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All disease begins in the gut. — Hippocrates
Hippocrates made this profound statement more than 2,000 years ago, but we’re only now coming to understand just how right he was. Gut health is critical to overall health, and an unhealthy gut contributes to a wide range of chronic diseases, including diabetes, obesity, autism, depression, and anxiety. Many researchers, myself included, believe that supporting intestinal health and restoring the integrity of the gut barrier are two of the most important goals of medicine in the 21st century.
If you’re experiencing issues, learning how to support gut health naturally could make a difference in your overall health and well-being. If you’re working in the health and wellness field as a nutritionist, health coach, or another allied provider, understanding gut health could help you support your clients as they work to restore and maintain a healthy microbiota. Read on to learn why a healthy gut is essential for creating a healthy body and how you can restore and maintain a healthy gut for life.
Finding natural methods to heal the gut can help you get relief from a wide range of distressing symptoms. Find out how to support a healthy gut through diet and lifestyle. #optimalhealth #changeagent #chriskresser
Health Coaches: Why Focus on Gut Health?
If you’re in the health coaching profession, you’ll undoubtedly encounter clients with existing gut problems and chronic diseases. Some may struggle with obvious gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, gas, or bloating that clearly point to gut issues. However, others may have extraintestinal manifestations, such as blood sugar dysregulation or mental health issues, that are also rooted in gut dysfunction. No matter who you’re working with, supporting your clients as they take steps to heal their gut naturally should be a priority due to the profound impact of gut health on overall health.
The idea of the gut affecting overall health may seem far-fetched to some people. Therefore, I recommend beginning any discussion of gut health by briefly describing the two related variables that determine gut health: the intestinal microbiota and the gut barrier.
Are We More Microbial than Human?
The human gut is home to approximately 100,000,000,000,000 (100 trillion) microorganisms, collectively referred to as the “gut microbiota.” (1) The gut microbiota harbors a gene set 150 times greater than that of the human genome. (2, 3)
These microbes aren’t just passively living their lives; they have a profound impact on our health. Within the GI tract, gut microbes promote peristalsis (the movement of food through the intestines), protect against infection, produce vitamins, and maintain a healthy gastrointestinal mucus layer.
Outside the digestive tract, gut microbes influence other organs and tissues through neural networks and signaling molecules. Through these complex communication networks, gut microbes regulate 70 to 80 percent of the immune system and influence blood sugar control. (4, 5) They also modulate the function of the brain, bone, heart, skin, eyes, and muscle tissue. (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
What Disrupts the Gut Microbiome?
There are many features of the modern lifestyle that disturb the gut microbiome. Exposure to these harmful factors is pervasive in our society.
Processed, Inflammatory Foods
The Standard American Diet, packed with processed, inflammatory foods such as refined carbohydrates and industrial seed oils, is an established risk factor for gut dysbiosis. (12) The Standard American Diet reduces bacterial diversity and induces inflammation in the gut, thereby contributing to a slew of downstream adverse health effects.
Low Fiber Intake
Our gut microbes ferment dietary fiber to fuel their activities. A lack of dietary fermentable fermentable fiber, which is quite common in the United States, deprives gut bacteria of this fuel and leads to reductions of beneficial bacteria. (13)
Stress
Chronic psychological stress alters the gut microbiota; in fact, this may be one of the critical mechanisms by which stress contributes to so many chronic health issues. (14)
Chronic Infections
Bacterial, fungal, and viral gut pathogens alter the composition of the gut microbiota. (15) Importantly, a gut infection does not need to be acute to cause problems in the gut microbiota; some infections fly under the radar for years. Stool testing is a valuable tool for identifying both acute and subclinical gut infections.
Antibiotics and Other Medications
Antibiotics and non-antibiotic medications such as birth control pills, proton pump inhibitors, and NSAIDs significantly alter the gut microbiota, according to research. (16, 17) Repeated rounds of antibiotics and the use of non-antibiotic meds are important risk factors to identify.
C-Section Birth and Lack of Breastfeeding
During vaginal birth, a baby passes through the birth canal and is “seeded” with a mother’s beneficial bacteria, setting the stage for optimal gut microbiota development. Babies born by Caesarean section, on the other hand, are first exposed to microbes present on the skin of those who touch them during the C-section delivery (doctor, nurses) and immediately after (mom), as well as whatever limited microbes are floating around a sterile hospital environment. A newborn’s lack of exposure to a mother’s beneficial vaginal bacteria alters the course of gut microbiota development in infancy and childhood and may be associated with future health problems, even into adulthood. (18)
Breastfeeding provides infants with breast milk rich in probiotics, prebiotics, and immunoglobulins, which facilitate the development of a healthy gut microbiota. (19) Infant formula lacks many of these nutritional factors and is associated with suboptimal development of the gut microbiota. (20)
Circadian Rhythm Disruption
Circadian rhythm disruption, induced by factors such as abnormal sleep/wake schedules and blue light exposure at night, causes imbalances in the gut microbiome. It also compromises the integrity of the gut barrier, the second essential variable that influences gut health. (21)
How Does the Gut Barrier Impact Our Health?
As I mentioned earlier, two variables influence gut health: the gut microbiota and the gut barrier. But what exactly is the gut barrier and why is it essential for our health?
The gut is a hollow tube stretching from the mouth to the anus that passes out anything that is not digested. The gut barrier, a multilayer system made up of intestinal epithelial cells and proteins, prevents the escape of non-nutritive (and potentially harmful) substances from the intestine into the bloodstream. When the structural integrity of the gut barrier is compromised, large proteins and other molecules escape from the gut into the blood; this phenomenon is referred to as “leaky gut.”
What Causes Leaky Gut?
We’ve learned that many of the factors that harm the gut microbiome, such as antibiotics and an unhealthy diet, also contribute to leaky gut, a predisposing factor in the development of many health issues.
In addition, there are particular substances that can compromise the intestinal barrier and cause abnormal permeability. Research has identified a protein called zonulin as one primary culprit.
Zonulin increases intestinal permeability, including that of the tight junctions between intestinal cells. It has emerged as a critical link between leaky gut and adverse health consequences such as autoimmune diseases. (22) Gliadin, a component of the gluten protein, promotes leaky gut by increasing zonulin production. You can learn more about the connection between gluten, zonulin, and leaky gut in my podcast with researcher Dr. Alessio Fasano.
