5 Top Signs You Have a Food Intolerance

5 Top Signs You Have a Food Intolerance

Having migraines that you simply can’t figure out why?  Skin rashes that don’t clear up?  Or, maybe IBS, gas or bloat?  Food intolerances are much harder to identify as most intolerances cannot actually be tested for.  But, once identified can be corrected much more easily than food sensitivities because they usually involve a lack of nutrients like vitamin B6, enzymes and many times are due to poor gut health.  Genetics or genomics also plays a major role in food intolerances as slight mutations can the breakdown of some natural food chemicals.

What are the top 5 signs of food intolerance?

Gastrointestinal Disturbances – The most common symptoms will be acid reflux (GERD), abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and some constipation. The hardest part of identifying this to food intolerance is that in some cases it is not immediately after eating the offending food as most food intolerances are dosage-dependent.  GI symptoms more often occur with histamine intolerance, sulfite sensitivities, and lactose intolerance

Migraines & Headaches – Most migraines and headaches occur hours or even  24 hours after eating foods that you have developed an intolerance too. This makes it extremely difficult to try to identify the foods that might be involved with your headaches and/or migraines.  Some of the intolerances most often seen with migraines are histamine, tyramine, glutamine, and MSG.

Skin Rashes, Eczema, Dermatitis – One of the most frustrating symptoms of food intolerance is those annoying, embarrassing and painful skin conditions.  In most cases, you will know that might be a food intolerance if the over the counter medications don’t work as the underlying cause is not addressed – your food intolerance.

Insomnia – Can you easily fall asleep and then suddenly you awake and your mind is racing?  Some food intolerances can cause an overproduction of excitatory neurotransmitters like glutamate or histamine.  And, a reduction in the neurotransmitters that help you to stay asleep like melatonin and GABA.  This imbalance leads to you waking up, mind racing and you just cannot fall back to sleep.

Brain Fog & Fatigue – Ever wake up and you just can't seem to concentrate? Or, nothing makes any sense and you feel like you have a head cold even though you don’t?  Those are all signs that a food intolerance could be reducing the ability of your brain to function at top speed.  There are many food intolerances that lead to brain fog and fatigue as they can disrupt those healthy pathways in your brain and reduce the production of those of neurotransmitters involved in healthy brain function.

 

How Can you Identify a Food Intolerance? 

Food intolerances are usually involved with poor gut health, lack of enzymes and genomics plays a key role here too. 

Because food intolerances have multiple causes, they are extremely difficult to determine.

The first step is to rule out food sensitivities and start healing the gut.  The first step in resolving food intolerances is my Food Sensitivity Program.

By going through the program and not just testing sensitivities, you determine if you have food intolerances.  The good news is that most food intolerances are easy to overcome once you figure out the intolerance.

 

Have You Been Floxed?

Have You Been Floxed?

What is being “floxed”?

 

When we think of the side effects of antibiotics, we usually think of digestive disturbances and upset stomach.  What doesn’t come to mind is tendon rupture, tendonitis, nerve damage and pain, chronic fatigue, nightmares and even hearing loss.

In April 2018 I watched my husband barely get up in the morning, suffering from “burning knees”, extreme fatigue, nerve pain, and ringing in the ears.

He even got golf elbow (diagnosis from his doctor) despite not playing golf or doing repetitive action using his elbow.

Funny, this cleared up after he started recovery from the initial onset of systematic tendinitis.

In 2016, the FDA issued a black box warning on just these side effects on a class of antibiotics known as Fluoroquinolones often prescribed for urinary tract infections and upper respiratory infections.

 

What are Fluoroquinolones?

They are broad-spectrum antibiotics whose generic name ends in -floxin, oflxanin or -lox.

Hence the term, “floxed” or being floxed is used to refer to people who are suffering from the negative side effects of this class of antibiotics.  Some people refer to this as “fluoroquinolones toxicity”.

Whereas there are many different symptoms that occur with this “toxicity”, the most frequently reported are:

  • Tendon Rupture, Achilles.
  • Debilitating Chronic Fatigue
  • Hearing Loss, Tinnitus
  • Nerve Pain
  • Induction of Type 2 Diabetes
  • Histamine Intolerance – Mast Cell Activation
  • Gut Dysbiosis
  • High Oxalates
  • Iron Toxicity
  • Electrolyte Imbalance – Magnesium Deficiency
  • Food Sensitivities/Intolerances

The most commonly prescribed antibiotics in this class are Levaquin (Levofloxacin), Cipro (Ciprofloxacin) and Moxifloxacin (Avelox).  There are many others in this class, but the key is to look for the generic name ending in -flox.

Floxed Chronic Fatigue

Who are the most vulnerable for these negative side effects?

It is still pretty rare to have these negative side effects but it is known that certain people are more vulnerable.  Children, men over 65 years of age, especially men who are athletic, are more vulnerable.  In addition, people who have thyroid autoimmune conditions like Graves or Hashimoto’s.

