I've put out the invitation to a few friends and colleagues to be quest bloggers with me on this journey of health and wellness. A fellow acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine provider,
Kevi Keenom, is going to share with you her journey towards gluten free and sugar free living. I loved reading her post because it's real and packed full of lots of information, including fun scientific info. related to food sensitivities and leaky guts, woohoo! Kevi and I both share in the joy of having eczema on our faces. After changing my diet over the years my eczema has improved a ton, but I really feel that a daily meditation practice has made the biggest difference. I truly feel that all healing starts inside. I hope you enjoy Kevi's post, she is a gem of a human being. You can also find her contact information below. Thank you Kevi, may your journey continue to unfold in beauty.
By Kevi Keenom LAc:
My journey into gluten/wheat-free and (mostly) sugar-free
eating began about 14 months ago. I was
on a quest to understand why I had been dealing with obnoxious eczema on my
face for the past 4 years. I had spent
most of that time in a master’s program to become a licensed Chinese Medicine
practitioner, and had learned a lot about the human body and health, so why
hadn’t I resolved this issue yet?
Finally, post-graduation, thanks to an amazing teacher, Satya Ambrose,
ND, LAc, I had the opportunity to do a panel of gastro-intestinal lab tests
which involved sending off samples of saliva and stool to get analyzed for bacterial,
parasitic, fungal and other infectious factors, as well as hormone levels and
food intolerance markers.
When my results came back, I didn’t find out anything too
crazy or exciting, but I did learn the following: 1. My levels of Candida
Albicans were higher than normal (C. Albicans- an internal fungus/yeast found
in all living things); 2. I had high levels of gluten antibodies, meaning
specifically, my tests showed an immunological reaction to gliadin, which is a
marker for gluten sensitivity.
In having these results interpreted to me, the primary
suggestion was to stop eating wheat for a few weeks to see if I felt
better.
Dr. Ambrose explained that fatigue
was likely the major side-effect of these findings and if by cutting out wheat
I felt better, that this was a good sign.
Also we discussed how an overgrowth of Candida, which can proliferate
from excess sugar, can cause many of the same side effects that a gluten
intolerance can.
There is even much
evidence that Candida is a major factor of Celiac disease, as the proteins for
both cross the same intestinal barriers, leading to the symptoms of leaky gut
syndrome
http://naturalwellnesschoices.blogspot.com/2008/12/candida-celiac-thyroid-connection.html
So in order to lower my levels of
Candida while working on my gluten sensitivity, I decided to cut out sugars as
well.
With these two findings working
hand in hand, healing from one meant including the other as well.
Interestingly,
these two factors are so tied together that combining the yeast and gluten of
beer and other gluten containing foods (such as pizza), in a susceptible
individual, can create perfect storm for leaky gut situations.
The alcohol can have the effect of enhancing
the inflammatory processes of gluten which in turn floods the system with
reactive antigens which seep out into the bloodstream.
Basically, the result is a worse than the
damage of either one of them alone.
I
now see beer and pizza as the nemesis to my healthy skin.
Years before I became a Chinese medicine
practitioner, I made a living in the bar and restaurant world, where I
developed a fondness for beer, wine and liquor (also commonly known in medical
circles as alcoholism).
Old habits die
hard, and beer had also been a part my graduate school years: a celebratory ritual
to mark passing milestones, such as the end of a difficult week.
Still, occasionally imbibing after years of
regularly imbibing was enough to negate all the healthy new habits I had
developed in those years of studying medicine.
To expect years worth of gastrointestinal imbalance to heal without
truly abstaining from the triggers proved to be ineffective.
So in order to kick off my new cycle of healthy eating, I
had to take stock and make a plan. It
was to eliminate all wheat and gluten from my diet, completely quit eating
refined and natural sugars (next to impossible), and most of all, stop drinking
beer. Up to that point I had quit eating
wheat and gluten foods off and on and was currently off of it for about two
weeks already. While I admittedly had a
sweet tooth, I was pretty moderate about it and looked forward to getting off
the roller coaster of cravings that I knew from experience accompanied eating sugar. In order to support that fully, I decided to
cut way down on fruits, taking it down to about 2 pieces of fruit a week. As for beer, I discovered that the gluten
free substitutes were not tempting enough to try more than once or twice, and
since I was keeping my sugar levels so low overall, I made allowances for
having clear spirits at large social gatherings (in moderation), such as a best
friend’s wedding in Hawaii. In the past
14 months I have had 2 regular (made from regular barley) beers and still
consider this a huge triumph over my habits.
I did however, rediscover fancy white wine and cider as welcome
alternatives.
As is obvious looking back, alcohol was also an issue for me
leading up to the early onset of my eczema issues. Beer and I had a long history and beer
contains both sugars and gluten.
Further, alcohol of any kind is a toxin.
