Leaky Gut Syndrome is a term that describes a gut that is inflamed and has become much more porous than it should be. When this happens, large food proteins, bacteria, fungi, heavy metals and toxic substances are then able to permeate through the intestinal lining into our blood stream. Once in the blood stream our immune system is our only defense to deal with these substances and it can and will eventually become sluggish if the problem is not rectified.

Our intestinal lining replaces itself approximately every 24 hours. This means that every cell that the lining is composed of is digested or sloughed off, and a new one grows to take its place. With all of this activity, the gut uses more blood when it is resting than any other organ, but it is also the first to lose its blood supply when in a stressed situation. If you have a lot of stress then your gut will always be starved for blood and the lining will be impaired.

Once the gut lining becomes inflamed or damaged, this disrupts the functioning of the system. The leaks in the gut lining due to the inflammation and other damaging culprits allow large food, environmental and chemical particles to be absorbed into the body. Normally the body sees only very tiny antigens. When it begins to see these very large ones, the system recognizes them as foreign to the body’s defense system. So the attack results in the production of antibodies against once harmless, innocuous foods, chemicals and other allergens.

Other diseases and symptoms stemming from Leaky Gut Syndrome or LGS, including allergies can be sinusitis, asthma, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Fibromyalgia, Candidiasis, Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn’s Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), gas and/or bloating, slow thought process and/or poor memory (brain fog), headaches, fluid retention, weight gain, arthritis, Vascular problems, Lupus, Thyroid Disease, reflux, food intolerance and many other gastric disturbances.

So, what can you do to aid in the prevention of Leaky Gut Syndrome?

1. Avoid alcohol and caffeine which irritate the gut wall, this includes cokes (diet and regular), chocolate, coffee, cocoa and tea (except herbal).

2. Handle food properly to avoid contamination of E. coli and other harmful and sometimes deadly bacteria’s.

3. Avoid chemicals found in processed and fermented foods (dyes and preservatives), wine, vinegar, soy sauce, tofu, etc.

4. Eliminate?refined sugars and other simple carbohydrates (candy, cookies, sodas, processed foods and white bread) from the diet.

5. Cook foods thoroughly to avoid parasitic infections (pork, chicken, beef, fresh water and hatchery fish). Do a parasite cleanse every six months. You worm your pets don’t you? Why not yourself? Hmmmmm. Something to think about.

6. Keep antibiotic use to an absolute minimum. Use natural alternatives. Antibiotic use causes an overgrowth of fungi (yeast) in the gut. Always use a probiotic when using an antibiotic to replace the good gut flora that the antibiotic destroys. Eat plain yogurt. Do a Candida cleanse also if necessary.

7. Eliminate animal products that have been fed hormones and antibiotics from your diet.

8. Be extremely cautious using any steroidal and anti-inflammatory drugs and cremes.

9. Detoxify your system. Drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of pure water every day before you reach for any other drink, then have the soda if you absolutely feel you must. (150 lbs. ¸ 2 = 75 oz. daily).

10. Provide your body with a healthy diet and supplemental protocol if needed to aid in healing.
​
11. Contact your local natural healthcare practitioner if you suspect you suffer from LGS or need guidance in the process of healing.

A live blood and dry layer cell analysis can detect Leaky Gut Syndrome and other causative factors listed above within minutes of your visit. At that time recommendations are given to get you on your way to DISCOVERING WELLNESS!
You can find quality supplements that I recommend through Nutrition Works in Rockford and The Bread of Life Store in Belvidere. They are very helpful and knowledgeable.

An overgrowth of Candida Albicans results in a yeast infection that begins in the digestive system in which eventually goes systemic finding its way to the blood stream and other parts of the body. It is a powerful, invasive yeast that attaches itself to the intestinal walls and dwells inside one’s system. It inflicts over 30 million men and women and is estimated that nearly everyone will become affected by the fungus at some point in their lifetime.

