🌟 Hiya Gut Foodies! 🌟

I promise... this is the LAST of my newsletters about salicylate sensitivity ... AKA "SAL"! And a "double-sal" one at that. 📣🚫

As I'm not only giving you my LAST well-perused blog, "Beyond Salicylate Sensitivity". But also... in Gut-Tips this week... an actual Low-Salicylate recipe for buckwheat pancakes. 📚🥞

But that's not all... I FINALLY found a very interesting research that just about turns the concept of a low-sal diet on its ear! 🔄🔍 As well as another supplement from my "Smash Salicylate Sensitivity Now!" protocol. 💥💊

Not to mention yet another Micro-Mindful breathing exercise that begins to gently connect you with your body. 🧘‍♂️💨 And a food funny to chuckle for... 😂🍽️

Oh... and by the way, I would love to hear your feedback about yays and/or nays (and sections you absolutely can't do without) about GUT FOOD 💌. So drop me a line if you would... jill@healyourhealthnow.com.

GUT-TIP OF THE WEEK: 

RESEARCH DEETS 

🌱🔎 Dive into the enigma of salicylic acid (SA), a natural marvel in our eats and the essence of aspirin, wielding powers both nurturing and nefarious. 🍇💉 For the lucky ones, it's a guardian against heart woes and a warrior against cancer's shadow. 

Yet, for the sensitive souls, it's a harbinger of breathlessness, skin woes, and tummy turmoil. 🚨🥦 This probe peels back the layers on dietary SA's role for those dodging aspirin like it's hot lava, testing the waters of a diet dialed low in salicylates. 🥑🔄🤧

Navigating the SA sensitivity maze is no picnic, tangled in the web of food's complex chemistry and elusive tests. 🧐🔬 The study tiptoes through this tricky terrain, suggesting a sliver of hope that tweaking the menu might dial down distress. 🍽️🌟

 Yet, the path is littered with hurdles, from the Herculean effort of diet overhaul to the debate-drenched efficacy of the basophil activation test (BAT). 🤹‍♂️🔍 As we chase the tail of understanding SA's sway over sensitivity, the clarion call for deeper dives and sharper insights rings loud and clear. 📢🔬

My Gut-Take: 

This article, "Bioactive food chemicals and gastrointestinal symptoms: a focus of salicylates".just about proves that figuring out who is salicylate sensitivity and identifying the right diet for each individual is a gargantuan task.

This review of 43 studies even says that when it concludes ... "Currently, the dietary approaches recommended to control hypersensitive reactions are challenging to both the dietitians and the patients. So it is necessary to identify the patients who will be benefitted from such an approach. The only way to determine this is via the very complicated and lengthy “elimination and rechallenge” protocol."

Not so great ... the diet is challenging. And the identification seems to be even more so ... So much for all of the people who contact me daily sure that they have salicylate sensitivity.

So the question is ... if this is so hard ... why is this so popular? And ... I have to admit ... I'm partially to blame for this as my articles and eBook have put me on the first page of Google and other search engines.

But ... I gotta tell you ... it's not only me. There are almost 100,000 listings on Bing. From traditional and alternative practitioners alike. So ... it's now like a popular destination ... well-traveled right now but people will eventually stop coming so much.

But are we going to eventually put salicylate sensitivity into the same trash heap along with food combining and protein complementing? Obviously not yet!

Maybe when people figure out that this is a condition that's most likely caused by leaky gut. But ...

SUPPLEMENT TAKES: 

My Gut-Take: 

Since I started learning about Functional Medicine ... I kept hearing that many of us have fast Phase I-slow Phase II liver detoxification. And it's affecting our health profoundly. One of the very first Functional Medicine diagrams I ever saw is of this process.

Here's what happens ... your liver filters your blood and breaks down various toxins, including pollutants, medications, alcohol, and more. The detox process involves two key phases:

Phase 1 where a group of enzymes gets to work to break down fat-soluble toxins and other harmful substances stored in your fat cells. These raw materials are then sent to the next phase. To support Phase 1, your body needs specific nutrients, herbs, and powerful antioxidants. These include vitamins E, C, B3, B6, B12, folate, glutathione, and milk thistle¹.

Phase 2 mobilizes and transforms the byproducts from Phase 1 into water-soluble waste products through a process called conjugation. Then it can be safely eliminated from your body via urine, stool, sweat, and breath. Key players in Phase 2 include the mighty antioxidant glutathione, sulfur-based compounds, amino acids, and essential minerals like zinc and selenium¹.

All well and good! Except those with fast Phase I-slow Phase II have those break-down products ... which are more toxic than what you started out with ... hanging around in their bodies and wreaking havoc. So taking a supplement that contains these nutrients (we get Glutathione with a separate supplement) might just be a good idea.

This all-inclusive liver detox is part of my Smash Salicylate Sensitivity Now! supplement protocol. Get any or all of them … and many others … at my Fullscript apothecary. 

Oh… by the way … I had to include the disclaimer above as supplements are not a medical product. But … just between you and me and the Root Cause Medicine community … they often work like gangbusters!

