I know this story well because it was mine. I was brushed off by Western medicine because symptoms like headaches, constipation, and stomach pain are difficult to diagnose and after a while, they said, “There is nothing you can do.” So, I said, “Hell no,” rolled up my denim sleeves, and did it myself. I used myself as a guinea pig to test every strategy to heal my digestive disorders. I played with everything from private health care treatments to red reishi mushroom supplements to New Age healers. After years of searching, I discovered I had an autoimmune disease (celiac disease), leaky gut, IBS, Candida, and handfuls of allergies and sensitivities. Because autoimmune diseases never go away (you simply manage them until you’re functional), it’s about turning off the triggers. Major triggers include a poor diet, food allergies and sensitivities, toxins, antibiotics, synthetic drugs, and stress. When you have these triggers in your life, you feel all the symptoms and flare-ups. The same thing goes for your gut. The lining is designed to keep microbes, toxins, and undigested food inside the GI tract. So, when it crumbles from a poor diet, too much stress, antibiotics, or toxins, the sewage releases. Then, your immune system aggressively attacks the pathogens, causing inflammation. You want the microbes that live in your gut (bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, etc.) to be diverse because 70 percent1 of the immune system dwells there, and you need it to protect you when the light switches are on. After years of experimentation, my symptoms finally began to go away. From the hundreds of experiments I performed over more than 10 years, here’s what actually worked: Research2 indicates that “reduced levels of inflammation may be the key feature linking the vegan gut microbiota with protective health effects” due to fewer bad bacteria and more good species. Finally, I gave food allergies and sensitivities the boot. You get inflammation from both, and sensitivities are trickier because they leave you feeling “off.” For example, I feel terrible after I eat corn because my body considers corn an invader and releases IgG antibodies to attack it. Synthetic chemicals (xenobiotics) are scientifically proven3 to lead a role in the “initiation or progression of autoimmune conditions.” So, I swapped everything synthetic—my detergent, mascara, and tampons—for clean products listed on the EWG’s database. Antibiotics cause a microbial imbalance and wipe out good microbes like bifidobacteria bifidum and lactobacillus acidophilus (which is stuff you’re popping in your daily probiotic pill). This study states that “a single antibiotic treatment in healthy individuals contributes to the risk of resistance development and leads to long-lasting detrimental shifts in the gut microbiome.” I’m not saying avoid antibiotics completely—I’m saying that when it comes to drugs, it makes sense to choose wisely and use them for the essentials. Also, lower stress hormones equate to a more diverse microbiome, according to this research, so I practice daily gratitude, take proper breaks to lie down, and acknowledge my emotions when they come up versus shoving them away. Plus, I exercise daily to physically release and shift my mind because forced exercise (versus voluntary) is linked to stronger immune function. These eight foods helped a top chef get a handle on his autoimmune disease. Plus, how to make turmeric an even more powerful inflammation fighter. Trach has a bachelor of commerce honors degree from the University of British Columbia where she studied on scholarship. She previously worked at Tesla Motors, studied at Sciences Po in Paris France, and was accepted in a pre-accelerator program taught by a billionaire venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. She’s spoken at places like Uber and NASDAQ.
