Let the Eating Begin

Sometimes it seems hard to update Ellie's progress, because "she get's 2 probiotic capsules instead of just 1" seems ridiculous to those who don't know her entire story.  In Ellie's life, these changes are huge and a sign of amazing progress. About 3 months ago we finally determined what remaining obstacles were keeping her from healing and now I can hardly believe her progress!

What were her obstacles?  Ellie had fluoride toxicity and chronic constipation.  We have worked hard to resolve both issues.  We believe her conventional mattress is still causing her problems and holding up some healing, and are saving up to replace it.

In the last 6-8 weeks Ellie has begun eating: broccoli, turnip, cabbage, egg yolk, and brussel sprouts. She drinks around 1 cup of fermented coconut water a day, has doubled her dosage of GutPro, and even enjoyed some homemade marshmallows.  Her eczema is almost gone, and she is resolving the pesky staph skin infections.  She has had lemon water and apple cider vinegar without incident, but declares it 'nasty' and does not drink it regularly.

Please note that she had an FPIES reaction to applesauce prior to starting GAPS, so I was very nervous about giving her apple cider vinegar.  She has also had no problem using various art products that gave her FPIES reactions previously.  We do limit her exposure to these chemicals still (as we would for any child), but are no longer fearful.  One example of this was a recent trip to the zoo with family friends.  While in the zoo cafe Ellie picked up and brought me a package of pink popcorn.  My sweet girlfriend freaked - WHAT! She touched popcorn! QUICK!... All while I had calmly said, 'Ellie please put that back'.  We laughed.  What a change from 2 years ago!

Ellie now has 5 vegetables she can safely eat, and averages 3 egg yolks per day.

What is next?

In the next few weeks we will be trying foods higher in starch that Ellie has not previously been able to tolerate.  If she is able to tolerate them, it will show that her disacharidase deficiency is healing.  On the list are onion, leek, spaghetti squash, cauliflower and carrots.  We will be starting fermented garlic.  Once I can find a goat, sheep or camel milk source, we will also be trialing ghee.

We are BEYOND ecstatic. The Lord is gracious and has been incredibly good.  My heart runs over with her signs of healing and continued hope!

Toxic Dump

Ellie's body has continued to have problems detoxing properly.  This is a classic GAPS issue, but of course Ellie has to take everything to the extreme.  She was clearly detoxing when we first put her on GAPS, yet she has since stopped showing visible signs.  Not detoxing holds up her healing.  Because she has a broken detoxification system her body does not get rid of normal everyday toxins, and has also built up a reserve of them that must be flushed.  We have been giving her topical glutathione, an enzyme the liver needs to push toxins out and help the body heal.  Even with the enzyme her urine has been clear and without smell, her eczema continues to be a problem (toxins coming through the skin), and yeast flares with every change we make.

It has been a long haul to try and figure out what is exactly keeping her body from dumping toxins, and I have learned some interesting things along the way.  I am always amazed at the body, and I learned about even more ways that it is designed to self-protect - by 'hiding' toxic metals in various places of the body and using yeast to protect the body from mercury.  Fluoride is a poison, and once I realized our house water filtration system was not removing fluoride and heavy metals I was certain this was the key to Ellie's detox problem.  Fluoride is stored in the thyroid, and the thyroid is extremely important in making hormones and enzymes.

I had to wait for us to have the money to purchase the filter we needed, which gave me the time to deal with my anger at the institutions I pay which decided to ADD the fluoride to our water to begin with (costing me money and making us sick).  We purchased the filter and installed it in mid-May, and began cleaning out the freezer of frozen broth made with fluoridated water. 

Sure enough, within a day or so Ellie began detoxing fluoride. The result was borderline fascinating to watch.  Her urine became cloudy white and the stench was horrid.  If you have ever been around an indoor chlorinated pool or spa, and are familiar with that breath-taking chlorine gas smell in the air, this was very similar.  She would go to the bathroom and use her little potty, and I would have to hold my breath or cover my face to go in behind her and empty the bowl.  Her breath changed as well, and her eczema changed in appearance. Somewhere around this time her skin bacteria made a change from primarily fungal to staph, which we have been working to keep at bay ever since.  I can't remember exactly when that change started.

The major detoxification symptoms lasted a week or so, and have since mellowed.  As long as we keep her on the glutathione, her urine smells and has some color and we have signs that her body is detoxing.  The significance? More healing!

