Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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Been having problems on an off for about 5 years (I’m 32 now – 5’-11, 150 lbs, male). Mainly with a rash on my face (doctors finally determined it is seborrheic dermatitis), a pain in my right hip (comes and goes, gets pretty bad at times), and digestion problems. Been to the doctors numerous times… they have tested me for everything under the sun with no answers. I’ve had 2 xrays on my hip which show no bone damage or anything abnormal. They want to do an MRI, but I’m not sure I want to shell out the $500 or so it will cost me because I doubt they will give me any real answers either. I have been told I have a high sed rate (24 at last testing… should be between 0 and 15) which is a marker of general inflammation.

I’ve done tons of research online and really think I might have leaky gut syndrome. I ate a standard American diet for years... lots of beer too. I was also taking a good bit of advil for the hip pain (as directed by my doctor) and was given prednisone a couple of times for the rash.. both of which I now know can contribute to leaky gut. When the doctors failed to help me, I stated experimenting with my diet. I went gluten free for a month or so with no real change in symptoms. Then I cut our all sugars (except stevia) and processed foods for a week or two.. noticed some improvement in the rash. I've also been taking probiotics, flax oil, zinc, vit. D, and a multivitamin. For the last week or so I have been eating pretty strict paleo and also applying coconut oil to the rash… which has almost cleared up. My hip is still hurting though… do I just need to give it more time, or do I need to try something else? I’ve read about the GAPS introduction diet, but not sure if that is what I need to do or not.

Thoughts? Does leaky gut even exist? Does that sound like what I have? Should I make any changes in my diet?

Thanks.

flag	asked Aug 24 2011 at 20:09 maxpower 91●5

have you been tested for lyme disease? – being Aug 24 2011 at 22:47

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oops- asked that before i read all the questions. egg on my face. so, my brother and three of my friends had lyme for ten-fifteen years before it was dx with a western blot. none of them have any neurological symptoms. my brothers only symptoms were left knee and right shoulder pain, with occasional frozen shoulder. one friend has some cardiac issues. neuro sx are not necessarily a part fo the profile. just get the blood test- no muss no fuss. – being Aug 24 2011 at 22:51

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jackkruse.com/the-leaky-gut-prescription – The Quilt Aug 30 2011 at 1:57

g. · Answer 1 · 2011-08-25 14:45:28Z UTC

It's real. I used to be confused about it too. It's helpful to know that it's also called intestinal permeability, gut permeability, or gut/intestinal barrier dysfunction.

Here is a description (from here):

Intestinal Permeability references the integrity of the mucosal layer of the digestive tract that prevent bacteria, antigens, and undigested food proteins from seeping through the GI barrier and into the systemic circulation.

Increased permeability can result in a chronically over reactive immune system in constant battle with toxins and allergens normally kept at bay. The small intestine has the paradoxical dual function of being a digestive/ absorptive organ as well as a barrier to permeation of toxic compounds and macromolecules.

Either one of these functions may be disrupted by various mechanisms, resulting in local as well as systemic problems.

The distal intestine contains a number of dietary and bacterial products with toxic properties. Dysfunction of the immune or mechanical barriers leads to increased uptake of inflammatory macromolecules and pathogenic bacteria.

If the intestine is not functioning properly, the amount of normally excluded substances that are absorbed through the mucosal lining increases dramatically. Intestinal inflammation promotes the uptake and systemic distribution of potentially harmful macromolecules. Increased intestinal permeability of the mucosal barrier, also known as leaky gut syndrome, appears to correlate with a number of disorders, while decreased permeability appears as a fundamental cause of malnutrition, malabsorption and failure to thrive.

Increased Intestinal Permeability or Leaky Gut Syndrome is seen in disorders such as:

Inflammatory bowel disease
Crohn's disease
Inflammatory joint disease
Food allergy
Celiac disease
Rheumatoid arthritis
Ankylosing spondylitis
Reiter's syndrome
Chronic dermatological conditions
Schizophrenia
Allergic disorders

here's more about how it works:

http://www.nleducation.co.uk/resources/reviews/leaky-gut-food-reactivity-whats-the-mechanism/#_ftn1

I don't really have diet advice, as i struggle with some of the same things you do. I think a GAPS trial is worthwhile; but I haven't been able to do it yet.

Glutamine and bone broths are protective and healing. Both are recommended by everyone who knows anything. I do both, rather irregularly.

