrine disrupters in places like receipts or plastic bottles. Detoxification system overwhelm and poor detoxifying genes allow our bodies to accumulate toxins much easier. These are well established in the literature to cause many health conditions. This “backlog” of toxins in the body can cause many different symptoms, one of which is headaches. Fortunately, we are able to test for all of the different chemicals and metals that we know to be an issue. In a stepwise, staged process, we teach the body how to detoxify more efficiently and see improvement in many symptoms including headaches.

 

Immune Balance/ Chronic Inflammation

Chronic inflammation usually appears from infective triggers, known as “Biotoxins.” Biotoxins can appear from the inflammatory sources from food, gut imbalances, hormone imbalance, and toxin accumulation. Living toxins cause headaches. Examples are mold, Lyme, virus, or bacteria.

 

In genetically vulnerable individuals, these can trigger an inflammatory response termed Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome. This is a multi-symptom, multi-system disease, with headaches and other cognitive disruptions being very common. Mast cell activation syndrome, commonly associated with this, leads to the release of Histamine & other inflammatory cytokines, which can cause headaches. These are exceedingly common in our very ill patient population. We take a detailed history and analyze it appropriately.

 

Brain Power and Mood

Brain neurotransmitter’s imbalances can cause headaches and mood issues. A high level of glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter, can lead to headaches and mood changes. It is important to rule out underlying neurological disorders or syndromes as a cause of headaches. Your functional medicine physician will be able to determine what to look for based on a history and examination.

 

Heart Vitality

Your physician will test your heart vitality with regard to headaches. There may be vascular (blood vessel) contributions to your migraines, from vascular activation of the nervous system. There is communication between blood vessels, nerve cells, and possibly Mast cells (mentioned above) in the activation of headaches. Headaches can be caused by high blood pressure so this is an important cause to initially rule out. We can establish from your personal and family history, and other lab results whether you have risk factors for the above.

 

Structural Issues

Cervical Spine, Head, Temporomandibular joint (TMJ), and Dental structural issues are all very closely related. Imbalances in one area can cause disruptions in the other. A detailed history of previous injuries is extremely important. Even “a bump to the head” or hidden dental infections or TMJ can be significant enough to throw things out of balance and contribute to headaches. We refer our patients to brilliant Nucca Chiropractors, Physio/ manual therapists and World Class Biological dentists with experience to assess these areas.

 

Mind Body Spirit Soul 

The doctors at Linden & Arc Vitality Institute always look back to the emotional and spiritual contributions to your symptoms. Your mind, body, spirit, and soul are connected and one out of balance leads to all in illness. Addressing underlying issues helps to start the healing journey. We hold emotions and stress in our cells. Therefore, physical symptoms arise if these emotions have been held or suppressed.

 

Functional medicine practitioners have many tools to help you get the bottom of your headaches. You see from this discussion why medications fall short and do not help many headaches. If we look in the right places and treat your headaches with the individual care that they deserve, true healing and resolution can occur! 

 

A HANDY RESOURCE
To track your symptoms: https://migrainetracker.ca. This can be useful for your physician to determine what type of headache you are having, which will help determine the root cause. 

 

