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poisonheadcrabsalesman · 3 years

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Writing Snippets

Palmer gets a haircut (small description of scars)

Square Lasky

The Ferrets traumatize the IVs

The adventures of Jorts

Hacksaw Squad meets Fireteam Crimson

1. Palmer gets a haircut

Clippers buzzed next to her head and she unclenched her jaw as auburn clumps fell to the floor.

They had numbed her for the stitches despite her protests. The nurse leveled a flat look at her before continuing putting in neat rows of stitches. Her scalp itched at the tugging sensation and she balled her fists.

Stupid. A stupid mistake. It wasn't even a big deal, but head wounds bleed and need to be kept clean.

Now she was going to walk around with a sign on the side of her head telling the world how she fucked up.

The nurse finished up and pat her shoulder. A mirror was placed in her hands and she saw her tired face staring back at her. Tilting the mirror, her eyes traced the raw pink slice that ran from just behind her temple past her ear and down the back of her skull.

It was an angry thing, uneven and vivid, but better than it had been hours before. Apparently a screaming, blood covered demon was enough to scare the Covies into a corner. Still her armor had been a mess and the techs had seemed skittish as they helped her out of her kit.

The face looking back at her was blank. She raised an eye and felt a slight tug. Turning again she looked at the scar and the shaved stripe. The nurse who had done the stitches had offered to even her hair out and she had numbly agreed.

Sarah Palmer was not vain. She hadn't put much thought into her hair. Now the back and side of her head were exposed to the cool air and the remaining strands were tied back away from the fresh wound.

It was...something. Different.

She sat quietly through the instructions on how to keep it clean and when to come back, chewing over this new thing. She had plenty of scars, the blamite round in her left shoulder, hardlight blade on her right bicep, bullet wounds and plasma rounds having left their marks on her. She'd been born into this war and it had made her its own.

She sits there and looks. Makes faces and bares her teeth.

Huh.

This might be something.

2. Square Captain, our Captain

"Am I really square looking?" Captain Lasky asks, voice carrying from his bathroom to where Palmer and Roland were talking in his quarters.

They share a look and mouth some words before he sticks his head, face dropping from the lack of an answer.

"Your silence is deafening."

"Tom, did someone hurt your feelings, cuz I can kill them for you."

"What the Commander is trying to say is we like you and will defend your squareness."

"So you do think I'm square!" He rubs at his jaw as his brow furrows. Palmer sighs and rolls her eyes, looking to Roland as she shrugs before walking over and slinging an arm around Lasky.

"We love our square little captain." She squeezes him to her side. "Little goody two shoes Lasky with his morals and his square little head."

"Gee thanks Sarah, I can feel the love and support." He says squished against her side. "Also, I'm not short, you're a Spartan, they gave you height in the war."

"Our tiny baby Captain square head." She says pressing a kiss to his temple.

"Am I really that square?"

"Would you like me to tell you the math, sir?"

"I would!"

"We know, Sarah and no thanks, Roland, don't give her any more ammo."

"Square, square man."

"Roland, pull up the footage from g-AAH"

"Roland delete that footage! I thought there weren't any backups?"

"No can do, Spartan. It's saved in a hundred different places and you need the captain's code to make me delete it."

3. The Ferrets

"So you know how we got kicked out of group therapy because we were scaring the IVs?"

"You weren't 'kicked out', it was suggested that you three see another doctor in a more private setting."

"That's kicking us out, Mom."

“They said we needed someone to help us with our ‘unique needs and life experiences’ and that we needed to ‘stop making the IVs cry’ when we were just participating!“

"Anyways, we have a new psych and they seem cool, they were talking us through the paperwork and what we wanted."

"How was that?"

"Well we said we think we might still be legally dead so we'll get back to them."

4. The Adventures of Jorts Part ?

"Hey Roland, where's Jorts?" Captain Lasky asks and Roland deliberates on sharing the news about the ship’s newest cat.

"I'll tell you, but you can't get mad."

"Roland."

"She's in Blue Team's quarters, has been for a few days."

"Why would that make me mad?"

"Because shehadkittensunderMasterChief'sbed." Roland spits out quickly, hands clasped in front of him and a sheepish look on his avatar's face.

"Kittens? She was pregnant? Why didn't you-"

"Captain, I don't make a habit of reading the cats' biosigns. You cannot blame me for this."

At that, the captain scratches his nose and his mouth turns up a little at the corners.

"Are they there right now?"

"Yes, captain. I believe it's feeding time."

"I have time." He mutters to himself as he looks at the clock before turning to Roland. "Time for a break. Do you have pictures?"

"Of course I do! They were even talking about letting me name one!"

5. Hacksaw Squad meets (our) Fireteam Crimson

The Spartan Commander is mouthing off to your squad leader over comms, but you couldn't care less right now because three Elites twice your size are circling you and the two other marines trapped in a Forerunner base.

Red blurs replace them and two of the aliens fall dead while your eyes adjust and watch as Spartans take down the third. They nod at you and you move as a unit to rescue the other half of your squad.

They're a sight to take in as they rush hunters and punch Elites, bodily moving in between you and the attackers most of the time. One of them breaks radio silence when your squad splits up and falls in behind the two leading the attack.

They also sound panicked as they bark at the other one about where the rest of the squad is and the other responds in an equally aggressive manner. You don't have much time to think because there are drop pods incoming and too many voices chattering on the comms.

Your squad regroups on the Spartans and you clear the tower. The Spartan with the jetpack jumps off to circle around the back and check for any stragglers while the one with the horned helmet seems to take a headcount.

Phantoms surround you as your ride takes too long to get there. The Spartans, Fireteam Crimson it seems, are herding you to cover and furiously trying to keep you alive. You haven't lost a squadmate since they appeared and you are grateful for them, if a bit put off by their demeanor. Climbing on the pelican for evac you hear one speak out of their helmet’s radio while the other nudges them tiredly.

"We saved our boys."

Thanks for reading! Jorts is based off of the ship cats from @/kat-w-writes fic Iron and Gold. Most of the other stuff is in collaboration with Bellygunnr and Shitty17!

#snippets #My writing #infinity sitcom au #this is not a halo blog #I'm gonna save the sad snippets for another post #oh and the other thing #hmmm #how many tags do you need to do before you aren't in the main tags anymore?#or did tumblr break that too?#halo #Sarah Palmer #Roland #Lasky #The ferrets #Fireteam Crimson #oc tag #Rhodes #Spartan Gunny #I was told to post the unfinished random nonsense and by god here's a small chunk of it

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rainbowchihuahuabunny · 5 years

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Tips and tricks for fellow Zebras

Link to website I copied this from below list. I own none of this.

1.) Confirm with a knowledgeable geneticist that you have EDS. If you get the feeling they do not understand or believe you have EDS, then go to another geneticist. I met with three before I was convinced and accepted the diagnosis.

Feel free to use our list of compatible geneticists.

2.)Take Time to Grieve – It’s okay and necessary to allow yourself to mourn the loss of your past life. Life will move on, but it will never be exactly as you have known it. As you go through that process, remember you need to reach the goal of moving on, live with hope and try to be proactive.

3.) Address pain control – You will need to accept that you can not take this journey on your own. You need to address your pain in order to have the opportunity to attempt to regain some sense of normalcy in life again. You might be like many of us and have trouble metabolizing certain medications.

Many EDS patients respond beautifully to medical cannabis. It can be taken in a simple dose of oil at night, that not only allows you to sleep but also provides pain relief to the body well into the next day.

Here is the recipe I use to make the oil.

