Leaky Gut Syndrome

Leaky Gut Syndrome


 Do you suffer from fatigue, eczema, asthma, chronic infections, dark under eye circles, gas and bloating, bowel issues? You could be suffering from a food reaction. It is believed that 60-70% of Americans, healthy or sick, suffer from symptoms associated with food reactions. Food reactions, whether allergic or intolerance, are the leading cause of Leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut Syndrome also causes food reactions leading to a vicious cycle that the body in unable to recover from.

There are two types of food reactions, allergic and intolerance/sensitivity. Allergic reactions to food evoke an immune response. An immune response could include hives, difficulty breathing, nausea, diarrhea, intestinal cramping, chest pain, runny nose, and swelling of the airways to the lungs. Food intolerances occur when there are lack of enzymes to digest a food or a food irritates the digestive system which then causes an intestinal response. When a food eaten irritates the intestinal lining the resulting symptoms include nausea, stomach pain, heartburn, cramping, gas, headaches, irritability/nervousness, diarrhea and vomiting. Both types of responses lead to increased intestinal inflammation, damage, and permeability leading to Leaky Gut Syndrome.


What is Leaky Gut Syndrome you ask? Leaky Gut Syndrome is when the intestinal lining is more permeable or porous than it should be. When the intestine is constantly offended by foods that are irritating, it begins to produce mucous to protect itself. This protective mechanism is also the leading cause of the damage. The increased mucous results in not only decreased nutrient absorption and malnutrition but inflammation as well. It is this inflammation that breaks down the barrier between intestinal cells allowing particles that are too large and not properly processed to enter the blood stream. This is when food reactions occur; either the immune system mounts a response, or the intestines respond to the irritation. As you can see the cyclical relationship between the two poses a challenge to get rid of the uncomfortable symptoms.


 80% of Americans get their calories from the same 11 foods. These foods are often the most likely to cause a response; such as dairy, wheat, eggs, soy, peanuts, corn, and potatoes. By identifying whether or not any foods are affecting your body can help to decrease your risk for many conditions associated with inflammation. These conditions include eczema, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, asthma, psoriasis, and other immune conditions.


 Treatment goals include identifying the cause (offending foods), removing the obstacles to cure, reducing inflammation, addressing weakened systems, and reintroducing intestinal flora. Please consult your local Naturopathic Doctor for help. 

Introductions-repost from December 2011

Hello,

I am Dr. Teresa Richter. I am a Naturopathic Physician. I am happy that you have found me and are reading this. You may be wondering what a Naturopathic physician is, and/or why you should see one.  Simply put, Naturopathic physicians are primary care physicians.  Naturopath's can do just about everything an MD can do. We can diagnose and treat just about any disorder, prescribe drugs if necessary (although not a first choice of treatment if not absolutely necessary), perform yearly physical exams, and help with almost any other ailment. Naturopath's are really integrative medicine specialists as we are trained in both Allopathic and Naturopathic Medicine.  We have the best of both worlds, and have many modalities to chose from to provide the most individualized care and treatment possible.  The stomach ache that you get may be drastically different than the stomach ache of the person sitting next to you.

Naturopathic medicine is based on a different philosophy than the type of medicine practiced by general MD's.  The Naturopathic principles are:

1. First Do No Harm (Primum non nocere)-use medical treatment in the gentlest way first to avoid causing harmful side effects.

2. The Healing Power of Nature (The Vis Medicatrix Naturae)-the body's inherent ability, which is ordered and intelligent, to heal itself. 

3. Identify and Treat the Cause (Tolle Causam)-Instead of suppressing symptoms, Naturopathic doctors seek to find and cure the underlying cause of the disorder/disease.

4.  Treat the whole person (Tolle totem)-Naturopathic doctors take into account all aspects of a person's mental, physical, emotional, health and environment when approaching the treatment plan.

5. Doctor as Teacher (Docere)-To provide education to the patient, and to empower the patient to take responsibility in their health care.

6. Prevention-Emphasis on disease prevention by taking necessary action to reduce risk factors.

7. Wellness-(from Bastyr University) Wellness follows the establishment and maintenance of optimum health and balance. Wellness is a state of being healthy, characterized by positive emotion, thought and action. Wellness is inherent in everyone, no matter what dis-ease(s) is/are being experienced. If wellness is really recognized and experienced by an individual, it will more quickly heal a given dis-ease than direct treatment of the dis-ease alone. (This principle was adopted by Bastyr University and added to the six principles.)