REFERENCES 

  1. Prevalence of Migraine in the Canadian Household Population. Pamela L Ramage-Morin  1 , Heather Gilmour  1. 2014 Jun;25(6):10-6. PMID: 24941316
  2. Front Cell Neurosci. 2018; 12: 233. Published online 2018 Aug 3. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00233. PMCID: PMC6088188
  3. Vascular Contributions to Migraine: Time to Revisit? Bianca N. Mason1,† and Andrew F. Russo1
  4. Alpay K, Ertas M, Orhan EK, Ustay DK, Lieners C, Baykan B. Diet restriction in migraine, based on IgG against foods: a clinical double-blind, randomised, cross-over trial. Cephalalgia. 2010;30(7):829-837. doi:10.1177/0333102410361404
  5. Silberstein SD. Preventive migraine treatment. Continuum. 2015;21(4 Headache):973-989. doi:10.1212/CON.0000000000000199
  6. Stovner LJ, Nichols E, Steiner TJ, et al. Global, regional and national burden of migraine and tension-type headache, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet Neurol. 2018;17(11):954-976. doi:1016/S1474-4422(18)30322-3
  7. Pringsheim T, Davenport W, Mackie G, et al. Canadian Headache Society guideline for migraine prophylaxis. Can J Neurol Sci. 2012;39(2 Suppl 2):S1-59.
  8. Hajihashemi P, Askari G, Khorvash F, Reza Maracy M, Nourian M. The effects of concurrent coenzyme Q10, L-carnitine supplementation in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. Cephalalgia. 2019;39(5):648-654. doi:10.1177/0333102418821661
  9. Bektas H, Karabulut H, Doganay B, Acar B. Allergens might trigger migraine attacks. Acta Neurol Belg. 2017;117(1):91-95. doi:10.1007/s13760-016-0645-y
  10. Sadeghi O, Maghsoudi Z, Khorvash F, Ghiasvand R, Askari G. The relationship between different fatty acids intake and frequency of migraine attacks. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2015;20(3):334-339 
  11. Köseoglu E, Talaslioglu A, Gönül AS, Kula M. The effects of magnesium prophylaxis in migraine without aura. Magnes Res. 2008;21(2):101-108.
  12. Andreeva VA, Szabo de Edelenyi F, Druesne-Pecollo N, Touvier M, Hercberg S, Galan P. Macronutrient intake in relation to migraine and non-migraine headaches. Nutrients. 2018;10(9):E1309. doi:10.3390/10091309

Author

Dr. Michelle van der Westhuizen, MD

The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet is a fairly new, food-based approach aimed at reducing inflammation and healing the gut. Although the diet is very restrictive (mainly meats and vegetables), it offers relief and even healing for those who suffer from autoimmune conditions and disorders. These are some go-to recipes we highly recommend: Roast Chicken, Salmon, Ginger/Chicken Soup, Lamb Meatballs, Beef Tacos, Ginger Snaps, and Carob Banana Ice Cream.

 

 

Lemon Herb AIP Roast Chicken

 

This flavourful rendition of roast chicken will give your taste buds a tease! The savoury flavours used in this Lemon Herb Roast Chicken will make you forget you are eating for AIP.

 

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 pastured chicken 3-4 lbs
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp ghee/duck fat/olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 parsnip, diced
  • 1 yellow onion, diced

 

Instructions:

  1. One night before: thaw chicken and salt liberally with kosher salt then set in the fridge overnight to dry out. This will make the skin nice and crispy while the meat is juicy when you cook it the next day.
  2. Preheat the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Take out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Lay it flat on a cutting board breast side down. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it. (You can save the backbone to use for bone broth later). Once the backbone has been removed, flip your chicken over and press down to flatten it. 
  4. In a small bowl combine the ghee, lemon zest, garlic, and parsley. Carefully reach under the skin on the chicken breasts and thighs and massage in some of the ghee mixture throughout. Rub any remaining ghee mixture on the outside of the skin.
  5. Place the chicken in a large cast-iron pan and surround it with diced carrot, parsnip, and onion.

Roast the chicken for approximately 45 minutes (basting every 10 minutes) or until thigh meat reaches 165 degrees F.  Serve with lemon and roasted veggies and enjoy this wonderful feast of flavours.

 

 

Lemon Garlic Salmon AIP Style

 

A delicate salmon filet is the quickest, most nourishing meals you can make. It is much less fishy than other types of fish and is a wonderful complement to your AIP protocol. Simple ingredients like lemon and garlic enhance this already flavourful and perfectly textured fish. This will soon become one of your favourite AIP recipes.

 

Ingredients

  • 1 Salmon Fillet
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1-2 tbsp Braggs Coconut Nectar (soy sauce substitute)
  • 1 tsp Alderwood smoked sea salt from Silk Road Spice Merchant (can use regular salt)

 

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Set the salmon fillet on a parchment-lined baking sheet, let sit for 30 mins (longer if it was frozen). Season the salmon with lemon zest, garlic powder, smoked salt, and coconut nectar.

Bake for 15 minutes (a few minutes longer if it is a large piece). The trick is not to overcook it, so it does not dry out. All that’s left is to enjoy!

 

 

Comforting AIP Ginger/Chicken Soup

 

Spicy, peppery, sweet, and comforting – ginger is a wonderful compliment to any sweet or savoury dish. Even better, ginger has anti-inflammatory properties, helps digestion, and reduces nausea. Adding ginger to chicken soup takes it to a whole new level.