The Health Consequences of Leaky Gut
It is possible for someone to have leaky gut even if they don’t have gut-related symptoms. In fact, studies indicate that it can manifest as eczema, autoimmune disease, obesity, and many other chronic health conditions. (23, 24, 25)
If leaky gut is left untreated, it will be nearly impossible to improve other health issues, such as blood sugar control and cognitive function. That’s why it’s so important to focus on promoting a healthy gut barrier.
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Seven Ways to Heal the Gut Naturally
While it’s not always possible to completely steer clear of those factors (an adult cannot control, for instance, whether he or she was born by C-section or breastfed), there are still many ways in which you can improve gut health.
1. Remove Processed, Inflammatory Foods from the Diet
Transition to a whole foods-based, nutrient-dense diet. Identify and remove foods that are causing inflammation, such as gluten and dairy. Inflammatory foods can be identified via food sensitivity testing or an elimination diet.
2. Add Fermentable Fibers
Eat plenty of fermentable fibers, found in foods such as artichoke, onions, garlic, and plantains. These fibers fuel the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and help heal leaky gut.
3. Add Fermented Foods
Fermented foods are rich in probiotics that help restore a healthy gut microbiota and intestinal barrier. Unpasteurized sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, yogurt, and kefir provide probiotics in abundance. However, make sure you’re not struggling with histamine intolerance before increasing your intake of fermented foods, as fermented foods can exacerbate symptoms.
4. Seek Treatment for Any Intestinal Pathogens
Gut infections are an important cause of gut dysbiosis and leaky gut. If you—or your clients—are currently seeking treatment from a Functional Medicine practitioner, ask about testing like the Genova GI Effects test or GI-MAP. These can identify specific bacterial, fungal, or parasitic imbalances causing gut dysbiosis.
5. Emphasize Healthy Sleep Habits
Get seven to eight hours of high-quality sleep a night to support your gut health. I recommend sleep hygiene practices such as maintaining a regular sleep schedule and avoiding blue light exposure at night. Blue light exposure can be minimized with blue-light-blocking glasses and the f.lux and Iris apps.
6. Develop an Exercise Routine
Develop a sustainable exercise program that will keep your gut microbes in shape. If you’re an endurance athlete, you may need additional gut support to mitigate the adverse effects of frequent endurance exercise on the gut microbiota, such as increased intestinal permeability. (26)
7. Manage Stress
Make stress-reduction practices, such as yoga or meditation, a part of daily life. Mindfulness apps such as Headspace or Calm can be helpful for people who are new to meditation.
Better supplementation. Fewer supplements.
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Congratulations, Chris, for a very informative article, and the discussions that have occurred from it. In reading through the thread, I was impressed by the variety and numbers of health issues that people have, their persistence in trying to find a solution, and the complexities that may be involved in any particular case; and the offers of help, information, support that come from others. As you said, prevention is key to avoid health issues that are detailed here. Thank you for what you do. Anne
Thank you for this article. I’m so desperately trying to cure my adult acne and I know it’s something in my diet after all my pathology came back normal, as well as trying a million other strategies. I was so desperate at one point I succumbed to my mainstream doctors recommendation of antibiotics that didn’t work at all, hence the reason I’m reading this. I knew it’d kill all my gut flora but I was desperate. :,( I’m so frustrated and I still haven’t found any doctor that approaches medicine holistically. I have a naturopath that is quite open minded but she’s not a proper MD, so I still feel like I need to marry both approaches. I’m a 27 woman!! Never suffered acne as a teen. I’m so depressed about it. I can’t let this beat me. Going to focus solely on my gut and pinpointing my food allergies now.
Hi, look into removing all gluten containing products for two weeks and see if you see a difference. Gluten gives me a horrible stomach ache and a cystic spot anytime I ingest it. Might be one of your sensitivities. Hope this helps.
Your liver can’t process toxins so it’s pushing them out your skin. You must support your liver with liver-supporting herbs, such as Dandelion Root and Milk Thistle seed, etc, Google it. I’m guessing you have painful periods as well, aka Endometriosis. It is imperative to help the liver process the excess estrogens and other hormones that are causing your issues.
My 23 year old daughter got horrible inflammatory (non-hormonal) acne last October. It took 4 months of seeking out 2 dermatologists, alternative professionals, natural remedies, etc. without results. But then we found an amazing facialist who is actually truly knowledgable about acne, and my daughter is now acne free and is on her way to zero scarring.
In a nutshell, try to reduce: iodized salt, milk (including organic & especially non-fat) & cheese, whey or soy protein shakes & protein bars, soy (tofu, soy milk, tempeh, edamame), seafood, shellfish, spirulina, chorella, blue-green algae, kelp, miso soup, seaweed & seaweed supplements, vitamins with iodides, iodine, kelp, potassium iodide (also avoid Biotin), peanut butter & oil, corn & canola oil, organ meats, inculding paté.
Substitutes: sea salt, uniodized salt, celtic salt, almond, coconut & rice milks, pea protein, egg white powder, hemp (still check for iodides and biotin), lake trout, bass, catfish, almond butter or other nut butters, olive oil, butter, coconut oil.
A well balanced low-glycemic diet can support skin and all aspects of health. My daughter does avoid gluten, but mainly for general health purposes. She has recently added goat kefir to her diet, with no breakouts from it.
Supplements useful in aiding recovery from acne: Zinc Monomethionine, Omega 3 fish oils, Probiotics. These have been very helpful.
Hair & Skin products never to use: cocoa butter & coconut oil, jojoba, olive, & lanolin. Oil-free products can be comedogenic.
Makeup: Bare Minerals Original Formula loose powder foundation is a safe choice, but Bare Minerals Matte is not a safe choice. No Bare Minerals blushes, bronzers, or veils.
My daughter used Clé de Peau concealor and foundation (when acne was at its highest – she’s make-up free now!). Zero clogging products in this make-up line. There’s a long list of make-up (including BB creams) that wont cause breakouts and won’t clog, but my daughter only used foundation & concealer.
Be careful choosing shampoos & conditioners (without coconut oil, lanolin – the no list is very long). My daughter ended up using ShiKai Reflect shampoo & conditioner.
Reduce stress and get enough sleep.
No picking or squeezing! Instead, rub ice on pustules & pimples for a couple minutes, twice a day (my daughter said using the ice is amazing). Try to catch them when they’re first forming. Neosporin (without lanolin) is great for healing and is non pore-clogging.
Paper towels are good for drying the skin after washing vs a towel.
