New and improved Sunday eBook List!! Pictures of each book as links to Amazon Kindle! Friday and Saturday are still the best days for free books but there’s still a few good ones today and I thought it would be a good day to try the list with pictures.
Let me know if you prefer it this way or without pictures.
I love free Kindle eBooks from Amazon! I just checked I have over 400! It is a great way to find great recipes and health information. Many of these are in my own library but I will admit I haven’t read them all. There may be some that don’t follow my dietary restrictions but sometimes a quick ingredient swap is all they need. I look at it as great reference and they provide me with great ideas and information. Sometimes I just save the recipes I like from these free eBooks to my database for quick reference later.
Don’t have a Kindle? No problem, just set up one of Kindle’s Free Reading Apps like Kindle for PC and save them to your computer, or if you don’t have the extra storage space, there is also Kindle Cloud Reader where you can keep them online. You will have to first set up an Amazon account if you don’t already have one but it’s free and easy too.
I will be checking the post randomly over the weekend to try and keep it up to date. I usually seem to start out with 50+ free ebooks but things can change in minutes. I guess the quicker you are, the more likely they are to still be free. Sorry if they changed the pricing, sometimes it happens so fast I can’t even believe it!
Please check before downloading to make sure the eBooks are still free, the prices can change at any time. Each picture and title are direct links to the eBook on Amazon.com.
In case you’re wondering…no I don’t make any money if you click on the books, I just want to provide you with a great resource of FREE healthy lifestyle information.
Sorry everyone! I had planned to do this on Friday but couldn’t get an internet connection so we’ll see what it looks like today.
I love free Kindle eBooks from Amazon! It is a great way to find great recipes and health information. Many of these are in my own library but I will admit I haven’t read them all. There may be some that don’t follow my dietary restrictions but sometimes a quick ingredient swap is all they need. I look at it as great reference.
Don’t have a Kindle? No problem, just set up one of Kindle’s Free Reading Apps like Kindle for PC and save them to your computer, or if you don’t have the extra storage space, there is also Kindle Cloud Reader where you can keep them online.
I will be checking the post randomly over the weekend to try and keep it up to date. I usually seem to start out with 50+ free ebooks but things can change in minutes. I guess the quicker you are, the more likely they are to still be free. Sorry if they changed the pricing, sometimes it happens so fast I can’t even believe it!
Please check before downloading to make sure the eBooks are still free, the prices can change at any time.
In case you’re wondering…no I don’t make any money if you click on the books, I just want to provide you with a great resource of FREE healthy lifestyle information. Enjoy!!
I love free Kindle eBooks from Amazon! It is a great way to find great recipes and health information. Many of these are in my own library but I will admit I haven’t read them all. There may be some that don’t follow my dietary restrictions but sometimes a quick ingredient swap is all they need. I look at it as great reference.
Don’t have a Kindle? No problem, just set up one of Kindle’s Free Reading Apps like Kindle for PC and save them to your computer, or if you don’t have the extra storage space, there is also Kindle Cloud Reader where you can keep them online.
I will be checking the post randomly over the weekend to try and keep it up to date. I usually seem to start out with 50+ free ebooks but things can change in minutes. I guess the quicker you are, the more likely they are to still be free. Sorry if they changed the pricing, sometimes it happens so fast I can’t even believe it!
Please check before downloading to make sure the eBooks are still free, the prices can change at any time.
In case you’re wondering…no I don’t make any money if you click on the books, I just want to provide you with a great resource of FREE healthy lifestyle information. Enjoy!!
It has been said that Leaky Gut Syndrome affects millions of people worldwide. LGS is a chronic debilitating condition that often goes undiagnosed by the mainstream medical profession, as many doctors do not provide testing for leaky gut (increased intestinal permeability) or acknowledge that the condition exists. Many people are not even aware that they are suffering from a ‘leaky gut’.
The official definition of Leaky Gut Syndrome is an increase in permeability of the intestinal mucosa to luminal macromolecules, antigens, and toxins associated with inflammatory degenerative and/ or atrophic mucosa or lining.
Put more simply, large spaces develop between the cells of the gut wall allowing bacteria, toxins and food to leak into the bloodstream.
70% of our immune system is located around the digestive system. In a normal healthy person the small intestine behaves like a selective sieve allowing only the breakdown products of digestion into the bloodstream. Nutrients and well digested fats, proteins and starches are readily able to enter into the bloodstream whilst large molecules, microbes and toxins are kept out.
