Healing my Gut to Prevent Alzheimer’s: Not So Easy
The last year of my journey following Dr. Dale Bredesen’s ReCODE to prevent Alzheimer’s has proven to be one of the most challenging thus far. I’d spent the first half of 2019 trying to figure out my hormones, only to learn I should have just left well enough alone. I then turned my attention during the second half of the year to healing my gut issues, which were growing increasingly troublesome.
As I’ve said in a previous post, the brain and gut are linked by a superhighway — the vagus nerve. Therefore all toxins and negative issues harming the gut are also harming the brain. Bredesen in his book, “The End of Alzheimer’s,” says a healthy gut is vital to preventing Alzheimer’s.
“Healing your gut reduces systemic inflammation, improves nutrient absorption, enhances immune responses, and supports an optimal microbiome, thus increasing the products of the microbiome, such as some hormones and neurotransmitters. It is a key tactic in the prevention and reversal of cognitive decline.”
— Dr. Dale Bredesen
After everything I’ve learned about gut health and the microbiome, I knew I had to make this a priority. But where to start? I had no idea what was causing my weight gain, terrible bloating, nausea and occasional constipation. So I had no idea how to fix them. Finally, my sister, Jo, in December introduced me to “Clean,” by Alejandro Junger. Finally, a good place to start.
Healing my gut with “Clean”
On Jan. 20, I wrapped up Junger’s three-week elimination/cleanse diet for healing my gut, which he details in “Clean.” If I had to pick one word to describe my experience by the end of 21 days, I’d say frustrating. I did not receive the life-changing results, Junger promised. My sleep did not improve, nor did my mental sharpness. Instead, my sleep worsened and my digestive upset continued, leaving me with even more questions. But I refused to just give up at that time and decided to keep going.
If you’ll remember, last time I mentioned three possible causes of my digestive issues: small intestine bacterial or fungal overgrowth (SIBO/SIFO), an intolerance or allergy to one or more food or a parasitic infection — or a combination of the three. Junger promised all digestive upset if caused by SIBO/SIFO or an intolerance/allergy, would clear up by the end of the 21-day cleanse. But if you have a parasite, that’s another story.
Bugs: The good, the bad and the ugly
Before delving into my struggles during the cleanse, let me first recap the incredible world of our bodies’ microbiomes. Living within the average human body is an incredible, wide array of bacteria, fungi, viruses and sometimes parasites — bugs literally numbering in the trillions. In a healthy body, the good, symbiotic bacteria that aid in our digestion and keep our immune systems strong make up the vast majority of the biome. Others bugs neither harm nor benefit us; they just kind of exist. Then there’s the parasites.
Jo, when beginning her journey with a functional medicine doctor (I highly recommend everyone switch to a functional medicine doctor if it fits in his or her budget), underwent a slew of testing, including a parasite test. Jo said the doctor had told her she was surprised when the test showed Jo had no parasites, because they are far more common than people realize.
Junger in “Clean” says people don’t just pick up parasites when visiting developing nations, like many believe. Instead restaurants are the most common source, and people with parasites most commonly are those who eat out a lot. I naturally did not like hearing any of this. I certainly don’t eat out a lot, but it’s also not a rare treat for me, either. And we have cats. All of them needed worm treatment when we took them in.
Junger explains that if you follow his program to the letter and your issues improve but aren’t completely eliminated by day 21, or even if they do go away completely but then come back with a vengeance after you go off the diet, then you may want to have a parasite test done. Well, guess what? On day 21, “lucky, lucky me” kept running through my head.
But I wasn’t willing to concede defeat yet. Call it a battle of wills. What if my issues are caused by an intolerance of one of the foods he allows on the cleanse diet — such as tree nuts or, dare I say it, chocolate? (I think I would take the parasite over the possibility of drastically cutting chocolate from my life!) My reactions during days 22-26 told me if I do have a parasite, that’s not the only thing giving me pangs.
So let me explain exactly what happened and you tell me what you think:
Almost but not quite
I did improve on the cleanse, I lost those the last 5 or so pounds that had been dogging me since last summer; my water retention, ankle swelling and overall feeling of puffiness fully disappeared; and my bloating wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been before the diet. But it didn’t go away completely. Why was I still bloating out with a pregnant belly after every time I ate?
Clearly, I was doing something right on this diet. Something that was cut out appeared to be the culprit for the water retention and swelling. But what? Was it one specific food or a combination of things? Or was it something I had cut back on but didn’t fully eliminate? I’m sure you can appreciate the frustration — and the long road I still had (and have) ahead in healing my gut.
Believe it or not, my No. 1 suspect after 21 days became chocolate. Prior to the cleanse, I was eating a few squares of dark chocolate every day as a treat. I eliminated this for the diet because of the added sugar, but Junger allows unsweetened, dairy-free chocolate. I therefore continued using unsweetened cocoa powder in my green smoothie and in my chia-seed pudding, both of which I eat every day. Did my symptoms improve but not fully clear up because of the cocoa I was still eating?
Another question mark was tree nuts. I was surprised Junger allows these on the diet because they are such common allergens. I love them, and they are a HUGE staple in my diet. But I wondered about almonds because I ate them the most. I had used them everyday in my smoothie, ate a handful or two as a snack and always used almond flour anytime I needed a flour replacement. So I added almonds to my list of “don’ts” on the cleanse to see what happened. I instead used cashews in my smoothies and snacked on pecans and walnuts. Am I having issues with any of the other tree nuts? I’m not sure I’m willing to find out.
