Update! Jaxson’s Healing Journey…
If you have been following along with me during my healing journey, I am grateful! If you need a catch up then head to this original article, and then this update…
As you will know by now, last year I received 3 major surgeries as a part of my gender affirming journey. I was under anaesthetic for 20 hours, received 10 weeks worth of hard medication and as a result developed some gut issues. I’ll be completely honest though, I thought I had moved through the surgeries relatively unscathed, however, my clinical mind was doubtful that I had completely healed from the surgeries, so in November last year I consulted with our naturopath, Hope.
We ran some tests including the GI MAP stool test and wow! the results were unbelievable! I had multiple strains of toxic bacteria in high levels all through my intestines. I had markers for autoimmune disease and blood sugar imbalance, I also had markers for leaky gut that were off the charts! The importance of functional tests was really shown to me when my blood test results came back impeccable. To think I had so much going on in my guts and none of it was showing up in my bloods. I mean, its a testament to how hard my immune system was working to keep the bacteria and inflammation from affecting my entire system.
The cool thing about these functional tests is that the companies that run them have conducted some experiments themselves. In particular, they cultivated a variety of different bacteria, parasites and fungus and exposed these pathogens to different herbal and supplement formulas. Some formulas had zero effect on the growth and activity of the pathogens but some of the formulas eradicated the bacteria and other pathogens completely. Using their results, these companies have created formulas to assist people in eradicating these pathogens. Due to this, I was prescribed a product called Microclear by RN labs, a formula with Uva Ursi in it, a herb that when exposed to the different pathogens killed off nearly ALL of them! I was also prescribed oil of oregano by Designs for Health. Another formula that showed powerful effects on bacteria.
I took these herbs alongside other supportive nutrients like zinc carnosine, vitamin A, IGG shield and collagen but found I only improved around 20%. So, at the turn of the new year Hope and I decided that the SIBO Biphasic Diet would be essential to my healing. Some of bacteria found in my stool sample results were pathogens that grow in the small intestine and so I was diagnosed with SIBO or Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. Bacteria and other pathogens are not meant to live in the small intestine and due to it’s depth and structure SIBO is notoriously difficult to treat. Regardless, I was determined to do my best with the SIBO Biphasic Diet.
The SIBO Biphasic Diet is an 8 week cleanse split into 2 phases. The first 4 weeks is a very restricted diet that is designed to remove all food that could promote the growth of bacteria, essentially I would need to starve the bacteria to kill them off. The first 4 weeks I removed all sugars, fruits, starches (including potatoes and other veges), grains and flours and any fibrous foods. I ate mostly meats and veges like carrots and cucumbers, spinaches and pumpkin, I drank only water and tea and sweetened foods with stevia (if needed). It was a huge change for me but I was ready for it, I needed to do what was necessary to heal my gut!
If I’m honest, the food part was the easiest! The hardest part for me was releasing the emotional attachments I had formed with food. I had no idea just how much I was using food to bolster my emotional wellbeing. I realised within the first week that I had lost the ability to farm my own dopamine within my system (likely due to the inflammation and gut dysbiosis) and as a result my emotional state turned very flat. Because I was no longer using food to boost my self I had the opportunity to work through some of the emotions I was masking. I started to notice that there were other aspects of my life that I really enjoyed that my previous focus on food had taken away from me, activities like gardening, writing and meditating. I lovingly reframed the SIBO diet as a ‘cleanse’ and felt myself working back through the previous years and shedding inflammation and stored up emotions I had accumulated along the way. And shed I did! within the first week I had lost 4.5kgs - likely all the water I was using to buffer the toxins and inflammation I was holding. I stopped bloating and a few of my aches and pains disappeared. I am now 5 weeks on and have lost 8.5kgs, this was not a weight loss journey for me but I was still shocked at just how much I had shed from my system!
I am feeling lighter and brighter and more rounded as a person, my intuition is much sharper and I feel more connected to myself. I have 3 weeks to go into phase 2 of the SIBO cleanse and I can feel a whole new lifestyle coming for me. If you are having any health issues or want to get to the bottom of symptoms I highly recommend seeing Hope for some valuable insight and potentially functional testing to get to the bottom of it. Read more here or book using the button below.