4.) Be evaluated and followed by an EDS friendly neurologist for common EDS conditions such as tethered cord, Chiari I Malformation, and instability of the neck. Since this is very important for your safety, every EDS’er should have this evaluation done and be sure to have the neurologist monitor you.

Many of us need to have the tethered cord released to address issues with the bladder, kidneys, pressure in the chest, and issues with legs. If needed, have the tethered cord surgery as soon as possible for not only will you feel much better but it will prevent permanent damage. Also, any physical therapy you undergo after surgery will prove to now progress much more effectively and quickly.

Instability of the neck will cause havoc with your body. It is worth trying strengthening, but if this does not resolve the issue, then consider the surgery. Having my neck fused has been a lifeline for me. It has tremendously reduced brain fog, imbalance, headaches and constant painful neck subluxations.

Chiari I Malformation must also be addressed. Severe headaches are not a positive way to live, so please have yourself examined by a neurologist that understands this condition.

Any or all of these may be an issue for you in time, but please understand that correcting them, when the time is right, will make the difference in your efforts to progress.

Feel free to refer to the list of neurologists on our list.

5.) Find a good manual sacral physical therapist – “Living Life to the Fullest With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome” is a book written by my manual sacral physical therapist, Kevin Muldowney. He learned by working with many EDS patients at his clinic, that there are safe ways to strengthen our muscles. I have been through the protocols highlighted in his book and have found that they work for me. You’ll need to remain committed to the daily workout, but believe me, I love being proactive and thus, I so appreciate the progress which is so evident to me – like having the scarum hold! This is your opportunity to take better control of your life by learning, through the guidance of this book and along with a manual sacral physical therapist, how to successfully help strengthen your muscles which have the additional task of holding your body together.

6.) Develop a network of doctors that understand EDS or are willing to get educated – Feel free to visit my website to see if a doctor is listed near you. Also feel free to contact us if you have a good doctor that we can add to the list.

Remember, we are complicated and given current treatment options complete recovery is not an option. That is a lot for a doctor to want to take on. Be patient and look for compatible personalities and let them learn through you.

7.) Be sure to have a cardiologist – You should have an echocardiogram (echo test) done yearly. The test uses sound waves to produce images of the heart and allows the cardiologist to see if your heart is beating and pumping blood correctly. Many of us develop POTS or dysautonomia and eventually need the care of a cardiologist to help us take the compatible medication to keep our BP elevated, to prevent passing out.

8.) Determine food allergies – A simple food sensitivity blood test can offer tremendous assistance in reducing reactions and inflammation. By getting these foods identified and eliminating them in your diet, you will in turn decrease inflammation in the body the helps to cause your subluxations. It can initially be heartbreaking to learn a wonderful food you love is on your list, but many times, if you avoid that item for three months, you may be able to successfully reintroduced it to the body. As difficult as it is eliminating foods, you will find a huge difference in how much better you will feel. There are numerous tests to use but the one I happen to use is called MRT Food Sensitivity Testing.

9.) Determine Drug sensitivities – I wish that years ago I had a clue that there was testing available to see why I had such negative reactions to many medications since birth. A simple DNA drug sensitivity test can help determine what is a safe drug you should be able to put into your body. If you keep taking medication or eating foods that are not compatible with your body chemistry then you are increasing the inflammation in your system. More inflammation means more pain due to the increase of subluxations! I happened to use Genelex DNA Sensitivity testing. You then have these results to use for the rest of your life – anytime you need to add a new medication, you can determine from your testing whether it will be compatible or not. I contact the testing company to have them check my results to be sure I am safe adding anything new.

10.) Cusack Protocol – I had read about this supplemental protocol. I had no intent to add anything else to have to take but then heard more and more EDS’ers rave about the results. So a year ago, I bit the bullet and started introducing one item at a time to see if I could feel positive results eliminate too. To my amazement, I believe my joints are holding better in place, I am strengthening more successfully and feeling a nice improvement in my health and overall attitude. I found it took a few months for these results to begin to kick in. I have always believed that if something might help me and not hurt me, it was worth a try. This protocol is staying on my to do list and I would highly encourage you to consider trying to add these supplements to your life. Although I am not able to drive, I can order all I need on Amazon!

http://arthritis.talksmedicine.com/welcome-new-members-to-view-the-cusack-protocol-chart-select-the-pinned-post-379602]

11.) Exercise Safely – When you live with chronic pain, you get emotionally and physically worn down and sometimes feel that you have no energy to exercise. However, living with EDS makes it all the more important to do just that. We need to keep our muscles strong and be sure to get a cardio workout to keep our bodies in the best shape as possible. Along with following my daily exercises following the Muldowney protocol, I also add either walking, when the body allows, a stationary bike or have myself hoyeried into the pool. I can’t do stairs presently so this gets me in and out of the water safely and then I kick on my back and/or use a snorkel and kick on my stomach. I had been a master swimmer and didn’t want to give up exercising in the water, my love, despite no longer being able to use my arms or neck with swimming. There are frequent times I have to stop or back up a workout due to subluxations that have had to get corrected and might need time to reduce inflammation before returning to my routine.

12.) Try to not get Isolated – I have found, especially when recovering from surgeries, my contacts in life become very limited. And, due to living with chronic pain and continual issues that arise, it is hard for others to understand that we still need friends. However, many of us have experienced our friendships diminishing due to either being judged that we look fine or just not being able to keep up with activities with our friends. So we have to look for new ways to stay connected and not feel isolated. So, see if you can attempt to locate a local support group, use an online support group or reach out to others that are also trying to learn to cope with chronic issues. Simple acts like visiting a rehab center or nursing home and reaching out to others also struggling helps to put your life into a better perspective.

13.) Candida tendency – We tend to be more sensitivity to candida, the yeast we all have naturally in our bodies. Sugars and carbs feed this condition and cause it to get out of control causing brain fog, fatigue, and weight gain, despite almost starving yourself. This was one of the fist symptoms I developed early on in life. For me, it takes a round of Nystatin to rid my body of the issue and then lightening up on the triggers that feed it. I usually feel relief within twenty-four hours when I take the medication to kill the yeast.

14.) Taking care of your Gut – Many of us have issues with stomach aches and bowels that can literally shut down. Some deal with gastroparesis and others like me with motility issues. Many of the stomach issues are improved by addressing both the food and drug sensitivities. I had no movement of my gut for two years after my first neck surgery. The interesting thing is when I came down with congestion from a cold this past Fall, I turned to alfalfa tablets, per a homeopathic doctor, to dry up the congestion since I am unable to metabolize decongestants. Strangely and thrillingly, I suddenly found the gut woke up and has been eliminating daily. I have stayed on the daily use of the alfala to keep this process in action and am thrilled!

15.) Control Low Blood Pressure – Many of us live with lower blood pressure than normal. There are a few things that I have found to be very helpful for this:

Drink plenty of water.

Elevate your bed from the bottom of the frame at your head, 30 degrees.

Salt your food – and use the best salt you can get like REAL Salt that includes wonderful minerals too.

Don’t get to the point of passing out and doing damage. If you feel the above is not working, then see your cardiologist to consider adding medication like Midodrine. I find if I stick with my three doses a day, my BP stays at a safe level.

16.) MAST Cell – This is defined as a cell filled with basophil granules, found in numbers in connective tissue and releasing histamine and other substances during inflammatory and allergic reactions. Those that suffer with these reactions often struggle tremendously. Be sure to bring this condition up to your doctors if you feel you are not reacting normally to foods and life around you. I have not had this issue so don’t want to address this incorrectly and encourage you to talk about this if you are reacting abnormally.

