Perspective

When the Pleasure of Eating Turns into a Nightmare

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By Richard Labaki

In terms of exploring cuisines, I have so far covered a fair range – from French, Spanish, and Italian to Thai, Indian and Japanese. Still, others remain to be experienced. And as far as food categories go, my diet excludes almost nothing. Funny how as a teenager my digestive system was so sensitive I could barely digest anything. We all love food and we all look forward to our next meal. Some are seduced by delicacies that are salty while others gravitate towards spicy foods. Our palate may differ, but one thing is for certain: food is a daily pleasure! And sure enough, digestive discomfort is a nuisance we all suffer from time to time due to various factors: improperly prepared meals, heavy dishes, erratic mixing of food groups, seasonal shifts, stress levels and others. Yet for some unfortunate souls, digestive discomfort is an issue they endure constantly irrespective of what they eat, how they eat it and the food portions that they consume. To them, the simple act of ingesting food is an ongoing punishment that tortures them with symptoms ranging from intestinal spasms and bloating to heartburn and chronic constipation. When any of these symptoms persists then this simply means one thing: the digestive system has broken down. And as most holistic therapists agree, almost ninety percent of modern day diseases originate in a sickly gut!

Meds and elimination aren’t the solution

The first thought that crosses the mind of someone suffering from digestive issues is to seek out a quick fix. “Just give me a pill that would solve my problem and alleviate my agony,” he or she often tells the doctor. And so, they are normally prescribed a laxative (if they suffer constipation), an antidepressant like the drug Deanxit (if they suffer intestinal pain/spasms), or a proton pump inhibiter like the drug Nexium (if they suffer GERD or heartburn.) This may help in reducing the symptoms at first; nevertheless, the effect is short-lived – not to mention the fact that such approaches open up the floodgates to several problems. If you don’t believe me just read the side effects mentioned on the pamphlet of each drug. Most importantly, such drugs do nothing to address the root causes that are behind the symptoms. Orthodox medicine is all about masking the symptoms and not tackling the root causes, unfortunately. 

The second thought that crosses the mind of someone suffering from digestive issues is to pursue a more “natural” route. They might decide to cut out gluten-containing foods, dairy products, legumes and others from their diet. Some do so after undergoing a food allergy test to uncover the presumed culprits, while others just decide to follow a certain diet they read about online. Oftentimes, this does help (depending on the case and the adopted diet) but again the improvement is short-lived. Avoiding foods you are allergic or intolerant to and others that are generally tough to digest might give your digestive system a break, but it does not rebuild it if it has broken down. And this is a fact overlooked by many health experts. I have seen firsthand numerous people eliminate one food group after the next only to have their symptoms return after a brief period of recuperation (plus their range of food allergies continued to worsen!)

“ I have seen firsthand numerous people eliminate one food group after the next only to have their symptoms return after a brief period of recuperation”

Fixing a broken gut

If pharmaceutical drugs and only avoiding certain foods are not the solution then what should you do? The answer is not so straightforward due to the fact that the digestive system is a complex entity comprising various organs – each complex in its own right. A balance needs to exist between the stomach, small intestine, liver, gallbladder, pancreas and large intestine in order for your digestion to run smoothly and effectively. Any imbalance along this chain will cause a ripple effect leading to a wide array of symptoms and diseases such as food allergies, poor bowel movement, lymphatic congestion and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, anxiety/depression, mental fogginess, chronic fatigue, skin conditions like psoriasis and other health concerns.

Therefore, the first step is to determine where along this chain the breakdown has occurred and why.  The next step is to work on empowering the specific organ through a customized dietary and supplement plan. If, for example, the liver is congested due to high toxicity then it needs to be flushed and decongested. If the pancreas is not producing enough digestive enzymes then specific natural formulas need to be administered to fill the void while also empowering the pancreas to resume its proper production of enzymes. In other words, the approach needs to be customized according to each individual case. And this is why one-size-fits-all programs do not work for most people and could potentially cause more harm than good.

“The approach needs to be customized according to each individual case. And this is why one-size-fits-all programs do not work for most people and could potentially cause more harm than good.”

In the past few years, I have been heavily involved with people suffering from digestive problems. And the spectrum of cases has included inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gas and bloating, chronic constipation and GERD/heartburn. Both research and experience have enabled me to develop a program titled “R3-Digestion”; a holistic approach for repairing, restoring and rebooting the gut. This program, which could be customized based on each case, is designed to re-balance the digestive system in its entirety – stomach, small and large intestines, liver, gallbladder and pancreas – by presenting solutions in terms of healing foods, eating rituals, nutritional supplements, lifestyle habits, physical exercises and others.   

Improved digestion means…

Being able to enjoy all kinds of foods and cuisines is a blessing I never take for granted, for I know many aren’t so lucky. And this is why I am constantly caring for my digestive system by ingesting the right supplements and adopting the proper dietary and lifestyle habits. Healing a broken gut is very doable, but only if the person is willing to stay the course.  And the more powerful your digestive system becomes the more able you are to digest "tough" foods and compounds like gluten, dairy products and others. The simple truth is this: food (except for the junk, the processed and the genetically modified) is not the problem but a weak digestion is. Fix your gut and you will be able to enjoy foods you never knew you could.

