Chapter 9 - Repair

Your gut is not just a digestion tube. It’s a control centre that can amplify perimenopause symptoms or calm them right down, depending on what’s happening in your microbiome and along your gut lining. We get practical about what “repair” really means, why intestinal permeability (often called leaky gut) matters, and how markers like zonulin help explain the inflammation that can show up as brain fog, low mood, poor sleep, reactive stress, and skin flare-ups. 

We also dig into the testing and the science without losing the plot. Advanced stool testing such as the GI 360 can reveal the balance of beneficial vs harmful bacteria, inflammatory markers, digestive enzyme function, and immune activation. From there, we connect the dots between gut dysfunction and bigger long-term risks including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline through the gut-brain axis, and certain cancer patterns, then bring it back to the real-world goal: feeling steady, energised, and clear-headed during hormonal change. 

The centrepiece is a food-first, two-phase Heal, Seal and Repair Protocol. Phase one is a four-week detox and elimination designed to reduce inflammation and strengthen the mucosal lining, and phase two is an up to eight-week reintroduction process using the 72-hour rule to identify your personal trigger foods. We cover meal structure, protein targets, flexible timing, optional intermittent fasting guidance, and the non-negotiable role of stress management so the gut can actually heal. We also share how targeted botanicals, nutraceuticals, probiotics and psychobiotics can act as “rocket fuel” if you want to supercharge results, while keeping the message simple: food is first. 

If you’re ready to stop guessing and start building body literacy, hit play, pick a start date, and commit to the process. Subscribe, share this with a friend navigating perimenopause, and leave a review so more women can find a clearer path to gut health, hormone balance, and real vitality.

Transcript

Repair And The Healing Hierarchy

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Chapter 9. Repair. I accept who I am, but I see myself for who I am becoming. Heal, seal, and repair your gut. You're about to take your first steps into my hierarchy of healing to become your most vital, vibrant self. In chapter 7, we explored why your transformational health journey begins with a healthy gut. In repair, you'll learn how to begin to heal your gut so everything else in your body can start to fall into place. Groundbreaking research shows that gut health may be the key to preventing potentially devastating chronic issues and diseases. As a practitioner, I use advanced testing like the GI 360, a comprehensive stool analysis to assess your overall gut health and uncover these critical connections. It reveals your ratio of beneficial to harmful bacteria to see if the good guys or the bad guys are in charge. It identifies inflammatory markers in your digestive tract and shows the integrity of your gut lining, digestive enzyme function, and even how your immune system is responding. When it comes to the integrity of your gut lining, zonulin is one of the key gatekeepers. When zonulin levels rise, the gates are open too wide, letting unwanted particles leak into your bloodstream and drive inflammation. This increased intestinal permeability or leaky gut can be important for many women struggling with perimenopausal symptoms. The GI 360 will give any practitioner a remarkably clear picture of just how healthy your gut

GI 360 Testing And Leaky Gut

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truly is and where to begin the repair. There are various conditions that poor gut health can affect through a range of interconnected pathways, which include the following Heart disease. Certain gut bacteria produce compounds that can either protect with the beneficial bacteria or damage through the harmful bacteria your heart. Type 2 diabetes Your microbiome imbalances can affect insulin sensitivity and your ability to regulate your blood sugar, putting you at higher risk of this condition. Alzheimer's Due to the gut brain access, an unhealthy gut can impact cognitive decline. Cancer Specific gut bacteria patterns can be linked to certain cancer risks. If you're thinking no thank you to any of these conditions, or you're currently struggling with some, there is hope. Research demonstrates that targeted gut barrier repair reduces inflammatory markers and improves hormone metabolism. These conditions can be mitigated or resolved by healing, sealing, and repairing your gut. Very shortly you'll discover how through my two-phase heal, seal and repair protocol. No matter where you're starting from, imagine what your body and your life could feel like once your gut is back online. Its linings, integrity restored, and your house is restumped, as we talked about before. Once your gut is healed, your healing journey can begin. Since I practice precision medicine in my clinic, I work one-on-one with every patient, so her food protocol is individualized and customized to her unique biochemistry. We create a prescription, a plan based on her foundational and functional testing results, and the deficiencies or chronic issues identified that need to be addressed. For you, my heal, seal and repair protocol will still be tailored to support your unique gut microbiome, but will serve more as a basic guideline. If followed, it can begin to take you from where you are today to a very different place in just four weeks. Here is a bird's eye view