When your immune system is strong, candida yeast is not a problem, but when the system is compromised by antibiotic use, which destroys friendly bacteria, this in turn allows the yeast to multiply and thrive. The yeast will then put out mycotoxins such as acetaldehyde and the by-product ethanol. Ethanol, being an alcohol, then in turn causes symptoms such as a sick-all-over feeling, chronic ear and sinus infections, allergies, asthma, migraines, depression, manic depression, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, cystitis, sexual dysfunction, vaginal yeast infections, endometriosis, infertility, PMS, irritability, autism, autoimmune diseases and symptoms identified as and confused with multiple sclerosis such as blurred vision, tingling, numbness, muscular stiffness, loss of balance, slurred speech, staggering gait, weakness and fatigue (note: yeast lets off a toxic alcohol in the system. MS symptoms resemble drunkenness or vice-versa, yeast symptoms resemble MS). Think about it! Conventional medicine already know that with MS the white blood cells are causing damage to the myelin sheath, but why? My own personal theory with MS is that yeast surrounds the nerves causing the white blood cells to react to the candida by trying to destroy it as their duty requires and therefore, attacking the myelin sheath, not intending to damage it, but to rid the invader, the yeast.

Candida creates chaos in the intestines and contributes to diseases of which allopathic, mainstream doctors have little or no answers. Candida Albicans is an insatiable, voracious destroyer of health and is truly the main missing link in many of our modern day diseases and health conditions. Consider this. We have many, many new disease conditions totally unheard of 50 years ago but they manifested themselves along with a great deal of processed, refined foods loaded with chemicals and preservatives. No wonder we’re a sick and tired nation! For many, especially those afflicted with cancer, autoimmune diseases, the elderly and children with weakened immune systems are wasting away due to malnutrition/Malabsorption because they are not utilizing or absorbing the foods they eat. Most people actually digest less than 50% of their food because the candida creates digestive distress and robs one of their nutrition.

Once “leaky gut” has been established and yeast has made its way into the bloodstream it is continually being fed and steels our bodies much needed nutrients. Yeast feeds off of sugar and other simple carbohydrate foods and drinks (junk food). Yeast feeds off of yeast foods and drinks (breads, pastries and beer). Yeast feeds off of fermented foods and drinks (vinegar’s, condiments, soy sauce & wine). Yeast feeds of fungi foods (mushrooms). Yeast feeds off mold producing foods (cheese). So, inevitably the Standard American Diet (S.A.D., and that it is) is extremely detrimental and toxic to our health.

Other factors causing yeast overgrowth include: Use of birth control pills, acne medications, steroid medications taken as pill form, injection, topical salves and creams and/or inhalers, diabetes, sexual transmission, hormonal changes, pregnancy (the baby is then subjected to it also: oral thrush is a sign) and genital irritation or abrasions.
Several symptoms can manifest simultaneously in different areas of the body such as, immune deficiency, endocrine insufficiency, central nervous system related problems along with joint pain for instance giving a feeling of being sick all over. Always remember every part of your body is connected to every other part of your body and yeast plays no favorites as far as where it wishes to reside and how it desires to manifest as a symptomatic picture according to your own personal constitutional makeup. It can encase the nerves and organs such as the heart and brain, it can congest the lymphatic system, the liver, the kidneys, the pancreas, the bowels and it can find its way to the connective tissues and muscles…IT IS DESTRUCTIVE!

If you are sick and tired of finding yourself sick and tired from any of the above noted health concerns then you are most likely a prime candidate for being a host to candida albicans. If you have put on weight, yet eat like a bird, then you more than likely suffer from a candida infestation. People have been noted to drop up to 50 pounds when they removed the candida from the system. If you have any digestive problems, such as living on TUMS so your tummy can handle eating, then you more than likely suffer from candida. If you wake up exhausted in the morning, then you more than likely suffer from candida. If you have exhausted the medical field and still have no answers about why you feel the way you do or you suspect that this may be a health concern for you then there are tests available for you to find out. It is called Live Blood And Dry Layer Analysis, where you can view and witness this tenacious health threat first hand and see for yourself what degree of damage it has caused in your system. You can find out more information by making an appointment with a naturopathic doctor, such as myself, that offers this type of testing in their practice. With this test you will also find out other health issues including: the condition and count of the red and white blood cells and to what degree of oxygen deprivation, parasitic infestation, anemia, thrombosis, rouleauing, fibrin spicules (liver stress), heavy metal poisoning, uric acid crystals, undigested fat particles, protein linkage, free radical damage, viral activity, hormonal imbalances and the amount of stress there is in the system and where in the body your health issues reside.
​
You don’t have to live the majority of your life feeling sick and tired. There are hidden reasons why you are not feeling well and as a naturopath, my life’s work is to educate and guide you in the right direction and find the root cause of your dis-ease so that you can take back your health physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually and begin your path to DISCOVERING WELLNESS.