Use fragrance-free detergents: there are many on the market. We went from years of using a natural detergent straight to Tide Unscented and there was a significant change in my daughter’s outbreaks. Watch out for coconut oil in detergents.
No fabric softener or dryer sheets.
No water softeners – can lead to acne, especially those containing high amounts of potassium chloride.
Use a non-comedogenic sunscreen every day.
No “lo” dose birth control pills. Norplant, Provera, & Depo-Provera shots, Mirena & Nuvo rings can cause breakouts.
Swimming pool disinfectants can contain iodides and chlorine – causes skin problems for frequent swimmers.
Wear a hat to minimize and/or avoid hyperpigmentation.
Very best of luck. I know how devastating adult acne is on the psyche and heart & the emotional stress & toll it takes. I hope these few tips might be helpful and wish you a blessed recovery.
Can you share your daughters esthetician ?
Yes, of course – go to: bibawesthollywood.com.
Biba is located in Beverly Hills, but isn’t typical of a BH salon. She’s a one-woman show (no receptionists or reception area) without pretension, and never tries to sell products. We’re still so grateful for having found her!
Try estrosense for the acne. I never had acne as a teen-but after two kids and turned 35 it appeared. Estrosense really cleared it. I’ve also read it’s cleared very serious cystic acne. It also helps with menstrural cramps and pms. mood swings. Takes a month to kick in
Do the bone broth!!!!!! It Truly is THE cure to all leaky gut issues. I had colitis, acne, candita out of control, bloating, etc. For years. I am 24, I was vegan for years so are WAY too many processes grains and even unprocessed grains (grains in general damage the gut lining, all of them). Anyway, I got sick with a simple cold this Christmas which exploded into inflammation all over my body. My acne flared up, a rash on my chest, severe cramping, and even blood in my stools. I immediately went to buy some bones (i put it off for a while because I was vegan and didn’t want to support the killing of animals!). I made two gallons of broth in a giant pot with marrow bones which you can get at whole foods. I literally drank around 8-10 cups for five days and the made it again and drank 8-10 cups for another five days. The first two days, however, I ONlY i only ingested the broth,
Nothing else. By the third day I was eating vegetables cooked in coconut oil. The thing is, the gut needs some time to heal with the broth with no food being digested. I kid you not, ALL of my symptoms cleared in a matter of a few days. Since then, I have eliminated all grains and soy and have been eating mostly veggies, avocados, berries, fish, chicken, and of course, broth. I felt completely renewed from the broth, it is a medicine!!!! We Must heal the gut before anything else.
Hi guys I have hashimotos with adrenal fatigue but am nursing. So that limits my ability to take botanicals to modulate my immune system or address the adrenals.
Im learning that the adrenals need to be adressed first it seems. But I’m unsure as to how you can with supplements when nursing. Any practical suggestions I can do in the meantime other than going gluten free?
I’d really love to hear an answer to this as well. I’m having a baby in 3 weeks and I can’t do any supplementation while pregnant and read none while nursing, besides a few things. I ordered Adrenotone through an interview I read with Chris, then found out I can’t take it while pregnant or nursing. I’m desperate to address this issue because of how bad I feel and have felt for years now, but I want to breastfeed and Chris talks about how important that is as well. So where are we left?
Hi, I am currently nursing as well and am hypothyroid. I’m needing to fix my adrenal and gut problem as well. My naturopath has me on a supplement for my adrenals it is drenatrophin pmg from standard process. It is basically crushed up cow adrenal glands. So it is safe while nursing. Looks like you can buy it online if you google it. I would like to know if you can heal your gut without any detoxifying elements to it. Since detoxing isn’t recommended while breastfeeding.
Not sure if it’s okay to list another website on here, but check out wellnessmama.com She also has hashimotos and is a mother of six (so might have some insight as to what is and isn’t safe while pregnant/nursing) . I know that she has a 30 day autoimmune resent protocol that may be good for you to look into.
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Thanks Adriana, I’ve just ordered their products 1 month ago and it helped me alot. Now I feel really better. I strongly recommend this product for people who
Hey there Adrianna!
How long did it take for mandarin plus to start working? Do you need to continue to take it once you were feeling better?
My Father in law is 90 and has been suffering from excess H pylori bacteria in his stomach. He was treated with a hefty dose of antibiotics but his diet needs to be changed. I was advised that all his meals should be in puree form, no garlic or citrus fruits, no alcohol nor coffee. This is a big deal for me becos we are spanish and our diets are very full of meats and stews and condiments. I need help with an easy weekly diet for him. Any ideas ? Thankyou xx
Hi Michelle,
I too had a bad spell with H Pylori. It took several doctors several years to figure it out and they only treated symptoms.
once i was finally diagnosed, I went through two rounds of large dose antibiotics (that’s 28 days of 2500+mg). I then developed Candida overgrowth in my tummy. This is actually very common with HP. and causes alot of tummy distress. So I took a heavy cointinued dose of probiotics
I was on a semi-liquid diet that went something like this:
*Carnation Instant Breakfast in the morning
*Soups (lots of soups and broth)
*Pinto Beans (I would eat these as a meal) This was helpful because it is a fermented food.
It was pretty boring but worth it in the end.
I have since researched more “liquid” diet foods and have found a ton of recipes by google searching “Gastro-perisis diet”. Those who suffer from Gastro-Perisis have to remain on a liquid diet.
Now when i feel the need to liquify my break/lunch/dinner, i have more options:
With liquid diets, you need to be sure you make every meal count. I think about this before. I was just trying to survive. 🙂
now i follow some simple recipe guidlines:
Smoothies:
liquid – water, milk, nut milk, juice, etc
Protien – nuts – seeds – nutbutter, etc
Greens – spinage, kale,
Fruits or berries or both!
“Filler” – avacado, sweet potato, oatmeal, etc
for warm foods:
puree soups
liquid – broth, etc
vegetables (purreed): cauliflower, kale, spinach, carrots, etc
“Filler” (Puree) – Quinoa, Rice, Freekah, etc
Good luck!!