The skin is sometimes called the body's largest organ, and can be a
major pathway for detoxification. The
Chinese Medicine books term alcohol 'damp-heat' in the body. Eczema can alternate between dry, red and
flakey skin to exuding weepiness. Symptoms
all cycle from hot and moist initially to dry as the blood carries the heat
from alcohol and then the blood dries from the heat, and as it dries, it fails
to nourish the skin. Other inflammatory
processes from other toxic factors work similarly. Of course since these are patterns, the
pathways are usually well worn in patients dealing with chronic issues. Considering how quick to imbalance the system
alcohol is (alcohol = the #1 liver toxin worldwide), it’s easy to understand
how constant, even low level abuse of it, is liable to cause major deficiencies
of minerals and healthy internal flora in anyone, no matter how it manifests. In understanding my own battle with eczema,
all this Chinese Medicine theory provided valuable insight into the ravages of
alcohol on the entire system. Certainly
there were many factors, but this one was paramount. In some ways, I feel thankful that my body
gave me these clues to investigate and to eventually understand the health of
my body better.
While studying Chinese Medicine, I learned that a healthy
body gives rise to a healthy dermal glow.
In the Chinese perspective of the ‘5 Elements’, the skin is related to the
element of metal. The Lungs and the Large
Intestine (which are always capitalized when being discussed from the
Traditional Chinese Medicine or ‘TCM’ perspective) are the organs that
correspond to the metal element. Metal
is like your armor and the way you create healthy boundaries with the outside
world. The ‘mother’ of metal is earth,
and the Spleen and Stomach are the organs that correspond to the earth element. This means many things. One is that cultivation of healthy earth
energy comes from proper nourishment of and care for the organs associated with
food intake and early digestion. Another
is that healthy metal energy (governing skin) is born from the nutrition of
earth. Therefore nutrition and digestive
energy are equal to the building blocks of immunity. This all pertains to skin health as the Lung
is an extension of your skin. Both the
lung and the skin are permeable borders that come into contact with the
world. Sometimes the skin is referred to
as your ‘third lung’, since both tissues are known to ‘breathe’. This is where the idea of metal comes
in. The Chinese character for metal is
like the character for gold, suggestive of something valuable. Similarly, your metal element forms borders
and boundaries to keep you safe and secure.
In your upper body, you inhale the heavenly breath of life, and then
exhale. In your lower body, your large
intestine eliminates the used matter of the earthly element. The intake of oxygen is an example of a
healthy ability to connect with life while the act of elimination exemplifies
letting go of what is no longer healthy to hold on to. The connection between these two yin and yang
organs is shown in the act of bearing down with breath to excavate the
bowels. In terms of skin issues, the
books will say that the Lung issues tend to cause more of the eczema and
psoriasis sort, while acnes and boils belong more to the Large Intestine
issues.
So anyway, back to the story at hand. It was about one month into cutting out
wheat, gluten, beer and most sugar that I noticed my skin was significantly healthier
than it had been in a years. I think I
had gotten much of the way there already in the weeks leading up to this
change, and also I began a powerful Chinese herbal remedy which acted much like
a broad-spectrum antibiotic, (minus the ill side-effects). I used this particular formula for its strongly
bitter herbs which can heal the body from inflammatory processes that have gone
on too long. Currently, my skin hasn’t
been this clear in many years. My energy
is also back to what I remember it being in my mid-twenties, which is pretty
great!
Since my experiment was so successful, I found going gluten
free to be fairly easy, fun and sustainable.
I was just going to try it out for a few months, but after getting my
energy and clear skin back, a year and two months later, I feel like I'd rather
not tempt my triggers. Don’t get me
wrong, I am not 100% gluten free; I might try the occasional bite of breaded
fish, and then there was Christmas break in Georgia. But not being having Celiac Disease, I am
safe to do that. Just for the record
though, going gluten free was really not a huge change for me in my diet. Likely, cutting out most sugars for a year
and beer was a bigger deal. Also, well
before this change I was eating very minimal amounts of processed foods already.
I feel blessed that I have it fairly easy
in Portland, Oregon eating gluten free (minus that it's a beer Mecca). It’s hard to imagine having such great gluten
free options in another city, but I feel blessed for access to a wide variety
of healthy whole foods all over town. Also,
if I'm craving pizza, there are two local parlors willing to deliver gluten
free pizza to my door! My favorite brand
of gluten free bread is even available in both grocery stories I frequent (Happy
Camper brand).
As for the sugar, this has really been the biggest change and
lingering challenge of all. I am
realizing as time goes on that even my tendency to enjoy alcohol is a sugar
craving in disguise. Having this
experience and a new perspective is empowering.
There is nothing like being able to recommend to my patients that they
try to cut back on sugars while having done it.
One of the tools that inspired me the most along this journey was
reading the historical novel Sugar Blues by William Dufty. This man will tell you the story of sugar in
a way you never imagined possible, and will reveal why global sugar dependency is
as deeply politically entrenched as it is detrimental to your health and
well-being. I feel like if I can do it,
it's possible for anyone to make these changes and thrive. I am not immune to craving high quality
chocolate, ice cream and other assorted goodies, but I always plan a good meal
first, choose wisely and imbibe in moderation.
Best of luck to you in your journey towards better health.
Kevi Keenom, LAc
Red Leaf Natural
Health Clinic
833 SW 11th Ave. Suite #1018
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 224-2525
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