Heal Leaky Gut Syndrome
with The Body Tune Up

What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

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Leaky Gut Syndrome is a chronic condition estimated by some doctors to affect over 80% of Americans. It is triggered when we take on more stress than we can handle. This stress can be environmental, like toxins in our food, water, and air. It can also be from lifestyle stressors around work, family, relationships, etc. or from eating stressful foods. Now for humans, all stress is processed in the gut, specifically, by the Illeocecal Valve. The Illeocecal Valve is a small sphincter valve that connects the small and large intestines. It's job is to open and allow material to pass into the large intestine (colon) for final absorption and elimination, and to close behind it. Normally we are capable of handling a certain degree of stress, but much like a circuit breaker in a house popping if you turn on several appliances at once, when we take on too much stress at once, our guts aren't able to handle it and the Illeocecal Valve can become 'stuck in the open position'. Additionally, other valves in the gut can become compromised in a sort of dominoes effect.

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When this occurs, material in the colon that is intended to be eliminated, is able to be absorbed back into the body, a condition known as 'toxin recycling'. Toxin recycling leads to the breakdown of the mucous membrane of the colon. Without a mucous membrane, molecules of waste are able to pass straight through the wall of the colon and enter the bloodstream, where they can be carried anywhere in the body and cause inflammation and autoimmune responses. This can manifest as any number of different symptoms. However, since these symptoms are often not directly associated with the gut, they are therefore often misperceived as the illness rather than the symptom of Leaky Gut. This has earned Leaky Gut the nickname "The Phantom Disease". Since it is the root cause of the symptoms, the only way to truly heal the symptoms is to heal the gut.

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Do I Have Leaky Gut?

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If you experience symptoms including but not limited to:

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• Indigestion/Upset Stomach

• Nausea

• Constipation/Diarrhea

• Acid Reflux

• Heartburn

• Bloating

• Excess Gas

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

• Hypo/Hyperglycemia

• Candida

• New Food Allergies or Sensitivities

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• Skin Disorders: Psoriasis, Eczema, Rashes

• Chronic Pain

• Inflammation

• Arthritis

• Autoimmune Conditions

 

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Excess Anger

• Short Temperedness

• Chronic Fatigue/Brain Fog

• Dark Circles Under the Eyes

• Mood Swings

• High Stress Levels

• Generally feeling mediocre or less than optimal health

• Any other chronic symptom that won't go away, even after trying various treatments

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      ...you might have Leaky Gut Syndrome.

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Many people do, but they learn to live with it, and grow accustomed to a mediocre standard of health, accepting it as normal. My goal is to remind people what true mental and physical wellbeing feels like and redefine "normal".

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Schedule a session!

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How I Assess Leaky Gut

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In America today, overmedication is one of the top leading causes of death. Our medical system often demands that people receive treatment after only a brief evaluation. Oftentimes, medications are given to address symptoms, while ignoring the root cause. Sometimes these medications cause side effects and dosages have to be adjusted. Even well-intentioned professionals often can end up treating patients as guinea pigs, until they find a treatment that works. Sometimes, people are told that they just have to learn to live with their symptoms.

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Our approach uses muscle testing. Muscle testing is a biofeedback mechanism that allows us to get direct answers from the body by accessing its innate wisdom. This relies on the premise that the receiver's body knows best what is going with it and how best to treat it...not the receiver's mind, and not the practitioner. When you come in for this work, I never assume that you have Leaky Gut. I use muscle testing to assess the function of several different valves in the gut. If the tests reveal that the valves are compromised, that indicates Leaky Gut. Only then do we proceed with treatment.

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How I Treat Leaky Gut

 

The modality I use to treat Leaky Gut is called The Body Tune Up (BTU). The BTU is rather unique in its approach; it uses a combination of manual bodywork adjustment and a 14 day meal plan to heal the valves and regrow the colon lining. As was mentioned previously, since many symptoms of Leaky Gut are not specifically related to the digestive system, it is common for them to get treated as the illness rather than the symptoms. Therefore, those treatments aren't addressing the root cause, simply masking the symptom. Nowadays, some doctors do recognize that health starts in the gut and prescribe various diets and nutrition plans, which can be somewhat effective at alleviating the symptoms, but often still leaves the root cause unresolved.

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The success of the Body Tune Up is due to the fact that it heals the root cause of the Leaky Gut...the stuck valves. I use bodywork adjustments to manually reset any valves that aren't functioning properly. After this brief session, the gut will again be functioning properly, but the work isn't over. If valves haven't been functioning for a long time, they need to be treated gently while they get used to doing their job again. Too much stress would overload them again and undo the work. In addition, the colon lining needs time to regrow, which it will on its own if given the opportunity. This is where the meal plan comes in.