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Healthy Food? Maybe Not for You!

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The compatibility of superfoods with your genetic makeup

By Richard Labaki

 

An adage you would always hear me say is, “one person’s food is another person’s poison.”  It is a conviction I have been upholding for years – verified by both continuous research and helping others through holistic therapy.  And this is mainly the reason why you never see me blindly following a certain health doctrine or an alleged “healthy diet.”  Various elements need to be factored in before deciding if a specific food is good for you or not – allergies, digestive capabilities and drawbacks, genetic predispositions and others. 

As more and more people are trying to reclaim their wellbeing through fixing their lifestyle and dietary habits, it could get confusing sifting through the influx of information and making sense of it all.  Moreover, we are bombarded daily with articles written by professionals, amateurs and marketers (each harboring his or her own agenda) in which traditional and exotic food items are praised. 

Turmeric, coconut oil and other so-called “superfoods” have been receiving their fair share of glorification within the natural health community – and for very good reason.  Several of these foods have been under investigation by scientists for a while now.  And in many instances, the results have been impressive in terms of balancing the human body and inducing vitality. 

Turmeric, for example, continues to baffle researchers.  Its ability to reduce inflammation (arguably the strongest root cause for many of today’s diseases) is simply remarkable.  Additionally, turmeric has demonstrated an impressive ability to make several types of cancer cells commit suicide – a process scientifically called apoptosis.  

“Given the health benefits of such amazing foods, your tendency to incorporate them into your diet becomes overwhelmingly strong. And this is simply a major mistake!”

Another superfood with an impressive array of health benefits is extra virgin coconut oil, which is one of the few types of dietary fats that actually help in burning body-fat!  This healthy fat is rich in the energizing medium chain triglycerides (MCT), has a favorable impact upon the thyroid gland and is rich in caprylic acid, which is capable of killing off bad bugs (bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.) in the body. 

Given the health benefits of such amazing foods, your tendency to incorporate them into your diet becomes overwhelmingly strong.  And this is simply a major mistake!  Thanks to the relatively new but solid science of genetic testing, I have been able to ascertain what I have suspected all along: Some foods, despite their positive impact on health in general, could spell disaster for some individuals.  And to make my point, I will share with you two separate cases I have been working on for a while now. 

The dark side of superfoods

The first case is a man in his fifties suffering from high toxicity in the body.  Toxic heavy metals like mercury, cadmium and aluminum appeared in high levels in his tissues.  Despite having him follow a detoxification plan, the toxic values in his system were coming down at a snail pace.  And so the next logical step for me was to request a genetic test specifically designed to assess the detoxification capabilities.  As expected, this man had several genetic disadvantages that made his body weak in terms of excreting the various toxins and heavy metals that enter our body via polluted air, water and food supply.  

But what was most intriguing is how turmeric (mainly its active ingredient curcumin) negatively affected a chemical reaction in his detoxification process called acetylation!  He had a genetic variation that is potentially causing a reduced activity of N-acetyl Transferase 2 (NAT2) resulting in slowed acetylation.  As it turned out, turmeric could further reduce the activity of NAT2 enzyme, which is bad news for him.  Had we not done this test, he could have possibly continued supplementing with turmeric on the presumption that it is helping improve his overall health. 

Another intriguing case is that of a 34-year-old woman who had been battling with weight issues despite her health-inducing efforts in terms of exercising, eating clean and adopting good habits.  A genetic testing for body-weight issues determined that she has a tendency that renders her body inefficient in terms of handling dietary fat in general and saturated fat in specific.  Too much saturated fat in her diet could potentially sabotage her efforts to lose weight (even if the saturated fat is derived from a healthy source.)  This was further validated via a stool test, which revealed an inability on her part to digest lipids properly.  And so while coconut oil could help heal, energize and burn body-fat for many individuals, my client was genetically predisposed to have an opposite reaction to it. 

Guided healing

Your decision to take matters into your own hands when it comes to health is praiseworthy.  After all, your body is the one entity that you could never replace if it ever breaks down totally (unlike material possessions such as cars, clothes, homes and others.)  However, and given the complexity of the human body and how each person reacts differently to similar elements, treading the path to a healthier life could be very confusing and replete with traps.  Therefore, a good strategy is to seek the guidance of a functional medicine doctor or holistic therapist who could help you in pinpointing your specific problems and determining the best course of action.  Bear in mind though that the good therapist/doctor is one who will not dispense the same general recommendations to everyone in a copy-paste fashion!  He or she should have the skills/knowledge to determine which superfoods and supplements work best for you.  And while there is no unique diet that works for everyone, there is, however, a unique diet for each individual waiting to be uncovered.

If you found this article interesting, please "share" and "like". And feel free to leave your comments/questions below - I would love to hear your opinion and answer your questions.