The Root of it All
I went into anaphylaxis during allergy testing a few months after moving to Georgia. I underwent allergy testing in New York and Memphis but never had that type of reaction. My seasonal allergies had improved so much before I left Columbia, SC that I rarely required allergy medicine. However, not long after I moved to Georgia, they returned with a vengeance. I developed a horrible sinus infection and was so sick that the midwife in my practice forced me to see one of my colleagues to get antibiotics. Once I recovered from the sinus infection, I knew that I needed to get back on a treatment regimen to prevent another infection. My allergist put me back on antihistamines as well as an inhaled nasal steroid. In addition to this, he recommended that I receive allergy shots to help desensitize my body.
My severe reaction to the allergy testing meant that he had to dilute the allergen significantly before giving me my first injection. He also divided the allergens into two separate vials to improve the safety of the treatment. Now I had to look forward to two injections at a time. I also had to receive the injections under observation in my allergist's office. After the first shot, I developed large itchy welts at both sites, which required my doctor to dilute the vials even more. The nurses at his office remarked at how sensitive I was. Of note, not only did I react to certain allergens during my initial testing, but I also had a reaction to the test solution of glycerine (apparently patients typically don't respond in this way). Eventually, it seemed like the shots were working and my doctor was able to increase the concentration of allergen in the shots. Each increase, however, often meant more welts and adjustments in the formulation. I finally got to the point where I was stable enough to receive the injections at my office. While this arrangement was more convenient, after a while, weekly shots that were not even guaranteed to cure me got old.
During this time, I always had to carry an Epi-pen with me. I also acquired an albuterol inhaler after having something close to an asthma attack while moving boxes from storage. I experienced a severe coughing fit that only got better when my husband lent me his inhaler. I wasn't supposed to have asthma. I had been married for a few months at this time and knew that we would want to try to start a family at some point. I didn't want to have to be dependent on medications, inhalers, and desensitizing injections to survive spring in Georgia. I remembered a patient telling me about going to a clinic that practiced a different type of medicine. They performed testing to get to the underlying cause of an illness and then provided natural strategies to help your body to heal. This facility sounded like the place for me. I made an appointment for myself and my husband.
At my first appointment, the doctor obtained a thorough medical history and performed a basic physical exam. What was most memorable was that the next step before having bloodwork was to be sent to consult with a nutritionist. She immediately put me on an elimination diet. I was to avoid foods that are known to be common sources of inflammation in the body. I was already on an entirely plant-based diet, so I wasn't eating eggs or dairy aside from what was used to make bread. I also never really liked soy, so I didn't mind giving that up either. I did mind giving up gluten since I was a dough baby from birth! The requirement to avoid peanuts due to the possibility of mold was an adventure in discovering the numerous other nut and seed based butter that existed including almond and sunflower.
After changing to a plant-based diet earlier that fall it was a bit discouraging to have to make another major adjustment, but I was motivated to heal my body. Thankfully I had recently purchased a Vitamix blender (a Godsend). I had already gotten into the habit of making all of my foods including salad dressings and sauces. The motivation waned somewhat when due to lab technicalities I had to repeat the testing after months of waiting for results. Once I finally got the results the following spring I found out that I was allergic to life. I went into a bit of a funk once I learned that I needed to continue to avoid gluten as well as several of my favorite foods. My mindset was turned around after reading Lindsay Nixon's Happy Herbivore blog on dealing with food allergies. Rather than focusing on what I couldn't eat, I was encouraged to make a list of what I could eat and develop meals around those items. Thankfully I was able to continue to use my favorite meal plan with only minor tweaks. I didn't attempt to eat out for months. Once I did, I kept the card with my top allergens on my phone for quick reference.
The sacrifice of another lifestyle change was worth it. Over time, I was able to discontinue my allergy medications and shots. I recommend doing this under the supervision of your healthcare provider. The midwife at the office at some point realized I was no longer coming to see her for injections and checked in one day to make sure that I was ok. I was thrilled to be able to share how well I was doing without any shots or medicine just by changing my diet and beginning to heal my gut. My healing, however, wasn't over. There was another phase of testing that I hadn't yet undergone.
Evaluating gut health can involve more than just testing for food sensitivities. Testing can also be performed to assess directly for signs of inflammation as well as evidence of gut dysbiosis. Gut dysbiosis is when there is an imbalance in the microorganisms that live in your gastrointestinal tract. The test my doctor used required collecting and sending off stool samples. This study was the last piece of the puzzle to be put in place since coordinating sample collection was a challenge. I was found to have yeast overgrowth as well as parasites.
My doctor offered me a combination of antifungal medication, antibiotics in addition to supplements as part of a treatment plan to eradicate the harmful organisms. This therapy would be followed by high dose probiotics to help to rebuild my good bacteria. I elected to work with Alisha at Harvest Moon Natural Market and used nutritional supplements (omega 7, Para Free) and essential oils (DiGize) in addition to enzyme-based therapies (Candidase) to support my intestinal tract in regaining balance. I also took high-quality digestive enzymes.
As with my initial consultation at this clinic, there was another update to my nutrition plan. I now had to go low carb! I was advised to emphasize animal proteins such as organic/grass fed meats and poultry along with wild caught fish. Vegetables, low-inflammatory healthy fats, goat and sheep dairy could also be part of my diet. Since the goal was to limit sugars, I had to limit my fruit intake to 1/2 a cup or less per day of berries. Yikes! I was proudly plant-based and had been feeling great but now had a conflict between the nutritional principles I believed in and what the nutritionist at the clinic was recommending. Again Alisha was an encouragement. She supported me in finding a balance between the recommendations and my health beliefs.
Rebalancing my gut and limiting my carbs had a noticeable effect. Several people noticed the additional weight loss. I went down a few more clothing sizes. Ultimately, I lost an additional 20 to 25 pounds. I was able to fit into some outfits that I hadn't worn since residency when I was training for the St. Jude Marathon. Some of the initial weight loss was due to a calorie deficit as I struggled to learn how best to nourish my body with the hectic schedule of an OB/GYN (I felt like they were trying to starve me at first). I ultimately arrived at a plan that was similar to a pegan diet. I maintained the weight loss even as my calorie intake stabilized. I was satisfied and had more than enough energy.
Once I started the course on Herbal Medicine for Women's (HMW) health, I learned that a significant contributor to the weight loss was that my body was less inflamed and, therefore, less stressed. Inflammation within the body can contribute to hormone imbalance through the effect on the thyroid and adrenal glands. Gut inflammation is often the source of systemic inflammation. As I was more consistent with adhering to my food sensitivity diet and limiting my carbohydrate intake, my gut started to heal. I noticed that I started to have fewer acne breakouts. My personal health experience motived me to expand my knowledge of the significance of gut inflammation and healing leaky gut. I am excited to have this knowledge to help my patients get to the root of their struggles with weight, hormone imbalance and acne and rebalance their hormones.