GUEST BLOG! We are so excited to introduce Kerri Kenny, from Off the Grain. Kerri is guest blogging this month in a brave and revealing post about her experience with chronic hives.  If you are thirsty for inspiration, read on!

Many of us suffering with chronic conditions live day to day hoping that tomorrow will bring relief. Tasting the sweetness of symptom free living makes the return to pain unthinkable. So, I want to share with you my story, of having been symptom free for over a year – only to wake up one warm morning in June with a blast from the past. It’s not pretty. It’s not fun. But it’s real. And I’m not giving up.

I am an allergy sufferer, and I have been my entire life. As a child I was plagued with chronic ear infections and migraines. As an adult I developed a condition called urticaria, or “chronic hives”. For the last 9 years I have battled my issues. I have tried everything you can think of: antihistamines, cortisone shots, antihistamine/antidepressant combos, prednisone. Nothing worked. I tried every home remedy in the book – cool lotions, cold baths, oatmeal baths, apple cider vinegar – nothing worked. Sometimes the hives would disappear on their own, then as discreetly as they left, they would return.

A year ago I decided to embrace grain and sugar free living. Nothing provided such profound results as this did. I even started my blog, Off The Grain, to help others like me. Wow – I thought I was in the clear! My energy level skyrocketed, migraines disappeared, hypoglycemia – gone. Hives, see ya later! It was a year of renewal and rejuvenation – so you can imagine the shock when the hives returned in June. I don’t remember reading anywhere about this in the grain-free living contract…

Ah, yes, I know “two steps forward” – but it feels more like a giant leap back because after finally tasting the good life, the return of my hives was so painful to face. My first reaction was to grab for antihistamines – hoping this time for a different result? Not a chance. Not only did they do NOTHING for my symptoms, but they robbed me of my new found energy.

So now – I’m peeling off another layer of the onion – on my quest to discover lasting vitality.
It is time to heal my body, starting at the core: the gut; where allergies, inflammation and numerous other health issues stem from. I have transitioned from a grain free diet to a GAPS diet. While they are very similar diets, GAPS doesn’t just focus on what to exclude from our diet, but rather what to include: healthy bone broth and fermented foods to heal the gut. I am one week into the GAPS diet, and I’ll admit, the first week was awful. My symptoms worsened. I cried. It was brutal. But today, they have improved! I see a light at the end of the tunnel, and I know I am healing my body. I understand now that the hives are a sign of my body telling me something, or rather screaming something at me. Like an infant, calm and quiet if health and happy, my skin is the same. If angered, it lets me know in no uncertain terms.

Many times when we think of allergies we think food, but there are so many other things that cause allergy sufferers pain. So my only option is to keep moving forward. Dr. Arnel Beaubrun, of Integra Naturopathics, is my GAPS practitioner, aiding me in the transition to GAPS.

So I cross my fingers…drink my bone broth…and pledge to do everything I can to finish this puzzle. I won’t give up if you won’t.

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You know the feeling after a hot yoga class – the one that keeps us coming back for more – the delicious sense of accomplishment and calm mind.  What most people aren’t aware of are the unparalleled cellular health benefits of induced sweating.  Get ready to be completely blown away by how life-changing regular hot yoga is for your body!

In 2011, Dr. Stephen Genuis, MD completed a study, Blood, Sweat and Urine: An assessment of Induced Sweating for Management of Toxicity. The results were amazing – induced sweating is a highly effective means for elimination of several nasty chemical toxicants.

What’s the big deal? It’s huge. It’s kind of exciting, actually! Let’s consider for a moment that virtually all illness is a result of modifiable environmental factors, which influence our genetic susceptibility. We are the first generation to be exposed to widespread chemicals everywhere we turn: our furniture, cosmetics, the air we breathe and certainly the food we eat. Simply put, we live in an age of toxicity. Most synthetic agents have NO safety testing. Ubiquitous toxicity comes at a price – our health.  From infertility and cancer to depression and auto-immunity, research confirms the role of chemical toxicity in the development of these devastating conditions.

At Integra, our naturopathic foundation focus on nutrition in – toxicity out. It’s that simple. Optimal health depends on elimination.  Our core therapies aid the body in getting rid of metabolic waste that becomes a burden on the body, while optimizing what goes in via nutrient dense food choices.

