Accidentally Overweight

by Libby Weaver

  All foods containing casein (foods derived from an udder; cow, goat, or sheep, although the latter two tend to be tolerated better than cow’s milk) can be significant contributors to a bloated stomach. Remove all sources from your diet for a trial period of four weeks and observe how you feel. If you omit foods for more than four weeks, it is important you consult an experienced health professional to ensure you are not missing out on critical nutrients.

  You will like this next bit even less. Coffee can be incredibly bloating for some people. With a milk-based coffee, it may be the cow’s milk or, less for some, the soy (soya) milk, but even black coffee will cause some people to bloat. Biochemically, coffee drives both liver and gallbladder action, plus it triggers the adrenals to secrete adrenalin, which can go on to affect another adrenal hormone, called aldosterone, one that determines how much fluid your body retains. Switch to herbal tea or green tea, and give coffee a rest for four weeks. Green tea contains some caffeine (about one-third the caffeine of coffee) but the effects are buffered by another substance in green tea called theanine. Green tea is also packed with antioxidants and has what are believed to be powerful anticancer properties.

  Observation is key to this process since your body does not have a voice. Instead it communicates through symptoms and lets you know when it is happy or not. A food that bloats you is, in that moment, not your friend, and your body is simply letting you know. Do not let your head run away with you when you notice this. Remind yourself that just because it bloats you today does not mean you will never eat that food or drink that drink again. It simply means that right now, in this moment, it does not serve you. So take a four-week break from whatever you suspect. No tears, no tantrums, just cut it out for four weeks. You will feel so different when you feed your body precisely what it wants and what nourishes it. Never waste a bloated tummy. Ask it what it wants to tell you, as silly as that may sound. Your body has a wonderful wisdom.

  Bloated since a stressful experience

  If your tummy changed after a challenging time in your life, it is quite likely that your bloated abdomen was initially due to poor stomach acid production. Now, however, if poor stomach acid production has been ongoing because of an almost low-grade (or high-grade) anxiety inside you, the changes in digestion that were initially caused by poor stomach acid production may have changed the gut bacteria and hence the pH of the large bowel. Follow the solutions given in the Digestion chapter, in particular those about stimulating stomach acid and eating in a calm state. Restorative practices will be essential for your gut healing.

  Also, return to Puzzle Piece 2, Stress Hormones, again and apply the adrenal support techniques. Very importantly, but challenging at times, do your best to eat in a calm state. And you will also often see an improvement in symptoms if you follow the food recommendations from the after-meal bloating section above. If bloating began after heartbreak, ask the discomfort what it wants you to know. You may feel a little odd having a conversation with your tummy, but your body knows the truth, and you might be surprised at the message it has for you.

  Bloated since food poisoning episode or upset tummy while traveling

  Despite negative stool tests, I have seen this health picture frequently. Where once they had an iron gut, this person now feels like they react to everything. Even if you had forgotten that a gastroenteritis episode began your digestive system challenges, I suggest you:

  Discuss having a Helicobacter pylori test with your general practitioner (GP/MD).

  Take a herbal anti-parasitic tablet or liquid, even if your stool test came back negative. Be guided by a health professional, but you usually need relatively high doses three times a day, and you need to take them for a two-month period. If a parasite infection is the basis of your ongoing tummy trouble, the natural medicine must be taken for the full two months, as initially only the live parasites are killed by the herbs. As unpleasant as this is to think about, the parasites will have laid eggs in your bowel, and you want the herbs in your gut at the ready, in order to get rid of them immediately as they hatch, if this is the case.

  Dietary change as outlined above can be very useful in this situation until the gut has healed. What has become known as a “caveman”-style diet (or the Paleolithic or Primal diet; please note, there is no one way people from the Paleolithic era ate; in a modern dietary sense, this name refers to a way of eating primarily whole foods), that is both milk- and grain-free can be beneficial. This way of eating also includes broths, which are highly nourishing for the gut. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) has also been noted to have excellent results for gut health challenges and to alter gut bacteria profiles.

  A low-FODMAPs diet has also been shown to be highly beneficial for people with gut-based health challenges. (FODMAPs is an acronym referring to Fermentable, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols.) These are complex names for a collection of molecules found in food that can be poorly absorbed by some people. When the molecules are poorly absorbed in the small intestine of the digestive tract, these molecules then continue their journey along the digestive tract, arriving at the large intestine, where they act as a food source to the bacteria that live there. The bacteria then digest/ferment these FODMAPs and can cause symptoms of IBS. The fermentation action of gut bacteria on FODMAPs can also be one reason why some people feel better without fruit (or with only small amounts of specific fruits) when they have gut or autoimmune symptoms.

  The no-good bug… streptococcus

  There is a bacterial species that I must mention, and I dislike it intensely. It is called streptococcus, and my experience in the lab, as well as working with people and their health, has taught me that no good comes from this bug.