Gut Health And Chronic Disease Risk

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of the protocol. Heal, seal and repair protocol. There are two phases to the protocol. It lasts 21 days for a mini detox, less severe symptoms, or a full four weeks for more chronic issues, for example eczema, bloating, or severe fatigue. This first phase focuses on eating ideal foods to reduce inflammation and reset your gut by actively strengthening your mucosal lining to support overall well-being. It returns your body to a neutral state, eliminating or vastly reducing inflammation. In my clinical experience, eliminating common inflammatory triggers, particularly gluten in sensitive individuals, greatly reduces markers of intestinal permeability within just six weeks. The reintroduction phase. This second phase is an eight-week process of gradual reintroduction of foods to identify your personal trigger foods, foods that are negatively impacting your gut microbiome. As you reintroduce foods, you'll monitor for adverse reactions, including bloating, mood or skin changes, or digestive discomfort. These two phases are designed to last no longer than 12 weeks without first consulting your health practitioner. The protocol is intended to be a temporary tool to identify food triggers and heal and strengthen your gut lining. It is not a lifelong plan. The last food protocol you will ever need to do. I need to be clear that my protocol is not about weight loss. It is not designed to be a restrictive diet, but rather a balanced approach to nutrition, so it is sustainable and becomes part of your lifestyle. The protocol targets restoring your gut health to begin rebalancing your hormones. Done the right way, it can be the last food protocol you will ever have to do. The focus isn't on weight loss because we instead focus on nourishing your body. However, weight loss, if it is necessary, is a beautiful side effect as we restore your vitality. As you'll discover, once you've repaired your gut and rebalanced your hormones, the sustainable weight loss is cemented in reclaim, the third phase of the hierarchy of healing. Following the protocol steps help reignite your metabolism. In the wilds of perimenopause, it can feel like your metabolism is broken. There can be mysterious weight gain and loss of energy. I've heard so many women say, what used to work with my eating and exercise just doesn't work anymore. Your metabolism is not broken. It is simply offline or out of balance.

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Dr.

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Ben Bickman's research shows that when your insulin levels stay high for too long, they begin to interfere with how your body responds to insulin, trapping you in a cycle where you can only burn sugar for energy, not fat. This is why you might feel hungry all the time, experience energy crashes between meals, and find it nearly impossible to lose weight even when you're eating less. Your body has essentially forgotten how to tap into your fat stores for fuel, leaving you stuck running on sugar alone. My protocol is designed to positively impact your metabolism so the kilos begin to fall off and your energy levels rise. This process focuses on food first, because by eating nutrient-dense foods and eliminating any processed foods and sugar, you are taking a pro-metabolic path to hormonal rebalance. These foods not only nourish your body, but they can also help support your thyroid and adrenals.