I was trying to respond to Alisa comment but I can’t find it. I guess this can go out to everyone:) For years, I was going back-and-forth from low histamine foods to low oxalate & etc. Then I took a test 23and me to validate my biggest issue was sulfur foods which is pretty much most vegetables and fermented foods. I do very well with Epson salt baths, and in the last couple of weeks have felt the difference but still narrowing to a few things that aren’t working. My system doesn’t simulate or process sulfur, so my body gets overloaded and then creates hives & cystic on my face. Also did an allergy test to find that I can’t eat foods that are high in salicylic acid or foods with latex (bananas pineapples & avocados).
https://www.23andme.com
Stefani –
Thank you for sharing your insight and experience. I’ve been in the process of eliminating foods, too, based on my own experiences with them, and feel like some of my symptoms have become worse since I began eating paleo-ish a few years ago (for instance, I have developed very red eyes that I didn’t have prior to my paleo days and my nose still runs like crazy). I know I can’t tolerated histamine-rich food (kombucha and the like would make me bloat up and give me a racing pulse). I’m wondering if I have issues with sulfur rich foods, as well, because as a child I reacted badly to sulfa drugs and could not take them for illness. I eat cruciferous veggies daily, along with plenty of meat. Actually, the one day I went on a protein-fast (ala Bulletproof Diet), my nose didn’t run at all! Don’t know how to reconcile with that…do stop eating meat on the paleo diet??
Anyway, I’m curious to know what role the epsom salt have. Do they somehow minimize the symptoms you are experiencing?
Thank you!
Stephanie, what allergy test did you have done??
Hi Stefeni. Your comment is insightful. I’m wondering what type of allergist you went to for your allergy test. When I went to an allergist to find out what type of food I’m allergic to, all she told me was that I’m allergic to dust. This didn’t help at all because I knew that already. The problem is I have cold hives. I have welshes on my face and fingers when I’m out in the cold. I now found out that this is an autoimmune condition but I don’t know what foods trigger this problem. Please someone help me.
Stefani, I’m curious how you validated the fact that sulfer foods are you biggest issue using the 23 and Me test results. I might actually be in the same boat.
Chris don’t know if you read comments anymore BUT if you do it sure would be nice to have the most current comment at the top versus having to completely scroll down to the very bottom. Also, to be able to click on the link that’s sent to our email, and for it take you to the comment that you’re wanting to reply to. Other wise, you can’t find it unless you scroll through every comment which is extremely time consuming if it’s not the last comment at the VERY bottom. It’s just not user-friendly how you have it set up. Thank you
Thanks for pointing this out Stefeni, they should have been showing newest at the top. We fixed it, so new comments are again at the top of the comment section.
Eliminate ALL dairy products and coffee, teas, sugar carbonated drinks. Try active probiotics after fasting for a day, drink lots of clean water (slowly) and see if you don’t start feeling better in just few days. Celery juice has been beneficial to some as well. Gut luck!
Hi,
I have got an autoimmune condition and I am eating autoimmune paleo. I got a question regarding tapioca which sometimes show up i AIP recepies. But know I learned from you site that tapioca cross react with gluten? So tapioca is out of the diet then? And what about yucca, isnt that the same as tapioca?
Hope you can sort this out for me.
Kind regards
Gunilla
Hi, tapioca is a starch and so is best to avoid if you have an auto immune condition, also don’t eat yucca either. You need to heal your digestion so I would recommend that you try and avoid all starchy foods if possible. The autoimmune paleo is a good diet to follow. I don’t know how far you are on the diet but until your digestion is on the mend I would eliminate the starchy foods. Hope that helps you.
I have not read through all the comments, but if this is a repeat question, I do apologize! My daughter (7)has been allergic to dairy since she was born. She is on the highest end according to her allergist. Anaphylactic reaction to ingestion(even a small amount of dairy baked into something) and hives due to contact of dairy substances. She has severe seasonal allergies, asthma and in the past few years has added more foods to her allergy list (per scratch test and blood test)….egg yolk and whites, apples, carrots and soy. She has also experienced many bouts with pneumonia and sinus infections and even experienced a rough case of e. coli just a couple years ago. I am interested in starting her on probiotics but I am very concerned about there being any dairy in (grown on) probiotics. Can anyone recommend a probiotic that would be safe for a child with a severe dairy allergy? Thanks in advance!
Hi Heather, you could try and make your own yoghurt which has trillions of good bacteria in it. I buy full fat milk and bring it up to 180 degrees in temperature. Use a steel pan and sanitise with boiling water first. I then let the milk cook to around 110 degrees and mix with a probiotic yoghurt starter sachet. You can buy in health food stores or online. You need to then keep it at an even temperature for at least 24 hours. You could plug in a slow cooker to warm it up and then turn it off, put the yoghurt into a container and put inside the slow cooker and wrap in a towel for 24 hours. This will incubate the yoghurt really well. I use a yoghurt maker that you plug in and it stays at the right temperature for as long as you need. You can buy on Amazon. This yoghurt is fermented longer than usual yoghurt so breaks down the lactose into a more digestible form. Hope that helps.
Her daughter has a severe dairy allergy.
That would not work for us. My daughter can go into anaphylactic shock just from taking a bite of a cookie that has a milk derivative in it. We can’t use any milk products at all.
Try making your own saurkraut. The juice is loaded with probiotics plus you can make it completely dairy free by omitting the whey for more salt. The recipe I use is from the nourishing traditions cookbook. Good luck with your little one!
You could try coconut milk kefir, here is a good link for a recipe.
http://www.hungryforchange.tv/article/go-with-your-gut-and-try-coconut-milk-kefir-recipe
You can use Good Belly probiotics; they do not have any dairy.
There is a brand new probiotic called Equilibrium that might help her. Take a look at their science info page. http://www.generalbiotics.com
I don’t have a probiotic suggestion but I would recommend looking into NAET treatments for your daughters allergies. I’ve have seen the results firsthand and it is miraculous. It can be expensive but I promise you it is money well spent. Good luck. Also the GAPs diet can help.
I find that organic kefir should help your daughter even if she is allergic to milk as people with lactose intolerance are able to tolerate kefir.
NO-dangerous advice to dispense. This child is ALLERGIC to DAIRY, not lactose. Some who are sensitive to dairy may be able to tolerate milk kefir, but there are other reactive components like casein, yeast…
Heather, you are asking the right questions in search of healing for your daughter. Hope you are aware that a compromised system requires starting with small amounts of any probiotic. Perhaps a food or drink source might be easiest way to gauge for reactions. OTC probiotics are likely to have unreliable “dosing” numbers, i.e, labels touting 25 billion of 8 strains may have that number at production time, but deliver a very small fraction into the lower GI. There are refrigerated fermented beverages at Whole Foods that include teas, juices, waters (Kombucha). If no refrigerated source is near check health food section at your grocery. One sweetened tea tastes similar to sparkling apple cider: Kombucha Wonder Drink Peach with organic red tea (no caffeine), oolong tea. There are also non-dairy yogurts, kefirs made from coconut or almonds.
Best wishes for you and your girl in finding answers that work!
Hi Heather! Do you have allergies? I would strongly recommend taking your daughter to a certified Naturopathic Doctor (ND). There are only 5 Naturopathic Medical Schools in the US and 2 in Canada. Sounds like her immune system is overloaded, and could be caused by herbicides, pesticides, perservatives, additives and/or environmental. And perhaps allergy medication she might have taken. I would suggest eating ORGANIC and NO SOY, dairy and gluten free diet. Vegetable juicing (organic) to cleanse the body and is quite nutritious. No refined food. The fremented food/drinks will aid in the gut flora as well. Oil or oregan helps heal some gut issues, but I would suggest talking to an ND first. While she is healing, her diet may be extremely limited, but in the long run, I believe she will be okay. The ND I saw was wonderful in helping me heal after cancer. Seriously, please look for an ND or an MD who believes in integrative medicine. Seriously, you need to do a drastic changed for your daughter to heal. All the best to your daughter!
Hi Heather, the best probiotic to use is SCD probiotic, its non dairy and all plantbase. In South Africa, it sells as Rapha Booster from Probio. My grandsons is using it & all the health issues and allergies of the past is gone. Theyve been using SCD Probiotic since babies, now my grand daugther is also using it and the change is amazing.
Where are you
Hi Heather. I understand. My son is allergic to eggs, soy, gluten, all dairy, sardines, anchovies, Hemp, strawberries, bananas, MSG, and red and yellow food dyes. We give him florajen 4 kids, and also regular Florajen 3. I have also given him Probiotics from Renew Life. Some are dairy free, and some are not. you could probably find a chart online. I have given him Renew Life Ultimate Flora Critical Care 50 Billion. My son is very sensitive; he has had allergies since 3 days old. He will get hives from someone toughing him who toughed or ate something that he is allergic to. I hope you can heal your daughter. 🙂
Klaire Labs product: Ther-Biotic Children’s Chewable is free of milk/casein, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat/gluten, and soybeans. Contains no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. All ingredients are of the highest quality and purity available. Formulated for the most sensitive individual. My son has lots of food allergies and this is the one I give him.
Chris, Are you familiar with the disease CRMO (chronic recurrent multi-focal osteomylitis)? Have you successfully treated any 12 year old females with this condition?
Bob, I had never heard of your daughter’s condition until now. Some natural alternatives that come to mind are kyloic garlic, protandim, and use of a cool laser light. The laser light is assuming she has been cleared of the possibility that it could be a form of cancer. I use a vetrolaser brand. Of course, you should consult with her physicians before adding anything to her treatment plan. Best wishes to your daughter.
A great sight. Reading that I am not alone in dealing with heali issues has truely helped. I have chronic eczema all over my body – I’m basically constantly itching.
Have established that the problem is most probably stemming from a leaky gut with a candida overgrowth. Also have adrenal stress and very low function, probably from dealing with my sudden and devastative drops in energy with huge doses of caffiene.
Question; Does anyone have any specic ideas on eczema in relation to gut heal etc
Thank you
Jason
Hi Jason-
Have you had allergy testing including igG for delayed reaction to what you are consuming? My son seemed to flare in response to peanut butter.
Good luck in your search.
Bren
Hi Jason
I’m 38 and suffered my whole life with eczema. The only true change I’ve seen is by elimination diet. Took my diet back to basics with fruits veggies and filtered water. I cut dairy, meat, caffeine and alcohol. I noticed a difference instantly. I then began reintroducing foods after a few weeks. I still keep off dairy, rarely eat meat, alcohol or caffeine. I found corn, corn starch, corn syrup, popcorn etc causes instant flairing. I used to eat more paleo style now I’m high carving with clean unrefined foods. This has worked, dandruff gone, belly gone and my skin is calm and clearing up. Watch a movie called Forks over Knives, that has a lot of helpful advice also.
Hi Jason, yes I agree, you need to do an elimination diet. The main ones will be gluten, wheat, dairy and starchy foods like rice and potatoes. Heal your leaky gut with bone broth and make a fruit jelly with pure grape juice and gelatin and eat 3 times a day and bone broth 3 times a day to heal your gut. I think once you have healed your gut and started eating more vegetables and no processed foods or sugar, things should calm down a bit for you. It will take time for your body to heal though. For your adrenals, take a good B vitamin supplement, zinc, magnesium, selenium. You need good fats too like coconut oil and omega 3 supplement. Get your minerals by eating sea salt.
Not that simple. Bone broths, homemade from pastured beef and organic chicken can be high in glutamates that flare symptoms. There are variations, but I would research GAPS diet-best to start there.
Fermented food and Alive! whole food vitamin C have helped me with my itching!
Hello Chris, you write that Diets high in refined carbohydrates, sugar and processed foods can contribute to unhealthy gut flora.
I am trying to find the scientific research that proofs this. I can not find this in your articles. Can you help me?
On my end, I’ve chose Mandarin Skin Plus to solve my gut health problems. It’s a very good product and you can buy it online directly. http://store.taitlabs.ca
I have read a number of these post. I have been raked over the coals for the last few years trying to heal my gut. The healthier I ate the sicker I got. I was drinking home made goat kefir, eating sauerkraut, drinking green smoothies and green juiced drinks. Taking all kinds of herbs, oil of oregano. I stopped eating out in dec of 2011, only eating organic whole foods, most of my meat was home grown grass fed. Veggies grown in my garden. I ended up with leaky gut. From my research, the fiber in raw green drinks worsens an already sick gut, raw veggies have toxins like oxalates in them that destroy your gut flora and puts toxic crystals through out your body. Sauerkraut acts like an opioid (think opium) in many people with gut issues. One teaspoon of sauerkraut juice will put me in a vegetative state for 3 days. Fermented foods are very high in histamines and make matters worse. Sadly for me, I was taking / drinking lots of kefir a day and it did not cure my leaking gut, I only got worse. I was also on the blood type diet for two years prior.
