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It should be no surprise that constipation is a major problem among those who suffer from Leaky Gut Syndrome. It is a common occurrence anytime that your digestive tract becomes dysfunctional. But the good news is that there are plenty of natural constipation remedies that can be very effective at helping you not only overcome constipation but to also help regulate your digestive tract and improve your health all at the same time.

Please Note: If you suffer from diarrhea which is also very common with Leaky Gut Syndrome, much of this still applies to you.

And most people seeking natural constipation remedies have been suffering from chronic constipation for many years. And this can have a significant impact on your health because if you are not removing your toxic waste then your body is reabsorbing it. You are also creating a breeding ground for bacterial infections, parasites, and Candida. And this is part of the process that is creating inflammation and holding you back from healing.

If you study the lifestyle habits of many different native cultures around the world that are without the influence of all of the Leaky Gut Syndrome causes, you’ll find that they have perfect digestion and do not suffer from Leaky Gut or any of the degenerative diseases that are common among us today.  And under these conditions, it is commonly found that they have multiple bowel movements each day and typically one within 12 hours after every meal they eat.

So if you’re not finding yourself moving your bowels at least one to two times per day then you need to pay special attention to these natural constipation remedies.

Test for Bowel Transit Time

It should also be noted that even if you are going one or more times per day, you can still be constipated. Constipation is also a factor of your transit time. So, if you eat a meal and it takes two or three days before that meal reaches your colon and is eliminated then you are still constipated.

But you can easily test your transit time to ensure that it is in the 12 to 24 hour time frame which is considered normal.

Just follow these instructions below before using any of the natural constipation remedies in order to get a baseline of your transit time so you can measure improvement.

1. After your next bowel movement, you can either eat red beats or find an all natural food coloring and add it to your meal.

1. Keep a lookout and see how long it takes before you notice the red coloring and note the number of hours between

The red coloring from the beats or food coloring will not be absorbed and will be noticeable in your stool.

Natural Constipation Remedies

There are plenty of natural constipation remedies out there but it only makes sense to start with the basics before you start adding fibers or other laxatives. These are probably the most common sources of constipation so they are the best place to begin.

Natural Constipation Remedies – Dehydration

Regardless of your level of health, the vast majority of constipated people in the world are chronically dehydrated. They drink all kinds of other liquids, many of which are diuretics and cause them to lose even more water.

A general rule is to make sure that you are drinking a minimum of half your body weight (lbs.) in ounces of water every day. If you weigh 200 lbs. then you should be drinking at least 100 ounces of water daily.

Natural Constipation Remedies – Sodium Chloride

It’s very common to avoid salt like the plague today. It’s been linked to heart disease amongst other health issues. And while this is somewhat true for highly processed and toxic salts, there’s another side of the story that you need to know.

We need salt in our diets in order to maintain the proper electrolyte ratios and to maintain our health. And most people need much more salt than they are getting.

And one of the functions of salt is to help your body to better absorb and utilize water which also helps with dehydration. If your body can’t absorb the water you drink then it sure can’t use it to relieve constipation.

Natural Constipation Remedies – Your Diet

Your diet has a big influence over your bowels, transit time, and constipation. Processed foods are a common cause of constipation because they disrupt the entire digestive tract as well as being low in natural fiber and void of essential nutrients. They also promote dysbiosis which greatly affects constipation more so than most people realize.

Food allergies are also something to take into consideration. A common symptom of food allergies is constipation so it’s best to determine and avoid the foods you are sensitive to.

Your diet should be focused around foods in their natural forms that are not processed and how Mother Nature intended them to be eaten.

While most people are stuck looking for a pill, powder, or miracle to fix their constipation, oftentimes the problem can be corrected with some simple lifestyle changes. So it’s important to rule out the obvious and put these natural constipation remedies to use before you jump ahead of yourself and introduce anything additional to your daily regime.

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Depression and anxiety are just a couple of the many symptoms associated with Leaky Gut Syndrome. But they are major symptoms nonetheless. But what if you could simply treat depression and anxiety with exercise?

I’ve mentioned it before that when you perform the right kind of exercise that your body needs, you will actually feel better after your workout as opposed to worse. And this is because of all of the changes that take place within your body, including your brain.

Exercise elicits the release of many “happy” hormones within your body including natural endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. And these hormone levels will remain elevated for hours after your workout.