The primary cause of these conditions along with many other chronic and auto-immune diseases stem from a weakened immune system and digestive disorders such as leaky gut, impaired digestion, intestinal toxemia, imbalance of intestinal flora, intestinal inflammation and mal-absorption of nutrients.

Leaky gut is caused when the mucosal lining becomes irritated and porous or hyperpermeable allowing larger than average particles (undigested foods, intestinal toxins, candida, parasites, etc…) to seep through the lining and into the body and spreading throughout the system. The body recognizes that these particles are foreign invaders and inturn forms antibodies (a protein) to attack them. It is here at this stage that food allergies and chemical sensitivities are developed. Leaky gut is not only the culprit that can lead to allergies, asthma and skin disorders but also other debilitating diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, joint pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyagia, crohns disease, celiac sprue, diabetes, colitis, multiple sclerosis, depression, lupus, chronic sinus infections and other auto-immune diseases which will be the focus of future topics in theDISCOVERING WELLNESS column. Just a thought! Isn’t it puzzling that 20 years ago many of these illnesses mentioned were unheard of? Why is that? Could it be the toxic foods and chemicals we subject ourselves to this day in age?

ALLERGIES are caused by an imbalance in the immune system. The immune system wrongly identifies a non-toxic substance as an invader to the system, causing the white blood cells to over react, doing more harm to the body then the substance itself would do. When this happens, an allergic response becomes the disease in itself. Common
Allergens include: additives, animals, chemicals, cosmetics, detergents, drugs, dust, foods, metals, pollen, stress, and emotional factors such as anger, depression, etc…These being even more prevalent when the immune system is especially weak.

ASTHMA is a condition in which breathing becomes difficult. The individual generally suffers from periodic attacks. The attacks are usually brought on by a trigger factor such as, respiratory infection, allergies or emotional stress. The asthmatics constitution is usually out of balance in some way.

Asthma occurs when the airways become blocked, and the muscles go into spasms due to an over-production of phlegm or weak lungs caused by prior infections or the echo pattern disease. This is when there has been repeated respiratory infections but the phlegm never clears up completely, or phlegm may accumulate from sluggish digestion. Thus, mucus builds up due to liver congestion. The echo disease is the major cause of long-term ill-health. Also, If the body’s overall energy is low, the individual is more prone to infections, the tissues are softer, and the airways are more likely to collapse.

DERMATITIS is an inflammation of the skin that produces scaling, flaking, thickening, color changes, and, often, itching. There are several forms of dermatitis. They are as listed:

Allergic or Contact Dermatitis, this type is usually caused by an irritant or allergen. Stress or tension can worsen the effects.

Atopic Dermatitis is a hereditary form of the condition and usually manifests in infancy. This type appears on the face, in the bends of the elbows, and behind the knees.

Nummular Dermatitis is coined-shaped. It is a chronic condition, appearing on the limbs. This type may be caused by an allergy to nickel, and is often associated with dry skin.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis is very itchy and usually associated with intestinal and immune disorders. This type can be triggered by dairy products and, or, gluten found in wheat and grains.