In February of 2013, I started getting all my mercury, crowns and root canals removed. I started the GAPS diet. It made matters worse. The bone broth made glutamates, which I reacted to, I also reacted to the sulfites and oxalates in the foods recommended . After six weeks of soup I stopped the diet. I started doing a low oxalate diet, which helped until I started dumping oxalate toxins. Note to self, don’t go low oxalate over night, it’s very painful when you release them. By July I have all my dental work done. Things are still going downhill. Possibly because I do not take anything to remove the mercury. I start taking MSM, and my hair starts falling out by the handful.Since dec 2013 I regularly do water fasting. In September I take two different types of allergy test. Pretty much everything I was eating I was reacting to. I also find I have salicylate sensitivity. I go on a 4 day rotational diet. I now have 10 foods I can eat. I start dropping weight like crazy. I started taking clay from California earth minerals. Within two weeks, my bowel movement start improving, my brain fog lifts. My intestines start feeling better. By the five month mark I am able to eat more food per meal, still limited to ten foods. My hair has gone from 250 hairs down to 30 hairs a day. ( hair loss can be a sign of sick gut )I am having new hair growth. My fingernails are growing again. The cracks in my tongue are healing ( search for tongue diagnosis ) my muscle tone is back. My energy is getting better and better. I still have weeks of detoxing periods , but I also have weeks of no detox periods. Before, I was detoxing for weeks and would have a one day repreave. It is now 8 months of being on the earth minerals, I can feel myself coming back. The things I take are blue bonnet Betaine hcl with pepsin, digest spectrum enzymes, magnesium malate powder, two tablespoons of California Earth mineral ( two hours away from meals or pills) I soak daily in epson salt baths. I am very cautious of taking anything, try to stay on my 10 food diet. My foods are:
Day one: chicken, winter squash , brown jasmine rice rice cake with hazel nut butter
Day two: bison, spaghetti squash , brown jasmine rice, rice cake HNB
Day Three: duck , apple sauce (made with cameo apples) BJRice, RCHNB
Day four: elk, black eyed peas, BJRice, RCHNB
I had to take my chances and eat rice and the hazelnut butter everyday because I was starving. So far so good.
They say it takes about two years to heal the gut, but along the way rest of my body is healing.
Hopefully this helps someone who has similar problems.
Jenah, what an arduous journey! I am encouraged that you are finallyseeing light at the end of the tunnel. Is your dentist a natural med doc? If not, can you find a natural practitioner to help you with a detox regime? (And evaluate hormone levels.)
I have also experienced greens (high oxalates) toxicity and cannot tolerate fermented foods or diluted Braggs organic apple cider vinegar. An herbalist recommended acv, but did not explain detox symptoms that might be experienced. Felt like food poisoning.
I suggest you research the source of brown rice you are using. Brown rice has higher arsenic contamination than white. I realize you have to eat SOMETHING, but since you are consuming it daily you might try to rotate with an ancient grain like Quinoa. I got very ill by day 3 of an elimination diet of rice (brown and white) and lamb. Allergist/immunologist suggested I might have been experiencing detox, but in retrospect I realized I had reacted badly to jasmine rice on prior occasions.
I understand your reluctance to deviate from your ten safe foods, but to stay on such a restricted diet will likely cause a sensitivity to most of them. ESPECIALLY likely since you know your gut is compromised.
Thank you for sharing your experience with California Earth Minerals–that’s something I had intentions of researching!
One last suggestion: Consider rotating your sources of magnesium. Experiment to avoid loose stools. L-theonate and taurate taken orally work well for me with epsom lotion and magnesium oil topically.
Good luck in speeding your healing!
Bren,
I went to a some what natural dentist, he removed my two root canals and one crown tooth, then flaked out on me on the fourth tooth I wanted pulled. It was a crown with mercury filling under. This was the same area when I talked on a cell phone would shoot what felt like laser beams thru my head, also would get buzzing in my head if I went under certain power lines. This dentist would only take the crown off and replace it with a temporary crown. So on to dentist number two, he basically held me captive in his chair for 45 minutes trying to persuede me to have a 2000.00 crystal implant put in. It was only when I was getting up to leave that he decided he would pull the tooth. It took three minute. On to dentist 3. He did an ok job of removing my mercury fillings, he used all the precautions they are suppose to, and removed the filling in the order that dentist 1 said needed to come out. But he did not tell me to use anything to help pull the mercury out of my system, and if it’s like oxalates, when you remove the item from your diet or system you start detoxing it. I really should have been using the clay before I had any dental work done.
When I went to dentist 1, he made me go to a somewhat natural doctor. ( February of 2013 ) he did all his muscle testing, told me which tooth needed to come out first, told me I had parasites, and a very bad liver, then prescribed a chemical wormer. When I read up on it online, first precaution was don’t take if you have liver problems. So I did not take. When we spoke about my leaking gut, he told me “good luck trying to find something to eat” gave me no help or suggestions. I made hubby go with me to all my appointments. Bye the third visit hubby says to not tell the dock the main problems and to only say a few secondary things, like brain fog ect. So in my exams he completely misses all my main problems and prescribes over 200.00 in synthetic vitamins for the secondary problems. To me he was like one of those cheesy psychics who pump you for info then go off of that. Had he learned any thing from my exam he would have known things were worse. So in the mean time, I speak to another lady who just went to these two docs and spent over $10,000.00 to get “fixed”.
Doc 2, in September, had me do all kinds of test. By this time I am reacting to most foods and telling him I can not take all this stuff, he prescribes 250.00 worth of vitamins which I do not buy, then gets pissed at me because I bring my ” body gaurd” to all my visits. My main intent was just to get allergy testing done. I wanted both allergy and intolerance testing. He had a new company that tested for more foods, so we did that, but he failed to tell me it was for intolerances only. He tried to get me signed up on his NAET program, but the research I did on it, did not prove to really help many people. He would not do a sample on me to see if it worked. Each food could take 3 visits @ 50.00 per visit, wanted me on his office 3 times a week.
So on to doc 3. I was honest and up front from the beginning and told her all I wanted was the allergy test. Her next opening for new client was not for 4 weeks, so I ask if I can prepay for my visit and g ahead and get the lab work done for my allergy test. She agrees. We have a few more conversations. When she realizes that I am not going to be buying any of her vitamins she cancels my appointment and holds my results over my head. I have to call the lab and have them send me the results. So yes I have seen doctors and the only help I got was in transferring money from my pocket to theirs.
I will check out my source of brown rice. I do rotate occasionally with white sushi rice, but feel like it messes with my blood sugar if I eat it to often. I can not tolerate any other kinds of grains.
