Struggling with IBS, brain fog, and burnout can feel like an endless battle, but I’ve walked this path and found strategies that fixed my health permanently. In this article my goal is to break it down in simple straightforward steps without going into the depths of every topic.
PS. All the steps shared are rooted in functional medicine principles and research.
Let’s dive in.
Before I share how I solved it, let me share my story and timeline giving you some context. This forms the basis for understanding the cause-effect relationship between my poor health and the lifestyle, history and triggering events that lead me this way.
Here is a short timeline of events from my teens until my system said stop.
THEN it said boom and when I acutely experienced brain fog and headaches that triggered me to take an indefinite sick leave.
During my sick leave my general practitioner only told me to rest, but I did not get better, so I started looking for answers and found Functional Medicine and the process outlined below.
I transitioned to a diet low in sugars, starches, and processed foods and instead focused on:
These changes helped calm my digestive system and reduced the symptoms substantially.
Next, I introduced fasting into my routine. Starting with a 16/8 intermittent fasting protocol, I ate within an 8-hour window and fasted for 16 hours. This rest period for my gut was a game-changer, allowing for healing and reducing symptoms of IBS. Additionally, I incorporated a 24-hour fast once a week to deepen the detoxification process and promote autophagy, the body’s natural way of cleaning out damaged cells.
Understanding the principles of functional medicine was crucial for my healing. Functional medicine looks at the body holistically, seeking to dig deep and wide to find the cause-effect relationships by looking into history, symptoms, biology, pathology, toxicity, psychology, lifestyle factors and more. I delved into research on gut health, the microbiome, and how diet, stress, and environment affect our overall wellbeing. This knowledge empowered me to make informed decisions about my health and to seek out a Functional Medicine treatments program that addressed the underlying issues.
The first step of the Functional Medicine Program was to get some initial testing to map out the complete situation in my body.
These included tests such as:
Understanding what was happening inside was valuable for the steps that followed, but there are many things you can do WITHOUT testing.
The most important test was in my personal opinion test #1 above (results below) as this gave me insights into how I could remove the bad and rebuild with the good.
My personal recommendation is to FIRSTLY implement lifestyle changes such as optimizing diet, implementing sleep, relaxation, movement/ light exercise and focusing on meaningful relationships. This BEFORE considering a full Functional Medicine program with tests, as this comes at a cost. But if this is what you think you need to do, then you can check out my program here.
Step 5: Gut Reset Diet and Herbal Protocol
After identifying my gut issues, I implemented a reset diet, which meant eliminating inflammatory foods and introducing a low-glycemic, nutrient-dense diet with the goals of:
I also avoided common triggers like sugar, caffeine, and alcohol, which can exacerbate IBS symptoms and contribute to brain fog and in conjunction with the diet, I followed a herbal protocol designed to target gut dysbiosis and promote healing. Herbs including oregano, garlic, berberine, biocidin and more have natural antimicrobial, anti-parasitic, anti-yeast and anti-viral properties that helped restore balance in my gut flora.
If you are interested in learning more, consider our GrowHealth™ Bundle.
Disclaimer* It’s essential to consult with a functional medicine professional before starting any herbal regimen, as herbs can interact with medications and may not be suitable for everyone.
To further cleanse my body, I performed intestinal flushing 3 times over a 3-week period, in conjunction with the herbal protocol. This step was added as an extra measure to ensure all the parasites and bad bacteria were removed from the system entirely.
This is not a step everyone has to take, but it may be helpful if you have a large amount of yeast (candida). This step was recommended to me by The Norwegian Institute for Functional Medicine based on the situation in my gut.
Rebalancing my gut flora was the final step in my gut reset protocol. After clearing out the bad bacteria, it was crucial to repopulate the gut with beneficial bacteria.
I added the following to my diet:
I added a broad spectrum of probiotics such as:
Prebiotics like:
By nurturing my gut microbiome, I saw significant improvements in my digestion, a reduction in IBS symptoms, and a clearer, more focused mind.
The adage “80% of health is the life we lead” underscores a truth: the choices we make every day have a substantial impact on our health and well-being.
These are some of the long term changes I made that took me to optimal health.
Adopting an 80-90% low-glycemic, organic, and anti-inflammatory diet was transformative. I prioritized cooking from whole foods and avoided processed foods to maintain a healthy gut environment.
In the tests I also identified several findings about metal toxicity, vitamin imbalances and the effects this has on methylation and how this could be addressed with orthomolecular medicine.
But firstly, here are a few definitions:
Orthomolecular medicine focuses on preventing and treating diseases by ensuring the right amounts of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other natural substances are present in the body. The concept is based on the idea that imbalances or deficiencies in these molecules can lead to illness and that correcting these imbalances can restore health. In Functional medicine orthomolecular medicine is used to identify and supplement to achieve personalized objectives.
Methylation
Essentially, methylation helps keep your body’s systems running smoothly and efficiently. To expand- it is a chemical process in your body where a small group of atoms, called a methyl group, is added to various molecules. This process is crucial for many functions such as turning genes on and off, helping your body process fats and proteins, and detoxifying harmful substances. It plays a key role in your brain function, immune system, and even how you handle stress. If methylation isn’t working properly, it can lead to health problems ranging from cardiovascular diseases to neurological disorders.
In my personal case I identified using “Cutlers Counting Rule” that I had too high aluminium, mercury and lead levels (even if these are in the green area these should be close to 0) which can lead to poor mineral-transportation which again can lead to ruined transport enzymes disrupting methylation processes.
I therefore implemented a supplement regimen to detox heavy metals like mercury and lead, and metals like copper. All with a goal of getting my system in balance, lowering stress levels and more.
Unbeneficial heavy metals like uranium, arsenic, mercury and more should not be in your system, and high or deficient metal and mineral levels can cause symptoms like fatigue (lack of magnesium and lithium) and stress (ex high copper levels).
Despite having two small daughters, my wife Anniken and I recognized sleep as a cornerstone of health. We minimized caffeine and established a calming pre-sleep routine to ensure quality rest. We also aim for regular bed-times, track our sleep with an Oura ring and optimize.
We stayed true to 16/8 intermittent fasting into our routine, along with a 24-hour fast once a week. During my healing protocols, I also engaged in longer fasts to promote autophagy and detoxification.
We live in Norway, and have since moved from Oslo to Tingvoll (a small town among fjords and mountains), where we embrace outdoor activities to get fresh air, lower stress and ground ourselves. We also lowered our career and financial stress with lower costs and pressure.
We grow food in our garden and greenhouse, hike, play with our daughters Iris and Lilja, ski, bike, do moderate strength training, play soccer and emphasise the importance of FUN physical activity in maintaining health and vitality.
I would like to extend a heartfelt invitation to those ready to take the next steps toward transformative health and wellness.
To help you do this, we have created a community and tools to support you on your health journey here
Hope to see you there!
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