17.) Orthopedic issues – If you develop issues with bones subluxing and strengthening seems to not be helping and there is talk of surgery, please be sure they use cadaver tendons to hold the bones in position, not yours! Remember your ligaments and tendons are not able to do their job properly due to this condition. And also consider using arch supports since many of us deal with flat feet.

18.) Prolotherapy/Vector Machine –

I always have turned to prolotherapy,also know as Non-Surgical Ligament and Tendon Reconstruction and Regenerative Joint Injection, is a recognized orthopedic procedure that stimulates the body’s healing processes to strengthen and repair injured and painful joints and connective tissue. I try this before making the decision to go for surgery. It is safe and can be effective, depending on the damage to your body. If it doesn’t work, then I move on to the surgery.

The vector therapy system is indicated in the US for the treatment of chronic, intractable pain and for the treatment of post-surgical trauma pain. When I tired one treatment for the first time with the machine a number of years ago, I had to immediately reduce my medication for pain for the treatment had rapidly reduced my pain levels.

19.) Low Dose Naltrexone – Low-dose naltrexone (LDN) has been demonstrated to reduce symptom severity in conditions such as fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and complex regional pain syndrome. LDN may operate as a novel anti-inflammatory agent in the central nervous system, via action on microglial cells. I again did not take the original suggestion to try this medication just because I hated to have to pay for one more thing along with adding to my list of medications. But after hearing the positive results of others with EDS trying this, I broke down and am thrilled I did. I feel that is helps me to maintain a more positive attitude, more pain reduction and functioning in general. Another keeper for me!

20.) General Safe Movement of Body –

A simple thing to always remember to prevent up-slips, is to never sit in a chair or in the car and reach down, leaning to your side, to pick something up. That will easily slip you out of position. Either sift your body to the direction you need to pick up something and then lean forward to get out of the chair and bend your knees to bend down.

Always lean down to the ground by bending your knees, not twisting to the side, to help keep your sacrum in position.

Try to get into and out of a car that you don’t have to lift your butt up high or sink down into the seat to try holding your sacrum in place.

21. Lifting Objects – It is helpful to limit your lifting and weight of objects to help prevent subluxations of your arms and ribs. Try to use a fanny pack to carry items instead of putting a shoulder bag on or carrying something in your hands pulling your arms downward. If you can possibly limit lifting no more than five pounds, it is safer for your body. You don’t want to pull and stretch those ligaments and tendons already compromised.

22.) Pillow – Many deal with issues with the neck. The Therapeutica pillow keeps the head in position during sleep to prevent the subluxations that can occur with innocent movement during sleeping.

If any of y'all have anything else to add or helpful tips and tricks you've found please add them!

#chronic life #chronic illness #chronic fatigue #chronically ill #chronic pain #ehlers danlos life #ehlers danlos zebra #ehlers danlos syndrome #ehlers danlos problems #tips #tricks #tips and tricks #helpful

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drlaurynlax · 6 years

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The #1 Cause of HPA Axis Dysfunction (Adrenal Fatigue)

The HPA Axis Dysfunction or Adrenal Fatigue

HPA Axis Dysfunction or adrenal fatigue is real…don’t believe me? Read on for yourself to find out how it can happen to anyone, and the #1 cause behind it all.

I’ve been quiet in social media world the past several months and, to be honest, it’s been a rough stretch to say the least. In short: “Adrenal fatigue” or HPA Axis Dysfunction is real, and if you’ve ever experienced an extreme bout of stress, you’ll know what I mean. Here’s a little personal story, and the science and research to prove it.

Stress = The #1 Cause of HPA Axis Dysfunction

In fact, stress alone is the #1 driver of HPA Axis Dysfunction—the primary attributed cause of practically every known ailment plaguing our society today—from diabetes, to cancer, autoimmune disease, anxiety and beyond.

Contrary to popular belief, stress goes far beyond just mental stress alone.

Physical stress is often times even more detrimental, as it more easily goes unseen, including: imbalances in the basic human needs (such as lack of sleep, dehydration, poor nutrient density, sedentary or overtraining lifestyles), to gut dysfunction (SIBO, leaky gut, IBS), circadian rhythm dysfunction, inflammation, and light exposure (blue screens, light at night, etc.).

In fact, you can be sitting on a beach in Tahiti with a margarita in hand, seemingly no care in the world, but your body STILL be under a significant amount of stress, such as: fighting leaky gut and acne, experiencing shortness of breath from overwork in your daily lifestyle and lack of sleep, and hormone imbalances from overtraining in the gym and under-eating fat and protein.

Regardless of what type of stress you face (physical or mental), our bodies can only take so much stress. While stress is inevitable (impossible to avoid in modern day), if you go over your individualized threshold of stress or experience a significant amount of stress in a short amount of time, your body may back fire.

Enter: “Adrenal Fatigue” or “HPA Axis Dysfunction.”

My HPA Axis Dysfunction Story

It all began in March of 2018.

Actually, rephrase that: It all began about 3 years ago, in 2015—the beginnings of my business and life as an entrepreneur.

Eager to “save the world” with my business aspirations in the health and wellness field, I went to work on the front lines, doing things like:

My Job (“Saving the World”)

Therapy:

Providing counseling and therapy services to individuals with emotional baggage to get rid of;

Nutrition:

Offering support plans and nutritional guidance for individuals seeking health improvements;

Functional Medicine:

Knocking conventional medicine on its head with functional medicine—providing tools, resources, protocols and procedures for helping people truly heal, not just manage their disease:

—You know, just “saving the world” (or trying to).

Along with these pursuits, a sneak peek into my life as an entrepreneur looked something like this for a couple years:

HPA Axis Dysfunction Begins: (Stressful) Life of an Entrepreneur (Beginning Fall of 2015)

6 a.m. Rise & Shine. Wakeup to my alarm across the room (despite wanting to go back to sleep after 5 hours of sleep)

Brushing my teeth, swigging a protein shake, and rushing to get ready for the day to make it to the gym by 6:30 a.m. or 7

7-8:30 a.m. Workout. Hitting a workout in the gym first thing to get energized for the day

8:30 a.m. Breakfast: Another protein shake, greens, coconut butter and 1/2 a banana on my way to my office

9 a.m.-2 p.m. Work It Start the work day, seeing new clients and writing or creating my next online project or book.

2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Workout #2. Hit the gym again for a break in the middle of the work day to burn off energy and clear my head.

3:30 p.m. Lunch. Chicken, avocado, greens, beets.

4 pm-7:30 p.m. Work It. Back to the grind.

7:30 or 8 p.m. Group Meeting. Mixing, mingling and talking more about business.

9:30 p.m. Workout. Force myself to hit the gym again after a long afternoon of sitting to work out pent up energy for 40-60 minutes.

10:30 p.m. Dinner. Dinner at home: Turkey burger patty, sweet potato, coconut butter, greens sautéed in ghee.

11 p.m.-1 a.m. Work. Finish my work for the day (e-mails, admin, etc.).

1 or 1:30 a.m. Bed. Hit the sack and sleep like a rock for about 5 hours.

Wakeup and do it all over again!

But Stress is “Normal” Right?…

Can you relate?

Or do you know anyone who is an entrepreneur, or in school, or loves what they do, or who is super stressed over their work or life—and keeps a similar schedule? (Burning a candle at ALL ends).

Face it: Stress and “running on a hamster wheel” is normal, and if you are NOT doing it, then you better watch out because (gasp) you may fall behind.

Although I thought I was made of “steel”—immune of stress wreaking havoc on my health—my body had other plans in mind.