I was eating all different kinds of foods last September , then started with the salicylate rash when I ate blueberries . When I cut out all the histamine, sali, oxalate, glutamate, sulfur, dairy ect foods did I start feeling better. A while back I ate a cherry , I got a small rash on my back, 3 days later I pitted the cherries that we had picked. My fingers were in the cherrie juice and I absorbed thru my skin. By that night I had a huge rash on my back that was moving around my under arm onto my chest. The pain was very deep muscle pain and I could not take anything for it. Hot baths, heating pad and massage chair, were my only help. 2 weeks of that and the welps started going away. I have tried different foods and find I react, and with my cherry experience, it’s a very difficult decision on weather I want to go thru that just to see if I can “tolerate” a different food. Some people take histamine type pills so they can eat histamine foods. My thoughts are if your body is reacting to them and you put a band aide over the problem and don’t heal the problem, you are doing a much greater disservice to your body by continuing to feed it stuff it’s telling you it does not want. My 10 food diet will not be forever. At some point when my gut is healed with the ingestion of the clay and staying away from foods that my body rejects, I will be able to enlarge my food selection.
The only magnesium I could find that did not have additives to it is the magnesium malate powder that I am currently taking. I will look around and see if I can find some thing else. I have no issues with it cramping, or loose stools. I also rub on magnesium oil. But have not since my cherry experience be cause of the bumps on my back and the sweet burning pain one gets when the oil is rubbed on a raw spot.
Thanks for your words and help..
Be blessed
Jenah
Good Golly-you HAVE been thru the ringer! Sorry you have had so many poor experiences with your dental and medical practitioners. (It’s ludicrous that we separate the two.)
I’m contemplating removal of a crown that is silver underneath. How did you learn what the composition was?
I’m glad you didn’t eat 2 cherries! So, did Doc #3 order the IgE allergy testing? If not, the most expansive list for the buck is probably from GreatPlainsLaboratory.com. BTW, you can do the NAET muscle testing by yourself–holding substance between certain fingers. Helpful to have someone else apply the resistance pressure.
Can’t find the site now, but a doctor decades ago
did successful allergy testing by putting a tiny dab of foods and other substances just one or two at a time on patient’s skin at bedtime and then checking for site reaction next day. Might be interesting to try when you are ready to reintroduce a food that you were previously able to tolerate.
You are wise to have suspended the magnesium oil–The Ancient Minerals site confirms that yes, we can be allergic to magnesium. I reduced my application frequency as I’m pretty sure it was the source of an itchy, burning rash (not an application area).
I am praying for restoration of your health.
Bren
The test I had done were the leap, it only test for sensitivities, and from Meridian labs which test for IgG and IgE. I am glad I got both done because there were several discrepancies between the two. One said I had no problems with oats while the other was a complete avoid. I spoke with the doctor on call at leap and he told me if one says you react then still avoid. He was pretty shocked at the difference between both test.
I did not know what was under the crown until he removed it. I traced back the sick times in my life, and they were all following dental work.
I use to have my chiropractors muscle test me for foods. One food was coconut flour. Two different ones said it was safe to eat, but when I did, I would get pins and needles in my feet and hands.. Several other things were tested ok to eat but were not. Normally when I introduce a food, I do the pulse test. ( take pulse, eat a little bit of the food, wait ten min, sit still for two min, take pulse again, if pulse is 10 points higher, more than likely you are reacting. When I ate the cherry my heart started racing immediately. You can look up Dr, Cocoa pulse test and get the specifics.
Thanks for all your help… Seems like the only way we heal is by listening to each other and bypass the money grabbers who no longer look at you as patients but as walking dollar signs!
Jenah
Hi Jenah
If you are looking for help to detox from Mercury Seagreens brown seaweed supplement does an excellent job of carrying heavy metals out of the system, I have been using it for 2 years now and I wouldn´t be without it. All the best on our healing journey 🙂
Only North American brown rice is too high in arsenic, not Thai, India, etc.
Rice from California is fine.
Have you ever taken the test 23andme? Similar to you, I have to take Epson salt bath which I have found I don’t simulate sulfur, so I can’t eat sulfur foods which was discovered through the 23andme test. My allergy test showed that I can’t eat foods that are high in saylic acid. So for over a year I was avoiding foods high in histamine and that wasn’t even my problem.
Jenah,
Organic Chlorella (without soy) either via powder for smoothies or in pill form (mercola.com) has been known to remove mercury and other metals from the body. It also has other wonderful properties.
I emphasize ORGANIC because nowadays tour food unfortunately has so many pesticides, herbicides, and GMO.
So sorry to hear about your ordeal with the dentists and doctors. May I ask what state you live in? I live in MA and found a wonderful certified Naturopathic – Dr. James Belanger in Lexington, MA – who battled cancer himself. He helped me tremendously after my battle with cancer, where the chemo treatments left me so weak. It’s been 1.5 years and I feel and look great. I could not tolerate Tamoxifen, so he put me on Calcium D-Glucarate amongst other supplements. I am fortunate my insurance carrier paid for all of my blood work with the lab Dr. Belanger works with. He took very thorough blood work that my own doctors don’t do. And I do a lot of research to ensure I’m on the right path as well. So i am fortunate to have him here.
I also read books and subscribe to Russell Blalock, MD newsletter, who is a retired neurosurgeon, and believes in naturopathic medicine. Very informative information, and very true. Even PubMed accredits his writings.
I am going to look into the intestinal cleanser you mentioned.
All the best!
Dear Chris,
I have had long standing chronic fatigue and cognitive issues that I have traced to a leaky gut.
My question is: when is the best time to introduce probiotics into a leaky gut healing regimen?
I am currently taking:
1) HCL w/ pepsin digestive enzymes (indefinitely, until I can wean off)
2) Peppermint oil (20 day course) for its antimicrobial properties.
I’m not sure when in this regimen I should introduce my probiotic of choice (in my case, it is Align).
Thanks for your help. U da man bro.
i just found out i have allergies to dairy, wheat, sugar, basically what everyone is talking about. and i have the candida. im confused because the same thing is happening to me. I just found this out 2 weeks ago and i have been following the diet and eating only what i can eat and im feeling so sick. i never felt sick before like this. i dont know what im doing wrong, but why would i be feeling worse. you said the same thing happened to you? so what do i do?
I am fearful of including fermented foods as I have IC flares from even small amounts of diluted Braggs apple cider vinegar and acidic fruits . Does anyone have experience with fermented foods exaccerbating interstitial cystitis? Reactive to milk and eggs. Off gluten, but do use tapioca based substitutes. I use a 50 billion count 10 strains probiotic during flares and take 15-30 billion other days, but golly, that’s just a drop in the bucket. Making my bone broths-what other strategies to help heal the gut?
