Information and Resources Section (includes Medical Disclaimer)
So What Low Cost or Free Things can you do to help Yourself?
These are all suggestions that are FREE or cheap. Please utilise these as best as you can to optimise your health and begin to improve your gut health.
Diet
Look at your diet and clean it up!!
Get rid of the rubbish. Remove sugar – recent reports have cited it as toxic as tobacco……!
Eat as much naturally grown food as possible. If it comes in a box, package etc it is generally processed and unnatural.
Try to remove grains as much as possible, grains are very inflammatory, especially wheat and gluten.
Eat good fats, (coconut, grass fed butter, olive oil) good organic meat, fish, organic eggs, vegetables, fruit. Drink plenty of water. Diet is very individual, what one person can tolerate, another cannot. You will need to work this out for yourself but there are a lot of good resources available to help you!
Eat MINDFULLY. Chew your food 20-30 times !!! Boring but very necessary. This enables the process of digestion to begin and allows enzymes in your saliva to begin to work. Try to avoid eating when you are stressed or upset.
Only use decent supplements. Good, whole food supplements, Not cheap supplements full of binders and fillers and other toxic ingredients.
I use specific companies for supplements which I know are good supplements. Amrita nutrition and Nutri Advanced are my two preferred suppliers of functional gut supplements.
Help your digestive system if necessary, HCL, enzymes, Ox Bile.
Fermented food can be amazing to boost your good bacteria levels. Kefir, Sauerkraut, Kimchi etc are amazing sources of good bacteria. Be careful if you have gut problems initially as sometimes these foods can make it worse. Try very slowly, a teaspoon of kefir, a spoon of kraut juice. The bacteria can create quite a battle otherwise.
There are specific probiotics that are better recommended if you have SIBO which I can advise you of.
Remove as many toxins from your lifestyle as you can. Look at your shampoos, body lotions, conditioners, make up, scented products, household cleaners. All contain chemicals that overall will only add to the toxic load on your body.
Stress
Work on that vagus nerve - very important link between the gut and the brain. Click here for a great article about this.
The gut is known as the second brain. If you are stressed you will be pumping out cortisol, this will rob your body of vital vitamins, such as Vitamin C. Remove as much stress as possible, meditate, relax, get reflexology (see me if you’re local for this!), do yoga, walk in the fresh air, laugh, sing, see friends, have fun, if you are depressed seek help, see a counsellor if necessary. Deep breathe regularly!
Anxiety is at epidemic proportions these days and can make people very ill. Learn to relax, deep breathe, focus on today.
Try to sleep at the same time each night, remove stimulants before bed, coffee, alcohol, screen time! Improve your sleep quality.
What can you ask your GP to do for free?
Test you for Helicobacter Pylori – stool test
Test your vitamin D levels – blood test
Test your iron levels – SIBO love to feed on Iron and B12 – blood test
Have a celiac test if you have not had one done (although be warned - you could still have non gluten sensitivity – I did – this showed on an anti-gliadin stool test)
If you are concerned you can ask for a colonoscopy and/or endoscopy.
Refer you to a counsellor if you need some additional help with stress/depression.
Recommended Reading
These are a few books I would highly recommend -
You should be able to find most of these at Amazon UK
Or check out your local library.
Why Stomach Acid is Good for You – Johnathan V Wright – A Must Read !
The Gut Health Protocol – John Herron (second edition)
The Fast Tract Diet – Dr Norm Robillard.
Listen to your Colon – Jinni Patel Thompson
Breaking the Vicious Cycle – Elaine Gottschall
A New IBS Solution – Mark Pimentel MD
Fats that Heal – Fats that Kill – Udo Erasmus
The Body’s Many Cries for Water – F Batmanghelidj
Listen to your IBS – Jinni Patel Thompson
Eat Well Feel Well – Kendall Conrad – Great SCD Cookbook
Gut Instinct – What your Stomach is trying to tell you – Pierre Pallardy
Dr Jensen’s Guide to Better Bowel Care – Jensen/Avery
Irritable Bowel Solutions – Professor John Hunter
The Parasite Menace – Skye Weintraub
Guess what came to Dinner – Ann Louise Gittleman
The Sugar Solution – Sari Harrar
The Stress of Life – Hans Selye
Why Don’t Zebras get Ulcers – Robert M Sapolsky
Declutter Your Mind – S J Scott
Stress Management Bible – Cory Spring
The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle
Stillness Speaks – Eckhart Tolle
Living with IT – A Survivor’s Guide to Panic Attacks – Bev Aisbett
Useful Digestive Websites
www.SIBOinfo.com - Dr Alison Siebecker - a wealth of SIBO related information
www.digestivehealthinstitute.org – Fantastic resource by Microbiologist, Dr Norm Robillard.