Before I realized it, various (silent) health issues began to arise including:

Health Issues Arise (2016-2017)

IBS

SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth)

Unwanted weight loss (losing about 10 pounds over the course of about 3 years due to malabsorption and gut issues)

Bloating after eating

Chronic constipation

Shortness of breath if I slept less than 5 hours multiple days in a row

Gym performance decline (loss of strength, endurance, gains in the gym)

Hormone imbalances (losing my period)

However, despite all these “new” symptoms, I was completely checked out from my body—laser focused on checking off to-do lists, getting further ahead in business and growing a company.

In addition to not feeling on “top of my A-game,” other things in my life began to shift too, such as:

Lifestyle Imbalance (2016-2017)

Isolation from friendships (in place of work)

Working on weekends and evenings instead of spending time with people or taking breaks

Lack of interests and activities outside of work

Disconnection from my “source”—time spent in Word, prayer

Disconnection from the great outdoors (staying inside most of the days)

Over-screen exposure (upwards of 10-12 hours per day in front of a computer)

Loss of “who I am” or what I like to do (outside work)

Running towards a goal with no end in sight

To say the least, I became more like a robot, and less like “Lauryn”—the well rounded individual I am in my core.

I could talk and write all day about living a health lifestyle, and I knew WHAT to do, but when it came to my own health and life, there wasn’t time to do all the things I preached about!

As a busy entrepreneur, trying to save the world, who had time to do things like sleep 7-8 hours, or mix up my workouts, or eat a variety of nutrient dense foods, or make time for hobbies and passions and relationships?!

This schedule and pace continued for a good 3 years before my body really began to speak—letting me know that something was up.

Getting Out of Balance: SIBO, Leaky Gut, IBS & Beyond (September 2017)

Come September 2017, I was hit with a severe case of SIBO—Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth—in which my body, under high amounts of physical and mental stress, developed a gut condition where unhealthy bacteria overpopulated my small intestine.

The result?

Rapid weight loss and IBS.

Although I have struggled with “gut stuff” (constipation and IBS) most of my life, things really kicked up.

Seemingly overnight, I went from just feeling bloated after most meals to having to run to the bathroom after most meals with loose watery stools, or the opposite, waking up super constipated—unable to go at all.

This conundrum continued for a good 4 months before I decided to dig deeper and consider what else may be going on under the hood.

Thanks to my functional medicine background and training program at the time, we were actually learning about SIBO at the same time, and come to find out, SIBO is exactly what I had—triggering unwanted weight loss, malabsorption, bloating, constipation, tummy cramps, and the inability to tolerate most FODMAP foods.

At the turn of the New Year (January 2018), I was treating SIBO at home with a strict supplement protocol, courtesy of my functional medicine training, and by the end of February, I was feeling much better on the gut front—except about 10 pounds lighter than I’d want to be.

“What’s wrong with Lauryn?” I could sense others saying with their eyes, and it appeared I was “back” into my eating disorder that I had struggled with from ages 10-24.

I could hardly look in the mirror myself, and sitting at barely 100 pounds (on a “good day”), for my 5’4’’ frame, I felt it—felt weaker, and more discouraged, despite being more at peace with eating, feeding my body well and even giving up cardio in place of more muscle building workouts.

However, despite my efforts to gain weight—it wasn’t happening. Eating approximately 2400 calories each day wasn’t doing it. “Carbing up” wasn’t doing it. Working out a little bit less wasn’t doing it.

By March 2018, I found myself in a Gastrointestinal Doctor’s office to try to “get to the bottom” of things to see what—if anything—in my gut was still keeping me from putting on some weight that I wanted, and the conventional medicine “rabbit hole” began.”

The Plot Thickens: The Triggering Event (My Colonoscopy) (March 2018)

To start, the doctor ordered a CT scan of my intestines to start, finding a presentation of a “Megacolon” and “Autoimmune bowel,” and advising we do a colonoscopy to do some deeper digging to see what, if any, autoimmune diseases were present as well as any blockage or structural issues preventing me from absorbing nutrients and restoring bowel function.

In addition, I had a full blood panel done and hormone panel, and the results revealed:

Iron Overload

Low Thyroid Function

Low Vitamin D

SUPER High Cortisol

Low Sex Hormones (practically NO testosterone, estrogen, progesterone)

By the end of March, “C-Day” (“colonoscopy day”) arrived (and so did countless health side effects from this invasive procedure).

Colonscopies: More Harm Than Good

Colonoscopies have become one of the most prescribed outpatient procedures in America with more than 15-million performed each year (1) (CDC, 2016), and are only growing in prevalence.

While only about 50% of adults, ages 50-75, who “should have” colonoscopies comply with recommended guidelines, in 2018, the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (a group of public and private organizations) aims to raise the percentage of people screened for colorectal cancer to 80%.

And although colonoscopies are thought to be “necessary” for detecting “gut issues”—particularly colon cancer—they actually may be more detrimental than good.

In fact, according to Dr. Mercola and Dr. Michael Greger, about 1 in every 350 colonoscopies end up doing serious harm.

I am a case study example.

Colonoscopy: Little Known Side Effects

Common (little known) side effects from this invasive bacteria with a scope include:

Perforation (puncturing) of the intestines (Gatto et al, 2003) (2)

Dysbiosis (imbalanced gut bacteria) (Lorenzo et al, 2016) (3)

Infection with another person’s gut bacteria

Eradication of healthy gut bacteria from prep (Lorenzo et al, 2016) (3)

Electrolyte, bacteria and blood sugar imbalances (from the “prep diet” and extreme cleansing that is mandated) (Shobar et al, 2016) (4) (Mai et al, 2006) (5)

The result?

A gut microbiome that is “worse” off then prior to the colonoscopy.

Given that our gut bacteria and our gut itself is the “gateway” to health, if our gut bacteria gets off (or even MORE off), then you can bet your bottom dollar, other body systems get “off” by “imbalanced.”

Healthy gut bacteria or unhealthy gut bacteria determine whether the following body mechanisms are healthy or unhealthy, including:

Gut Bacteria Govern Our Health

Immune function (disease, skin) (Oregon State University, 2013) (6) (Nanjundappa et al, 2017) (7)

Digestion (Lawrence, 2017) (8) (Kim et al, 2012) (9)

Heart/cardiac function (Tang et al, 2017) (10)

Weight and metabolism (Filip et al, 2018) (11)

Blood sugar regulation (Kumamoto University, 2018) (12)

Brain health (anxiety (Hoban et al, 2017) (13), depression (Clapp, 2017) (14) and memory (Lund University, 2017) (15)

Adrenal health (i.e. “HPA-Axis” affecting hormones, cortisol and thyroid) (Konturek et al, 2011) (16) (Cryan et al, 2011) (17)

Exercise progress (or plateaus) (Clarke et al, 2014) (18)

Headaches (Gonzalez et al, 2016) (19)

Attention/ADHD/ADD (Carmen et al, 2017) (20)

Cancer (Fellows et al, 2018) (21)

A better option than colonoscopies?

Stool testing—Addressing gut bacteria and gut health itself—prior to looking for structural issues with a scope. (Bullman et al, 2017) (21)

Since gut bacteria, gut infections, parasites and bacterial imbalances determine whether you get cancer, IBS or autoimmune disease in the first place, comprehensive stool analysis, like this one by Doctors Data or this one by GI Map, can be tremendously helpful in assessing “underlying issues.” Additionally, organic acids testing, SIBO breath testing and even a new blood test (Tsai et al, 2018) can give you more information as well.

(This is something a GI doc won’t typically tell you).

Me: Post Colonoscopy (April-May 2018)

My colonoscopy was the “straw” that broke the camel’s back —accumulating the past 3 years of stress in one fatal swoop on “C-Day” (colonoscopy day).