The known issue with chemical toxins is that they are not easy to eliminate from the body! On the contrary, they are typically stored in cells – where they do their damage. Genius’ research confirms what traditional cultures have known to be true for generations – that sweating is good for us. Sweat lodges and Finnish cultural practices teach us that inherent wisdom should never be forgotten or overlooked.  Genius’ research is quite literally body-altering news!

Is it a surprise that people are flocking to hot yoga studios all over North America? Certainly funky yoga fashion has something to do with it, but it’s because hot yoga feels good – studios have become a refuge for our toxic cells. It feels good to cleanse. It feels natural to want to return to a place that heals the body from the inside out.

Genius and his researchers found that induced sweating allows the release of Bisphenol A (a devastating hormone disruptor), organochlorine pesticides (neuro toxins) and heavy metals, amongst numerous others.

It’s not as though we need evidence based science to convince us to get our sweat on at yoga, but it’s kind of cool when research confirms what we know to be true: hot yoga rocks! Off to Moksha I go…

The more you practice, the more you heal…

Guest Post! Today we are bringing back Kerri, from Off the Grain. Kerri has been going through the GAPS diet for the past few months to heal her chronic hives. She talks to us today about her experience with a typical GAPS die off reaction and how to move beyond the challenges of this nutritional therapy.

We’ve all heard the saying “it gets worse before it gets better”. I’ve heard this saying numerous times when reading about detoxes and cleanses. The same holds true for the GAPS diet. As much as we would love to imagine the GAPS diet being similar to riding a bike in a field of flowers, unfortunately for those going through the intro phase, it often seems more like going on one of those cave adventures. You know the ones where if you turn your flashlight off it goes pitch black, and you are just hoping your guide knows the way to the exit?

The last time I was in Mexico I went on one of those cave adventure excursions, and let me tell you – living the GAPS intro is a lot like my experience through one of these caves. You know there is in fact a light at the end of the tunnel, and you know your guide will get you there, but along the way there’s a lot of tight squeezes, bumps, its more mentally and physically demanding than you thought, and you don’t dare touch anything you’re not suppose to!  You are relying on trust that there is in fact an exit at the end and you don’t get stuck somewhere you can’t get out!

GAPS is hard enough as it is to start. To begin with you are only allowed bone broth, boiled meats and certain boiled vegetables. It’s very restrictive. But that isn’t even the hardest part. What is? The die-off effect. It’s the whole “I feel worse than when I started” effect. Your body begins to experience serious side effects as pathogenic bacteria die off and gut flora rebalances. What can happen during a die off effect is symptoms can actually worsen. As the toxins die off and get filtered through our bodies we can react to them, worsening our symptoms temporarily. Some people may even show new symptoms of irritability such as a cold or flu like symptoms, fatigue, brain fog, headaches etc. This will also be particularily true for those who loose weight during the intial phases of GAPS. If you are anything like me, you may drop a good 10 lbs or more. This can be a wonderful thing if you are packing on a few extra, but since toxins live in our fat cells, as fat gets filtered through the body we often will react to the toxins living within. I always noticed my symptoms worsened on days the scale would shift.  But as your digestive system begins to heal, your reactions will lessen, and if you are like me, your weight will also eventually plateau.

Die off reactions and the process of healing the gut are very individual. I definitely experienced a bad die off reaction at the beginning of GAPS. By day 2 my symptoms cleared almost 99%, by day 3 and 4 they came back full force 120% stronger than what they were when I started. There is the possibility that at that point I ate, touched, breathed something I am still allergic too, but I do believe a lot of it was due to the die off reaction. Boy did I have horrible brain fog! I think I took my purse into a meeting instead of my notepad, I was putting food in the freezer instead of the fridge…and I never knew what day it was. A few days later, my symptoms began to clear again, however I did experience a roller coaster of ups and downs for multiple weeks following. Some days good, some days bad. Sometimes I would react for no known reason, and other times it was to something I obviously ate I shouldn’t have.