  It is the bug that causes tonsillitis and ear infections. It is often the basis of pneumonia and other respiratory infections. It lives in our sinuses and builds houses around itself so we can’t evacuate it easily. It produces many toxins, as well as lactic acid—more acid to add to our already acidic lifestyles and loads. When our heads are full of mucus, especially when we are young, it can be difficult to cough up all of the sputum, and so we cannot help but swallow some. Our stomach acid is supposed to be super-acidic enough to sterilize anything bacterial that we swallow, yet, as outlined in the chapter on digestion, the pH of the stomach is often too high to perform adequate sterilization. So the strep is able to move through the stomach and take up residence wherever it likes. And there it lives, often forever, in our colon.

  Learn to know your gut bugs

  As well as being able to categorize gut bacteria into the groups Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, we can classify them into those that love oxygen, known as “aerobes,” and those that don’t use oxygen, called “anaerobes.” For good health, of the aerobic flora in our large bowel, 70 to 90 percent need to be E. coli. It is believed that “reasonable” health can be maintained as long as there is 5 percent or less of the streptococcus species. I have analyzed stool samples from countless people from many walks of life, with an array of health challenges as well as good health—adults and children—and I have seen aerobic flora counts of streptococcus at 100 percent of the aerobic flora with zero E. coli. Or, less extremely, I have seen strep counts of 70 percent and E. coli of 30 percent.

  Mostly due to my work with children with autism, I have seen firsthand that strep is nasty. ASD behaviors decrease significantly with less strep in the gut. In adults, strep makes them wet and mucusy mouth-breathers, which negatively affects their blood chemistry (predominantly bicarbonate and the anion gap).

  Of the bacterial genres of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes (remembering that Firmicutes are linked to fat storage and Bacteroidetes to leanness), strep falls into the Firmicute division. So after all of these years of treating strep in the gut of my clients, knowing they would feel better, breathe better, and that their clothes would get looser, what researching this book has shown me is that all along I have been significantly reducing the Firmicute load in the gut of my
clients with the dietary changes I suggest. Isn’t the body amazing?

  Signs your gut bacteria needs to be addressed

  You have taken antibiotics and no probiotics

  You feel like you eat like a bird and gain weight, while others seem to eat far more than you and not gain weight

  You identified with numerous signs that your digestive system needs support, including bloating/gut distention, excessive or odorous flatulence, recurring bad breath, gut pain, or gut gurgling sounds

  You have had food poisoning and never felt the same since

  You traveled and experienced an upset tummy (gastrointestinal infection), and haven’t felt well since

  Your mood changes inexplicably

  You have IBS

  You feel like you are becoming more and more sensitive to foods

  You had recurring streptococcus infections as a child

  You have strong Irish heritage and you eat gluten-containing grains

  You have an autoimmune disease or a family member/s does/do.

  * * *

  GUT BACTERIA SOLUTIONS

  Apply any or all of the solutions offered in this chapter, including herbal parasite treatments, refined sugar-free diet trial, dairy-free diet trial, gluten-free diet trial, grain-free diet trial, or Helicobacter pylori tests. An experienced health professional is best to guide you with this. In addition, you may find the following solutions helpful.

  A caveman-style diet can be highly appropriate to help change the gut bacterial ratios: plenty of vegetables, particularly greens, small servings of red meat, chicken, fish (if you eat them), eggs, nuts, seeds and nourishing whole-food fats. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet or FODMAPs can also be very helpful. Use these diets as a trial, not necessarily forever. If you restrict your diet for more than four weeks, you will need to see an experienced health professional to ensure you are meeting your nutritional needs.

  You may “know” that grains are not your friends. If so, cut them out for four weeks to see how you feel.

  Use 100 percent aloe vera juice to start your day as this can help put the very important mucus lining back on the wall of the bowel. Bone broths are also highly nourishing and can add additional gut healing support.

  Useful antimicrobial/immune system herbs include:

  > Golden seal

  > Echinacea

  > Barberry

  > Astragalus

  > Olive leaf

  > Chinese wormwood

  > Black walnut

  > Andrographis

  To use these herbs, it is essential that you seek individual advice from a qualified medical herbalist.

  It is also essential that you use your bowels daily before using antimicrobial herbs, as you want to eliminate the waste easily.

  Explore the use of colon hydrotherapy from an experienced practitioner.

  * * *

  Puzzle Piece 6 The Thyroid

  The thyroid gland is a little butterfly-shaped gland that sits in your throat area. It makes hormones that play an enormous role in your metabolic rate as well as temperature regulation. Every day of my working life I meet people who exhibit virtually every symptom of an underactive thyroid, yet their blood test results demonstrate that everything is in the “normal” range. More on “normal” ranges later.

