Over the next few weeks, I’m going to take you through my journey as I go through a program to reset my digestive tract and its microbiome. I’ve been needing a change lately; I have grown a little menopause belly, and I’m struggling with a Lyme coinfection rash all over my legs that is now spreading to my arms. I’ve done several different protocols to quell both of these issues without success. And when natural health protocols fail, it’s due to 1) choosing the wrong protocol for the issue, 2) not following the protocol correctly, 3) failing to address a bigger underlying issue first, or 4) the need to address the “terrain” of the body.
What is a “terrain”? It’s the overall picture of your health. When I first started my classes for my naturopathy doctorate, terrain was explained using a garbage truck metaphor: flies are everywhere, but they choose to follow the garbage truck because of what’s in it, and leave the cars alone because the cars can’t support the flies’ needs. We need to make ourselves more like a car and less like the garbage truck. If we have a healthy overall Self, pathogens cannot thrive.
So for me, putting on hormonal based pounds and the spread of this stubborn rash means working on my terrain to regulate my hormones, amp up my immune system, and kick out these unwanted visitors. Based upon what I’ve tried already, I decided to do a 30 day gut microbiome reset.
There are plenty of these plans around; it’s kind of a new buzz thing. Some plans are terrible, some great, many mediocre. As always, it’s about finding a plan that works for YOU, who you are, what your goal is, and the state of your current Self.
Gut protocols typically work in 4 stages: removing all “trigger” foods, adding in “better” food choices, rebalancing intestinal flora, and repairing/ rebalancing the terrain. They require a commitment to following the steps of the program accurately (no cheating!), and so require setting aside time to mentally prepare as well as physically prepare (and prepare meals, grocery lists, food prep- there a whole lot of prep to this!). Find a 30 day time frame that is do-able. I scheduled mine between vacations, in a month devoid of family gatherings/ birthday parties/ weddings/ big celebrations so I wouldn’t be tempted to veer off of my program. I also didn’t want to feel bitter or deprived or negative about my plan so I could ensure easier success.
I took hours to pore over the plan, see what was allowed and not allowed in terms of foods, and spent literally a whole day planning my meals for the week. This is new to me, so I wanted to be thorough and plan for success. I made my meal lists, my grocery list, and a food prep list so I could batch prep meals (I’m not one who enjoys time in the kitchen, so doing one session of prep for multiple meals keeps me sane and on track).
I took before photos and body measurements and logged my initial weight, since one goal is to see improvement in my belly area. I also catalogued my rash areas and sizes to see how they change as well. I made up daily tracking sheets that include my foods, exercises, supplements, and a notes section to make observations about my mood, mindset, physical observations, really anything I want to note about my Self and how things are going. ALL of this information will help me to stay focused, and will give me data to look back on so I can identify what works and what doesn’t for me.
And- because I struggle with a sugar demon, and because I just LOVE my desserts, I planned to start Day 1 on the day after a family birthday party. I ate a (small) piece of cake, several of mom’s cookies, AND the frozen yogurt over the course of the day. I enjoyed every bite, savored every morsel, and left guilt-free and contented, ready to start fresh the next day and forego ALL of that yummy goodness for the next month.
I’m excited to actually go through this myself, as I’ve helped clients complete their journey through rebalancing, but never felt the need to actually try it firsthand. I plan on keeping you posted through each week, and we’ll see how it goes!
Think a reset might be right for you? Have questions about how it works and what to do? Want to explore some options? Contact me and we can go over everything together!
Blessings,
Melanie