Two-Phase Heal Seal Repair Plan

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A quick note of caution. So trust the loss of kilos will happen if needed. I've said this before, but it's important enough to say again. The goal of the hierarchy of healing is to empower you to be in control of your own biochemistry. Research shows that during perimenopause, shifting hormone levels are closely linked with changes in the gut microbiome, which can alter your biochemistry and often take it out of alignment. This misalignment then negatively impacts your metabolism. The gut is your central hub. Picture the human body with the gut sitting at the center. Earlier in Lara's health journey, we touched on the three gut axes, supporting the fact that your gut can be considered the foundation of your overall health and well-being. Neuroscientist Dr. Emran Mayer's research demonstrates that approximately 90% of your body's serotonin is produced in the gut along with significant amounts of dopamine, the neurotransmitters that profoundly affect not just your digestion, but your mood, anxiety, sleep, and cognition. This is why repairing your gut can dramatically improve your emotional well-being, mental clarity, and sleep quality alongside your physical symptoms. Before we dive into the protocol, let me explain the three critical pathways through which your gut health affects your entire well-being. Think of these as three interconnected highways that all begin at your gut. Gut brain connection. Your gut is often called your second brain, for good reason. When your gut bacteria are out of balance, it can trigger inflammation that affects your mood, mental clarity, and how you feel emotionally. Here's what's fascinating. The signals between your gut and brain travel upward from your gut to your brain through the vagus nerve. This explains why gut problems can lead to anxiety, depression, and that foggy headed feeling. Gut-nervous system connection. Your gut and nervous system are in constant communication through the vagus nerve. When your gut bacteria are unbalanced, the resulting inflammation can irritate your entire nervous system, leaving you feeling exhausted, mentally foggy, and more reactive to stress. The problem becomes a vicious cycle. Stress damages your gut lining, and a damaged gut makes you feel even more stressed. Gut-skin connection. Poor gut health shows up on your face. When your gut bacteria are out of balance, the inflammation can trigger skin issues like acne, psoriasis, rosacea, and premature aging. Your gut microbiome directly controls your skin's ability to protect itself and manage inflammation, which is why healing your gut often clears up your skin. All three axes are connected to the immune system and are also hormone sensitive. In perimenopause, when there is hormonal turbulence and gut dysfunction, it can ripple through the nervous system, mood, skin, and overall feeling of resilience. Gut health isn't just about digestion. It's a master regulator of the brain, nervous system, and skin health, especially under the hormonal stress test of perimenopause. If you repair your gut health, everything else can come back online, back into alignment, and more importantly, you can reclaim your vitality. Your gut health, your hormone balance, and your metabolic flexibility are interconnected. Now let's get you going.

Gut Axes That Shape Wellbeing

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First things first. Key tools to set you up for success. Every tool I will describe can be found in the accompanying PDF asset. This is the Perimenopause Recipe Book and Healing Journal. The tools inside your journal will be key as you walk through the steps of the protocol. For example, tracking what you eat and drink and your meal times will be important during the elimination phase in building your awareness of nourishing foods for your body versus trigger foods. Daily tracking will help spot any patterns or foods that may be impacting your wellness. Healing food lists. In my repair clinic, patients are given five food lists. The ideal food list is your starting point. Every gut-friendly food list is intended to guide you to what I call food freedom and to a healthy gut microbiome. As you begin, I recommend printing out the ideal food list to keep on your fridge for easy reference and reminders. Stock your kitchen with essentials. Before you begin, imagine yourself walking through the aisles of your local supermarket, with your only mission being to fill your basket with green leafy vegetables and high-quality proteins to fulfill your ideal foods list. As you begin each week, think of these foods as your building blocks for your health transformation to fully embrace and enhance your journey to heal your gut, boost your metabolism, and turn down the confusing food noise in your body. Staying on track. During these first 28 days, life isn't going to stop, nor does it need to. To stay on track, be mindful and proactive. Preparation is key. Plan ahead. If you're attending a party or an event, bring your own refreshing spritzer and snacks. Think mineral water with lime, raspberries, and fresh mint, or a prepared meal to avoid temptations. Eat beforehand. If you're unsure about the food that will be available, eat before you go to avoid the struggle of resisting tempting canopes, sweets or snacks when hungry. Know your why. Understand the reasons behind your decision to begin your transformative health journey. It makes sticking to the plan much easier. Manage your stress. Stress literally damages your gut lining. Even a few days of high stress can weaken your gut barrier, which is why all the supplements and dietary changes in the world won't fully work if you're constantly stressed. This is why stress management isn't optional, it's essential. Find what works for you deep breathing, meditation, short walks, time in nature, or whatever helps you feel calmer. Your gut simply cannot heal properly while your body is stuck in stress mode. Think of it this way you can't repair a house while it's still on fire. You need to turn down the stress response first. When temptation strikes, when staying on track feels hard. Think about the why. The reason you've made this commitment to yourself. Think of this protocol as gifting yourself twelve weeks to achieve food freedom for the next fifty years. You're doing this to reclaim the most vibrant and vital version of you, to navigate perimenopause with grace, and to live a life of peace. Now onto the good stuff.