Dirk Beszia · Answer 2 · 2011-08-24 20:38:34Z UTC

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Dr. Cowan in SF Bay area helped heal my issues(similar to yours) through diet, supplements, and fermented foods. Am 100% better.

answered Aug 24 2011 at 20:38

Dirk Beszia
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	What supplements did you take? And how long did it take you to get better? I was eating a lot of plain yogurt, but cut it out when I went dairy free about a week and a half ago. – maxpower Aug 24 2011 at 20:41
	What type of doctor is Dr. Cowan? I have some similar issues and I'm not sure which doctor to go to. I've been to a few that haven't been helpful. – j3 Aug 25 2011 at 2:35
	he's an anthroposophic MD-- wrote "Fourfold Path to Healing" which is co-written with Sally Fallon of WAPF. – Rockgrrl Sep 8 2011 at 13:30

Rhubarb · Answer 3 · 2011-08-25 05:45:00Z UTC

Personally I'd recommend the GAPS diet. Buy the book, study it, try it. Anecdotally it appears to have worked for many people with very poor gut health and eventually restore their health.

This is a very interesting podcast by Underground Wellness with author of the GAPS diet, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.

The Quilt · Answer 4 · 2011-08-24 20:26:03Z UTC

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Ah......yeah its real.

answered Aug 24 2011 at 20:26

The Quilt
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	just checking.. I knew nothing about it before I started researching. Some stuff I have run across online claims it to be quackery. – maxpower Aug 24 2011 at 20:44
	some is.....no doubt. But the condition is real – The Quilt Aug 24 2011 at 20:53

ava · Answer 5 · 2011-08-24 21:24:51Z UTC

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Yes. It's real! Read Robb Wolf's The Paleo Solution. He goes into detail about it. Great book for all things paleo!!

answered Aug 24 2011 at 21:24

ava
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Senneth · Answer 6 · 2011-08-29 21:22:07Z UTC

See this video, a speech by Loren Cordain, on leaky gut, although its geared towards those with MS, it HIGHLY pertains to anyone with leaky gut. Its a 7 part series. He has some interesting new ideas, that are different from much of what I found on leaky gut during my search to fix my own leaky gut. Its very very interesting. I highly recommend watching.

Joey · Answer 7 · 2011-08-24 20:32:29Z UTC

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It can never hurt to take some extra measurements to restore your gut:)

Also....have you been properly tested for Lyme Disease?which frequently goes under the radar (my own experience) while having lots of weird symptoms,pain,fatigue,food intolerances etc. That's why I'm personally not crazy about the 'go-barefoot' thing which is being so praised in the Paleoscene.

answered Aug 24 2011 at 20:32

Joey
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Ticks aren't gonna attach themselves to your bare feet. If anything they get to you from loose shirts, your hair, pants pockets, etc. – Futureboy Aug 24 2011 at 21:29

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Lyme's would probably have caused neurological symptoms by now if left untreated, but broadly yes: random joint pain is a feature of Lyme's. It's a blood test (no idea how much it costs) so it's not a huge deal to find out. Might be worth it. – pfw Aug 24 2011 at 21:37

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Actually being barefoot would most likely drastically lower the chances of getting a tick because you would notice it right away as it starts crawling on your foot, and even if you didn't, having no shoes on would certainly make it no MORE likely that one would attach... – Anonymous Coward Aug 24 2011 at 21:44

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Ticks tend to crawl around for 10+ minutes before attaching. If you're imagining that having no shoes on would make it so a tick would get on you an attach immediately, that's not how it works; the tick would start crawling on your foot, you'd either notice or not, and then it would go up and around your body for up to like 30 minutes. Bottom line, being barefoot would actually make you much more likely to notice the tick and then flick him off then wearing shoes that confer you no sensation of the tick crawling around, might have places for it to hide, might be camo for it, etc. – Anonymous Coward Aug 24 2011 at 21:47

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pfw It's not always neurological problems,that really depends on the type of Borrelia strain you have and other co-infections. maxpower...if you want to get tested properly then make sure you do varies bloodtests like ELISA,Blottest,PCR and take those outcomes to a LLMD so he/she can read &puzzle the outcomes together properly. Next to cancer it's the 2nd highest rated disease,yet while being underrated&misdiagnosed. No matter where on your body,you rarely feel ticks crawling around. Anyway,it's up to anyone to decide what to do,it's just that I wouldn't go barefoot ever,espacially in grass. – Joey Aug 25 2011 at 13:38

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Is Leaky Gut Syndrome real?

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