A typical visit with a Naturopathic doctor is typically anywhere from half an hour to an hour and a half. Naturopathic doctors ask a lot of questions and want to know about all aspects of your life in order to assess where any obstacles may be.  It is important to identify and remove these obstacles as they may be blocking your path to healing and optimum health. Our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual beings are connected, so it only makes sense that all things should be considered in the cause and treatment of disease.  Naturopathic doctors focus on certain aspects of health and lifestyle that other doctors may not. 

 As a Naturopathic physician, I want to help people on their path’s to healing and optimal health. I look forward to connecting with all types of patients to help them achieve their health goals. Although my training is primarily general practice, I have solid interests in the relationship between food allergies, environmental allergies, gastrointestinal disorders, and dermatological conditions. I have an intense desire to help those who are suffering by giving them the information and tools so that they may also help themselves. I am very interested in endocrine disorders and women’s health. I strongly believe in removing the obstacles to cure, and starting with the therapeutic order when approaching treatment. I want to employ the naturopathic principles and keep them alive in my practice. I enjoy educating my patients about their health and wellness, giving them opportunities to take responsibility for their own health care. 

In the home stretch!

Ok, it's day 15 and we are heading into our last week of purification. I hope everyone is still doing well on the program and continuing to feel fantastic! I know that the addition of the extra protein has helped me tremendously in terms of energy and mental clarity. My weight has stabilized at the 14 pounds of weight loss since adding back in more protein. I am feeling great. I no longer have cravings. I had planned to reward myself at the end of the program with a night out to dinner and sadly, it longer sounds good. :( I am happy, however, to be living a clean and healthy lifestyle and feel very good about it. I have been renewed in my health, mind, body, and soul. I have been taking time each day to reflect in things from the day, and things important to my life. I am still working on my goal of clearing clutter, but I am
Working on it and we still have a week left right?

I hope you are all doing well with your supplements and water intake as well. As always, please feel free to contact me at DrTeresaRichter@gmail.com or leave a comment on this post.

In Health,
Teresa Richter, ND

Purification Program Day 11

It's Day 11 and time for some extra protein! You can now have 3oz of chicken or fish 2-4 times per day. At least 1-2 meat servings today should be fish. I hope everyone is feeling great and seeing a decrease in their waistline. I'm down 14 pounds! Please remember to drink lots of water. I'm tryin to get in close to 1 gallon/day or at least 3 liters. I'm very thankful for the extra protein because I was starting to get really foggy mentally. The extra protein is going to be good. I have also started adding a little extra protein powder to my shakes so that I am not losing too much lean body mass (ie muscles, organs etc). Congratulations to you all for making it this far! Only 10 more days! We should all be taking 3 Gastro fiber caps 3 times per day and 5 green food caps 2 times per day. Again, if you need assistance, support, have questions or comments please leave a comment here or email me at DrTeresaRichter@gmail.com.

To health and renewal,
Teresa Richter, ND

Purification Program Day 6

As the first week is winding down to a close, I hope that everyone is looking forward to week 2.  Today may either be Day 6 or Day 7 for you depending on the day that you started. I chose to start last Saturday, so this is Day 6 for me.

I have to say that I have been grateful to have all this extra time off in order to do all the prep work with all the veggies. However, hopefully the snow is coming to an end. I am ready to get out of the house and back to work!! Hopefully everyone is staying safe at home, especially tonight since it is supposed to be very icy.

Over the past few days I have noticed that my weird cravings, and cravings for sugar and comfort foods have completely diminished. I am still a little hungry at times, but that is improving.  Hopefully you are doing what you can do, and tailoring the program to suite your tastes and needs.  Don't be hard on yourself if you need to stray. Just try to get back with it as soon as possible. I have found myself being able to resist even when my craving were the strongest, but it was tough. So far over the last 6 days, I am now down by 7 pounds! (this is a trend that I hope continues!)

Let's talk supplements.  For the past week and the remainder of week 1, we all should have been taking 7 SP Cleanse 3 times per day, and 3 Gastro Fiber 3 times per day.  Beginning week 8 that will change to 5 Green Food capsules 2 times per day and 3 Gastro Fiber 3 times per day.

I am again, encouraging the use of the journal included with the program.  It is really helpful to keep track of your daily progress, record things you liked, didn't like, how you are feeling, things that have been coming up for, etc.  I have been finding using it is helping to motivate me. When I look back over the last 6 days of things that I have written in that journal, I think, Wow! Look what I have done!

If you have the time and energy, some light exercise and sweating will also help facilitate the detoxification process. If you have access to a sauna, 1 would recommend 20 minutes per day. Sweating is an excellent way to increase your purification.