Tools Lists And Staying Consistent

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The Heal, Seal and Repair Protocol. Overall Guidelines. As you begin, keep in mind an inflamed gut directly results in an inflamed body, mood, and mind. The main goal of my protocol is to significantly reduce inflammation in your gut. Throughout both phases of the protocol, detox and reintroduction, you will eat foods that are less likely to cause inflammation or lesser sensitivities. The first phase is designed to return your body to a neutral state, one of massively reduced inflammation. The second phase will then reintroduce foods to help you identify your trigger foods, which are foods that cause sensitivities and adverse reactions in your body. That said, your choices will not be limited to a bare minimum of boring bland foods. Not at all. You will find delicious food choices in the ideal foods list. My approach is not to completely ban certain foods either. I recognize that each person is different, and so are the foods they deem safe and tolerable, both in preference and according to their unique biochemistry. To be 100% transparent, there is no single written protocol for full elimination or reintroduction for every person on the planet. Even on my ideal foods list, there might be something that isn't ideal for you and your biochemistry. For some people, for example, eggs and tree nuts are foods that might not be safe for their bodies. Your final list of ideal, safe foods will be uniquely yours because you are the ultimate expert on your body. If a food triggers discomfort, whether it's bloating, a rash, or mood swings, it's critical to listen to your body and avoid or eliminate it. The opposite is true too. If you're currently struggling with severe joint pain, persistent bloating, insomnia or skin issues, then identifying the foods that feel like the safest nourishment for you may allow you to feel a significant improvement. Listen to your body, it will tell you. In a perfect world, for the next 28 days of your detox phase, you would limit your food choices to only those on my ideal food list. But there are four additional food lists for the detox phase, including the Proceed with Caution and Avoid food list. You would do best to stay away from these listed foods as well, as they are widely known to cause problems and are capable of sabotaging the healing and repair we are trying to accomplish in the elimination phase. That said, embrace the delicious choices and beautiful foods on the ideal foods list. Reintroduction phase. Once you've completed the four weeks of the detox phase and your body is in a more neutral state with reduced inflammation, you will move on to the reintroduction phase. The second phase of the Heal, Seal and Repair Protocol is where you will reintroduce foods, creating meals primarily using ideal foods and other food choices from the reasonable and acceptable food lists, which I've included in the additional resources I have provided. These lists include foods that have been identified as causing mild intolerance in a portion of the population, and are less likely to trigger inflammation or sensitivities. When you first take a look at the foods on the additional lists, you might be surprised. Some of the foods you might have previously considered in inverted commas healthy are considered proceed with caution or to avoid foods. Things like potatoes, quinoa or cantaloupe. Since your biochemistry is unique to your body and your genetic makeup, it makes sense that your safe food list will be unique as you slowly reintroduce foods after the first four weeks. A word to you, beautiful. As you navigate these two phases of the protocol, embrace your journey as you restore balance, peace, and vitality to your body and your life. This journey is an extremely personal one. Use these lists provided to make informed choices about your diet and listen to your body's responses as you build self-awareness and move towards body literacy, rarely knowing your body and what it needs to nourish it, as we touched on in an earlier chapter. Be kind to yourself and compassionate. Healing is a process, and with each passing day, you're taking steps closer to your goal. Now for the fun

