Mold. Parasites. Heavy metals. SIBO. Hormone issues.
These are all the trendy issues I’m seeing all over the holistic wellness community the last few years.
I’ve stayed pretty mum on it but I’m at the brim with it.
Mostly because I’m getting messages asking for a second opinion on protocols addressing one of these, on my free time, with little to no health history or information.
My question to you, if you did a specific protocol to address one of these – mold, parasites, heavy metals, SIBO, or hormone issues – did it completely 100% resolve it?
Or did you temporarily feel better but slowly started feeling like crap again?
I ask because did you also address why mold, parasites, heavy metals, SIBO or hormone imbalance even became an issue in the first place?
They are not ROOT CAUSES!
Which I have also come to loathe that term.
Each of these issues has a connection to one or more of the Nutritional Therapy Foundations not working properly:
- Consuming a nutrient dense, whole food diet
- Optimizing digestion
- Regulating blood sugar
- Balancing fatty acids
- Balancing minerals
- Adequate hydration
Mold, parasites, heavy metals, SIBO, or hormone issues became an issue because one of these, probably more, need support.
Explain more please
Nutrient dense, whole food diet
The food you consume dictates the raw materials available for the body to function.
Raw materials are nutrients which will vary in your diet based on the type of foods you consume.
Your body need protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and more to work.
Did your problem arise because you are lacking nutrients to allow your body to function as needed to become resilient against these issues?
Digestion
You need to break down your food into singular molecules to obtain those raw materials or nutrients.
Every cell of every tissue of every organ depends on the digestive system to provide the nutrients it needs to keep functioning.
Food that isn’t broken down irritates the gut lining causing inflammation and overworking the immune system (70% of the immune system resides in the gut!)
Undigested food feeds pathogens.
Blood Sugar
What goes up must come down.
If your blood sugar goes up too high, resources are used to quickly lower.
This also demands more nutrients to process all that sugar that is void of nutrients (quick way to use up minerals, like magnesium, and vitamins, like B vitamins).
If your blood sugar goes too low, the body is now in an emergency state to save your life, recruiting a lot of energy and nutrients to do so.
Your stress levels have a major impact to your blood sugar, taxing the adrenals, pancreas, and liver; confusing your pituitary that impacts your thyroid (energy levels and body temps) and prostate or ovaries (sex hormones).
The liver does a lot for you, including detoxifying your blood but is being overtaxed with continuously maintaining blood sugar levels.
This along with an inflamed gut from undigested foods can clog up the liver leading to a buildup of mold, parasites, hormone imbalances and more.
Fats
Fats are life!
The non-rancid ones and closer to a 1:1 ratio of omega-3s and 6s.
Fats require the digestive system to properly break down to be utilized by the body for cellular health impacting energy levels, hormone communication, and inflammation.
Sex hormones are made from cholesterol.
Minerals
Every organ that is a player in hormones has a primary mineral it needs.
The thyroid is iodine, prostate is zinc, pancreas is chromium, and adrenals is copper.
Too much calcium can prevent thyroid hormones from entering the cell when there is not enough potassium in the diet.
Not enough salt can cause the adrenals to work harder to try to balance fluid between inside and outside of the cells.
Every heavy metal has a mineral antagonist that if you are deficient in a mineral that heavy metal has the opportunity to take over where that mineral should be.
A deficiency in selenium can lead to mercury toxicity.
Doing a heavy metal detox without replenishing your minerals FIRST can lead to some pretty nasty detox symptoms but also will quickly become a problem again if you were even able to get rid of the heavy metal you were targeting.
Hydration
Think of a creek.
During a dry season that creek may start trickling.
Water becomes stagnant.
Bugs and bacteria build up.
Starts to smell.
Without adequate hydration all day long, the same thing happens to your body.
Blood becomes thick, difficult to flow hindering hormones to communicate freely or organs receiving nutrients needed.
Waste builds up in your cells.
You become constipated.
The missing piece is Nutritional Therapy!
I’m not saying mold, parasites, heavy metals, SIBO, or hormone issues aren’t a problem that needs to be specifically addressed, but they most likely are not the first thing that needs to be worked on because if the Nutritional Therapy Foundations aren’t in place those same issues will come back.
As a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (FNTP) I work with clients to address their health concerns by:
- Empowering you, the individual, to become knowledgeable about your own health so that you can take the reins and responsibility for your health. Not rely on someone else. That’s right, at the end of the day, I do not “fix you” whatever transformations happen is solely your doing.
- I use both nutrition / diet and lifestyle strategies to support you in the long-term.
- Help you achieve your health concerns quicker by identifying targeted nutrients your body needs now
So what is the one thing you need to do?
There is no one-size fits all approach!
Nutritional Therapy 1-on-1 provides the bio-individual support you need because what works for one does not necessarily work for you.
Each one of us has different nutrient deficiencies, lifestyles, stressors, jobs, family dynamics, environments, passions, activities, etc.
While yes every one of us is unique, Nutritional Therapy believes everyone needs to have these 6 foundations in place to experience optimal health.
And if you are like where the hell is stress management, movement, and sleep?!
They often get thrown into regulating blood sugar.
All 6 of these foundations are interconnected and impact each other.
If one is off, chances are another, if not all, are off.
An important difference of a FNTP is that we do not diagnose or treat. EVER
But we can be a fantastic member of your team.
I can evaluate your nutritional needs and imbalances using assessments and support you through the foundations to achieve your health goals.
It may seem ridiculous but if you are complaining of exhaustion chances are you need to start addressing your blood sugar first which may mean ensuring adequate food consumption throughout the day, eating animal protein at every meal, reducing the pasta, bread, and rice, and drinking enough water with electrolytes before taking a bunch of supplements.
If you complain of bloating, allergies, or autoimmune issues you most likely need to start addressing digestion which may mean sitting down for meals, chewing your food thoroughly before swallowing and drinking water away from meals while taking supplements to support digestion as it comes back online.
Notice how one included supplements while the other did not.
Supplements should be used to improve function by replacing, supporting, or helping.
They should always be accompanied with lifestyle habits that need to be implemented to not be reliant upon a supplement for life.
Supplements are exactly as they sound – to be an add-on to your life to support your goals at the given moment – not doing the work for you.
Ready to stop chasing symptoms, tired of not getting answers for why you feel the way you do, and get to the bottom of why it is all happening?
Schedule a free connection call to ask more about my 16-week program.