Leaky Gut Syndrome causes the intestinal lining to become inflamed, it then cannot produce the necessary enzymes and secretions that are essential for a healthy digestion and the absorption of nutrients.
When an area becomes inflamed this weakens the structure and the larger molecules can escape through. This provokes the immune system to produce antibodies (a protein utilized by the immune system to locate and attack foreign objects) to fight off the molecules, as they are perceived as antigens (substances capable of triggering the production of antibodies).
A healthy individual would have a strong enough immune system to control the leakage of toxic substances but as it becomes over loaded the toxins leak into the liver resulting in an overworked overburdened liver.
Leaky Gut completely overworks the liver because it floods it with additional toxins diminishing the liver’s ability to neutralise chemical substances. When it cannot cope with the level of toxins the liver expels them back into the bloodstream. The circulatory system then pushes the toxins into the connective tissues and muscles where the body stores them to prevent major organ damage. The liver doesn’t get the time to go back and rid the body of the toxins.
So put very simply, your intestine develops leakages allowing substances that would normally be digested to enter the bloodstream. These toxins are passed onto the liver to deal with but it cannot cope with the overwhelming toxins and stores them in the body tissues to come back to later on. The liver is too overworked to go back to the toxins and as the intestinal lining gets consistently weaker more and more toxins and undigested food enter into the bloodstream. The immune system sends out antibodies to fight these foreign substances and in doing that toxic oxidants are produced which attack the body tissues causing allergic reactions and pain and inflammation throughout the body.
Hypochlorhydria – A defiency in hydrochloric acid produced by the stomach, which can result in the body inadequately being able to assimilate foods and can lead to malnutrition.
Symptoms of hypochlorhydria include: bloating, acne, parasites, iron deficiency, belching, indigestion, diarrhea, multiple food allergies.
Some medications such as antacids and anti ulcer medications are said to lead to hypochlorhydria as is a poor diet rich in processed, packaged, high sugar foods.
Candidiasis - A fungal infection produced by a species of Candida Fungi, particularly Candida Albicans. Candida fungi normally reside harmlessly in various parts of the body.
If the healthy bacteria in the digestive tract becomes seriously depleted the candida proliferate and can produce root like structures which damage the villi along the intestinal tract leading to a ‘leaky gut’.
There are many causes of candidiasis cited, such as: repeated antibiotic use, poor diet, steroid medications, birth control pills, malnutrition, cytotoxic drugs.
Dysbiosis – A bacterial imbalance in the gut, which can compromise the immune system.
It has been said that dysbiosis plays a part in many conditions such as: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Ankylosing Spondylitus, Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Fatigue.
The main causes of Dysbiosis are believed to be antibiotics and pesticides along with other environmental and dietary factors.
Alcohol – In excess alcohol is said to affect almost every organ system in the body.
Alcohol increases stomach acid, contributes to hypochlorhydria and can contribute to a leaky gut.
Alcohol can also cause malnutrition.
Stress & Celiac Disease - Chronic stress can cause an inflammatory response within the body and weaken the immune system.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder caused by consuming gluten and related proteins. Celiac disease causes an immune reaction that damages the villi in the intestine resulting in increased intestinal permeability.
Allergies - An allergy denotes an abnormal reaction by our immune system to bodily contact with foreign substances that would normally be harmless.
There are said to be four types of allergic response. Type I, which causes immediate reactions such as restrictted breathing, asthma, anaphylactic shock is the most well known, but effects a minority of the population.
Leaky gut and food allergies often co-exist, food allergies or hypersensitivities can increase intestinal permeability, causing an immune response and provoking further inflammatory reactions throughout the body.
Poor Diet – Processed, packaged and convenience foods are low in nutrients and fiber and often have high levels of additives, preservatives, dyes, sugar, trans fatty acids, artificial sweeteners and other ingredients, which are considered to be harmful and have been linked with various symptoms and conditions, including Leaky Gut Syndrome.
Parasites – Organisms that grow, feed and take shelter upon another organism whilst contributing nothing to the survival of the host.
When they inhabit the gastro intestinal tract they produce toxins and siphon off nutrients from the body.
Parasites have been connected with: AIDS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Cancer, Candida.
Causes include: foreign travel, water, kissing pets, eating unwashed fruit or vegetables.
Pharmaceutical Drugs - NSAIDS(Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs) are pain relief medications that are said to increase intestinal permeability by damaging the villi in the intestine and blocking prostaglandins that stimulate tissue repair.
Steroids are said to supress the immune system, kill ‘friendly’ bacteria, cause the proliferation of fungal infections in the gut, all of which contribute to the development of a leaky gut.
