Quick Start: feel better fast by committing to these 6 steps
- Cut out sugar- Yes, I know, easier said than done. Read how to minimize the damage here.
- Stop eating by 6pm- wait until at least 8am the next day to eat again. This promotes deep restorative sleep and autophagy (cellular self cleaning, including in the brain).
- Join The Salk Institute’s My Circadian Clock research and learn why the timing of eating is so important.
- Take Prodovite® to ensure nutrients getting in as well as correct immune response.
- Take Brain Reward® to prevent cravings and symptoms of withdrawal from your addictive foods.
- If you’ve been struggling with frequent or chronic bacterial or viral infection add pH Structured Silver.
Use an Elimination Diet to find your “Safe Fallback” Routine
- The purpose of an elimination diet is to determine if you are immunologically sensitive to any foods.
- Because those with compromised gut function and/genetic susceptibility often have multiple food sensitivities they will not detect benefit from eliminating one food at a time.
- Please note that besides being expensive all food allergy/sensitivity testing has limitations. Each test is testing for just one type of reaction in the body and is prone to false positives. The only true “litmus test” for discovering food reactions is through an elimination diet.
- One can more quickly determine what a “safe fallback” way of eating is for them by starting with 3 days of nothing but vegetables and fish or poultry. Vegetables with the exception of the nightshades (tomatos, potatos, eggplant and peppers) have been shown historically to be hypoallergenic (little likelihood of adverse reactions in the human body). The nightshades which should be avoided initially may increase arthritic inflammation in some individuals.
- Recent research also shows how beneficial it is to have at least 3 hours between your dinner and bedtime and at least a12 hour window between your last meal of the day and the first meal of the next day.
- If you are taking prescription medications, they may be causing some side effects, but now is not the time to address them. Continue taking your medications as prescribed.
- If you are taking supplements, it is best to discontinue them initially since they may contain a component of one of your trigger foods. Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s good for your body.
- We become literally addicted to some trigger foods and may have intense cravings for them when we eliminate them. This happens because the inflammation that results from the consumption of these foods causes our brain to release endorphins and we get a “high”. When that wears off we then look for more of the same. To greatly minimize these withdrawal effects and cravings, you can take Brain Reward. This supports the brain, preventing the craving and withdrawal symptoms, making the elimination diet much more comfortable.
- After 3 days on just vegetables and the Brain Reward formula most people feel substantially lighter with less inflammation. At this point you may add back in one food every other day. Each food you are able to add back in and not have an increase in symptoms for the following 48 hours you may add to your “safe fallback” list. Symptoms to look for are: headaches, foggy headedness, lack of concentration and focus, increase in arthritic pain, gut pains, constipation, diarrhea, increase in stiffness, increase in any chronic pain or syndrome, heartburn, autoimmune flare-up.
- Because small amounts of a trigger food may not cause a substantial immunological reaction, you must eat a good amount of that food when you add it back in to know for sure if you can add it to your safe list.
- As I explain to my patients who report back how much better they feel after the initial stage of the elimination diet, you now know two things: #1 How much your diet has been contributing to your symptoms and #2 That you are now no more than a day or so away from feeling better at any given time. All you need to do to feel better is revert to your “safe fallback” way of eating.