Again, if you have any questions, comments, need support, etc, please leave me a comment, or send me an e-mail at drteresarichter@gmail.com

Only 4-5 more days till we get to eat meat!
In Health,
Teresa Richter, ND

Day 4 Purification Program

How have the last 3-4 days been? Well, I hope.  I hope we are all learning much about ourselves, eating habits, and emotional connections with food.  I hope that everyone has been staying safe in all the snow.  I, myself, have been snowed in my house since Sunday. (ah, the joys of living north of Seattle) At least I was prepared because I already had went grocery shopping for the program.

I have been fully enjoying this program so far. It is quite nostalgic for me from when I used to be a Vegan. I used to eat like this all the time, with the exception of maybe a little more beans, or tofu.  Eating so many fresh raw veggies and fruits makes me feel so fantastic!  The last few days, I have been a bit hungry. I am used to eating more food, but I feel that I am adapting well. Whenever I am feeling hungry I just eat more veggies!  From the first few week's menu ideas, I have been picking and choosing what sounds good at the time and just eating that.  I have even been happy with the protein powder.

In the last 3 days, I have noticed some very interesting things.  One thing that was particularly interesting to me was that I began having cravings on day 2. Cravings for sugar mostly, but also for things that I find undesirable and haven't eaten in years such as pizza and french fries.  I have been craving warm, comfort foods.  By last night, I felt that the cravings had finally begun to subside.

I am thoroughly enjoying having fruit in my smoothies/shakes.  I usually drink protein shakes daily even before this program, but I didn't use a lot of fruit in them beyond bananas to help limit the sugar content.  Within the guidelines of this program, we can have around 1 and 1/2 cups fruit in each of our shakes daily, as long as we are eating two times the amount of veggies.  I know I definitely am eating at least twice that in veggies and more. I have particularly enjoyed the Banana-Berry Blast and the Citrus-Berry Splash.  Next week I am going to try the Pumpkin Pie smoothie.

I have learned that Kale chips are the most awesome snack ever, and I will continue to eat them even after finishing this program. I don't think I will ever crave a potato chip again.  Kale chips are the best substitute and I can feel good about eating it because it is kale. Not only is it good for you, but it is also crispy, crunchy, a bit salty, and delicious.

I hope that everyone is finding times to accomplish any goals they made for this program.  I have already lost 4 pounds in the last 4 days.  I have been finding time to meditate and work toward clearing the clutter (being snowed in helps tremendously with that)  I am encouraging everyone to use the food journal in the book that was included with the program.  It helps to provide a feeling of accomplishment when you look back at it.  It can also help identify triggers, cravings, and food sensitivities once we begin adding food back in.  You can also keep track of how you are feeling and help identify any emotional relationships you may have with food.

If any of you need help, suggestions, are struggling with anything, or just need some support, Please contact me. You can either leave a comment on this site or email me at drteresarichter@gmail.com

In health,
Teresa Richter, ND

Getting Ready

I am excited to be getting ready for a 21-day purification program. This should be an interesting journey of self-discovery and discipline on my path to a healthier, enlightened being. I am excited to learn about myself during this time.  I specifically feel like I will learn quite a bit about food triggers, any new food sensitivities that may have popped up, and what it feels like to clean out my life.

In this time of preparation, not only am I making a grocery list and prepping supplies, I am also making plans. Plans on how I can involve my whole life in this process.  I am pondering what exactly I want to get out of this, and making lists; making a plan of action for how I would like to meet my goals.  Having a plan will help me to stay on track.  Having a goal will also give me incentive to continue when times get tough.

I already try to have a very clean diet. Although, there are always things that I could cut out or do better. It may not always be feasible to remove everything.  Life during this time still needs to be livable.  For instance, I am going to do this program, learn a lot about myself, but have no plans on not drinking coffee.  I will however get rid of sugar and alcohol.

I welcome this challenge as a new and exciting way to learn about myself in ways I may have not previously considered. I look forward to learning new things about my body that may have been previously overlooked by my mind. I also plan to take this opportunity to harmonize the two, cleaning out my mind as well as my body, taking time each day to meditate. In addition, I would like to clear the clutter from my environment. Reorganizing, minimizing harmonizing to really make the most of this experience in more ways than one.  Getting reconnected in body, mind, soul, and environment.

I am excited for those who are embarking on this journey at the same time.  My wish is for you to get the most from your experience.  Remember, you are human, and at times this may be a difficult undertaking. Please be true and forgiving to yourself.  As long as you do what you are capable of doing, you will be better off than not trying at all. It is my hope to be a resource for support during this time, and we can all support each other.

Please feel free to post a comment, or contact me at drteresarichter@gmail.com

To Health and Renewal,
Teresa Richter, ND