Instead, I am slowly testing the waters with other foods to see what happens. Below is a journal of what I experienced after the cleanse ended and I started slowly reintroducing certain foods:
Monday, Jan. 20
I decided to reintroduce the dark chocolate first, since, you know, it’s chocolate. I only had two squares and continued the typical bloating I’d experienced throughout the cleanse — no major reaction. (Junger says an allergy will bring about an immediate response, but people should pay attention to their bodies for the next day or two after a reintroduction to determine an intolerance.) Something happened, however, that totally surprised me when I ate the chocolate. I didn’t like the flavor very much. It seemed to taste very odd and didn’t satisfy me nearly as much as it had before the cleanse. I didn’t want more than the two squares.
Another part of the chocolate I should point out: I had believed this would be the most difficult thing to give up and that I would crave it everyday until the bitter end. But that didn’t happen at all. A full bar sat in my desk at work and not once did it temp me to break into it. I never craved it. Eggs, on the other hand, I missed and craved. I never would have guessed that.
Tuesday-Wednesday, Jan. 21-22
All hell broke loose. I reintroduced oranges on that Tuesday, thinking I was fine with the chocolate. I enjoyed the flavor of the chocolate squares a bit more but still not nearly as much as I had previously. Other than that, nothing changed in my diet. I experienced extreme gastric discomfort, terrible bloating and gas. What the….??? Really? Was it the oranges I’ve been eating my entire life causing this or was it a day-later reaction to the chocolate? I was more inclined to believe it was the chocolate, since oranges have been a regular part of my diet forever without ever giving me issues, while chocolate didn’t really become a daily staple until a few years ago when I started using cocoa powder as part of my new diet.
Thursday, Jan. 23
I decided to eat raspberries for my fruit instead of my usual winter preference of two Cutie manderin oranges but continued the chocolate. Continued misery.
Friday, Jan. 24
I reintroduced dairy and red meat, having a cheeseburger when I went out to lunch with a friend. I had been looking forward to this and specifically requested we go to a restaurant that makes a good burger. They happen to be one of my favorite foods — and it was heaven. I continued the chocolate/raspberries with the same effect but didn’t seem to have any added distress from the beef and dairy. (Yea!)
Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 25-26
More of the same. I ate a couple of Cuties both days and also had the cocoa in my smoothies. These I make in large batches, and they were the last two of the previous cocoa batch. I decided to fully gave up chocolate during the coming week to see what happened. Cinnamon replaced the cocoa powder in my chia-seed pudding and smoothies.
I also wanted to try out the latest super green called moringa, which a friend had introduced me to. Walmart sells a powdered version, so I gave it a try. I used it in the cinnamon smoothie batch to replace the fresh spinach, chard and kale blend I typically use. In all my gut research, I learned eating these greens raw, especially kale, can be very hard on the digestive system. I doubted they were causing me much distress since I was pureeing them, but just in case (and my curiosity of the moringa) I decided to try it. Plus, the fine powder of the moringa makes the smoothie-making process much, well, smoother.
Monday-Saturday, Jan. 27-Feb. 1
I reintroduced eggs without any adverse reactions. Thank God, my beloved eggs were back in my life again! Also, much to both my elation and consternation, my digestive issues settled back to cleanse levels. I was still bloating after everything I ate, but most days it was very mild and some days hardly noticeable. And this was all while eating red meat, dairy, eggs, tree nuts except almonds and manderine oranges! The only difference was the chocolate. Dang it.
Sunday Feb. 2
Super Bowl Sunday! I followed my usual diet all day until the big game. For dinner I had broccoli and amazing chicken wings. I could not get enough of them! (Charlie made them using hot sauce blended with garlic powder and a few other spices and parmesan cheese. If you’ve never mixed hot sauce with parmesan cheese before, try it!) I also splurged on homemade gluten-free pizza. The grain made me nervous I would become quite ill, but I wanted to put it to the test, so in I dove. My belly bloated terribly afterward, and the high sodium content made me retain water again. But amazingly, I had zero digestive upset, and both the bloating and water retention were short lived. The outcome thrilled me. I know to avoid it, but it’s not a big deal if I decide to splurge occasionally.
Monday-Friday, Feb. 3-7
I continued the chocolate ban and reintroduced almonds. Unfortunately, my bloating worsened slightly and I developed mild gas on an almost daily basis. But was this caused by the almonds or the moringa? Dang it! I didn’t think that one through. Next week I will go back to cashews in my smoothie to test the moringa. The following week I plan to reintroduce chocolate, but instead of using my usual cocoa powder, I will switch to the natural, less processed cacao powder.
The moral of the story
After boring you with my insane food journal, it seems apparent that the far easier option, if you can possibly afford it, is to just go to a functional medicine doctor and get all the appropriate testing to determine food sensitivities and microbiome health. Because after following his diet to the letter and after everything I tried, I still don’t really know what the heck is going on. Clearly I’m very much still a work in progress, and I might just have to bite the bullet and see the doctor — get the dreaded parasite test and probably the SIFO/SIBO test as well.
I also wanted to add what happened with my menstrual cycle: Absolutely nothing! After everything I’ve read that says diet, particularly red meat, eggs and/or dairy, usually cause menstrual cramps, clearly mine are not. My period started on Day 22 of the diet and the cramps hit me as usual. Frustrating, yet a relief. I’ve already tested and know that too much dairy makes my cramps much worse (debilitating), so I will continue to limit it. But I needn’t do more and I can continue lovin’ on my beef and eggs.
If you’ve stayed with me to the bitter end of this post, well done! But of course, I’m not done with this crazy journey toward optimal health and will keep plodding on. Part of Junger’s and Bredesen’s (and every other health expert’s) plans for reaching this goal is taking appropriate supplements. This, frankly, is a post all on its own — probably more than one post. I may delve into this next time, maybe not. Until then, have a big, juicy cheeseburger or some high quality dark chocolate in my honor and savor every bite!