Research has even shown that exercise can effectively treat depression and anxiety, the same or even better, than the leading commonly prescribed antidepressants. In fact, at the conclusion of the 4 month study, the group that used exercise to treat depression and anxiety was shown to have fewer relapses than the group that used the medication.

Plus, the exercise group received many other additional health benefits from the exercise during the process.

But when was the last time you heard of a doctor who prescribed exercise to treat depression and anxiety instead of antidepressant or anti-anxiety drugs?

The Downside of Using Antidepressants to Treat Depression and Anxiety

By far the most common type of antidepressant is known as the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI). Some commonly used SSRI’s include:

• Zoloft
• Prozac
• Lexapro
• Paxil

For starters, these antidepressant drugs are being used widely for anyone experiencing even minor symptoms of depression even though research has questioned the effectiveness. When compared with a placebo for cases of mild or moderate symptoms, the benefits were minimal to nonexistent. However, depression continues to rise and doctors continue to prescribe these same drugs to treat depression and anxiety where there is little validity in doing so.

How SSRIs Work to Treat Depression and Anxiety

While it is very well understood that a lot of depression can be contributed to a lack of certain neurotransmitter hormones such as serotonin, conventional medicine refuses to look at why your body might be lacking in serotonin to begin with. Instead they opt to take the more difficult route of forcing your body’s little serotonin stores to work overtime.

In a normal functioning brain, serotonin is readily used and then recycled (the reuptake process) before being made available again for use. And when serotonin is abundant your brain can use it freely without running out.

But when your brain is deficient in serotonin, then it is not readily available for use when your brain needs it. So SSRIs can be used to effectively block or inhibit the recycling or reuptake process in order to keep the little serotonin that your brain does have active and working for a much longer period of time.

One of the biggest adverse effects of using SRRIs to treat depression and anxiety is that you easily become dependent upon these drugs which can make them very difficult to get off of. If one were to stop taking the medication abruptly, then serotonin levels would drop even lower than where they were to begin with as the overworked serotonin would no longer be available for use. This can lead not only a drastic change in mood but also a significant worsening of your depression and anxiety.

Not to mentioned the multitude of side effects from these drugs including…

• Long term sexual dysfunction
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Insomnia
• Decreased bone density
• Tremors
• Tinnitus
• Suicidal tendencies
• Renal Impairment
• And the list goes on and on…

Naturally Treat Depression and Anxiety

One of the biggest benefits of using exercise to help treat depression and anxiety is that it’s one of the safest and most effect methods available.

Oftentimes, people want to jump straight into taking various supplements which have been shown to improve neurotransmitter production without considering the possibly side effects or looking at the obvious first.

Your body is designed to move so these natural hormonal and chemical processes that take place during exercise are a healthy and normal process. And regardless of your state of health, exercise is a must.

But when SSRIs are involved, it’s important to work closely with your doctor to get off of them as both your health improves and your dependence on them lessens. SSRIs combined with neurotransmitter supplementation can be a dangerous combination as it can lead to an overdose in serotonin known as Serotonin Syndrome.

Whether you treat depression and anxiety naturally or otherwise, you have no excuse not to incorporate exercise into your everyday activities to reap the benefits associated with your mood as well as the many additional health benefits that exercise provides. This is just one more reason why exercise should be an integral part of any Leaky Gut healing program.

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We all need our beauty sleep, myself included. This is true especially in today’s fast paced society where sleep tends to be put on the back burner so that you can meet a deadline, watch a TV show, answer emails, etc.

But few truly understand the physiological importance of sleep. There are much more imposing implications to a lack of sleep than how beautiful you appear or how sharp you mind functions.

During your sleep cycles is when your body is most efficient at repairing damaged cells, including those cells that comprise your intestinal lining. And disrupting this natural healing process can stop even your best efforts of healing Leaky Gut.

In fact, your circadian rhythm dictates this healing process and typically between the hours of 10pm to 2am you body facilitates physical repair. And during the hours of 2am to 6am your body facilitates mental repair.

With that being said, here’s 7 safe and natural ways to improve your quality of sleep and help bring your health to new levels.