 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
  • 2 litres chicken bone broth
  • 2 medium parsnips, chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 medium turnip, chopped
  • 3 bay leaves
  • Kosher salt
  • Leftover roast chicken
  • 4 green onions sliced

 

Instructions:

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring until fragrant, 1-2 minutes
  2. Add the broth. Stir in the parsnips, carrots, celery, turnip, and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a fork or your fingers, shred the chicken meat. Add the chicken and cook until heated through, 3-4 minutes. Top with green onions to serve and enjoy!

 

 

 

Savoury AIP Lamb Meatballs

 

Lamb seems to be a tough culinary sell because it’s considered gamey and pungent. Though, when seasoned properly, it is a perfect addition to your AIP recipes. Plus, there are quite a few health benefits, including its richness in iron, more-so than chicken and fish.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1lb ground lamb
  • 3 tbsp basil leaves, minced
  • 2 tbsp mint leaves, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup onion, minced
  • 2 tbsp Bragg’s Coconut Nectar
  • 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

 

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Mix all ingredients together.
  3. Form 10 meatballs (approx 2 tablespoons each).
  4. Bake for 30 minutes OR cook in Air Fryer for ten minutes for perfect crispiness and juiciness.

Serve these tasty lamb meatballs with salad, cauliflower rice, or sweet potato fries. You’ll certainly forget this is an AIP recipe.

 

 

Tastiest AIP Beef Tacos

 

We think these are the tastiest beef tacos and will make you look forward to the designated day of the week you serve this delicious meal. Make it one of your regulars.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/3 medium onion, diced
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • 1 tsp Oregano
  • 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp Ginger
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 1 Avocado
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • Green onion
  • Lettuce/greens of choice
  • Coconut or Cassava Tortillas

 

Instructions:

  1. Brown the beef, spoon out fat, then add diced onion and spices and cook through.
  2. Guacamole: Mash the avocado, mix in the lime juice, cilantro, and salt to taste

Place the tortillas in a warm oven for a few minutes then top with beef, guacamole, greens, and green onion. Add some extra fresh lime.

 

 

Best AIP Ginger Snaps

Ingredients

  • 1 1⁄2 cups cassava flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
  • 3⁄4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 cup coconut sugar (or ½ coconut sugar plus ½ cup Lakanto)
  • 1 gelatin “egg”, (1 tbsp gelatin + ½ cup boiling water)
  • 1⁄2 cup molasses

 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mat.
  2. Combine flour, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl, whisk to combine and set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, cream together coconut oil and sugar. Add gelatin egg and molasses, continue mixing until well combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing well to combine.
  4. Scoop dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Roll in coconut sugar or Lakanto if desired and place on prepared baking sheet about 2” apart. Before baking flatten the dough slightly with the bottom of a glass.
  5. Bake 8-10 minutes for a softer inside, 12-14 minutes for a crisper cookie.
  6. Remove from oven and let set on baking sheet for approximately 3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Cookies will crisp up as they cool. You should get approximately 36 cookies.

 

Ginger Snap Sandwiches with Carob Banana Ice Cream: AIP recipes

 

Creamiest AIP Carob Banana Ice Cream

 

Some AIP recipes, like this one, taste fantastic. You’ll soon fall in love with this Carob Banana Ice Cream and have no guilt devouring it.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • 2 bananas
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ carob powder
  • 1-2 tbsp maple syrup (optional or can substitute honey or alternative sweetener)

 

Instructions:

  1. Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth
  2. Pour into ice cream maker and process until frozen
  3. Eat right away or freeze for about 1 hour for optimal consistency
  4. Use ginger snaps to make ice cream sandwiches

These fun and tasty AIP recipes are meant to make the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) easier to bear and create a new, delicious normal for your routines. They can become a replacement for the old days of ‘whipping up spaghetti and meat sauce.’ These recipes aren’t any more difficult or time-consuming than the average ‘go-to’ foods. These dishes are inspired by the Functional and Integrative Medicine approach to reducing inflammation and healing the gut.


We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Most often, inflammation is rooted in the gut and caused by food sensitivities. These days we encounter an epidemic of chronic health issues resulting from inflammation. By understanding the gut in more detail, we have the capacity to decrease inflammation without the use of medications that have long lists of side effects and don’t solve the underlying issue.