So how do we survive this initial die-off reaction? Push through knowing it isn’t going to last long. Have a buddy, or someone who supports what you are doing, and call them if you need to, even if you are crying. Sometimes an extra hand to hold is just what you need to push through. My other piece of advice is to make sure you are not consuming anything outside of stage 1. Follow stage 1 diligently until the die-off goes away and you are ready to proceed further. It is also a good idea to keep a food diary, so if you do eat something outside of what you are recommended to eat, you can detect if you react to it or not. If you need to ask your ND “will I get better?” Go ahead and do it! They will be your biggest supporters of all.

Now being on GAPS for over 2 months, I’m happy to say I’ve reached the light at the end of the tunnel. My hives are actually gone. I will say, I am one of the lucky ones.  My symptoms cleared quickly, unfortunately for some it takes longer. But the point I really want to make is not to stress too much about the die off reaction, it will clear, and don’t stress too much over days that feel like regression, your body is healing on the inside, even if some days you can’t feel it on the outside. And if you have to seek alternative therapies or medicine such as acupuncture etc. to help with your reactions, that is fine as well. It’s about finding what works for you.

So back to my cave analogy. If you’ve every been in a natural water cave, you know it is the cleanest most pure water you have ever seen. Everything is so beautiful, so clean, so fresh, so untouched. When we commit to a GAPS diet we are doing so to return our bodies to their most purest form, healthy and clean of toxic build up. We are striving for a beautiful, functional body, and we are hoping for them to return to exactly how nature intended, just like the caves. To achieve this, however, we must tread carefully, not to disrupt the process.

For the original article, click here.

Perhaps it’s because our little Téa has entered this phase with a vengeance, but lately we are finding peace in reminding ourselves of the health significance of this, at times, nail-biting phase.

The change in behavior can be dramatic and happen almost overnight. “I don’t know what happened – one morning my little angel was gone!” Sound familiar? First time parents are down right freaked out, wondering how best to control this new, unruly behavior and how to manage social settings that might require the “S” word.  Many Moms will admit to cancelling play dates. A new perspective on this developmental stage will ease your fear of your toddler being forced to Share at your next gathering!

In our last blog, we chatted about the adrenal phase of maturation. Between 12 -18 months of age, our little angels transition from this phase to the thyroid stage. Most parents can identify precisely (much to their dismay) when their little one’s behavior changed– this signifies the thyroid’s influence over the body. Cool eh?

Remember that the thyroid gland is the master gland of metabolism, having a hand in cellular health for the entire body! Proper transitioning through this phase is critical.  Complete maturation of the gland is not until the age of 6-8 years old.

So what’s going on? The essence of thyroid development is the identification of self from non-self.  “It’s mine! No, me! I want” is typically perceived as the “selfish” nature of this age; some parenting books would have us believe this must be corrected or else the child will stay in a perpetual state of self-centeredness.  Relax; in fact, this type of emotional response signifies the ability to identify self from the world. Don’t get us wrong, as parents our role is to provide healthy, gentle boundaries  – but our role is not to suppress our child. Defined emotions should not be silenced, they need to be channeled. Creative play is essential to help the child in this huge shift in awareness. If a parent punishes or continually silences a child’s expressive nature, the ability to identify self from non-self is diminished.

What’s the big deal? Allergies and auto-immunity are two massive health concerns that have at their very centre, this problem. The immune system is mal-adapted and oversensitive, unable to properly identify what is normal from what is not. Certainly, there are many factors involved in dis-ease, but it’s time we bring awareness to the role of emotional health in overall wellness – especially in the early years.

From a nutritional perspective, avoid avoid unfermented soy for your child. We do not recommend soy milk, tofu or any processed soy foods. Powerful goitrogens, inherent to soy, are extremely harmful to a developing thyroid gland.  As well, the thyroid requires rich minerals such as selenium and iodine to flourish. Parents are naturally curious about healthy sweeteners for their children; choose raw honey or grade 3 maple syrup  – they are rich in minerals and trump refined sugar.
Most of all, love your little one through this time, and rest assured – this too shall pass. Instead of battling through it – transition through it, by understanding it.

Americano, double espresso, skim milk latte – or maybe green tea? The quest for the magic beverage carries on – in hopes of finding the perfect jolt of caffeine that will relieve us from the unrelenting fatigue that awaits us at the sound of our alarm.