Heal Your Leaky Gut

When it comes to sleep, Leaky Gut and intestinal inflammation play a much larger role than you can probably imagine. In fact, most people don’t realize it but the majority of the neurotransmitter serotonin, your body’s natural antidepressant, is produced inside your gut.

When there’s inflammation present and you can no longer efficiently produce the necessary serotonin, you often see heightened anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders because your brain does not have the necessary chemicals it needs to function properly.

And no, it’s not just all in your head like your doctor may want you to think.

But when your serotonin levels are low, it negatively affects your sleep.

Diet, Diet, Diet

First and foremost, if you’re not eating the right diet for you then you will likely have sleep issues at some point in time. This is because a poor diet leads to problems with blood sugar stabilization and regulation.

And when you sleep at night and go for so long without eating it’s quite common for your body to become hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) since your body relies on the food you eat to maintain this balance.

And because your body must regulate your blood sugar levels in order for you to function and survive, your body will wake you up in order to persuade you to eat and raise your blood sugar levels back up to normal.

Get Some Sun

Some people’s sleep issues stem from a deficiency in the hormone melatonin. This might stem from a deeper serotonin deficiency which is common with Leaky Gut Syndrome as mentioned above. Or your body might not be converting the serotonin you do have into melatonin efficiently.

Regardless of your sleep, you should be getting at least 30 minutes of sunlight per day which is necessary for you overall health and wellbeing. But this 30 minutes of sunlight will also help stimulate your pineal gland which is responsible for producing the melatonin you need for sleep.

Avoid Alcohol

Aside from the fact that alcohol creates inflammation within your gut and is one of the many contributing causes of Leaky Gut Syndrome, it does have an effect on your sleep as well.

Alcohol consumption affects your brain in such a way that does not allow you to reach a deep level of REM sleep which is necessary for psychological repair and to keep you thinking sharp and straight.

Put Down the Remote

Odds are that you’ve become accustomed to watching TV at night. Many people are, so you’re not alone. But you have to understand that even though you’re sitting there in your lazy-boy, your brain is being hyper-stimulated by the constant flashing and changing of scenes on the TV screen. And this hyper-stimulation elicits a stress response within your body.

And to make matters worse, you watch the news before bed where you learn about all the horrible things that are wrong in the world. And after all of this, you try to fall asleep while fearing for your life at the same time.

By simply cutting out your TV time and stop watching the news, your brain will not be over-stimulated which can help alleviate stress or stimulation related sleep issues.

Avoid Caffeine

This should go without saying but so many people are having coffee after dinner or for dessert. But with coffee containing caffeine, a natural stimulant, it can have lasting effects through the night if taken too late in the day.

So be sure to never drink coffee after 3pm.

Dim the Lights at Night

Your body is designed to function based upon the natural rhythms of your day. When the sun comes up, it stimulates cortisol production in your body which in turn wakes your body up from sleep naturally.

And throughout your day to when the sun sets, your cortisol levels taper off which puts your body back into a relaxed state and preparing you for sleep.

But when your house is brightly lit at night, this can promote your body to continue to produce cortisol while it should be suppressing it. And this can be enough to keep you up at night.

So dim your lights at night to help lower your cortisol levels and make your sleep easier.

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When it comes to my personal practice, one reason that I believe I have had such high success is because of accountability. When working one-on-one with clients, they tend to be much more accountable because they have to either look me in the eyes or tell me over a phone consultation that they haven’t been sticking with their personalized program for one excuse or another.

And the shear fact of being held accountable and not wanting to disappoint is enough to keep most of my clients on the straight and narrow.

But since creating my Leaky Gut Cure program and bringing it online to reach even more of those who suffer from Leaky Gut Syndrome, I’m now noticing two new categories of people that are coming out of the woodwork which are lacking in the accountability department.

I like to call them… Those who can’t be Indians and those who have too many Chiefs.

I’m beginning to believe that this is in large part due to the undervaluing of my Leaky Gut Cure program which comes along with the affordability factor. And while my goal was to make the most affordable option to reach and help 10,000 people, I’m beginning to see that not everyone places value on something that’s “affordable”.

So maybe this is a sign of future change and direction. Only the future will tell.

But hopefully you do not fall into either one of these categories and even if you do, hopefully this post will speak to you in one way or another.

So what does this have anything to do with Indians?

