What I wish I knew about Chemotherapy

Six years ago, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer and I received six months of chemotherapy, and experienced multiple side effects such as depression, joint pain, tremors, fatigue, IBS, brain fog, and weight gain afterwards.

I was offered multiple pills, but not one single health care provider mentioned "leaky gut" or gut healing to me

It was not until I learned more about leaky gut and took steps to heal my gut lining, metabolism, + nervous system, that I finally found relief. In this post, I will be sharing pieces of knowledge I wish I knew, and steps I have been taking to heal.

Before we get to what I am doing to heal.

Here is what I wish I knew:

Chemotherapy has been associated with increased intestinal wall permeability, mucositis, and the onset of a systemic inflammatory immune response, dysregulation of the HPA-axis, and subsequent manifestation of sickness behaviours.

In addition to adversely affecting the gut microbiota, chemotherapy-induced mucositis is also associated with significant elevations in systemic pro-inflammatory cytokines, especially IL-1ß and IL-6, which are accompanied by increased symptoms of pain, anxiety, and depression.

The potential disruption of normal physiological and psychological development among young cancer survivors and the role of gut microbiota in moderating such changes is of particular concern, as many survivors face lifelong health challenges following a cancer experience.

When I experienced brain fog and depression, I wish someone had told me it was due to the imbalance in my gut, nervous system, + metabolism, not simply due to needing "anti depressants."

Alterations in a God designed humans gut microbiota can affect both anxiety and depressive behavior.

Neurotransmitter dysregulation is widely implicated in depressive illness, and certain neurotransmitters including serotonin (5-HT), dopamine, GABA (gamma-Aminobutyric acid), and noradrenalin, are affected by the gut microbiota.

I had poor gut health even from childhood. I dealt with chronic severe constipation, IBS, and chronic stomach pain.

Chemotherapy just pushed me over the edge.

When I learned about root cause healing, I started asking "why?" And kept asking why until I finally found relief.

I completed a GI map and blood work to determine the type of imbalances I had a play.

From this, I learned many things, including the fact that I had high levels of beta glucuronidase and liver congestion which were putting my body in a toxic state.

When this happens, estrogen is poorly converted and detoxed and it begins to build up and recirculate leading to symptoms and disease. (Here is an example of a test for sex hormone metabolism. For an example of a GI map you can visit diagnostic solutions).

I also learned I was deficient in certain nutrients that were essential for converting estrogen into a proper form, for liver detoxification, and for balancing certain neurotransmitters (Thanks to years of birth control use and lack of nutrient dense food).

And my cortisol levels were imbalanced, leading to chronic fatigue.

There is so much more I could share, but I wont for the sake of time. But just wanted to share to show I was not simply deficient in a prescription medication...

And it just so happens I wasn't just "getting older."

I was needing to look at my whole body holistically and start peeling back layers that needed attention and support instead of throwing a pill at time.

Here are some measures I took to begin supporting my bodies innate ability to heal:

I chose mucilaginous herbs to support the healing of my gut lining and started drinking bone broth + collagen daily.

I started paying attention to ingredients in food that disrupt the gut lining and did my best to eliminate them (not obsessively because being obsessed with toxic ingredients is just as toxic to your body as the ingredients themselves). I stopped taking a million supplements (your liver has to detox supplements + herbs just like medications) and started supporting my detox pathways.

I began to eat to nourish and support my nervous system by adding in minerals + electrolytes + nutrient dense food.

I gave my gut lining time to heal, and then I began eradicating the bad bacteria (and ope it turned out I had parasites to address that were clogging my liver and messing with my God designed ability to detox, don't be surprised, more people have them than you think!). And restoring the good bacteria with things like kefir + fermented foods.

Along the way, I also began targeting my chronic stress response (which was a key piece in my journey). You can learn more about what I specifically implemented here.

My symptoms began to improve and then many totally disappeared. I feel better than ever. I still have flare ups at times, and I am still dealing with current hormone imbalances that I am actively reversing, however, I no longer feel helpless and reliant on prescription medications and searching for another diagnosis.

A key part of my healing? I was given heavy diagnoses that I no longer subscribe to and identify with. Because when you begin to identify with your diagnosis, it changes your world view and fogs the possibilities. Your brain impacts your physical health, and identifying with those no longer served my stress response.

This whole experience opened my eyes up to root cause healing. Now instead of focusing on killing "dis-eases and "diagnosing" imbalances in my body, I focus on supporting my God designed body to fight them.

It is often when we skip the unique person in front of us and treat the "dis-ease" and throw a bunch of medication at it, instead of the supporting the individual person and their unique imbalances and supporting their body and getting to the root, that more issues and destruction occur in the long run.

My example is just one of many.

Our bodies our God designed and symptoms are often a message that something is imbalanced, not a demand for another pill and diagnosis.

It is not just a message that needs a referral to a specialist who looks at one organ and prescribes a medication and then to another specialist who looks at another organ and prescribes an additional medication that interacts with the first one, creating a cascade of imbalances we label with another diagnosis and treat with more pills.

Our bodies are interconnected, they need to be treated that way.

Besides, the point of a diagnosis is to choose a prescription that will treat it. Not to get to the root. And you know what turns me off about that? There are over 68,000 diagnosis codes these days, and nearly 12 million U.S. people are misdiagnosed each year.

You know happens with medications are given for the wrong diagnosis?

A lot of symptoms that require more medications and more diagnosises and a lot of money in the bank for the people creating the medications.

The point of me sharing this?

It is not to fear monger or to bash "big Pharma" or healthcare workers. I am thankful for surgeries and emergent health care is life saving at times. If I am in an accident, I want the ER physician and nurses to be able to triage and treat me appropriately. I am not against all prescription medications (do not put words in my mouth). And I appreciate and value specialists who have helped me on my journey.

However, there is a serious need for holistic care and root cause focused medicine.

And I hope by sharing a piece of my story it helps spread awareness regarding the approach to chronic "dis-ease" and reversing symptoms.

And to shine light on the fact that the way we are handling chronic dis-ease in the body these days is not serving us and actually creating more issues in the long run.

I hope this inspires you to pursue root cause healing and learn more about leaky gut.