Day 2: A Puzzle Piece or Two

For months I have been trying to figure out why Ellie's body is still not detoxing properly. After such a length of time on what is known as stage 1 of GAPS introduction, she shows signs that are still puzzling.  Her eczema flares with any change in food, she still has large amounts of urine, and there is still plenty of evidence she battles fungus.

In a properly functioning body, God has established an amazing detoxification system.  Outside toxins that make it inside, inappropriate things ingested, or waste produced within the body by bacteria is simply packaged up nicely and sent right back out thanks to enzymes and an amazing immune system (major over simplification there). Ellie has not been dumping toxins properly, and we know this because her body is still trying to push them out through her skin or respiratory system.  We began giving her a topical enzyme supplement which has helped in some ways, but has not been enough.  Her skin has still been a wreck, and I am fearful of seizures.

Last week I received one new piece of the puzzle.  We have not been treating her constipation properly.  We have been letting her go too long without giving her an enema and helping her body rid of toxins.  The longer those toxins sit in her intestines, the more they get absorbed right back in and her body was detox them all over again.  It is imperative that she poop daily (as should we all).  We have started following GAPS guidelines on constipation and began to see improvements within a couple days. 

The second puzzle piece has been a horrifying find, and one I have been contemplating for a few weeks. But I confirmed my suspicions when I finished my research today. (hooray for Team Ellie and answered prayers!)

We have a whole house carbon filter that eliminates chlorine and toxins like pharmaceuticals from the water.  Yes, treated city water is full of all kinds of toxins. And summertime in California is the most puzzling of all.  I know many a household who have spent thousands of dollars to filter drinking water, and often bath water, yet go spend every afternoon in their chlorinated swimming pool.  Not only is there an actual respiratory infection associated with the gas produced by chlorinated pools, but your skin sucks up more chlorine in a bath or pool than you would ever get from one day of drinking chlorinated water.  Thus, the image of a bottled water drinking person soaking up the sun in their chlorinated swimming pool is a puzzling picture for me.  Sorry, California. The EPA has labeled chlorine as one of the top 10 carcinogens. 

All that to say we have eliminated chlorine from our water a long time ago.  But we did not filter our water entirely.

At some point in time someone governmental decided that it would be a good idea to add fluoride to our drinking water.  Fluoride and heavy metals are not removed by a traditional carbon filter like the one we have in our garage.  Recently I began looking into fluoride to see how bad it really is, and was absolutely righteously angered.  Here are a few facts:

-The largest state legislature in the U.S. recently passed a bill mandating infant fluoride warnings on all water bills in fluoridated communities.
-  Ingestion of as little as 1 percent of a tube of flavored children's toothpaste can produce acute fluoride toxicity in a young child.
- Infant formula contains fluoride, and the CDC acknowledges that mixing infant formula with fluoridated water is too much fluoride.
- Fluoride in our water is actually industrial waste.

I could keep going but will stop there.  A little google will get you a long way with fluoride.  As will a Medscape article on fluoride toxicity.  Not only is fluoride stored in the thyroid if it can't be detoxed, it has an amazing effect on the gastrointestinal tract.  Lets take a look, shall we?

Fluoride has several mechanisms of toxicity. Ingested fluoride initially acts locally on the intestinal mucosa. It can form hydrofluoric acid in the stomach, which leads to GI irritation or corrosive effects. Following ingestion, the GI tract is the earliest and most commonly affected organ system.

Bitter much? Why yes I am! But thoroughly and totally grateful that God has revealed a barrier to Ellie's healing, and yet another way she is making the rest of us healthier.

Summary:  As we were trying to help Ellie dump toxins out of her body and properly heal, we were continuing to give her fluoride which her body must work to eliminate.  If she is already overloaded and damaged from excessive fluoride intake, this is a losing battle.

The plan:  We have purchased some amazing fluoride filters (cha-ching) and will be transitioning her onto non-fluoridated water as-soon-as-I can get the filter hooked up.  We are putting her back on her enzyme supplement to help with the detox load that will begin to happen naturally in her body, and are considering adding a natural form of vitamin C to assist with the detox as well.  If we do it will have to be *very* slow to avoid overload of her system.

Please pray for wisdom on the vitamin C.  There are risks involved in giving her an oral supplement of any kind, and a few specifically tied to (natural) vitamin C.

Please pray for Ellie's body, that it will begin the detox process and that it will not show complications.

And perhaps check out this amazing and reasonably priced website to rid your own home of fluoride: Friends of Water