Cytotoxic drugs kill bad cells as well as good cells. It is said that one of their main properties is to link with normal components of all cells and to destroy them.
Treatments For Leaky Gut:
The main way to deal with Leaky Gut Syndrome is through nutrition. It is important to get the body back to optimum health and avoid the foods or toxins that are causing allergic reactions, so that the damaged intestinal lining has a chance to heal and so that your liver has the time and energy to detoxify your body. There is no wonder drug to cure a leaky gut. Dealing with Leaky Gut Syndrome is about dealing with the causes of the condition as opposed to symptom care.
I have been thinking so hard about how to write all this, and not make it too personal or too complex. When things go wrong in a person’s health sometimes the root cause is just as fleeting as the diagnosis. Sometimes it seems like which came first the chicken or the egg, or in my case IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) or adrenal fatigue. I think it was the adrenal fatigue and I think I have traced it back to the initial manifestation. But wait the IBS may have come first… by genetics.
There number of reasons why adrenal fatigue manifests itself but it is usually caused by some form of stress. “Stress can be physical, emotional, psychological, environmental, infectious or a combination of these. The adrenals respond to every kind of stress the same, whatever the source” -Dr James Wilson
Mine was chemical (or environmental) and I traced it back to when I was in Art College in the late ‘80’s. I was exposed to a chemical called KPR that was used in printmaking processes. It entered through my eyes because I was tired and forgot to put on my goggles. I remember it was very sickly sweet. Chemical pneumonia followed and then a year later I got a serious auto immune skin disorder called Lichen Planus.
I moved away to start my adult life after finishing my degree and a few years later I started having serious allergic reactions to shellfish. (I was from a fishing community in Nova Scotia, suddenly being shell fish allergic seemed difficult for people to believe).
Changing jobs many times over the years, usually because of confrontations and bad feeling that tended to develop, seemed to happen every few years. I had some major stresses over the years with failed relationships and a death of someone special to me, and my life seemed to cycle from feeling decent where I would do sales jobs with great success, to being tired, depressed, having problems with my female hormonal cycle (PMS) and constant diarrhea (sometimes for years at a time).
Over the years I was sent to different specialists and nothing would ever really come of it that would provide a true diagnosis or help. I would end up giving up until everything would become intolerable and then repeat the cycle. That path usually ended with pharmaceuticals for depression and no help with the IBS. The Lichen Planus seems to manifest every 10 years and is always slightly different, as were the treatments. My female issues with PMS and cramping were usually treated with different birth control pills that I never seemed to stay on because of their side effects. Although I was treated for the depression, PMS and the lichen planus, it was always with bandaid solutions that treated the problems individually. Nothing was ever linked together or considered to be connected.
This time around it was a bit different. Although I had the same cycle of issues happing all over, this time it seemed a bit more familiar, and the worst part was definitely the severity this time. I was at the top of my game at work…top sales rep. When the workplace stress started to build I was revisited by the lichen planus on my hands and feet that was treated by wrapping strong steroid creams to my skin at night. I had IBS and digestive problems but was also gaining weight. Maybe it was just my age but it seemed I gained weight with everything I ate. At “my age” the concern wasn’t about just PMS any more, now it was perimenopause. My anxiety was growing as well and got to the point where it really affected my job. I sought treatment, saw a specialist for the skin disorder, and had regular visits with a doctor who worked with my growing emotional issues. I still lost my job.
The depression grew and I felted horribly guilty for being a burden on my spouse by not being able to work. My menopausal hormonal issues seemed to be getting worse and I slipped down a slope of ill health for the next few years. It finally got so bad that I couldn’t even function because my judgment and anxiety were so bad.
As I mentioned in my other post, I was very lucky I asked if it could be something in my diet because I was at my wits end and really didn’t want to continue if I was only getting worse. I was also lucky that I had my spouse in my corner and he also believed that my mental health was failing and still supported me. We had to take a leap of faith and leave the traditional government funded medical system to get a comprehensive overview of my entire health. Functional Medicine really did save my life!
This was when I found out that I had quite a severe case of adrenal fatigue (that had been cycling for 30 years, and that the IBS was actually “leaky gut”.
I think I have taken you through my illness a bit better now, and are set to start discussing the treatments which included a total overhaul in my diet and a whole new look at my lifestyle in order to regain my health. It is also where you will start to find that some of these issues are common in most of us and where I hope that my experiences will help with some of the issues you may have as well.