 

The important thing to realize about inflammation is that it can appear in any part of the body, including hormone systems, the brain, and the cardiovascular system. The evidence for this is unquestionable. This being said, it is very important to identify foods that may be stimulating our immune system and having detrimental downstream health effects.

 

Testing for food sensitivities has its controversies, but it can be a very useful starting point. IBS and Crohn’s disease respond best to IgG testing but are clinically applicable in many other illnesses. The tests reveal gut complaints, chronic fatigue, depression and anxiety, and autoimmune issues, to name a few.

 

Limitations of food sensitivity testing:

 

1. They test only limited immune reactions and do not show non-immune food reactions

Food sensitivity testing is not perfect, as it is only testing a very select part of the immune system. Parts of the immune system most often tested are IgE (true allergy), IgA (mucosal immune system), and IgG (delayed food sensitivities). A negative test does not exclude a reaction by the innate immune system, or a non-immune reaction (like lactose intolerance, FODMAP intolerance, or histamine intolerance).

 

2. Laboratory standards differ

The accuracy of testing can vary from lab to lab, depending on which controls and which antigens they use. For example, an organic apple may have different reactivity to one that is not organic. Heat and processing or roasting may make an antigen more or less antigenic. Whether the lab uses monoclonal antibodies (from one source) vs polyclonal antibodies (from many sources), can also affect the reactivity of the test.

 

3. Individual and confounding factors

False positives may result from smoking, alcohol consumption, periodontal disease and other factors. False negatives may result from immunoglobulin deficiencies. Lab tests may not pick up individual differences in immunoglobulins which could also skew results.

 

Testing often shows reaction to antigens which should be ‘healthy’ foods. This situation is often caused by increased intestinal permeability. Something like gluten may trigger leaky gut, allowing bystanders to leak through the gut layer and stimulate an immune reaction. Gut repair is essential in resolving this.

 

 

With all these confounding factors, how do you figure out what you are reacting to?

The gold standard of figuring of food sensitivities is with an elimination diet. This means taking out the common allergenic offending foods for a period of 3-4 weeks minimum and then slowly reintroducing them one by one. A positive test results when a reaction to the reintroduced food occurs.

 

In an ideal world, every patient with a chronic health condition should go through an elimination diet. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. In many cases, people do not believe that their health condition is related to food and so are not willing to change their way of eating.

 

The benefits of food sensitivity testing:

Enter the food sensitivity test. Though not all testing is perfect, this can be an extremely useful tool in figuring out major food triggers. Keeping the above limitations in mind, improvements in symptoms should occur with removal of the offending foods. The proof is in the pudding: people very often do get dramatically better when they remove the positive foods on the tests.
 

When they do not get better after a trial of elimination, a skilled health care professional will guide the patient to work through different steps based on their history, physical examination and testing, to figure out what is causing their symptoms.

 

Reasons people don’t get better:

  1. Gut healing not done alongside the removal of the problem foods. Much research around gluten removal with or without gut repair, has been done. A large percentage of patients do not improve symptomatically when the gut repair is not undertaken. This involves replacing pancreatic enzymes, gallbladder support, and stomach acid and healing the lining of the gut.
  2. The person is reacting to food in a different way. They may have histamine, salicylate, or oxalate intolerance or a lectin intolerance and respond to a grain and legume-free diet. They could also have fructose intolerance.
  3. They may have dysbiosis, or overgrowth of bacteria/ yeast or parasites (often interrelated with food sensitivities). Because of this they may have FODMAP intolerance (with SIBO) or may react to foods that trigger candida, like sugar.
  4. They have a misunderstanding about which foods contain the antigens they are reacting to or are being inadvertently exposed to. A common example is gluten, found in many spices, teas, toothpaste, etc.
  5. Their symptoms may not be directly related to the gut and can be related to heavy metal toxicity, biotoxin illness (mold commonly causes gut issues) or autonomic imbalance.
  6. They had a false positive test.

 

The good news

The aim is not to be off the offending food forever – the aim is to figure out why someone is reacting in the first place. If you heal your gut and eliminate correctly, you should be able to eat most things again but some people may need to stay off certain foods lifelong. The most common of these are gluten, dairy, and eggs.