In our practice, fatigue is what may persuade you to finally give this “naturopathic thing” a shot, but it’s typically not the focus of treatment. This is because fatigue is a mere symptom of a myriad of imbalances within the body. Our nervous system, hormones and immunity are so closely dependant on each other; deficiency in one will cause imbalance in another – leading to a cascade of inflammation -­‐ rearing its head in various forms, overwhelming and tiring the body in the process.

At the core of this interconnectedness is always poor adrenal health. The adrenal glands are situated in the abdomen, above the kidneys. They are responsible for the secretion of many hormones, and deeply involved in our stress response. The maturation of the adrenal glands takes place between the ages of three weeks old to 18 months – yes, this young! The foundation we lay in early childhood sets the stage for the functioning of our glands later in life. For optimal adrenal maturation a child needs rhythms and security above all else. A baby’s adaptation to its environment is fragile. Safety is paramount in to ensure the gland develops properly. Consider the ramifications of moms heading back to work very soon after the birth of her babe, or shunning co-­‐sleeping in favor of “crying it out.” Teaching a baby to “soothe” itself before 18 months old in fear of “spoiling” your baby is not only counter intuitive, but detrimental to the developing adrenal gland. Has our shift away from baby-­‐ centered rearing contributing to the endemic adrenal fatigue of modern day?

When we couple this predisposition to poor adrenal health with modern diets that preach low fat and highly processed eating habits -­‐ we have a perfect storm on our hands. Once our adrenal glands are no longer operating to our advantage, neither does our thyroid. Our immune system becomes overburdened and all of a sudden allergies emerge, as if from out of nowhere. If you’ve ever wondered why it’s harder to get out of bed in the morning or why your brain fog is unrelenting or why the heck you get sick on every holiday – yup, it’s your adrenals beckoning your attention.

Unraveling the web is much easier if you know where to start! You can’t go wrong if you start with your adrenals.

Sniffle. Sneeze. Scratch. Sound familiar? Do you love Spring, but dread it as well? Hay fever is the way your body signals a significant deficiency in healthy gut bacteria. The ability of your body to tolerate pollen and other triggers depends on whether you house healthy, immune-modulating flora. A damaged flora reduces your ability to tolerate environmental triggers. When pathogenic organisms thrive, so does inflammation. Allergies reflect a loss in immune function, causing the body to over-react to triggers such as grasses, molds and pollens. It’s common for seasonal allergies to worsen from year to year – mirroring the worsening condition of your gut health.

What damages the gut flora?

- Pharmaceutical drugs, including the birth control pill.
- Sugar, white flour and refined carbohydrates
- Toxic fat – margarine and canola oil
- Antibiotics
- C-section births
- Vaccines
- Baby Formula

For every action there is a reaction….for some of us, in the form of annoying seasonal allergies!

It is possible to enjoy the Spring. Rather than popping anti-histamines and worrying about the pollen count, we have the ability to restore our beneficial gut flora and live allergy free! Here are a couple of ways:

1. Eliminate refined sugars and improperly prepared grains
2. Breast feed when possible, for as long as possible
3. Eat real foods, including probiotic-rich fermented foods
4. Take high quality probiotic supplements
5. Incorporate bone broth into your diet, frequently!

It all begins in the gut. Experience the benefits of healing from the inside, out!

In response to the debate surrounding GAPS being a low carb diet – from my clinical experience since my GAPS certification in the fall, I feel its really important to clarify that GAPS is NOT a low carb diet. It involves the incorporation of good fats, protein and vegetable carbohydrates – which are introduced as early as stage 1. Vegetables are carbohydrates! In my opinion, once someone is past the introductory phase of GAPS, a full GAPS meal would look like this: 1/3 protein, 2/3 vegetables – prepared with ample good fat. The intention of the diet is NOT to be low carb whatsoever – it a temporary, healing dietary regime – which requires the avoidance of grains for a period of time. Grains are not bad, and when prepared properly (soaked or sprouted), are well tolerated by people with a healthy gut – in the same way we prepare legumes, nuts and seeds to reduce their inherent anti-nutrients. It’s a short term, therapeutic nutritional guide. Working with a GAPS practitioner is very important. A qualified practitioner should be able to modify and individualize the GAPS diet to suit your unique metabolic and hormonal situation, aiding you through the stages and transitioning you into life after GAPS.

