Leaky Gut Reversal

[jasonD2]

ive been in a very strict diet for 4 months. i was diagnosed with leaky gut and food allergies- could i have reversed it already or at least made some progress towards correcting it?

[Rachel--24]

This really depends on what is the cause of your leaky gut. If a food intolerance is the sole cause....then removal of that food could allow for healing to take place.

However, if yeast, parasites and/or other infections are the cause then healing cannot occur until those are addressed. If there is some underlying issue compromising your immune system and causing imbalances in the intestinal environment (allowing for pathogens to thrive) then complete healing depends on correct diagnosis and treatment.

[jasonD2]

How did u know you had heavy metal toxicity? tests? symptoms? just curious

[Rachel--24]

How did u know you had heavy metal toxicity? tests? symptoms? just curious

I can remember googling my symptoms when I first got sick....I found info. on mercury toxicity and I think I just knew instinctively that it was the correct diagnosis. I felt certain that I had leaky gut/candida and that this was the underlying cause for all of it.

In my case it seemed more obvious since symptoms appeared right after dental work (unsafe removal of fillings) and progressed pretty rapidly with additional insults to my immune system from conventional Dr.'s (i.e. antibiotics and radioactive iodine treatment for overactive thyroid).

Prior to my dental work I had no symptoms and had been healthy all my life. I was on disability 3 months after the onset of symptoms.

If not for the timing of symptoms or if they had appeared more gradually it would have been more difficult for me to ever link my problems to heavy metals.

The tests I was given by my mainstream Dr.'s were of no help. They did test me for heavy metals but it was a bloodtest and an unprovoked urine test...which is totally useless except for in cases of acute poisoning.

Considering all that was wrong with my body and the fact that dozens of conventional tests (for everything you can think of) failed to find the problem....it seemed even more obvious to me as time passed. I knew that heavy metals cause these intracellular problems which leads to all sorts of imbalances in the body....a person can be highly toxic and yet appear perfectly healthy in conventional testing. Mercury is very insidious that way.

Also leaky gut is very strongly linked to candida.....and candida is very strongly linked to mercury.

I had problems finding Dr.'s who understood these issues so I just spent alot of time researching and learning what I could. In 2004 I ordered a hair analysis for myself. Mercury did not show up in the test...a few other toxic metals were elevated and my essential minerals were all out of balance (elevated calcium, etc).

I learned that mercury does not usually show up in hair because its only in the bloodstream for a short time before it is stored in body tissues. However, when the essential minerals are not in balance it is very indicative of mercury toxicity....its the only thing known to skew the minerals in this manner.

In the past year and a half I've had excellent Dr.'s who specialize in this and I've had additional testing to confirm that the heavy metals are at the root of my problems. I finally started treatment about 5 months ago. I have chelation treatments twice a month...I've had a total of 11 treatments so far. I've had 3 provoked urine tests to monitor the excretion of metals. I just took the 3rd test so dont have the results yet. In the first test 9 toxic metals were excreted....all but one was within the reference range.

Unfortunately these tests dont always give a clear answer. It takes a good Dr. with alot of experience to be able to interpret the results and determine whether or not there is a problem. If a person is highly toxic and has many imbalances as a result....it may be difficult for the body to release mercury and other metals. With continued treatment along with nutritional support, etc...the levels of excretion will usually increase over time.

For that reason the first tests may not show any metals at all....mine did show metals but not in huge amounts. My Dr.'s worked with me for a full year before testing the metals and starting chelation...the focus was on improving detoxification.

My second test showed an increase in most of the metals (higher levels in the urine) and I'm awaiting the results of my 3rd test.

I also use alternative methods of testing (advanced muscle testing (ART) and electrodermal screening)to help with identifying problems and to make sure that my treatments are effective.

There is no test available to determine exact body burden of heavy metals but provoked urine tests and hair analysis are very useful. Blood tests and unprovoked urine tests are not useful for diagnosing heavy metal toxicity. ART is the only test that can locate metals in specific areas of the body. ART is an alternative method of testing....its accuracy is above 90%.

[AliB]

Hi Rachel

What is the chelation process and how does it work?

Ali.

[Rachel--24]

Hi Rachel

What is the chelation process and how does it work?

Ali.