 

The bottom line is that food sensitivity testing is far from perfect, but it is very often a starting point to guide a patient in the right direction and motivate lifestyle changes. The important take home is to ask why the food reactions are happening in the first place. On many occasions, people become frustrated because they follow the elimination of the foods found on their tests and they don’t feel better. It is essential to have an experienced health care provider interpret your food sensitivity test in the context of what your issues are so that you can be guided in the right direction and achieve the best results.

 

References

Bentz, S., Hausmann, M., Piberger, H., et al., (2010). Clinical relevance of IgG antibodies against food antigens in Crohn’s disease: A double-blind cross-over diet intervention study. Karger – Digestion 81(4), 252-264. https://doi.org/10.1159/000264649

 

Drisko, J., Bischoff, B., Hall, M., & McCallum, R. (2005). Treating irritable bowel syndrome with a food elimination diet followed by food challenge and probiotics. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 25(6), 514-522. https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2006.10719567

 

Guo, H., Jiang, T., Wang, J., et al., (2012). The value of eliminating foods according to food-specific immunoglobulin G antibodies in irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhoea. Journal of International Medical Research 40(1), 204-210. https://doi.org/10.1177/147323001204000121

 

Meletis, C.D., & Barker, J. Delayed-onset food allergies (2004). Alternative and Complementary Therapies 9(2), 61-65. https://doi.org/10.1089/107628003321536968

 

Uzunısmaıl, H., Cengız, M., Uzun, H., et al., (2012). The effects of provocation by foods with raised IgG antibodies and additives on the course of Crohn’s disease: A pilot study. Turkish Journal of Gastroenterology 23(1), 19-27. DOI: 10.4318/tjg.2012.0332

 

Zar, S., Mincher, L., Benson, M.J., & Kumar, D. (2005). Food-specific IgG4 antibody-guided exclusion diet improves symptoms and rectal compliance in irritable bowel syndrome. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology 40(7), 800-807, https://doi.org/10.1080/00365520510015593

 

Author

Dr. Michelle van der Westhuizen, MD

Body systems lack vibrancy without methylation. Methylation is the process of adding three hydrogen atoms and one carbon atom to a molecule in order to convert it into something else. Together, these are called a “methyl group.” This happens in your body billions of times per second and allows your body to repair DNA, reuse molecules responsible for detoxification, maintain mood, and control inflammation. Poor methylation can lead to a host of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer, depression, and dementia.

 

Chronic Illness and Homocysteine

Homocysteine has a large influence on your susceptibility to chronic illness. Even greater this influence than weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Every time you ingest protein-rich foods, the methylation cycle produces mild inflammation in the form of homocysteine. In a healthy and well-nourished body, this homocysteine is converted into a powerful antioxidant called glutathione and a compound called SAMe (S-adenosyl-L-methionine). These help the body to produce and regulate hormones and maintain healthy cell membranes. If you are not optimally nourished, the methylation cycle becomes impaired and homocysteine starts to accumulate in the blood. Levels above 6mmol/L have been shown to lead to significantly increased risk for chronic illness. 

 

What Factors Impair Methylation?

  • Poor diet: too much animal protein, sugar, saturated fat, caffeine, alcohol, and processed food, and low intake of vegetables.
  • Digestive issues and nutrient malabsorption.
  • Genetic factors (identifiable through the 23andMe Genetic test).
  • Medications, including the birth control pill and proton pump inhibitors and antacids.
  • Smoking
  • Toxicity from pesticides, pollution, etc.
  • Stress

 

Enhancing Vibrancy by Improving Methylation and Lowering Homocysteine:

  • Improve your diet!
    • Eat lots of leafy greens and other vegetables (ideally ten servings per day).
    • Cut out caffeine, alcohol, and processed food.
    • Reduce saturated fat, animal protein, and canned foods.
  • Correct digestive issues.
  • Reduce stress.
  • Remove toxic exposure and detox your body.
  • Stop smoking.
  • Enjoy a nutritional IV, such as our Myer’s, Gut-Healing, or Vitamin/Mineral IVs.
  • B-vitamin injections.
  • Take supplements:
    • HCl
    • A good, methylated B-vitamin complex
    • Zinc
    • Trimethylglycine
    • Glutathione
    • Vitamin C
    • NAC and ALA
    • SAMe
    • A quality multivitamin

 

Vibrancy is a state of strength, full of energy and life. You can achieve it by starting on a new health journey at Linden & Arc Vitality Institute. Contact us today.