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The 14 Day Leaky Gut Meal Plan is designed to achieve two goals: letting the valves heal and letting the colon lining regrow. The meal plan involves eliminating anything stressful/fiery which would throw out the valves again and anything with a rough/abrasive/fibrous nature which would disrupt the healing of the colon lining.

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Essentially the meal plan involves eating cooked fruits/vegetables/herbs and protein from sources such as meat, fish, tofu/tempeh, and dairy or alternative dairy products.

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It eliminates foods that contain alcohol, caffeine, hot spices, onion/garlic, anything raw or crunchy, nuts/seeds, legumes, grains, and any processed foods.

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For a complete list, click here: Meal Plan Info

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It is important to remember that this meal plan is NOT intended as a long term way of eating, nor is it a list of what is healthy/unhealthy for your particular constitution. It is simply a list of foods that will allow the gut to heal and foods that will disrupt it. It is imperative to follow the meal plan perfectly as any exceptions could blow the valves and send you back to square one. 

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If the meal plan is followed perfectly for 14 days (sometimes 21 in severe cases), the colon lining will have time to regrow and the valves will be functioning at full strength again. At this point, you will be free to reintegrate other foods back into your diet. That's one of the beauties of this work; it does not necessitate a long-term commitment to a new diet. It is only for 2 weeks.

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What to Expect from the Process

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The experience of following the meal plan can have a profound effect. Many people notice a sense of deep inner calm after eliminating a lot of foods that actually jack up our stress levels. Foods that contain alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, and hot spices are among the most common comfort foods, but for someone with Leaky Gut, eating them is like throwing gasoline on a raging fire. Eliminating these foods from the diet for 2 weeks has a very calming effect on the body. The good news is that these foods aren't inherently unhealthy, and once the gut has been healed, most people can return to enjoying these foods without them causing damage. You may also find that certain food sensitivities may go away once the gut is functioning properly again.

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The main challenge of the meal plan is that all food will have to be personally prepared to make sure no ingredients are included that are not on the meal plan. You will not be able to eat at restaurants or buy prepared food from stores. Also, since everything has to be cooked, snacks have to be thought out in advance. I recommend meal prepping and making leftovers. If you are interested in doing this work, please contact us. I will go over how to best prepare for the meal plan to help ensure your success. Again, the bodywork adjustments are a waste of time and money if you don't follow the meal plan perfectly for the full duration, so please make sure you have the time and capacity to follow the meal plan before scheduling a session.

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You may notice over the course of the 14 days that you become more in tune with your body's needs. You may find that if you tune in, your body will tell you what foods will best nourish it at the time, and begin to listen to that voice rather than the impulses and cravings we so often follow. This is one of the goals of the Body Tune Up - self-empowerment...taking charge of your own wellbeing instead of being reliant on someone else to tell you what is best for you. Upon completion of the meal plan, I will share how to perform self-adjustments for if you ever end up in stressful situations and think you may have blown a valve. Catching it quickly can negate the need for the meal plan in the future.

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Booking a Session

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If any of this information resonates with you, I recommend scheduling a session to address what is going on in your body. I recommend a 60 minute session to go through the entire Leaky Gut Healing Process. Some people like to follow the Leaky Gut work with a Structural Alignment (which is the other half of the Body Tune Up) and/or a Lomilomi Massage to help the detox process. The Structural Alignment takes about 10 minutes, and I recommend an hour for the Lomi, so 2 hours is ideal for the whole process. If you are a person who wants time to talk in greater depth without worrying about the clock, I also offer open-ended sessions, where you pay set price and there is no time limits on the session. Click the link below to book a session and choose whatever duration is right for you!​

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To prepare for the session, please review the Meal Plan and go grocery shopping in advance and get rid of any foods that are not on the meal plan that will expire during the 14 days. I have seen many people go through the adjustments but end up abandoning the meal plan because they were not prepared. Also, make sure you book this session at a time that works with your schedule. If you will be traveling or having big parties or such within the 14 days and you know you won't be able to stick to the meal plan, just wait until you have a time that does work. Don't waste your time and money getting a session unless you can commit to 14 days on the meal plan!

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I will do my best to support you by phone or email if any questions arise. If you complete the meal plan successfully, I will offer a complimentary followup session just to make sure all your valves are still functioning properly and that you are clear to begin reintegrating foods.

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Schedule a session!

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Become a Body Tune Up Practitioner​

 

If you are interested in offering this healing work to others, I would be happy to train you in it. I host residential trainings where you will learn to muscle test for Leaky Gut, perform the adjustments, test for foods, and assign the meal plan based on the receiver's needs. If you want to host a Body Tune Up Training at your venue, contact me to arrange it!

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Our next Body Tune Up Training begins October 2, 2023. Learn More Here!