GUT BLOG OF THE WEEK: 

🌟🍒 I thought I'd publish the third and last in my "Salicylate Sensitivity" series, "Beyond Salicylate Sensitivity" as a SAL-sendoff. In the hopes that it'll open your eyes to the fact that what we call salicylate sensitivity can actually be mis-diagnosed ... BY YOU ... as some other condition. And that you need an alternative medicine practitioner to figure it out!🥗💪 

🌟😡 Yes ... I'm still on the salicylate sensitivity soapbox, folks! Despite the daily deluge of self-diagnoses hitting my inbox 📥, I'm here to shout from the rooftops 🏠📢 that the real villain often skulks in the shadows of our gut, not just on our plates. 

Functional medicine 🌱💊, peeps, is not just a quick Google fix! It's about getting to the heart ❤️🔍 of the matter, not just slapping a Band-Aid on the symptoms.

And oh, the tales I could tell! Like the one about the guy 🧔 who self-diagnosed with "Pink Eye" and ... 🚫👁️spoiler alert ... it was a wood sliver! 🪵😱 Self-diagnosing can lead you down a dangerous path, folks. 

So before you swear off all salicylates or embark on another internet-inspired health quest, consider this ... maybe it's time to consult someone who can truly get to the root 🌳 of your woes. 

And no, Dr. Google 🖥️👨‍⚕️ ain't it. Let's dive deeper, find those underlying causes, and maybe, just maybe, start healing for real. 🌈💪

MICRO-MINDFULS: 

We're going back to Basics! I realized that I haven't really given you the basics audio-wise to begin a really solid mindfulness practice. 

So we're starting AGAIN! This "Basics Three" is one step futher on training your breathing for relaxation. Breathing is the foundation of mindfulness ... and breathing basics are key. Then we'll delve into the sensory aspects of mindfulness ... which is the structure on which to hang other tools like guided imagery.

This one is adapted from Thich Nhat Hanh's “A Short Teaching on Mindfulness Breathing” and I love that it's a way to gently begin to become aware of  your body in practice. It's suggested that you spend 5 or 10 minutes twice a day on practice. Which is easy if you download it on your phone and have your earphones handy.

Use mindful breathing to calm you throughout the day: when you brush your teeth, stop at a red light, waiting for an appointment, when the phone rings, etc. Find your own times to use mindful breathing.

Put “breathe” signs on your mirror, kitchen cabinet, or dashboard to remind you to breathe, mindfully and deeply (I actually tell myself out loud using my name ... i.e. "Breathe, Jill"). 

In stressful situations and/or emergencies  ... when you find yourself starting to feel tense, anxious, or in pain, use your breathing to calm you ... take 3 to 5 mindful breaths ... but even one can make a difference. 

You'll find these in the "Back To Basics" section of "My Micro-Mindfuls" here! I'm designing these to use anywhere you feel stressed ... even if you're standing in a long checkout line or when you feel overwhelmed at work.

So download this one (BASICS THREE) on your phone or other device so that you can use it whenever and wherever you’d like. I created a playlist on my phone music app and am downloading these weekly.

And … as more and more free mindfulness (and also guided imagery) snippets become available … you can pick and choose what resonates with you to create your very own playlist. So let’s begin …

🌸🌬️ Embrace the Present with Every Breath 🍃✨ 

As your body settles and your eyes close 🛌👀, bring your awareness to your breathing. Notice the breath coming in 🌬️, and the breath going out. Follow the breath with your awareness … follow the breath all the way in … and follow the breath all the way out… not trying to change it in any way. 

Just breathing in… and breathing out. Breathing in, feeling the breath as it passes through your nostrils… breathing out, feeling the breath as it leaves your nostrils. Keeping your awareness lightly and gently on your breath… breathing mindfully in the present moment. 

“Breathing in, I know I am breathing in… 

Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.” 🍃

If thoughts come in … as they always do … acknowledge the thoughts, without judgment, and let them go… let them drift away like leaves floating away on a bubbling stream 🍂🌊… and bring your awareness back to your breath, back to your breathing… back to the present moment. 

“Breathing in… I know I am breathing in… 

Breathing out… I know I am breathing out…”

Each time your attention moves away from the breath … distracted by a thought about something you have to remember to do perhaps … or maybe something that is bothering you or worrying you … notice the thought, acknowledge the thought, and then let it go… and bring your awareness back to your breath, back to the present moment. Letting your full awareness be on the breath … as it comes in … and as it goes out … noticing its familiar … comforting rhythm. 

“Breathing in, I calm my body… 

Breathing out, I smile…” 😊

When you bring your awareness to the breath in this way, you are connecting the mind and the body in the present moment. The word for breath and the word for spirit in many languages is the same. So bringing your awareness to your breath, connects mind, body and spirit in the present moment. 

“Dwelling in the present moment… 

I know this is a wonderful moment…” ✨

Continue to mindfully breathe in this way for as long as you like … following the breath all the way in … noticing the slight pause at the turning point as the in-breath becomes the out-breath … and following the breath all the way out … noticing the brief pause at the turning point as the out-breath becomes the in-breath … aware of the steady familiar rhythm of the breath. 

Continue for as long as you like … noticing the change in your body … the change in your emotions … and then slowly open your eyes … reacquaint yourself with your surroundings … and go about your day. 🌞🌿

FOOD FUNNY: