Treatment Plan Continues

Well, I keep promising to update this new adventure of mine in GP treatment but time keeps getting the best of me.  If you read the post that shared a video from Tess, a woman who recovered from her own battle, I am following in her footsteps, lucky enough to live within 90 miles of the clinics.

Here in about half an hour I am heading up to Vancouver for the 3rd visit with Dr. Fei Che, well established acupuncturist and previous medical doctor.  The first week of seeing him my stomach pain started to reduce, whether it was the actual needles or the herbs or both, I'm not sure.
Last week I went to see Dr. John Matsen, ND, where I spent over 2 hours in the clinic visiting with the doctor, testing and learning about his theories and program.  It was all incredibly fascinating and even my mother-in-law, who was kind enough to take me, was pretty blow away.  In fact, I think she was more excited than I was!
Because I'm short on time this morning I will be posting more this week about our first step, treating a weakened ileocecal valve.  This valve is located between the small and large intestine, usually kept closed so that the food you have eaten stays in the small intestine until digested and absorbed fully.  It also prevents bacteria in the large intestine from backing up into the small intestine, where those waste products can also be absorbed.  If the valve is weakened and this happens, then the good bacteria from the colon become "bad" bacteria they not only steal important nutrients such as vitamin B12 and tryptophan but also dump toxins into the liver.  In addition, the alkaline pH of the small intestine allows yeast to join the party and multiply vigorously.
This is only the beginning of explaining how this all connects to our digestion and chronic illness.  As I learn more and understand it all I plan on sharing this experimentation right here.  Next, I will explain what causes this valve to weaken, according to Dr. Matsen, and what his thoughts are on treating it.  For now I must quickly gather my things and hop in the car for a beautiful drive to Vancouver.  I'm especially excited today because I get to meet another gal with GP whom I've connected with through this blog.  There is so much we can learn from each other and if anything, feel supported and not alone on this journey.

Make the best of today and I look forward to sharing more soon.  In the meantime, if you are interested in reading in detail about all of this, you can check out Dr. Matsen's book, Eating Alive II.