The “prep diet” was too much for my already-weakened body to handle (i.e. clear liquid fasting). Couple NOT eating all day with a full bottle of Miralax laxative powder, laxative tablets and all afternoon on the toilet, and by midnight that night, I was “far gone.”

Walking up the stairs to go to bed, I blacked out—passing out on the floor, and eliminating more bowels.

It took me about a minute to come to, as I don’t remember what happened, and strewn on the floor, my body started convulsing and trembling, my teeth chattering, and all I remember is asking my mom for a banana—some potassium.

Ten minutes later, the ambulance was there, and I was hooked up to IV fluids, EKG monitor and a blood pressure cuff on my way to Dell Seton Medical.

“Electrolyte imbalance,” the ER doc diagnosed, and by 4 a.m., my mom and I were back out the door to prepare for my 5 a.m. colonoscopy arrival time.

I went through with the procedure, but little did I realize the “health issues” were not over, as my body spent the next 5-6 weeks trying to recover from the stressful event, inclusive to:

2 more ER visits (for “electrolyte imbalances” and hypoglycemia)

3 urgent care visits for more fluids and blood work

A GI Doctor office that would not return my phone calls post-procedure

A severe acute allergic reaction to a cat that moved in with a new roommate

Blood sugar highs and crashes

And more than a handful of diagnoses, speculations and prescriptions from docs trying to figure out what was going on, including: Asthma, Type I Diabetes, obstructed respiratory system, low sodium, iron overload, and…adrenal insufficiency (aka: “adrenal fatigue” or “HPA Axis Dysfunction”).

Adrenal Insufficiency (aka: HPA Axis Dysfunction)

Adrenal insufficiency (aka adrenal fatigue—or “HPA Axis Dysfunction”) IS real, and although our bodies are resilient to handle stress, if TOO MUCH stress happens at once, or a SUPER STRESSFUL event sets you over the edge, then HPA Axis Dysfunction is a byproduct.

The result?

Complete body imbalance.

The news was really no new news to me. It was more like an “A ha!” moment.

A ha! This is EXACTLY what I had been experiencing all along, I thought.

I could talk about adrenal insufficiency or HPA Axis Dysfunction ALL DAY LONG. I could write about it and educate others about it.

However, when it came to looking at myself in the mirror and facing the facts that I had NOT been taking myself…easier said than done. (It is like the nail salon technician that paints everyone else’s nails—but their own).

Flat on my back, in a hospital bed in the ER after an emergency trip due to a 3 a.m. hypoglycemic blood crash after a friend’s wedding in Dallas was the wakeup call I needed.

For the past two years, (ever since my symptoms of SIBO, gut dysfunction and other health maladies had begun), my prayers had been:

“Lord, be Lord over my body,”

“Lord, bring the manna and balance to my life,” and,

“God, help restore my body to health and help me put on healthy weight.”

Be careful what you pray for.

Never in a million years did I think that my “answer” to my prayer would be in the form of a blood sugar crash, but it was the wake up call I needed.

It was as if God was saying: “Lauryn, you DON’T have to save the world…I have already done enough.” And, “Instead of trying to bring glory to yourself, bring glory to me. Live out the gifts I’ve created and let me provide the rest.”

Mic drop.

I spent the rest of the weekend, praying, thinking and broken. I didn’t want to go back to my hamster wheel ways.

And you know what…I didn’t have to. I don’t have to. And whatever plates you are spinning or race you are running too…You don’t have to either.

How HPA Axis Dysfunction Happens

So…how did my body get SO out of whack in the first place?! How does HPA Axis Dysfunction REALLY happen?

In functional medicine, there is typically a “triggering event” that sets the body “over the edge” for HPA Axis Dysfunction and distress.

In my case: the colonoscopy (on top of the past 3 years of stress) resulted in disrupted gut bacteria, along with my side effects:

My Side Effects of HPA Axis Dysfunction

“Diabetes,” hypothyroidism

Unwanted weight loss and inability to gain weight

Suppressed immune function

Autoimmune disease

Feeling “wired and tired”

Shortness of breath

Hormone imbalances

Apathy about my work

IBS

Poor workout performance

Electrolyte imbalances

Melancholy mood

…And, to say the least, an entrepreneur who was anything BUT her healthiest, most vibrant, kick-ass self.

Other Side Effects of HPA Axis Dysfunction

For others, “adrenal fatigue” or HPA-Axis Dysfunction may present as one or several of the following:

Inability to lose weight

Mood swings

Fatigue

Anxiety or Depression

Autoimmune conditions

Food intolerances

Insomnia

Needing coffee or sugar to function

Headaches

High blood pressure

Low or high heart rate

Feeling dizzy when standing up

Inability to concentrate/focus or memory loss

Lyme disease

Catching colds, flus or illnesses easily

Not “feeling like yourself”

Skin breakouts or acne

Feeling burned out or unable to do your usual basic “to dos”

Inability to tolerate exercise like you once did

Random allergies you’ve never had before

How does adrenal fatigue happen to one person but not another? What separates “adrenal fatigue,” or HPA Axis Dysfunction from regular stress?

Check out this blog to find out ALL about adrenal fatigue and HPA Axis Dysfunction, how to find out if you have it and how you (and I) can heal.

Resources

1. CDC. 2016. Colorectal Cancer Screening Capacity in the United States

2. Nicolle M. Gatto, Harold Frucht, Vijaya Sundararajan, Judith S. Jacobson, Victor R. Grann, Alfred I. Neugut; Risk of Perforation After Colonoscopy and Sigmoidoscopy: A Population-Based Study, JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Volume 95, Issue 3, 5 February 2003, Pages 230–236,

3. Lorenzo et al. 2016. Persisting changes of intestinal microbiota after bowel lavage and colonoscopy

4. Shobar et al. 2016. The Effects of Bowel Preparation on Microbiota-Related Metrics Differ in Health and in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and for the Mucosal and Luminal Microbiota Compartments.

5. Mai, V., Greenwald, B., Glenn Morris, J., Raufman, J., & Stine, O. C. (2006). Effect of bowel preparation and colonoscopy on post‐procedure intestinal microbiota composition. Gut, 55(12), 1822–1823.

6. Immune: Oregon State University. (2013, September 16). Gut microbes closely linked to proper immune function, other health issues. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 28, 2018

7. Immune: Nanjundappa et al, 2017. A Gut Microbial Mimic that Hijacks Diabetogenic Autoreactivity to Suppress Colitis.

8. Digestion: Lawrence, K., & Hyde, J. (2017). Microbiome restoration diet improves digestion, cognition and physical and emotional wellbeing. PLoS ONE, 12(6), e0179017.

9. Digestion: Gene Kim, Fnu Deepinder, Walter Morales, Laura Hwang, Stacy Weitsman, Christopher Chang, Robert Gunsalus, Mark Pimentel. Methanobrevibacter smithii Is the Predominant Methanogen in Patients with Constipation-Predominant IBS and Methane on Breath. Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 2012; DOI: 10.1007/s10620-012-2197-1

10. Heart: Tang et al, 2017. Gut Microbiota in Cardiovascular Health and Disease

11. Weight: Filip Ottosson, Louise Brunkwall, Ulrika Ericson, Peter M Nilsson, Peter Almgren, Céline Fernandez, Olle Melander, Marju Orho-Melander. Connection between BMI related plasma metabolite profile and gut microbiota. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 01 February 2018 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2017-02114/4834036

12. Blood Sugar: Kumamoto University. (2018, April 10). How intestinal bacteria can affect your blood sugar and lipid levels. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 28, 2018 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180410100937.htm

13. Anxiety: Alan E. Hoban, Roman M. Stilling, Gerard M. Moloney, Rachel D. Moloney, Fergus Shanahan, Timothy G. Dinan, John F. Cryan, Gerard Clarke. Microbial regulation of microRNA expression in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. Microbiome, 2017; 5 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s40168-017-0321-3

14. Depression: Clapp, M., Aurora, N., Herrera, L., Bhatia, M., Wilen, E., & Wakefield, S. (2017). Gut microbiota’s effect on mental health: The gut-brain axis. Clinics and Practice, 7(4), 987.