www.anewibssolution.com - Mark Pimental’s website – one of the foremost SIBO knowledgeable Doctors
www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info - Founder of the SCD diet (specific carbohydrate diet)
www.scdlifestyle.com – Great Resource for anyone interested in the SCD Diet
www.kcl.ac.uk/lsm/research/divisions/dns/projects/fodmaps/faq.aspx - Kings College London info on FODMAP diet
www.listentoyourgut.com – Jini Patel Thompson who cured herself of Chrons
www.absorbplus.com - Info on the elemental diet devised by Jini Thompson
www.siborecipes.com - recipes for those following the SIBO diet
www.thehealthygut.com.au - Australian Rebecca Coombes great website
www.thepaleomom.com/the-autoimmune-protocol - Great site for AIP Diet
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26078557 - Effects of PPI on your gut
www.townsendletter.com/FebMarch2015/sibo0215_2. - Diagnosis of SIBO Info
www.curiousuproarioushilariousgregarious.wordpress.com - A fun blog by a great girl, Katie Caldwell, ex SIBO sufferer.
www.westonaprice.org/ - Weston A Price Organisation
www.h-pylori-symptoms.com/parasite-book - - Free download parasite book from my Functional Medicine tutor
Useful Relaxation/Stress Websites
www.thecenterformindfuleating.org - Focus on your food, bring your attention fully to the moment.
www.headspace.com - great meditation website
www.youtube.com - loads of free meditation sites – just put in 10 minute, 20 minute etc meditation and away you go!
www.calm.com - More relaxing info
www.buteyko.co.uk - A form of breathing. - Buteyko method uses breathing exercises primarily as a treatment for asthma and other respiratory conditions
www.eckharttolle.com - The Power of Now – a very important concept in worry relief
www.mind.org.uk - Info and support for mental health
www.thelindenmethod.co.uk - Great anxiety resource from a former sufferer
www.nwreflexology.co.uk - Reflexology (wonderful relaxation therapy and my other life!) if you are local to me.
Medical Disclaimer (PLEASE READ)
I am NOT a qualified medical Doctor nor do I profess to be one.
I am a Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist and a Hompes Method Functional Practitioner with a real passion for the gut !
Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet and exercise routine.
Any suggestions, recommendations or information provided to you is NOT to be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any disease or medical condition. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a fully qualified doctor or other healthcare professional. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have read on my website or in any materials I may have provided to you. The use of any information provided to you is solely at your own risk. Developments in medical research may impact health, fitness and nutritional advice. No assurance can be given that the information contained in my materials will always include the most recent findings or developments with respect to the particular material.
As I am not a Medical Doctor, I cannot prescribe antibiotics so if you decide to go down this route you need to take your testing information to a qualified GP or Gastrointestinal specialist who can prescribe these for you. It is your decision alone if you would prefer to take the suggested herbal protocol that I may suggest. I am entirely happy if you choose to have testing done with me and then take these results to a qualified professional Doctor for prescription medication. In the case of certain parasites, then i will recommend this anyway.
** RED FLAG SYMPTOMS **
If you have any of these I WILL NOT CONSULT WITH YOU !
You MUST go to the Doctor and get these checked out. These may be more serious and need more help. Thank you.
Coffee grounds in stool
Vomiting Blood
Severe Pain
Drastic weight loss/wasting
Blood in stool
Also, IF YOU ARE SEVERELY DEPRESSED PLEASE ALSO SEE YOUR GP FOR HELP, whether this is medication or cognitive therapies (talking) there is a lot of help out there, you may just have to search a little for it.
