I’ve been on a mission for the last few months to figure out why, despite eating pretty much the same foods as I did for the last 10 months, my stomach has been in constant turmoil.  I noticed the changes beginning in January, but chalked it up to not being as diligent with my food through the holidays.  I have struggled with Irritable Bowel Syndrome since my teen years, but it had been relatively quiet when I started the ketogenic diet last February.

My stomach issues have persisted since January – bloating, gas, stomach pain…and I was eating the same food I had been eating the previous year.  It came to a head recently when the stomach pain was accompanied by an intense headache so severe I couldn’t sit at my computer and work.

I have also developed pretty severe pain in the first knuckle on my right hand that, despite accupuncture, icing, and rest, continues to worsen, leading me to fear it is arthritis.  It realized it was time to get more focused on what was going on inside my body that was creating these symptoms.

I started looking more seriously into what could be causing my stomach issues.  I did not think my hand pain was related, and it may not be – I was planning to see a regular doctor about it instead and still will if the symptoms don’t lessen.  I had already started eliminating certain types of food, like sugar alcohols, but my symptoms weren’t going away.  I won’t bore you with all the details, but my research led me to a book by Dr. Josh Axe, “Eat Dirt: Why Leaky Gut May Be the Root Cause of Your Problems and 5 Surprising Steps to Cure It.”

I was shocked at the symptoms listed that have been shown to be the result of a leaky gut:  Tired and sluggish, frequent indigestion, heartburn, bloating and gas, brain fog, cloudy memory, headaches, changes in skin like dark circles, eczema, psoriasis and acne, and joint pain.  These can turn into far more serious issues like chronic fatigue, adrenal exhaustion, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and more, and I have experienced most of those symptoms the last few months.  I have complained to my husband numerous times about persistent acne.  I never had a problem with it when I was younger, and cannot understand why I’d have breakouts now.

It turns out the problem may be in my gut and the fact that the “good” bacteria is being overridden by bad bacteria.  Apparently,  we aren’t what we eat, but rather what our food eats.  And, according to Dr. Axe, we just might be too clean – antibacterial “everything” we now use is killing the good bacteria in our gut.  Ingesting a little bit of dirt from organically grown fruits and vegetables certainly won’t kill us, and in fact, will make us healthier.  He also suggests that it is not necessary for us to shower every day (unless having worked out) and that we would be healthier if we didn’t.  There’s much more to the book than this, including some fascinating research on the effect of outside toxins on our bodies, and of course how to treat and heal your gut.

Thankfully, many of the food recommendations are very close to the ketogenic diet we already follow.  But it appears I have to give up my love affair with cheese (or at least most types of cheese).  And I have to learn to get used to drinking apple cider vinegar on a regular basis.  Both are a struggle.  But on the positive side, I was motivated to finally make bone broth soup.  I never thought I would be paying good money for organic, grass-fed beef bones, but I have done it.  It has been simmering for about 30 hours, and has another 12 or so to go.  I’ve known this is a wonder food for a while, but until now I just didn’t have the proper motivation to make it or eat it consistently.

I encourage you to read the book or the plethora of information available online about leaky gut and see if you might benefit from some of the supplements and food recommendations in the book.  I figure I have nothing to lose but a whole lot to gain if I make a few small changes and they work.  But I do promise to continue showering…