ECZEMA is a form of dermatitis but in a category of its own. This skin disease usually has fluid filled blisters that weep, ooze, and crust over due to a malfunctioning digestive disorder, which leads to liver congestion. Eczema occurs mainly behind the ears, in the creases of the elbows, and behind the knees, but can manifest on other parts of the body also. It commonly appears at the age of three to six months old when the infants digestive system is under great stress. Eczema and asthma are very closely related. The skin is known to be the third lung. In individuals who have weak lungs, eczema may easily develop into asthma. On a physical level, toxins that rise to the skins surface can also go inwards to the lungs. And on an emotional level, the restrained feelings that can cause eczema can also cause asthma. Emotional factors such as stress, hidden feelings, etc… are usually the major cause in individuals over seven years of age developing these diseases. There are three types of eczema: wet, dry, and itching. The differences depending on the constitution of the individual. They are as follows:

Wet: Oozing when scratched. Bubbles of fluid form under the surface of the skin. An imbalance of the digestive system leads to accumulation of water in the tissues. Wet eczema is usually accompanied by loose stools or diarrhea.

Dry: Dry skin with bran like scales, the underneath skin is red and sometimes bleeding due to mucus accumulating under the skin. Digestive imbalances produces accumulation of thick mucus in the tissues due to an echo disease.

Itching: Itching eczema is red and itches intensely. The individual usually scratches until the skin is broken and bleeding. This type is due to toxins and impurities under the skin. Often the individual is constipated.

Eczema usually worsens before it gets better, so do not be discouraged. Often flatulence and foul smelling stools with mucus will occur as the toxins are being expelled from the body.

SEBORRHEA is a form a dermatitis in the category of eczema that usually affects the scalp and, or, the face. It is often referred to as cradle cap in infants.

It is wise not to use any types of cortisone creams or treatments. This makes the skin more sensitive and pushes the toxins back into the body. Suppressed toxins weaken the lungs and will make the individual more susceptible to asthma. Cortisone only makes the symptoms seem to disappear briefly but never heals the root cause of the disease. The only way to provide long-lasting relief in any disease is to reverse the basic cause of the disease. Therefore, diet, lifestyle, environmental, and emotional factors will all need to be considered.

ALWAYS, read the PDR (Physicians Desk Reference) when taking any prescription drug, cream, inhaler, etc…I cannot stress this enough. You will find that the majority of the time you will end up taking other medications to relieve, or I should say, to mask new symptoms directly caused by your initial medication. I find it absolutely appalling that almost every medication in the PDR can cause in some people exactly what it was prescribed for. This is quite unsettling to me. Before you know it you can be on several different medication when the initial problem could have been easily rectified. Example: Would you rather be on high blood pressure medication for the rest of your life or would you rather regulate the fluids in your body by flushing out and healing the kidneys? You will also find that almost always you will have to stay on the medication for the duration of your life because prescription medications very often DO NOT heal your body, they only help in alleviating (hiding) your symptoms. If you stop your medications, your symptoms will return. If you heal your body, they will not! Your symptoms should NEVER be masked or covered up. This is your body’s own response signaling you that something needs your attention, just as the check light in your car warns you when there is about to be engine trouble. Do we ignore that? No! Just think about how much garbage we run through our filter (the liver) on a daily basis yet we continuously keep good clean fuel and oil and change the filter in our cars. It is truly sad that we keep our cars in better running condition than we do our owns bodies. You can trade in your car when it dies out, you cannot get another body.

A simple test: When given any prescription medication, ask your doctor if he or she will take the exact same dosage of that particular medication, chemotherapy or radiation treatment right along with you, dose after dose, treatment after treatment, for the duration that they recommend you to take it. Probably not! Then ask me if I will take the natural therapies and treatments that I recommend to my patients. Folks, even if I don’t need them, I will take them and they will not hurt me. Infact, I will go further to say that they will give my body extra nutritional support. That is the difference! My intentions are not to dog the medical system (especially critical care surgeons) but I do think that more time should be spent with a patient and other alternatives should be discussed before writing out a prescription for a toxic chemical. You sit in the waiting room for a longer period of time than you talk to the physician nowadays. The body has amazing capabilities to heal if given the right tools. God knew what he was doing when mankind was created and he did not intend for us to suffer needlessly. He also did not intend for us to eat synthetic foods and live in a toxic world. We created disease and ill health all by ourselves.
​
If you are suffering needlessly due to any chronic illness, I urge you to take responsibility for your own well-being and search out natural alternatives. If you have been suffering for years with the same illness and continue taking prescription medication after prescription medication to no avail and are getting little or no relief and are sick and tired of being sick and tired then it is time to stop masking your symptoms and start healing your body no matter what your age or state of health. Only you can make the choice for you to be healthy. As a naturopathic doctor it is my life’s work and my passion to guide, educate and support my patients so that you may reclaim your health, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, as I believe that all of these aspects must be balanced and thriving in order to bring about healing. Choose today to begin your journey into DISCOVERING WELLNESS.

