That is the question!!
So, I started this whole quest to get my digestion in order, primarily to resolve my issues with GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, or heartburn) and my digestion in general. Looking at my history it's pretty clear that I've had problems with digestion going back decades, possibly even to childhood. Resolving my issues with GERD is the most immediate concern but I really need to get all of these issues under control, and to do that I need to heal my digestion.
In Chris Kresser's ebook on GERD (you have to sign up for his email list to get access to this) he recommends going on the SCD or GAPS diets to starve out the bad bacteria. He says he often uses the low FODMAP diet, especially for those with SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, which I'm fairly sure I have) and in a July 13, 2012 article he wrote an article ("FODMAPs: Could common foods be harming your digestive health?") in which he says the same thing. Dr. Sarah Ballantyne also suggests limiting FODMAPS for people who suffer from SIBO ("Veggiephobia: Why limiting your vegetable intake might be slowing down healing"). But then on October 8, 2015 Kelsey Marksteiner wrote another article on ChrisKresser.com in which she says that one should not restrict carbohydrates or FODMAPs for SIBO or gut dysbiosis in general.
But starving the bacteria over the short term does not eradicate the bacteria, which is what we’re trying to accomplish, as the small intestine is not supposed to contain much bacteria. If you continue this restriction for a long period of time in an effort to kill the bacteria, you’re also starving the bacteria in your large intestine that should be there and that play a vital role in your health.("Why Diet Alone Is Not Enough to Treat SIBO")
In this article, she references a discussion Kresser had on his September 10, 2015 podcast with Dr. Mark Pimentel ("SIBO Update — An Interview with Dr. Mark Pimentel"). Here's what Dr. Pimentel says:
If you give guar gum or you augment their [the bacteria's] eating — so now you’re feeding them, they’re thrilled, they’re enjoying all that food — they’ll be more sensitive to rifaximin. So when I treat with rifaximin, or antibiotics, in general, for these IBS patients, I don’t want them to be on a low-FODMAP diet simultaneously or any kind of carbohydrate restrictions. I want those bacteria happy and fed because they’ll respond better, in my experience, and the guar gum study kind of supports that notion.So I'm really at a loss for what to do. The ideal thing would be to find a good functional medicine doctor and have some testing done but a) that's expensive, and insurance doesn't cover it and b) I dread looking for someone who knows what the hell they're talking about. Since that's out right now I need to figure things out for myself. I do want to go to a doctor, and I will, but not right now. I have too many things I need to save money for (not the least is my wedding and honeymoon!)
The other thing is, although I still believe that digestion is the foundation of health (you can't absorb any nutrients if your digestion isn't working), this experience with GAPS has driven home the fact that I still have autoimmune issues and I need to get those under control. At least after doing GAPS the autoimmune protocol diet doesn't seem so bad!
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I actually ate breakfast today (the last of the GAPS pancakes with a slice of GAPS bread with honey). Guess if there's bread involved I'm hungry enough to eat at 9:30 lol.
Lunch was shredded beef with some salad and chicken broth on the side with some pineapple (from a can, but packed in it's own juice... which spilled in my insulated lunch bag! Damn you non-water tight food containers!!!)
Snack was the last two donuts from Liberty Specialty Foods. I had to! I need to get through all my GAPS food before moving onto AIP, lol. XD
Today's article:
My Experience with the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol
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