15. Memory: Lund University. (2017, February 10). Gut bacteria may play a role in Alzheimer’s disease. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 28, 2018 from

16. Adrenal Health: Konturek, P. C., Brzozowski, T., & Konturek, S. J. (2011). Stress and the gut: pathophysiology, clinical consequences, diagnostic approach and treatment options. Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society, 6, 591–599

17. Adrenal Health: Cryan, J. F., & O’Mahony, S. M. (2011). The microbiome-gut-brain axis: From bowel to behavior. Neurogastroenterology & Motility, 23(3), 187–192. doi:10.1111/j.1365–2982.2010.01664.x

18. Exercise: Clarke, S. F., Murphy, E. F., O’sullivan, O., Lucey, A. J., Humphreys, M., Hogan, A., . . . Cotter, P. D. (2014). Exercise and associated dietary extremes impact on gut microbial diversity. Gut, 63(12), 1913–1920.

19, Headaches: Antonio Gonzalez, Embriette Hyde, Naseer Sangwan, Jack A. Gilbert, Erik Viirre, Rob Knight. Migraines Are Correlated with Higher Levels of Nitrate-, Nitrite-, and Nitric Oxide-Reducing Oral Microbes in the American Gut Project Cohort. mSystems Oct 2016, 1 (5) e00105-16; DOI: 10.1128/mSystems.00105-16

20, Attention: Carmen Cenit, María & Campillo Nuevo, Isabel & codoñer-franch, Pilar & G. Dinan, Timothy & Sanz, Yolanda. (2017). Gut microbiota and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: new perspectives for a challenging condition. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 26. 10.1007/s00787-017-0969-z.

21. Cancer: Fellows et al. 2018. Microbiota derived short chain fatty acids promote histone crotonylation in the colon through histone deacetylases. Nature. 9(105). doi:10.1038/s41467-017-02651-5.

Tsai et al. 2018. Prospective clinical study of circulating tumor cells for colorectal cancer screening. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 36, no. 4_suppl. 556-556… DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2018.36.4_suppl.556.

22. 6. Bullman et al. 2017. Analysis of Fusobacterium persistence and antibiotic response in colorectal cancer. DOI: 10.1126/science.aal5240

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jerrytackettca · 5 years

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Fasting Shown to Drastically Reduce Risk of Breast Cancer

According to research1 presented at the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, March 23, 2019, intermittent fasting, where you eat all your meals for the day within a narrow window of time — in this case eight hours — drastically reduces a woman's risk of breast cancer. According to Dr. Manasi Das, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego, who led the research team:2

"Improving the metabolic health of postmenopausal women with obesity may mitigate their risk for breast cancer. Time-restricted eating may be more successful than calorie restriction in controlling the negative effects of obesity, due to the hunger and irritability that makes it more difficult to stick with long-term calorie restriction.

The results suggest the anti-tumor effect of time-restricted eating is at least partially due to lower levels of insulin, suggesting this intervention may be effective in breast cancer prevention and therapy.

Exploring the ability of time-restricted eating to prevent breast cancer could provide an inexpensive but effective strategy to prevent cancer impacting a wide range of patients and represents a groundbreaking advance in breast cancer research."

Link Between Insulin Resistance and Cancer Strengthens

The team conducted three separate experiments on mice whose ovaries had been removed to simulate a postmenopausal state. In the first, the mice were first fattened up with a high-fat diet, after which they were divided into two groups: One had access to food around the clock, while the other had eight-hour access to chow at night (the time of highest physical activity).

The control group consisted of lean mice given access to a low-fat diet 24 hours a day. Three weeks into the experiment, all of the animals were injected with breast cancer cells. Results showed time-restricted feeding, also known as intermittent fasting, reduced tumor growth in the obese mice to levels similar to those in the lean mice.

In the second experiment, they used mice that were genetically modified to develop breast cancer. As before, half of them had round-the-clock access to a high-fat diet while the other had access to food for eight hours. Here, they also assessed the impact of insulin by artificially raising insulin in some mice using an insulin pump, while lowering it in others using the drug diazoxide.

In the third experiment, mice fed a low-fat diet were either given insulin via an insulin pump or saline as a control, while mice on a high-fat diet were either given diazoxide to lower their insulin levels, or no drug as the control. As you'd suspect, higher insulin levels fueled tumor development, while lower levels inhibited cancer growth. As reported by the New York Post:3

"The results add to a growing body of evidence that indicates obesity and metabolic syndrome, a collection of risk factors that increase the chance of developing heart disease stroke and diabetes, are also risk factors for cancer, particularly postmenopausal breast cancer."

Indeed, other studies have found intermittent fasting is a powerful anticancer strategy, and researchers are even working on getting it approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an adjunct to cancer treatment to improve long-term survival rates.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting, i.e., following a meal-timing schedule where you're fasting for at least 16 hours every day and eating all of your meals within eight consecutive hours, has a long list of confirmed health benefits.

There are also other intermittent fasting plans where you dramatically cut back on your calories for a certain number of days each week, while eating normally during the remainder. The 5-to-2 intermittent fasting plan is one such example. The fasting mimicking diet, developed to match the effects of water-only fasting, is another.

Most if not all of these plans have similar benefits, which include the following. 4,5,6,7 For a rundown of the science behind some of these benefits, see Chris Kresser's article "Intermittent Fasting: The Science Behind the Trend."8

Releasing ketones into your bloodstream, which help preserve brain function and protect against epileptic seizures, cognitive impairment9 and other neurodegenerative diseases

Boosting production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which stimulates creation of new brain cells and triggers brain chemicals that protect against brain changes associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease 10

Increasing growth hormone by as much as 1,300 percent in women and 2,000 percent in men,11 thereby promoting muscle development and vitality

Lowering insulin and improving your insulin sensitivity; studies have shown intermittent fasting can both prevent and reverse Type 2 diabetes, which is rooted in insulin resistance12,13,14,15

Increasing levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which helps your body break down fat to be used as fuel and benefits your metabolism16,17,18

Upregulating autophagy and mitophagy,19 which will help protect against most disease, including cancer20 and neurodegeneration21

Shifting stem cells from a dormant state to a state of self-renewal

Boosting mitochondrial energy efficiency and biosynthesis

Lowering oxidative stress and inflammation22

Improving circulating glucose23 and lipid levels

Reducing blood pressure

Improving metabolic efficiency and body composition, modulating levels of dangerous visceral fat and significantly reducing body weight in obese individuals

Reproducing some of the cardiovascular benefits associated with exercise

Regenerating the pancreas24 and improve pancreatic function

Protecting against cardiovascular disease

Reducing low-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol

Improving immune function25

Synchronizing your body's biological clocks26

Eliminating sugar cravings as your body adapts to burning fat instead of sugar

Increase longevity — There are a number of mechanisms contributing to this effect. Normalizing insulin sensitivity is a major one, but fasting also inhibits the mTOR pathway, which plays an important part in driving the aging process

Intermittent Fasting Considerations

While intermittent fasting is likely to be beneficial for most people, here are some points to consider:

• Intermittent fasting does not have to be a form of calorie restriction — It's a practice that should make you feel good. If your fasting strategy is making you feel weak and lethargic, re-evaluate your approach.