Did you know that your disease is in perfect harmony with your body according to what diet and lifestyle choices you have made during your lifetime?

Traditional western medicine teaches and practices the precept of Louis Pasteur. Pasteur’s theory laid the foundation for western medical microbiology. A doctrine called mono-morphism which states that all illness and disease stems from external, non-changeable mono-morphic (having one form) microbes that invade the body. This theory was adopted and widely accepted by western medicine which has become a trillion dollar a year business that includes the FDA, the AMA, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, hospitals and research facilities.

The pleomorphic theory (many changeable forms) discovered by the French microbiologist Antoine Bechamp however, contends that microorganisms can go through different stages of development and they can develop into various growth forms in their lifecycle. Bechamp discovered microbes in the blood which he called mycrozymas. These microbes would change shape as individuals became diseased and for Bechamp, this was the cause of disease, hence, disease came from within the body.

Another scientist, Claude Bernard, agreeing with Bechamps pleomorphic theory went a step further in studies showing that indeed these microbes did change within the body but, how they do, is a direct result of the environment to which they are exposed. Claude Bernard believed that bacteria and fungi only caused illness and disease because it was permitted to grow in an unhealthy environment due primarily to unhealthy diet and lifestyle choices. These studies have been furthered even more by German bacteriologist Gunther Enderlein who was a student of Bechamps.

Many Naturopathic Doctors and natural healthcare practitioners offer what is called Live Blood and Dry Layer Analysis, as I do, at Discovering Wellness. Using a live/field dark/field microscopy system with video enhancement the practitioner can view your blood at the cellular level observing these evolving forms of bacteria and fungi. These anaerobic (living and thriving without oxygen) microbes living on sugar for energy and protein for growth can become enlarged and pathogenic and at certain stages of development change form from bacterial to fungal depending on the environment.

In his research, Gunther Enderlein noticed that when bacteria were minute in size they were healthy, he called this stage of development Symbionts. In this stage the Symbionts built and worked with the body. These Symbionts make up our fibrin and platelets for repairing cellular damage and clotting of blood. But when they become enlarged and pathogenic they change into bacteria and fungal formations, referred to as Endobionts which is a direct result of the body moving from a balanced, healthy state to a state of illness and disease.

Pleomorphism is real. We are a body of bacteria and fungus, of anaerobic organisms that live, grow and survive on sugar and protein. they live with us in harmony when we are eating and living in a healthy manner but bacteria and fungus can become extremely harmful and progress out of control if their environment breaks down. This break down is fueled by high complex carbohydrate diets, diets consisting of sugars, polluted water, polluted air, stress, the disturbance of healthy flora in the small and large intestines primarily due to antibiotics and other harmful drugs and toxic chemicals.

This high-powered microscopy system can magnify up to 20,000 times the actual size of the microbes, enabling you and the practitioner to clearly view exact details of the bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic forms in the blood. Under the microscope one can also view the condition and count of the red and white blood cells and to what degree of oxygen deprivation, parasitic infestation, candida albicans, anemia, thrombosis, rouleauing, fibrin spicules, heavy metal poisoning, uric acid crystals, undigested fat particles, protein linkage, free radical damage, viral activity, hormonal imbalances and stress there is in the system all in just one tiny little drop of blood. Amazing.