Grains naturally contain “anti-nutrients” that damage our intestinal lining and reek havoc on the immune system – exacerbating inflammation.

Research confirms that inflammation is the root of countless health ailments. Linked to a myriad of degenerative conditions including allergies, auto-immunity, infertility, arthritis, mood disorders and certainly cancer – chronic inflammation plays a massive role in most health concerns.

Eliminating grains provides an extraordinary opportunity to achieve rapid healing in the body.

Consider this: grains are the seeds of a plant – seeds contain the reproductive material for the plant. The evolutionary strategy of many plants is to evolve toxic compounds to protect and prevent the seeds from predation. These toxic compounds are anti-nutrients. Some of these anti-nutrients are Gliadin and lectin proteins, phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors.

Check out the effects of these substances on your body:

• GLIADIN is the primary immunotoxic protein found in wheat gluten, and is amongst the most damaging to your health. Gliadin increases intestinal ZONULIN, which damages the integrity of the protective gut lining. This causes gaps between the gut cells – leaving the gut vulnerable for undigested material and other toxins to enter your body. You do not need to suffer from celiac disease to suffer from the adverse effects of this protein.

• LECTINS protect plants against being eaten, and are found in highest concentration in their seed form. Lectins irritate the digestive system – causing gas and bloating.

• PHYTIC ACID reduces your ability to absorb iron, calcium and other nutrients from your food. Remember being told that whole grains are packed full of valuable minerals? Phytates dramatically reduce their availability. If you eat a lot of grains you may be well fed, but are most likely undernourished.

It all comes back to the gut!

Did you know that the health of your gut is KEY to your immunity? Grains contribute to a “leaky gut”, where gaps between intestinal cells allow undigested food, bacteria and metabolic waste to escape into your bloodstream. Your body experiences significant inflammation under these circumstances. In some cases the immune system becomes so overburdened, it starts to react to it’s own tissue (auto-immunity). Its pretty clear that the permeability of our gut lining is the root of our health.

Q. How long will I be off grains?

A. Traditional cultures soured, sprouted and soaked their grains. These food preparation methods dramatically reduce the anti-nutrients naturally present in grains. There are fantastic references to teach you how to properly prepare whole grains if you choose to include them in your diet. For some people, a grain free lifestyle is short term; other’s choose to stay off grains because of how amazing they feel. Your body will tell you. You do not need to eat grains as part of a wholesome diet, but if you do – they MUST be prepared properly.

Really, your doctor doesn’t understand your menstrual chart?

The menstrual cycle remains one of the purest barometers of health – it is an unbelievable diagnostic tool. We use it to help decipher immune challenges, nutritional deficiencies or the reasons underlying the suffering of peculiar, chronic symptoms. We can’t even IMAGINE caring for a woman’s health without chatting, in great detail, about her cycle.

Quite simply, as the earth becomes inundated with chemical toxins, ovaries become storehouses for the wasteful by-products of negligent industrialization. Our body – so wise – attempts communication through various “symptoms” such as heavy bleeding, anovulatory cycles, painful periods and breast tenderness. In the same way, modern nutritional fads have literally destroyed the foundation of hormonal health. Low fat, nutrient void, synthetic based diets manifest themselves in numerous menstrual irregularities, such as scant cervical mucus and recurrent miscarriage. If more doctors attended to the health significance of the menstrual cycle, mysterious conditions might not be such a mystery at all!

Do you know that:

• Long periods may be a sign of a low functioning thyroid
• Low basal body temperatures are quite common in iron deficiency
• A gut flora imbalance may cause anovulation
• Scant cervical mucus is typically a sign of vitamin A deficiency, common in vegetarians
• A diet rich in Omega 6’s will initiate inflammation that aggravates menstrual cramps

Instead of listening, and digging deep for the reasons behind the symptoms, too often women and their doctors have turned to powerful, synthetic hormonal drugs aimed at silencing the very symptoms our bodies use to communicate with us.

Learning to chart the menstrual cycle’s vital signs provides the most empowering opportunity to reacquaint women with their bodies. Your health practitioner is missing out if they don’t use this outstanding window into the functioning of your endocrine system, and frankly – so are you. It’s that important. It really is.