What is SIBO?

 

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO for short) is a condition that affects 60% of people with IBS. It involves the overgrowth/accumulation of bacteria in the small intestine, an area of the intestinal tract which under normal circumstances (unlike the large intestine) hosts hardly any bacteria at all.

 

SIBO is not only prevalent in patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). 67% of patients with Celiac disease, 81% of patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, up to 88% of patients with Crohn’s disease, 93% of patients with Fibromyalgia and the list goes on:

  • Diabetes mellitus – 8-44%
  • Immunodeficiency syndromes – 30-50%
  • Obesity – 70%
  • Parkinson’s disease – 54%
  • Rosacea – 46%
  • Ulcerative colitis – 81%
  • Interstitial Cystitis – 81%

 

If SIBO is so common, why is it rarely talked about?

It is only in the last decade that the importance of our intestinal bacteria and bacteria overgrowth has become fully recognized. The year in which the Human Microbiome Project was launched (2007), knowledge of the human microbiome expanded.  Prior to this ‘pro microbiome era,’ western society had an extended love affair with hygiene, cleanliness, and anti-bacterial products.  Our germ-aversion fuelled by a growing consumer market for anything anti-bacterial led us to believe all bacteria are bad.

 

Our Growing Knowledge of the Microbiome

With our growing knowledge of the human microbiome, we now appreciate that certain bacteria are not only beneficial to us, they are essential to our survival and ability to thrive as a human species. A whopping 90% of Serotonin, our happy hormone neurotransmitter, is produced by the bacteria in our gut?

 

However, it is not only the number of intestinal bacteria that impact our health so dramatically, it is also the diversity, the balance between beneficial and potentially harmful bacteria, and, very importantly, which part of the gut they are colonizing.

 

This fairly recent understanding has led scientists to recognize SIBO as one of the most common underlying root causes of intestinal dysbiosis, and of irritable bowel syndrome.

 

Unfortunately, highly sensitive and specific testing to confirm the diagnosis of SIBO has not yet become widely available.  As a result, SIBO has been one of the most common but also most underdiagnosed digestive problems.

 

What are the Signs & Symptoms of Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth?

  • Abdominal cramps
  • Bloating
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Gas
  • Floating / greasy stools
  • Vitamin B12 malabsorption
  • Weight instability

 

What to do if you suspect you have SIBO

If you think you have SIBO, talk to your health care provider expressing your intention to gather more information.  This small gesture is so beneficial in maintaining a trusting relationship. Who knows, you might encourage your physician to join you in learning more about this common condition!

 

Learn More About SIBO

Click here to read this article is a good starting point for health care providers who would like to learn more about SIBO. There are some basic principles to follow when treating SIBO.  However, it is crucial that the underlying root cause (why you developed SIBO in the first place) is properly identified and addressed in order to prevent a recurrence.  This is why it makes sense to seek help from a functional medicine-trained health care provider. 

 

If you suspect you might have SIBO, or struggle with undiagnosed digestive concerns, contact Linden & Arc Vitality Institute, Our collaborative care team can support you in finding the root cause and healing your gut! Email us at [email protected] to schedule an appointment.

 

The Ketogenic (keto) diet has become somewhat trendy. There is a ton of information floating around the internet about it. What’s missing is a fundamental explanation of why it is so powerful and the more advanced techniques that take it to the next level.

 

Benefits of the Ketogenic Diet

 

It can reduce inflammation, clear the skin and mind, give bountiful energy, burn fat, squelch cravings, and more. Fasting is a large part of the diet. It’s important to follow the method properly to achieve those proven results.

 

The best layout we’ve seen for following the keto diet is on Dr. Jocker’s website. He covers the benefits and breaks down the science of how to follow a cyclic ketogenic diet in a way that is best for your body. You’ll find the philosophy behind it, the different methods, the process, and the program levels.

 

Functional Medicine uses the ketogenic diet for its specific health benefits in treating certain conditions. We’ll help you create a personal plan that is at a level you are comfortable with. There is a beginner, intermediate, and advanced plan and you can work your way up.

 

To learn more about how it can promote better health, book an initial consultation with our team. Contact us or email [email protected].

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