Eliminate the diet?
Some may like the idea of an elimination diet…IF it means they can eliminate the idea of a diet. Well…it all depends on what you mean by the word “diet”. The functional medicine elimination diet is not focused on eliminating calories for weight loss. Rather, it aims to eliminate trigger foods. Those foods causing illness. By stopping the consumption of a number of foods that have a high risk of causing someone’s symptoms, the particular food triggers leading to chronic symptoms in an individual may be discovered. Because many patients walk in our doors suffering in multiple body systems, an elimination diet often helps reveal at least one of the root causes. Many body system dysfunctions may be triggered by a particular food. An elimination diet with or without preceding testing may reveal these root causes and lead to relief.
Okay, don’t get nervous thinking I am going to recommend eating only cardboard if you come for a visit. We always evaluate a patient’s nutrition with our nutrition specialist since this is a key factor in patient’s health journey. Since each person is different, we take time to review any possible symptoms that may be related to specific foods and decide if an elimination diet trial is right for you.
For example, in some people I find that heartburn seems to be related to acidic foods. For others, I find that a variety of histamine related symptoms follow ingestion of particular food groups. For still others, I find that a symptom diary helps link certain foods to migraine onset. Specific elimination diets have been developed for a variety of situations.
At times, the history and physical provide enough clues to guide a patient towards choosing a certain diet. At other times, the story is not clear enough and I order blood tests to tease out which foods are part of a patient’s root cause. These usually include IgG and IgE tests. Normally IgE antibodies are involved in true allergies, the kind where someone has rapid reactions, sometimes severe, to a food. On the other hand, IgG antibodies typically target invaders like viruses or bacteria. When the IgG turns against certain foods, inflammation in the gut results. This inflammation contributes to leaky gut, opening the doors for more and more inflammation throughout the body.
Do blood tests give the final answer? No, but they can get us a few steps closer to finding answers. In addition, seeing an abnormal lab result also motivates patients to take the elimination diet more seriously. After trialing an elimination diet, we often have patients return saying how much better they felt while on the diet. That is until… they tried “that food” again. For example, they cut out gluten for 2 months and irritable bowel symptoms go away or joint inflammation disappears. Wanting to deny gluten’s role in their symptoms, they eat it again. Often in 12-24 hours the symptoms begin to return. That is when they finally get it and stick with the new nutrition plan.
For those who the food testing does not help, I sometimes still recommend a specific food elimination trial. In those patients, it is neither IgE nor IgG antibodies that create a reaction, but other chemicals which trigger a cascade towards symptoms. For some, high histamine foods trigger stomach pains, skin rashes, migraines, or even panic attacks. For others, gluten mimics opioids to the point that stopping gluten actually triggers withdrawal symptoms. Then there are some foods which are just inflammatory and need to be decreased to allow the gut to heal.
To where does an elimination diet lead? Our primary goal is resolution of root causes, healing the gut and stopping inflammation. After this occurs, we do try reintroducing some foods and monitor for any negative responses. Often, once a leaky gut is reversed or other issues like mold toxicity are addressed, the “diet” can adjust back towards normal. So you see, the word diet doesn’t have to be counted as a bad word. It may actually lead you back towards healthy living again. And that is our goal at Sanctuary Functional Medicine. We guide patients into a healthier more abundant life, giving them the tools and wisdom to care for their precious gift of life.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
I am so thankful that Dr. Potter pinpointed a gluten intolerance for me! At first, I was overwhelmed by the question “What should I eat now??” After changing my diet, I have found that my taste buds have changed and healthy foods are more appealing to me. Junk food seems to taste like junk, not to mention making me feel like junk! It’s worth it to eliminate those foods that are not good for you.