This method of diagnosis and patient education differs from the typical American medical establishment that does not look at your live blood, rather their practice is of staining the your blood with chemicals which inevitably kills it before it is analyzed. The chemical is picked up by the cell and cytoplasm but only at the cost of killing all of the living, moving, feeding microorganisms present in the blood. Therefore, these very important factors in the blood become irrelevant and illness and disease cannot be truly detected. These factors (bacteria and fungi) ARE the primary root causes of disease.

“By going to a practitioner who subscribes to the pleomorphic theory, and who uses the kind of microscopy system that enables the observation of the pleomorphic forms, a person can be diagnosed with a disease such as cancer up to eighteen months before it would be diagnosed by even the most sensitive of conventional methods. This kind of early warning can give the patient the greatest chance for recovery and survival.” Says Gaston Naessens, a French biologist.
My friends, my patients ask me repeatedly, “If this microscopy system can show this much information ones state of health, then why don’t the allopathic physicians use it.” My answer, “Because for the majority, it’s the almighty dollar”. It’s big income that trickles down from the FDA, AMA, physicians, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies and research labs if they can keep you sick until your insurance runs out then when they can’t help you any longer it’s up to you to search for alternatives and God willing by that time it isn’t too late. You see, if they educate you on how to eradicate your health problems through diet and lifestyle changes and natural therapies which cost comparison to the chemotherapy’s, radiation, surgeries and prescription medications then they cannot have their fancy medical facilities, drive their BMW’s and live in their quarter of a million dollar homes. Folks, I work out of my home and drive a Kia and a 1983 chevy cavilier station wagon. I have a Naturopathic Doctor Degree and board certification also but can you see the difference. The majority, not all, shuffle through at least 30 patients a day spending on average perhaps 15 minutes with you. A good naturopath will spend at least an hour with you and only be able to fit in perhaps 8 patients a day.

Pleomorphism is very essential to the understanding of cancer and other potentially degenerative diseases and their cures. As we age, we become increasingly stressed by our diets, emotions, injuries, spiritual disconnections, the air we breathe, the water we drink, and by the fact that we compromise our healthy flora with antibiotics and other harmful drugs. We stop breathing correctly causing oxygen deficiency and over time the bacteria and fungus multiplies relentlessly. We become increasingly anaerobic, more acidic and mal-nutritioned due to bacteria and fungus feeding off of our much needed nutrients – throwing off their mycotoxins or waste products of acetaldehyde, ethanol, alcohol, uric acid, carbon dioxide gas, methane and lactic acid into the blood stream causing blood poisoning and inturn disharmony and disease. If this process is left unchecked, this state worsens, and goes deeper into the tissues, organs, central nervous system, skeletal structure, lymphatic system and bone marrow until the bacteria turns to fungus, the fungus turns to mold and the mold takes over part or all of the body by living off the dead toxins and waste products.

Raymond Keith Brown MD, a physician and former member at the Sloan- Kettering Institute For Cancer Research, asserts “Pleomorphic organisms are demonstrable as the silent stage of a gamut of infections, and they’ve been found in not only cancer patients, but those individuals afflicted with arthritis, multiple sclerosis and other diseases”.
Watching your blood live, on video, on a slide, allows you the patient, to actually see the bacteria, fungus and parasites feeding and growing as the blood loses its nutrition and oxygen. After viewing for yourself, the exact cause of your illness and choosing to reverse the disease process by changing the detrimental diet and lifestyle patterns and by eradicating these potentially life threatening microbes from the body through high quality naturopathic grade natural therapies you are able to restore your health and well-being.
​
Upon entering the year 2000 there is a new disease paradigm shift. traditional medicine says, “Most disease is caused by germs, so…Kill the germs, kill the microbes, kill whatever is making you sick using drugs, antibiotics, chemotherapy, radiation and surgery”. Naturopathic healing says, “Disease is brought about by imbalance. It’s primarily a nutritional, electrical, structural, biological and spiritual equation. To get well, re-establish balance in the body. Work with it, not against it”. Give yourself the gift of good health and make the commitment today towards Discovering Wellness.