• Sugar cravings are temporary — Your hunger and craving for sugar will slowly dissipate as your body starts burning fat as its primary fuel. Once your body has successfully shifted into fat burning mode, it will be easier for you to fast for as long as 18 hours and still feel satiated.

• When intermittent fasting, it's important to eat real food — While intermittent fasting may sound like a panacea against ill health and excess weight, it alone may not provide you with all of these benefits. The quality of your diet plays an important role if you're looking for more than mere weight loss.

It's critical to avoid processed foods, particularly refined carbohydrates, sugar/fructose and grains. Focus your diet on vegetable carbohydrates, healthy protein in moderate amounts, and healthy fats such as butter, eggs, avocado, coconut oil, olive oil and raw nuts.

What Is KetoFast?

My latest book "KetoFast" is the follow-up to my bestselling book "Fat for Fuel." As I mention in the Q&A video above, you really need to implement the strategies laid out in "Fat for Fuel" first (which include daily intermittent fasting and cyclical nutritional ketosis), before you move on to "KetoFast."

I wrote "KetoFast" because I strongly believe multiday water-only fasting is a profoundly effective intervention. However, while extended water fasts have been used for centuries, modern day life presents us with toxic exposures that can actually make water fasting problematic, as fasting very effectively releases toxins. Most people today are severely toxic, and the sudden release of those toxins could potentially be harmful.

So, "KetoFast" essentially presents a modified form of water fasting (in combination with a cyclical ketogenic diet) that is easier to do, and provides greater benefits because you're able to do it more frequently. As mentioned though, it's best to have implemented a month of six- to eight-hour daily intermittent fasting and nutritional ketosis as laid out in "Fat for Fuel" first before you get into this longer type of fasting.

Once you're metabolically flexible and can burn fat for fuel, the combination of cyclical nutritional ketosis and cyclical fasting is phenomenal for weight loss and optimizing your health and longevity. As I've discussed in previous articles, I've done several five-day water-only fasts in the past, but with this modified strategy, I likely won't do a longer water fast like that again, as I don't believe it's necessary.

In summary, the modified fasting method I describe in "KetoFast" involves daily intermittent fasting for 16 to 18 hours five to six days a week. Then, once or twice a week, you have a single 300- to 500-calorie meal that day, followed by a 24-hour water-only fast. In essence, that means you're only eating 300- to 500 calories in 42 hours. In the book, I also make dietary recommendations to ensure you're getting the nutrients your body needs to support your detox pathways.

In the video above, I answer a wide variety of fasting related questions from readers, covering specific nutrients and more general timing recommendations, as well as some questions about cyclical ketosis. Tomorrow, I will also provide a more detailed written summary of this video, so look for it in your newsletter.

How to Implement Cyclical Keto and Fasting

Fasting and nutritional ketosis provide many of the same benefits, and both work best when implemented in a pulsed fashion. Together, I believe cyclical keto and intermittent fasting is a near-unbeatable combination capable of really maximizing the health benefits of both. Here is a quick summary of how to implement these two strategies as a cohesive program:

1. Implement an intermittent fasting schedule — Eat all of your meals — either breakfast and lunch, or lunch and dinner — within a six- to eight-hour window each day. Fast for the remaining 16 to 18 hours. If all of this is new to you and the idea of making changes to your diet and eating habits seems too daunting, simply start out by eating your regular diet on this timed schedule.

Once this has become routine, move on to implement the ketogenic diet (step 2), followed by the cyclical component (step 3). You can take comfort in knowing that once you reach step 3, you will be able to cycle in some of your favorite healthy carbs once again on a weekly basis.

2. Switch to a ketogenic diet until you can create measurable ketones — The three-part key is to 1) restrict net carbohydrates (total carbs minus fiber) to 20 to 50 grams per day, 2) replace the lost carbs with healthy fats so that you're getting anywhere from 50 to 85 percent of your daily calories from fat, and 3) limit protein to one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body mass.

(To determine your lean body mass, subtract your body fat percentage from 100, then multiply that percentage by your current weight.)

Vegetables, which are loaded with fiber, can be eaten without restrictions. The primary carb sources that need to be cut out are grains and all forms of sugar, including high-fructose fruits. (Healthy net carbs will be cycled back in once you've entered ketosis.)

Examples of healthy fat sources include avocados, coconut oil, animal-based omega-3 from fatty fish, butter, raw nuts (macadamia and pecans are ideal as they're high in healthy fat while being low in protein), seeds, olives and olive oil, grass fed animal products, MCT oil, raw cacao butter and organic pastured egg yolks.

Avoid all trans fats and highly refined polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Adding these harmful fats27 can cause more damage than excess carbs, so just because an item is "high in fat" does not mean you should eat it.

Maintain these ratios of net carbs, fat and protein until you've achieved ketosis and your body is burning fat for fuel. Keto testing strips can be used to confirm that you're in ketosis, defined as having blood ketones in the range of 0.5 to 3.0 mmol/L. Keep in mind it can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months before your body is able to effectively burn fat again.

Also remember that precision is important when it comes to these nutrient ratios. Too many net carbs will effectively prevent ketosis as your body will use any available glucose first, since it's a much faster-burning fuel, so make sure you have some basic measuring and tracking tools on hand.

This includes a kitchen scale, measuring cups and a nutrient tracker (www.cronometer.com/mercola is a free, accurate nutrient tracker that is already set up for nutritional ketosis).

3. Once you've confirmed that you're in ketosis, begin cycling in and out of keto by eating higher amounts of net carbs once or twice a week. As a general recommendation, triple the amount of net carbs on these high-carb days. Cycling in and out of nutritional ketosis will maximize the biological benefits of cellular regeneration and renewal, while minimizing the potential drawbacks of continuous keto.

While higher net carb amounts are allowed once or twice a week at this stage, I would advise you to still be mindful of what's healthy and what's not. Ideally, you'd forgo potato chips and bagels, and focus on adding in healthier alternatives such as digestive-resistant starches.

High net-carb foods such as potatoes, rice, bread and pasta all become more digestive-resistant when they're cooked, cooled and then reheated, and this is one way of making such indulgences a bit healthier. To learn more about this, see "This Simple Trick Can Minimize Damage From Unhealthy Carbs."

4. At this point, you're ready to move on to the modified water-only fasting regimen described in "KetoFast" — Again, this involves daily intermittent fasting for 16 to 18 hours on days you are not KetoFasting. Then, once or twice a week, you have a single 300- to 500-calorie meal that day, followed by fasting until your next normal meal. For a six-hour eating window this means you'd only eat 300 to 500 calories in a 42-hour period.

from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/04/11/fasting-for-leading-diseases.aspx

source http://niapurenaturecom.weebly.com/blog/fasting-shown-to-drastically-reduce-risk-of-breast-cancer

0 notes

paullassiterca · 5 years

Text

Fasting Shown to Drastically Reduce Risk of Breast Cancer

According to research1 presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting, March 23, 2019, intermittent fasting, where you eat all your meals for the day within a narrow window of time — in this case eight hours — drastically reduces a woman’s risk of breast cancer. According to Dr. Manasi Das, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego, who led the research team:2

“Improving the metabolic health of postmenopausal women with obesity may mitigate their risk for breast cancer. Time-restricted eating may be more successful than calorie restriction in controlling the negative effects of obesity, due to the hunger and irritability that makes it more difficult to stick with long-term calorie restriction.