There are also genomic variants that would make someone more likely to suffer from using these antibiotics.  Genomics is the science of slight gene variants that can impact our health.

For instance, variants in the thyroid hormone can have a huge impact on how the body will respond to these antibiotics.  These variants usually impact how your body metabolizes and produces thyroid hormones.

Other variants include your ability to produce the powerful antioxidant known as glutathione.   Glutathione plays a major role in managing oxidative stress.  Fluoroquinolone toxicity creates large amounts of oxidative stress, which is the main reason for the pain and tissue damage that occurs.

How do fluoroquinolones cause these symptoms?

These broad-spectrum antibiotics are designed to destroy bacteria by damaging their DNA.  This is very effective at eliminating the bacteria and making sure it does not survive.  However, it has been shown that also can do the same to our DNA.  Oops…

During this process, our bodies will also be releasing compounds known as reactive oxygen species (ROS).  These compounds are usually converted to water and safely eliminated.

But we do not have enough antioxidants to the job, this creates what is known as oxidative stress.  Oxidative stress leads to more inflammation, pain, and damage to the body.

 

What is oxidative stress?

What is oxidative stress?  It is where the body does not have enough antioxidants to manage reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to tissue damage.  It also leads to chronic inflammation, one of the key causes of most chronic diseases.

Vitamins A, C, E, and Zinc are potent antioxidants that our bodies use to manage oxidative stress.  But our bodies also produce antioxidants, which are 100 times more powerful than dietary antioxidants.  This includes the king of antioxidants, glutathione.

Mitochondrial Damage 

The mitochondria are the powerhouse of our cells and flouroquiones actually change the DNA/RNA gene expression causing the production of “faulty” mitochondria.  This damage mitochondrial also causes high levels of ROS leading to more oxidative stress.

This is one of the reasons why the damage and symptoms can last up to one year or more after taking the antibiotic as the body continues to produce faulty mitochondria.  This can lead to chronic fatigue, tendinitis, and muscle pain.

People who have genomic variants in what is known as SOD2 will be more vulnerable to this damage greatly affecting their body's ability to produce energy.  This variant is also the enzyme that protects your mitochondria from damage.

Floxed Kale Chard Functional Nutrition

What are high oxalates and dysbiosis? 

Abrupt decline in diversity causes major shifts in the microbe community composition. Research shows that it can take over 6 months for the microbiome to recover from most antibiotics.  However, it takes even longer to recover a healthy gut microbiota with the use of these antibiotics.

When the diversity of microbes is reduced, it can lead to high oxalates  Oxalates are anti-nutrients commonly found in plants that help to protect from insects and bacteria.  One of the foods highest in oxalates is spinach and kale often touted as a superfood!  It may not be a superfood for everyone.

High oxalates can eventually lead to the formation of crystals and those crystals can settle into our joints, muscles, and our kidneys.  This can lead to muscle and joint pain as well as kidney stones.

The dysbiosis that occurs es wipes out the gut microbial known as oxalobacter formigenes which plays a major role in the removal of oxalates.

People who are deficient in vitamin B6 are more vulnerable to form oxalates.  In addition, there are genomic variants in vitamin B6 metabolism that would make them more likely to form oxalates crystals.

The best test to test for oxalates and your microbiota is the organic acid test. Removing the oxalates requires an extensive nutritional support protocol and therapeutic diet.  Simply removing high oxalate foods from your diet can lead to what is called “oxalate dumping” which can cause everything from nerve and joint pain, severe IBS, and chronic fatigue.  Exactly what you are trying to overcome with being floxed.

As a functional nutritionist, I worked with many clients with high oxalates walking them through how to lower their oxalates through supplementation and dietary changes.  And, I always have my client retest to make sure that they lowered their oxalate levels.

Are there drugs to helps with the symptoms?

What is the prescription or drug to turn this around?  Medically, there are no medications that address these symptoms; however, antidepressants and pain medications are prescribed or recommended to get help with the side effects.

Why?  Because common lab blood work comes back, “everything normal,”  therefore they can really cannot prescribe any medications.

And, the usual response beyond dealing with chronic fatigue, depression, and pain is that you “will just have to get through this”.

Physical therapy is sometimes prescribed but even physical therapists don't really know how to deal with nerve pain, muscle fatigue, and tendinitis.

Current research is showing some promise with nutritional therapy – nutrition and targeted supplementation.  Everyone is different in their response, as this is a complex condition with many different variables.

Woman Joy Nature Balanced Hormone

How can you get started on your road to recovery from being floxed?

Getting started on your healing journey can be a challenge, as being floxed affects everyone differently.  Because of this, integrative and genomic testing is a significant first step in helping to develop a personalized plan that will speed up your recovery.

Whereas most integrative testing is not covered by insurance and is an investment, it will, in the long run, save you money and make your recovery much quicker.  

Along with integrative testing like organic acid testing, you will receive laser-focused recommendations and get on the right food plan.  There is no one-size-fits-all all dietary food plan that works as the impact of being floxed affects everyone differently.