Indian tribes were not democratic. Not everyone got an equal say. But there’s a very good reason why Indian tribes had only one chief who made all decisions for the tribe. And this is because if someone were to question his authority then instead of accomplishing what needed to be done, they would waste all their time debating instead of getting things accomplished. And this was a real and legitimate threat to the survival of the tribe, especially when times were rough.

And I’ve found that this same and applicable model to be very useful in the health field and here’s why…

Those Who Can’t Be Indians

I’ll be the first to admit that it can be difficult to give up control. It’s not always easy to listen to someone else tell us what to do, especially when we think we know what is best.

But at some point in time, you have to accept the fact that sometimes you’re just going to need some help. And if you can’t guess from the label, this group of people are those who can’t quite seem to give up control and take advice from someone other than themselves and their own research.

When I get an email from someone in this group, it typically begins with… “I’ve mostly been following your program with some of my own modifications…”

That’s typically a dead giveaway and I know exactly where the conversation is going.

Typically the email comes because something isn’t quite working right and they are confused as to why.

Now I’ve been working with Leaky Gut Syndrome and all kinds of digestive disorders for a long time now, so you can rest assured knowing that everything I included in my program is there for a very good reason. And any deviation from the plan is an accident waiting to happen.

Those Who Have Too Many Chiefs

On the other end of the spectrum I’m finding a group of people that have too many Chiefs and not enough Indians.

These people are typically working with 2 to 3 specialists all at the same time while trying to implement bits and pieces of my program. And they typically end up very confused with little to no results to speak of and email me to ask me what they could possibly be doing wrong.

And it’s easy to set aside my Leaky Gut Cure program when you’re paying thousands of dollars to specialists who have a much higher perceived value. And I can’t say that I blame you either.

But the problem here is that there are too many opinions that all think they have the solution and know what is best for you. And this always leads to contradictory treatment plans and more often than not, a lack of sustainable results.

Pick One Chief and Stick with It

The entire point of this blog post is to help you understand the importance of appointing one and only one chief when it comes to your health.

And it doesn’t matter if you choose yourself to be the chief, a medical doctor, a naturopath, me, or any other available option. The best thing you can do for yourself is to stick with one and let it take you as far as it possibly can without selling it short.

I oftentimes get emails from people who have worked with doctors and naturopaths but who are frustrated with the feeling of a lack of progress. And I’ll tell you the same thing I always tell them…

First of all, you have to trust the practitioner you are working with. And you need to be very clear in the beginning what the plan is and to give them ample time to implement this plan. If you’re going to invest in someone then you have to follow it through.

But if you’ve put in the time and effort and you aren’t progressing after some agree upon amount of time then sometimes it’s best to move on and invest your time and resources into someone or something else.

But don’t make the mistake of investing in your health and not give it your all. If you deviate from the plan and think you know better, then the only person that is accountable when things don’t work out is yourself.

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When you suffer from Leaky Gut Syndrome it’s important to place emphasis on nourishing your body. By supplying your gut with all of the nutrients that it needs, it will have all the necessary building blocks to repair the cells that line your intestinal wall.

But for most Leaky Gut sufferers, this is easier said than done.

When your digestive tract becomes compromised as it is with Leaky Gut, then your ability to digest and absorb nutrients is greatly reduced.

So here are some helpful tips to help you get the most out of your food.

1. Avoid Nutrient Blocking Foods

Believe it or not but some foods actually work to block the absorption of nutrients when you eat them.

Some of the biggest culprits are foods that contain Phytic Acid which is found in the hulls of grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds just to name a few. And when you consume foods that contain Phytic Acid it literally binds itself to minerals within the digestive tract and prevents your body from absorbing them.

This is a big reason why many of these foods require cooking and proper preparation to minimize amount of Phytic Acid present. But you can rest assured that 99% of grains are not properly prepared which is a reason in itself to avoid them

2. Cook Your Veggies

Many people will argue this because they will say that raw vegetables contain natural enzymes to help aid in digestion. And they are partially correct. And they will also say that cooking vegetables leads to a loss of nutrients due to the heating process. And again, they are partially correct.

But the issue has much less to do with how many nutrients the vegetable has as it does with how many of those nutrients your digestive tract can absorb. Raw vegetables are very difficult to digest thus there are far less of these nutrients made available for you to absorb. And if they aren’t absorbed, they’re excreted.

So do yourself a favor and cook your veggies.

3. Eat Your Meat

It’s very common to hear people talk about how nutritious vegetables are. In fact, as kids we were all told that we had to eat our vegetables because they are the healthy part of the meal. But in a 1-on-1 comparison between meat and vegetables, meat wins hands down.

Per volume, meat is far more nutrient dense than vegetables. And many of the nutrients found in meat can’t be obtained from vegetables because they are fat soluble and require fat for proper absorption.

So be sure to eat meat with every meal.

4. Bone Broths

You’ve probably heard it before… You need plenty of minerals for strong bones. So it should make perfect sense that bone broth (properly made) would naturally be loaded with minerals. This is because when you make bone broth you are literally pulling the high mineral content out of the bones and into the broth.

Plus, it’s loaded with plenty of other beneficial nutrients such as amino acids.

It should be no surprise that most every single person who suffers from Leaky Gut Syndrome or that has compromised digestion is not getting the necessary nutrients that they need from their diet. And these nutrients are the building blocks for repairing your Leaky Gut.

By following these simple tips then you’ll be on your way to nourishing your Leaky Gut and giving it the best opportunity possible to heal.

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I’m not going to lie. Eating healthy while traveling is as they say, much easier said than done. And this past week was no exception for me.

I attended a meeting in Las Vegas of all places. And while I didn’t partake in any of the festivities common to the city of sin, I did however try to defend my diet to the best of my abilities.

But when both breakfast and lunch are catered with limited options, the task at hand becomes even increasingly more difficult. For example, breakfast for the first day of the meeting consisted of an egg white scramble with peppers and mushrooms, roasted potatoes, muffins, and a granola parfait dessert.

If you ask me, this was a blood sugar crash waiting to happen. I don’t think there was an ounce of fat anywhere in this meal. And anytime I see egg whites, I’m pretty sure the eggs have been highly processed which typically involves toxic preservatives and other chemicals.

While I use to see a menu like this and have an instant panic attack when I suffered from Leaky Gut Syndrome, I’ve since learned to roll with the punches and make the best out of any situation.

Here’s some tips and what I did to help minimize the damage.

Trust Your Body

One of the most beneficial parts of eating the way I do is that I’ve learned to listen to the subtle queues of my body. And over a period of time, you begin to understand exactly what your body needs.

And I know that my body needs fat, especially for breakfast. So instead of letting my fat free breakfast ruin my blood sugar and mood all day long, I requested some “real” butter which I melted over my meal to give me exactly what I needed.

And I’m sure the butter contained more nutrients than the egg whites themselves!

But I also had the benefit of eating healthy all year round behind me. Because I eat the way that I do, at times like this, my body is much more capable of handling the bumps here and there. However, if I ate off my diet regularly, it definitely would have hit my body like a big pothole.

Ask for a Gluten Free Menu

While breakfast and lunch were catered, I did have control over what I ate for dinner. And you’d better believe that I took advantage of that.

Gluten-Free menus are becoming more and more common these days in restaurants due to the growing exposure of gluten intolerance. And this is great news for those of us who avoid gluten at all costs.

So you better believe that I played it safe while eating out and stuck to the gluten-free menu. And I even simplified my dinner further with opting for the roasted vegetables in place of the questionable side.

And even if a restaurant doesn’t have a gluten-free menu, don’t let that stop you. Ask your waiter or waitress for menu item options that can be made without gluten. If they don’t know they will find someone who does. Trust me, restaurant owners know about food allergies and are not interested in having their customers witness a severe allergic reaction in their restaurant so they are typically very accommodating.

Skip the Temptation of Dessert

One downside of all these catered meals was the big emphasis on dessert. And if you don’t have a strong will power then things can get ugly in a hurry.

Every single meal that was catered was accompanied by some sort of dessert. And even though I didn’t pay much attention to them, I can guarantee that every single one was loaded with gluten, dairy, and sugar.

But by controlling my blood sugar and making sure I ate plenty of meat, vegetables, and fat I never once let myself be tempted by these desserts.

During the second day of the meeting, they even wheeled out a surprise birthday cake for one of the leaders of the meeting. And as they personally hand placed cake in front of everyone in the room, it wasn’t difficult to find someone within a couple of feet of me who wanted seconds.

Do the Best You Can and Don’t Sweat It

What it all boils down to is that I did the best that I could, given the circumstances. And as I mentioned earlier, I could have easily melted down and had a panic attack. But I’ve learned that doing so can really make your reaction to foods that much worse.

Think about it. If you already believe that what you’re putting in your mouth is going to harm you then you better believe that your body is going to react accordingly.

So do yourself a favor and don’t add even more stress to an already stressful situation. And while many or even most of you suffering from Leaky Gut Syndrome should probably forgo travel until you get a handle on your symptoms, you now have a few useful tips at your disposal.

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The benefits of following a good food rotation diet have been known for quite some time now. So it’s surprising that I continue to find so many Leaky Gut sufferers and even health practitioners who don’t make use of this great resource.

So if you haven’t yet started using a rotation diet to your advantage then let me be the first to tell you that you are truly setting yourself up for failure and missing out on some amazing benefits that could easily improve your condition drastically.

Below I’ve listed 5 reasons why you really can’t afford not to follow a rotation diet no matter what your circumstances are.

1. Discover Your Food Sensitivities That You Were Previously Unaware Of

Odds are, if you’re reading this right now then you already know of what some of your food sensitivities are. But there are likely many others that you’re unaware of. And by rotating your foods according to a good rotation diet then you can begin to pick up on patterns and become aware of these additional food sensitivities, some of which will need to be avoided.

2. Prevent the Development of New Food Sensitivities

I’ve seen this one all too often. Even after running expensive food sensitivity tests and becoming educated as to what foods need to be removed from their diet, many people fail to adopt a rotation diet and just switch to eating different foods. And soon enough, they create new food sensitivities to the new foods they eat.

3. Minimize the Impact of Your Current Food Sensitivities

Oftentimes my clients have so many food allergies that it’s nearly impossible to remove them all from their diet or else they would have nothing left to eat. But even in a worst case scenario like this, by implementing a rotation diet, you can effectively minimize the effect of your food sensitivities.

4. Get Rid of Your Current Food Sensitivities

By implementing a rotation diet, over time you can effectively eliminate food sensitivities as your immune system no longer comes into constant assault by the foods that you are sensitive to.

As this happens, your body will no longer need to continue to build up antibodies to these foods which will eventually clear the immune reaction over time.

However, this only works for immune-antibody related food sensitivities and does not account for genetic allergies or intolerances caused by chemical or enzyme inadequacies which will not be improved by a rotation diet.

5. Discover What Foods Work Best for You

All too often, people are entirely over-consumed with finding which foods they are sensitive to so that they can remove these foods from their diet. And they fail to pay attention to which foods they actually feel the best eating which they should be using more readily in their diet.

So it’s important to keep this in mind while on your rotation diet because there are always two sides to the battle and many foods out there can help boost your immune system, improve digestion, and balance your digestive tract.

Whether you suffer from Leaky Gut Syndrome or not, the benefits of rotating your foods in general are too great to ignore. Even to this day (although not quite as strict), I continue to follow a rotation diet because I can still continue to tell a difference and feel best eating this way.

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Food Intolerances are a fast growing problem in today’s society, especially with Leaky Gut Syndrome. This is in large part because few people ever correlate their symptoms with their diet or the foods they eat. And in many cases, this is because it can take up to 48 to even 36 hours after ingestion before you develop any symptoms at all.

And just for clarification purposes, it should be noted that food intolerances differs from true food allergies by medical definition. The medical community only considers a true food allergy as an IgE mediated immune response which is best known for its immediate and severe reactions such as anaphylaxis, acute swelling, hives, etc.

Food intolerances on the other hand are oftentimes delayed and the symptomatic response is far less severe and oftentimes unrightfully ignored. However, as you continue to eat the foods that you are intolerant to then the continuous inflammation that is generated is enough to cause some significant damage within your body.

Food intolerances can occur due to…

• Inability to produce the necessary chemical or enzyme required to digest the food
• A reaction to naturally occurring chemicals in the food
• A non-IgE mediated immune response

Below I’ve listed 10 signs or symptoms of food intolerances that you need to be aware of.

1. Gas and Bloating

There are a lot of causes of gas and bloating but this is too often overlooked. More often than not, it stems from the inability to properly digest the intolerant food. Then this undigested food can become food for unfriendly bacteria in your gut.

2. Nasal Congestion

This is one of the most overlooked reactions when it comes to food intolerances, largely because few people understand the link between the mucus production and your immune system.

3. Constipation or Diarrhea

This is another sign that can have many causes and in most cases, this can be tied directly to the dysbiosis that is created due to food intolerances.

4. Chronic Fatigue

Anytime you get sick and your immune system must work overtime, you experience fatigue. This is because your body is using your energy to support your immune system instead of your muscles.

To your body, food intolerances are no different than you getting sick.

5. Eczema, Skin Rashes, and Hives

Skin conditions are another very common sign that is most often related to histamine reactions from immune antibodies.

6. Mood Swings, Depression, Irritability

Have you ever eaten a meal only to find yourself in a foul mood not too long after for no reason whatsoever? It could be related to blood sugar instability but oftentimes it’s from eating foods that you are intolerant to.

7. Acid Reflux and Heartburn

Food intolerances such as gluten and dairy have also been shown to be common sources of acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD.

8. Headaches and Migraines

Research is showing more and more cases of migraines being triggered by certain foods and food chemicals that are present is the vast majority of our food supply.

9. Joint and Muscle Pain

Joint and muscle pain is another common cause of histamine reactions within the body that drive inflammation to joints and muscle tissue.

10. Weight Gain

Food intolerances oftentimes lead to weight gain due to the chronic stress involved along with the damage and dysfunction caused to the digestive system.

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The question of Leaky Gut and Candida comes up quite a bit in both my personal practice and from my online readers.

Sufferers want to know if Leaky Gut and Candida are somehow related and which one causes the other.

The truth is that the two are oftentimes related and go hand in hand but they are two entirely different issues to begin with. And either one can easily lead to the other.

You see, Candida refers to the overgrowth of a specific species of yeast within the digestive tract which if left untreated can and will continue to create intestinal inflammation and dysbiosis that leads to Leaky Gut Syndrome.

But the opposite can be true as well. With the onset of Leaky Gut Syndrome and corresponding imbalance of gut flora, your digestive tract can become prime breeding ground for Candida and other invasive organisms.

In either case, it’s always related to the imbalance of gut flora within the digestive tract.

Candida – The Opportunistic Organism

Most people don’t realize this but Candida is naturally present in your gut. We all have it. In fact, we couldn’t survive without it.

If this is true then why does it cause so many problems for so many people?

The truth is that Candida is what is called an opportunistic organism. In a healthy gut, it lives under control and balance with the beneficial bacteria within your digestive tract.

The problem however occurs when the natural balance of yeast and bacteria within the gut is disrupted which is typically the result of a loss of beneficial bacteria. And when there is no beneficial bacteria left to police and balance the Candida, then a dysbiosis develops and the Candida is given the opportunity to overgrow and take over which is when the problems begin to occur.

There are many reasons as to why Candida is given the opportunity to overgrow. Most commonly it’s related to one or more of the follow…

• Over-use of Antibiotics
• Poor Diet
• Pathogenic Infection

Leaky Gut and Candida – A Much Bigger Systemic Problem

Candida can cause some issues when it begins to take over and overgrow in the gut. But much bigger problems arises when you develop Leaky Gut and Candida is able to pass through the intestinal barrier into your blood stream and become systemic.

Once Candida becomes systemic, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage and control. It can literally affect any part of your body and is a common cause of…

• Chronic Jock Itch
• Chronic Athlete’s Foot
• Nail Fungus
• Chronic Yeast Infections
• Thrush or White Coated Tongue
• Dandruff
• and other fungal related issues

Why is this so important to understand?

Because if you’re dealing with any of these issues above then you’re likely not going to get any relief until you begin to fix the underlying cause of the problem instead of treating the symptom.

Most people with these issues are constantly using topical solutions, creams, drops, and shampoos which may provide temporary relief but once you stop, the infection comes right back.

This is because you have to fix the underlying cause which is really the overgrowth of Candida in the gut that is leaking through the intestinal barrier and feeding the infection from the inside. Otherwise treating the infection from the outside isn’t going to work long term.

Overcoming Leaky Gut and Candida

So how does one overcome Leaky Gut and Candida once it has become systemic?