  The production of thyroid hormones involves a cascade of signals, and glands other than the thyroid are also involved. This means that if you have a problem with thyroid hormone levels or with debilitating symptoms indicating something is awry with your thyroid function then it is essential to get to the heart of the matter so treatment can be appropriately targeted.

  The thyroid hormone cascade

  The thyroid function cascade begins with the hypothalamus, a gland that makes a hormone that sends a signal to the pituitary gland, the tiny gland that sits at the base of your brain, which we’ve already seen produces hormones involved in menstruation. The pituitary in turn makes a hormone called thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) that signals the thyroid to make one if its hormones, known simply as T4 (thyroxine).

  T4 is found in the blood in two forms, namely T4 and free T4 (FT4). They are the same hormone, except one is “free” to enter tissues and the other is bound up and unable to enter tissues, which is where the work needs to be done. However, T4 and FT4 are inactive hormones, and must be converted into the active thyroid hormone called T3 (triiodothyronine). It is T3 that drives your metabolic rate and capacity to burn body fat. The flow chart below illustrates the hormonal cascade.

  Figure 13: The thyroid hormone cascade

  Signaling begins with the hypothalamus followed by the pituitary, which then in turn signals the thyroid gland to make its hormones.

  There are a number of nutrients essential in the production of optimal levels of thyroid hormones. Iodine and selenium are both vital minerals to this process of conversion that literally lights up your metabolic rate. Many people today get very little iodine and selenium in their diets as the majority of soils in the Western world do not contain these trace minerals.

  Iron is also critical to good thyroid function and iron deficiency remains as the most common nutrient deficiency among women of menstruation age. This is unacceptable to me, as we know how to resolve this and the consequences of low iron levels are extensive. In a state of iron deficiency, instead of efficiently converting the inactive T4 into the active T3 hormone, too much T4 is converted into a different hormone known as reverse T3 (rT3), which does not have the same metabolism-driving effects as T3. So when you think about specific nutrients for good thyroid function, think iodine, selenium, and iron. I spend significant time exploring optimal thyroid function at my women’s health weekends as it is such a challenge for more and more women these days and seeing the moments of realization flash across their faces, as they understand what may have been occurring for them, is a gift to witness.

  The thyroid gland can become overactive, known as hyperthyroidism, or underactive, known as hypothyroidism, and it is the latter scenario that can lead to weight gain that is incredibly difficult to shift until this issue is addressed. Some people’s blood results suggest that they swing between an underactive and an overactive situation.

  The thyroid gland is also susceptible to autoimmune diseases, meaning your immune system, which is supposed to defend you from infection, starts to see the thyroid gland as a foreign particle, like a germ, and attacks it, leading to a change in its function. This can lead to either the overactive picture (with autoimmune involvement this is known as Graves’ disease) or an underactive picture (known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis with autoimmune involvement). Infection, poor liver function, iodine, selenium, and iron deficiencies, as well as estrogen dominance or elevated cortisol, are all major factors that can initiate this process. Reread that list and think about what you have already learned from earlier chapters. It is important to work out the path that leads someone to altered thyroid function, for behind the “why” lies most of the answer and hence the pathway out of the dysfunction.

  Which factors stand out for you? Sometimes all of the above apply. Never fear, there are solutions.

  Hypothyroidism: Underactive thyroid gland function

  Because this book is about explaining what has to come together for us to be able to burn body fat, I will stay focused on hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) and what can lead to it. As far as an overactive thyroid goes, I will simply leave it at this: in my experience, stress, specifically the pace of life and what people demand of their body, is the major factor in the development of hyperthyroidism. The people I’ve worked with who have successfully returned their thyroid function to normal (from being overactive), and had a complete remission of their symptoms, have literally changed their life. They usually change their jobs and, if that is not possible, they completely change their approach and attitude to life. It has been inspiring to witness in my clients. Louise Hay suggests in You Can Heal Your Life there is a feeling of “rage at being left out,” and encourages
people to affirm “I am the center of my life, and I approve of myself and all that I see.”

  Back to hypothyroidism and its typical symptoms, which include:

  Gradual weight increase over months for no apparent reason

  Often feeling cold, sometimes cold in your bones and as if you can’t get warm

  Tendency to constipation

  Tendency to depressed mood, forgetfulness, and a sense of being easily confused

  Hair loss or hair drier than previously

  Menstrual problems

  Difficulty conceiving

  Beyond tired, you are fatigued

  Headaches

  Let’s explore the roads to an underactive thyroid and where to begin to support your thyroid health.

  Infection and poor liver detoxification

  A history of glandular fever (Epstein-Barr virus, also known as mononucleosis), for example, is a common road to hypothyroidism, as is liver congestion (described in Puzzle Piece 4, The Liver). Treatment of both of these roads involves taking excellent care of the liver. Apply the liver-loving strategies outlined in the liver chapter. Additionally, astragalus is an excellent herb to use for a chronic infection background if a herbalist agrees this will meet your needs.