Link Between Insulin Resistance and Cancer Strengthens

In the third experiment, mice fed a low-fat diet were either given insulin via an insulin pump or saline as a control, while mice on a high-fat diet were either given diazoxide to lower their insulin levels, or no drug as the control. As you’d suspect, higher insulin levels fueled tumor development, while lower levels inhibited cancer growth. As reported by the New York Post:3

“The results add to a growing body of evidence that indicates obesity and metabolic syndrome, a collection of risk factors that increase the chance of developing heart disease stroke and diabetes, are also risk factors for cancer, particularly postmenopausal breast cancer.”

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting, i.e., following a meal-timing schedule where you’re fasting for at least 16 hours every day and eating all of your meals within eight consecutive hours, has a long list of confirmed health benefits.

Most if not all of these plans have similar benefits, which include the following. 4,5,6,7 For a rundown of the science behind some of these benefits, see Chris Kresser’s article “Intermittent Fasting: The Science Behind the Trend.”8

Releasing ketones into your bloodstream, which help preserve brain function and protect against epileptic seizures, cognitive impairment9 and other neurodegenerative diseases

Increasing growth hormone by as much as 1,300 percent in women and 2,000 percent in men,11 thereby promoting muscle development and vitality

Lowering insulin and improving your insulin sensitivity; studies have shown intermittent fasting can both prevent and reverse Type 2 diabetes, which is rooted in insulin resistance12,13,14,15

Increasing levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which helps your body break down fat to be used as fuel and benefits your metabolism16,17,18

Upregulating autophagy and mitophagy,19 which will help protect against most disease, including cancer20 and neurodegeneration21

Shifting stem cells from a dormant state to a state of self-renewal

Boosting mitochondrial energy efficiency and biosynthesis

Lowering oxidative stress and inflammation22

Improving circulating glucose23 and lipid levels

Reducing blood pressure

Improving metabolic efficiency and body composition, modulating levels of dangerous visceral fat and significantly reducing body weight in obese individuals

Reproducing some of the cardiovascular benefits associated with exercise

Regenerating the pancreas24 and improve pancreatic function

Protecting against cardiovascular disease

Reducing low-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol

Improving immune function25

Synchronizing your body’s biological clocks26

Eliminating sugar cravings as your body adapts to burning fat instead of sugar

Intermittent Fasting Considerations

While intermittent fasting is likely to be beneficial for most people, here are some points to consider:

• Intermittent fasting does not have to be a form of calorie restriction — It’s a practice that should make you feel good. If your fasting strategy is making you feel weak and lethargic, re-evaluate your approach.

• When intermittent fasting, it’s important to eat real food — While intermittent fasting may sound like a panacea against ill health and excess weight, it alone may not provide you with all of these benefits. The quality of your diet plays an important role if you’re looking for more than mere weight loss.

It’s critical to avoid processed foods, particularly refined carbohydrates, sugar/fructose and grains. Focus your diet on vegetable carbohydrates, healthy protein in moderate amounts, and healthy fats such as butter, eggs, avocado, coconut oil, olive oil and raw nuts.

What Is KetoFast?

youtube

My latest book “KetoFast” is the follow-up to my bestselling book “Fat for Fuel.” As I mention in the Q&A video above, you really need to implement the strategies laid out in “Fat for Fuel” first (which include daily intermittent fasting and cyclical nutritional ketosis), before you move on to “KetoFast.”

I wrote “KetoFast” because I strongly believe multiday water-only fasting is a profoundly effective intervention. However, while extended water fasts have been used for centuries, modern day life presents us with toxic exposures that can actually make water fasting problematic, as fasting very effectively releases toxins. Most people today are severely toxic, and the sudden release of those toxins could potentially be harmful.

So, “KetoFast” essentially presents a modified form of water fasting (in combination with a cyclical ketogenic diet) that is easier to do, and provides greater benefits because you’re able to do it more frequently. As mentioned though, it’s best to have implemented a month of six- to eight-hour daily intermittent fasting and nutritional ketosis as laid out in “Fat for Fuel” first before you get into this longer type of fasting.

Once you’re metabolically flexible and can burn fat for fuel, the combination of cyclical nutritional ketosis and cyclical fasting is phenomenal for weight loss and optimizing your health and longevity. As I’ve discussed in previous articles, I’ve done several five-day water-only fasts in the past, but with this modified strategy, I likely won’t do a longer water fast like that again, as I don’t believe it’s necessary.

In summary, the modified fasting method I describe in “KetoFast” involves daily intermittent fasting for 16 to 18 hours five to six days a week. Then, once or twice a week, you have a single 300- to 500-calorie meal that day, followed by a 24-hour water-only fast. In essence, that means you’re only eating 300- to 500 calories in 42 hours. In the book, I also make dietary recommendations to ensure you’re getting the nutrients your body needs to support your detox pathways.

How to Implement Cyclical Keto and Fasting

2. Switch to a ketogenic diet until you can create measurable ketones — The three-part key is to 1) restrict net carbohydrates (total carbs minus fiber) to 20 to 50 grams per day, 2) replace the lost carbs with healthy fats so that you’re getting anywhere from 50 to 85 percent of your daily calories from fat, and 3) limit protein to one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body mass.

(To determine your lean body mass, subtract your body fat percentage from 100, then multiply that percentage by your current weight.)

Examples of healthy fat sources include avocados, coconut oil, animal-based omega-3 from fatty fish, butter, raw nuts (macadamia and pecans are ideal as they’re high in healthy fat while being low in protein), seeds, olives and olive oil, grass fed animal products, MCT oil, raw cacao butter and organic pastured egg yolks.

Avoid all trans fats and highly refined polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Adding these harmful fats27 can cause more damage than excess carbs, so just because an item is “high in fat” does not mean you should eat it.

Maintain these ratios of net carbs, fat and protein until you’ve achieved ketosis and your body is burning fat for fuel. Keto testing strips can be used to confirm that you’re in ketosis, defined as having blood ketones in the range of 0.5 to 3.0 mmol/L. Keep in mind it can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months before your body is able to effectively burn fat again.

Also remember that precision is important when it comes to these nutrient ratios. Too many net carbs will effectively prevent ketosis as your body will use any available glucose first, since it’s a much faster-burning fuel, so make sure you have some basic measuring and tracking tools on hand.

This includes a kitchen scale, measuring cups and a nutrient tracker (www.cronometer.com/mercola is a free, accurate nutrient tracker that is already set up for nutritional ketosis).

3. Once you’ve confirmed that you’re in ketosis, begin cycling in and out of keto by eating higher amounts of net carbs once or twice a week. As a general recommendation, triple the amount of net carbs on these high-carb days. Cycling in and out of nutritional ketosis will maximize the biological benefits of cellular regeneration and renewal, while minimizing the potential drawbacks of continuous keto.

While higher net carb amounts are allowed once or twice a week at this stage, I would advise you to still be mindful of what’s healthy and what’s not. Ideally, you’d forgo potato chips and bagels, and focus on adding in healthier alternatives such as digestive-resistant starches.

High net-carb foods such as potatoes, rice, bread and pasta all become more digestive-resistant when they’re cooked, cooled and then reheated, and this is one way of making such indulgences a bit healthier. To learn more about this, see “This Simple Trick Can Minimize Damage From Unhealthy Carbs.”

4. At this point, you’re ready to move on to the modified water-only fasting regimen described in “KetoFast” — Again, this involves daily intermittent fasting for 16 to 18 hours on days you are not KetoFasting. Then, once or twice a week, you have a single 300- to 500-calorie meal that day, followed by fasting until your next normal meal. For a six-hour eating window this means you’d only eat 300 to 500 calories in a 42-hour period.

from Articles http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/04/11/fasting-for-leading-diseases.aspx source https://niapurenaturecom.tumblr.com/post/184101522816

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clarencebfaber · 6 years