I have gotten the best long term results with Candida infections using specific dietary modifications to help starve off the Candida. But that’s not the end of the fight because you still have to heal your Leaky Gut, close up your intestinal barrier, and rebalance your gut flora. Otherwise the Candida will just overgrow and leak through the intestinal barrier again and continue to be a systemic issue. And you’ll be right back where you started.

I will note that there are some natural herbal supplements that can help but alone these are not the answer because supplements alone will not work long term without the necessary dietary modifications.

And oftentimes the supplements can be too harsh causing severe die off reactions which can really stress the liver and body and be counter-productive to healing.

Because Leaky Gut and Candida are so commonly found together and tend to feed off each other, I have included a separate guide specifically for Candida and other pathogenic organisms in my Leaky Cure Program.

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It should come as no surprise that your mind has quite a bit of influence over your ability to heal yourself. It can either be your best friend and help with the healing processes or it can be your worst enemy and really make matters even worse.

The way that I look at it is that you can never focus too much on improving your subconscious to work for you rather than against you.

So I want to share with you a few different techniques that you can use in the comfort of your own home to help you gain even more control over your mind.

You can do one or all three but the main goal when working with my clients is to find one that works best for them so that will continue to use it. Otherwise you won’t do it and you won’t get the benefits.

Silent Meditation

Meditation is one of those practices that takes a little bit of dedication but once you get the hang of it, it can and will literally transform just about every area of your life.

Personally, I think too many people are too intimidated by the idea of meditation that they never actually give it a fair try. And it does take some patience and practice so expect it to be frustrating in the beginning. Everything takes practice to get good at and meditation is no different.

I don’t of anyone who picked up meditation overnight and loved it. But I do know plenty of people who have started and kept with it and are completely new people (for the better) because of it.

In fact, I remember the frustration when I first started myself but I stayed committed and it wasn’t long before I was feeling the positive effects and was quite a bit happier for it. And that improvement of my mood carried over into my work, my relationships, and my home life and life in generals got easier.

A simple way to get started is to just sit in a comfortable position. You don’t need any crazy seated posture for it to work. And while sitting, just watch your thoughts and instead of actively thinking, just observe and witness your thoughts.

You don’t need to judge your thoughts or try to force them to stop. Just sit there, detach yourself and watch. If you need a visual then you can picture your thoughts floating down a river. And instead of jumping in after them, just watch them float by.

Over time, you should notice that your river has less and less thoughts floating by and you begin to experience more of a sense of peace.

This is a great way to let go of stress and help facilitate the healing process.

Emotional Release

Unfortunately, most of us have been taught to deal with our emotional in an unhealthy way since a very young age. As kids, when your feelings got hurt you were most often told to “suck it up” and “stop crying”. But nobody stops to consider the impact that this has on a child.

All this does is to teach kids how to internalize their emotions instead of externalizing them which is much healthier. And this easily becomes a programmed behavior that sticks with you through life even as an adult.

But the biggest problem is that when you internalize your emotions instead of dealing with them in a healthy way, they tend to create a lot of emotional stress which will carry over into every aspect of your life and will hold you back from healing.

But by releasing these pent up emotions you can literally offload a lot of emotional stress which can really help free up your mind to work for you instead of against you.

The technique itself is very simple. Instead of internalizing your emotions, find a way to release them alone in a controlled environment such as a bedroom where you don’t have to worry about being judged.

If you find yourself becoming angry then lock yourself in your bedroom and yell or beat your pillow.

If you find yourself being overcome with sadness then go to your bedroom and just cry. There’s really nothing wrong with crying. It’s just society that has placed such a false negative view on it.

But by releasing your emotions you will find that you will be able to let those emotions go and move on instead of being caught up in them while they ruin your day and cause unnecessary long term stress.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

There are also more subtle approaches to handling deep seated emotional issues and help reprogram your subconscious like through the use of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). EFT is a simple system that was developed by Gary Craig which uses the same principles of Acupuncture and acupressure to tap into the subconscious mind.

So instead of releasing your emotions outright, EFT uses tapping along certain meridians within the body while experiencing the problematic emotion in order help your mind disassociate that emotion and let it go.

I have used EFT myself and with many clients and the results are great, especially for those who stick with it since it can take some time and effort to be really effective.

But for many who need all the help they can get, it can really help give you the advantage over your mind when you need it most.

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