I have started using ProBio5 & Biocleanse (a very gentle cleanse – not what it sounds like)! Oh my goodness!!!! If I had only found this combination sooner…..I have suffered from allergies, UTI’s, many other things, excema, depression, etc….ONLY until I started working on clearing up my GUT, did these problems start disappearing! Plexus has changed my life & as a nurse, I’m making it my mission to help others!!!
Thanks for sharing your experience. The ProBio5 formula has low numbers compared to my probiotic for the price. I’m already taking magnesium in two oral forms and topically (magnesium oil). Magnesium oxide is cheap vs the Biocleanse “formula.”
Before healing the gut with supplements or diet, it is very important to clean out the gut first. This makes the healing experience so much more smoother without the severe symptoms of a “healing crisis”, that discourages people from continuing their journey to better health. It’s like when one wants to redecorate a room, they must clean out everything first, then fix and repair the damages on floors and walls, before redecorating with new items.
Cleaning out the gut first prepares it to receive healing herbs, supplements, and diet to repair, nourish, and balance the intestinal environment. Going on certain diets, taking supplements, etc, without first doing a good cleanse can cause uncomfortable reactions as the body is trying to heal. It’s sad to see people get discouraged by these reactions and give up, when doing a simple cleanse first, makes all the difference in the healing experience.
What kind of cleanse?
An intestinal or colon cleanse. There are many products out there, but I tried one called Blessed Herbs. This product worked great and they have a really good reputation. You can google it. Also, I’ve heard of a milder cleansing product called Oxy-Powder Intestinal Cleanser, which I’m planning using for maintenance. The Blessed Herbs cleanser is for a yearly, thorough cleanse. and the Oxy-Powder one is a milder one that can be used regularly on an “as needed” basis for maintenance.
Many years ago, my husband developed symptoms of Fibromyalgia, along with chronic fatigue, brain fog, etc. after being put on an antibiotic therapy for 6 months (which later we realized he shouldn’t have even been put on). That totally caused an imbalance in his digestive tract, which led to this autoimmune disease. Of course, we did not know the cause of his symptoms for many years. Only after hours of my own research did I realize the cause of his health problems and what I need to do to help him get better. He was the most healthy person there was, but just one mistake from a doctor caused us years of needless suffering.
I learned that toxins, whether it be from drugs, processed foods, environment, etc. are the cause of our intestinal imbalance. This imbalance is what leads to just about all of our modern day auto- immune diseases. If we fix our gut, the SYMPTOMS of these diseases will automatically disappear. Years ago, we tried to use herbs and supplements with diet to help him improve his health. He had really bad healing reactions at the beginning. He did improve somewhat. But it wasn’t until years later, when we tried the cleanse first, before using supplements, that he really improved tremendously. And the healing experience was much more pleasant by doing the cleanse first.
These conditions are supposedly incurable—well yes, thru drugs, they are definitely incurable. They just TREAT the SYMPTOMS and then cause other health issues from the side effects! But if we give the body what it needs, it can utilize it to cure itself.
Hi Jen, will you please contact me via email? I have been going round and round with stomach issues for a year now. Nothing the doctors are doing has helped me!! So tied of hurting and suffering!!
that is great
Thank you for the awesome article! You explained it so much better than I ever could. Leaky Gut is a huge problem and I am so glad to see others working to spread the knowledge on what it causes and how to heal it, especially since it was such a huge part of my life for so many years before I healed naturally. Thanks again!
Hi Everyone, last year I worked very hard to meet a deadline. Straight after I developed Hyperthyroidism. My endocrynologyst prescribed Carbimazole, 10mg a day, but I didn’t improve and after three months increased the dose to 20 mg a day. After a month I felt rather dizzy! Now I am in South America and went to a naturepath and she put me on juices, raw vegetables, nuts and two artichokes a day. After three weeks I felt the blood results showed I was far worse! Then I stopped the naturepath diet and now I am consulting a homeopath. I feel a bit better but I still tremble, so I am not well. Can you suggest what can I try that will restore my health? Thanks. Carmen.
Hi everyone! I started the GAPS diet a week and a half ago in hopes of clearing up leaky gut/SIBO and all of the side effects that comes with these issues. I’m doing fairly well. Still on Intro Phase 1.
Any advice on how best to reintroduce foods? I suspect I have a FODMAP issue as well given my food intolerances and sensitivities, so I’ve been living off of bone broth, sauerkraut juice, and boiled chicken and beef. I’m eager to try the Phase 1 veggies, but not sure how given that most all of these foods were giving me problems. Advice?
Hi,
I have been struggling with gut problems since I was born. I am a twin. My sister never gets sick. Me, I’ve been sick most of my life. I am now 56 and still searching. I eat great. I take probiotics and I see a nutritionist. I have lots of FMS symptoms. Leaky gut, etc. I now have new very strange symptoms. I get numbness and tingling around my whole body. I can’t sit or lay down for more than a few hours without everything going numb. I have had every test in the world. Latest was a spinal tap. Everything always comes out normal. Does anyone have these symptoms and does anyone have any advice for me?
How scary this must be! And frustrating to spend much of your life jumping thru healthcare hoops. Have any of your MDs suggested this is neuropathy? If so, I hope you are trying an Rx “medifood” called Podiapn-supposed to help rebuild nerve pathways.
I have two possibilities for you, based on my own experience. I found that after lying or even sitting down my arms or legs would go numb. It was a circulatory issue, and daily cod liver oil cured it. It also greatly improved the dry skin on my feet. Also, last December I was getting tingling and what I would describe as electrical shocks down my leg. I have heard that multiple sclerosis sometimes presents that way. My family has many autoimmune disorders and that is one I don’t want to experience. It was the final straw that made me give up gluten (which I’ve struggled on and off with for years). It hasn’t been easy and I’ve had slip ups but only experienced the “shocks” once since then. I should also mention I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia after my third child was born and by chance figured out that it was dairy products that were the culprit. When I gave up dairy the pain vanished as well as low grade depression I didn’t know I had. Good luck to you in your search for health. I am exactly your age and know how hard it can be to figure out what will help. But it’s worse not to try!
Perhaps also check your teeth. Did you have root canal treatment ever? Implants? Or a diversity of metals in your mouth? Google around this topic, your symptoms remind me of what I read about some folks with root canal treatments which resulted in problems. Not everyone gets those problems from rc it is really different for each individual.