There are different methods of chelation as well as a few different types of chelators. Chelators are drugs that have the ability to bind with toxic metals wherever they are in the body and pull them out so that they can be excreted through urine and/or stool.

Its a controversial treatment but its the only really effective way to remove the metals. There are other natural types of chelators but they dont have the ability to bind as strongly with the metals and are less effective on their own.

Chelators can be taken orally, through IV's or transdermally. It should be done by an experienced Dr. who treats each patient according to their specific needs. It can be dangerous if the Dr. doesnt have respect for this kind of treatment. Lots of things need to be taken into consideration when deciding on methods of chelation and dosages.

I tried oral chelation for a short time and then switched to IV which has been going really well. The metals are excreted mostly in urine and I have the tests to see whats coming out.

Our bodies have a hard time detoxing mercury and a significant amount gets stored in tissue, organs, brain, etc. It can impair normal body functions including detoxification....which can lead to accumulation of additional metals and toxins.

[Ken70]

There are different methods of chelation as well as a few different types of chelators. Chelators are drugs that have the ability to bind with toxic metals wherever they are in the body and pull them out so that they can be excreted through urine and/or stool.

Its a controversial treatment but its the only really effective way to remove the metals. There are other natural types of chelators but they dont have the ability to bind as strongly with the metals and are less effective on their own.

Chelators can be taken orally, through IV's or transdermally. It should be done by an experienced Dr. who treats each patient according to their specific needs. It can be dangerous if the Dr. doesnt have respect for this kind of treatment. Lots of things need to be taken into consideration when deciding on methods of chelation and dosages.

I tried oral chelation for a short time and then switched to IV which has been going really well. The metals are excreted mostly in urine and I have the tests to see whats coming out.

Our bodies have a hard time detoxing mercury and a significant amount gets stored in tissue, organs, brain, etc. It can impair normal body functions including detoxification....which can lead to accumulation of additional metals and toxins.

Of all the people on this forum I have found your posts to be the most informative. I'm not sure what you do for a living but I think you would make a great doctor. Just a thought

[Rachel--24]

Of all the people on this forum I have found your posts to be the most informative. I'm not sure what you do for a living but I think you would make a great doctor. Just a thought

Thanks Ken....I appreciate your kind words.

I do enjoy sharing my experiences in the hopes that others might benefit from it. I've had the opportunity to learn alot during my own recovery process and I've found that I really have alot of interest in all of it.

I do hope that when I get better I can somehow become involved in treating people with similar health problems. I think it would be very rewarding.

I'm more interested in integrative or alternative medicine since those are the Dr.'s that have helped me the most. I've been in the grocery business for 18 years now....I run the dairy dept. at Safeway.

It would be a huge change for me....but who knows....getting sick might be the best thing that ever happened to me!

[Ken70]

Thanks Ken....I appreciate your kind words.

I do enjoy sharing my experiences in the hopes that others might benefit from it. I've had the opportunity to learn alot during my own recovery process and I've found that I really have alot of interest in all of it.

I do hope that when I get better I can somehow become involved in treating people with similar health problems. I think it would be very rewarding.

I'm more interested in integrative or alternative medicine since those are the Dr.'s that have helped me the most. I've been in the grocery business for 18 years now....I run the dairy dept. at Safeway.

It would be a huge change for me....but who knows....getting sick might be the best thing that ever happened to me!

I have made specific recommendations to at least two people as a result of your posts. One of them is being tested for several things including heavy metal toxicity as we speak. She wouldn't listen to me or read anything I gave her but she was fortunate to come in to contact with a doctor that really seems to understand the human body the way many of us here do. He has already told her even without the results that she will need to go on a severely modified diet. He even gave her this website as a great reference for her to start doing her own research.

You should get yourself well and then go back to school and do this for a living. Obviously in some kind of alternative medicine practice not an MD. I am seeing a woman next week that is going to do some alternative stuff including my first colon hydrotherapy (I know - thank you for sharing - right?). She also does some kind of foot soaking thing that will help determine if the candida is in me or not. I guess it floats to the surface of the water and is foamy or something. Anyway, her practice is so busy that I had to use the names of some of her clients just to get her to call me back. There is a real need for practitioners who focus on health rather than disease I think.