Meal Structure Protein And Flexibility

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part. What you can eat to nourish your body in a beautiful and holistic way. Planning your meals. In the Heal Seal and Repair Protocol, one meal consists of three cups of green vegetables. Detox phase any green vegetable only from the ideal foods list. Reintroduction phase any green vegetables from the ideal, reasonable or acceptable foods lists. One cup of colorful vegetables. Reintroduction phase any colored vegetable from the ideal, reasonable or acceptable foods lists. Approximately 20 to 30 grams of protein per meal one to one point two grams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight. Each day the required protein equals no less than one gram of protein per kilogram of your ideal body weight. Detox phase any protein only from the ideal foods list. Reintroduction phase any protein from the ideal, reasonable or acceptable foods lists. Pro tip aim for a piece of protein the size of your hand for every meal. There are a few other considerations as you begin the protocol. Fasting. If you're already practicing intermittent fasting, you can continue. However, if this is new to you, I recommend discussing it with your practitioner further before starting to ensure it doesn't add unnecessary stress. Be mindful of triggers. Common triggers include gluten, lectins found in legumes, beans, and grains, and pesticides. Washing produce with vinegar and water can reduce pesticide residue and help differentiate between food reactions and environmental irritants. Frequency of meals. Within the Heel Seal and Repair Protocol, the frequency of your meals is flexible and tailored to your individual preferences, lifestyle, and feelings of satiety. You can choose when to eat your meals for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can personalize it according to your body and its natural rhythms. If you find that you're not usually hungry in the morning, then you can eat two meals at lunch and dinner. That said, I caution you to contact a practitioner if you find yourself not hungry in the mornings and are not following a fasting regime for treatment purposes. Your lack of hunger could be related to unhealthy cortisol levels. As your schedule changes within the week, you can adjust the frequency of your meals. It basically comes down to listening to your body during this protocol while hitting your protein target. One thing that can petrify women from implementing this protocol is the fear that it will be restrictive or that they will be asked to deprive themselves and at times feel pangs of hunger. But these meals and recipes within the protocol guidelines are all about satiety and the beautiful ways to nourish your body with the goal of returning it to a neutral state. Within an intermittent fasting regime. I want to circle back to the combination of my repair protocol in conjunction with an intermittent fasting regime. If you're familiar with intermittent fasting, it involves restricting your eating to a shorter eating window during the day, fitting in one to three meals. At my clinic, I have developed a comprehensive resource that details fundamental information on intermittent fasting with a sample schedule. If you're interested in learning more, see the accompanying PDF asset. If you're not familiar with intermittent fasting, the repair protocol done just on its own will deliver its own amazing results. Power cuppers. I want to mention one more option for your detox phase that my patients love, especially my intermittent fasters, because it can prolong your morning fast. The power cupper, the recipe is my thank you for purchasing the book. The power cuppers are specifically designed to flood your body with nutrient-rich liquid, coffee, tea, chai, cacao, and broth, any of which will help you feel full and energized. If you do choose to add power cuppers to your heel seal and repair protocol, I recommend you still follow the detox and reintroduction guidelines. Intuitive eating. I encourage an individualized and intuitive approach to eating. I recognize and understand the many aspects of life that can impact our ability to set and maintain a schedule, times of stress, emotional factors, and menstruation. For that reason, my protocol allows for some built-in flexibility. I encourage you to use your intuition and listen closely to your body to follow an eating regime that best serves your needs each day. The catch is do this only after you can trust your gut is healed.

Detox Phase What To Expect

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Phase one. Detox and elimination. As you begin the protocol, think of this as your mantra. Goals are dreams with deadlines, so it's okay to dream and it's okay to turn that into a goal. So maybe you set a deadline in your mind. Perhaps it's giving yourself twelve months, time to reclaim your vibrancy, your vitality, and peace in your life. Simply by setting a deadline, a timeline for your dream of feeling amazing. You've transformed it into a goal that is attainable. Phase one is your four-week detoxification period, during which you choose only foods from the ideal foods list. Consider this period as a reset for your gut, your mind, and your body to eliminate any problematic foods and provide a neutral baseline for your body for the next phase of the protocol, rebalancing your hormones. I want to be honest with you. These next 28 days might be challenging. It may require patience and granting yourself grace. Some women report mild withdrawal symptoms as they eliminate certain foods, including sugar and caffeine. You may experience headaches, mild flu-like symptoms, and changes in your bowel motions. These symptoms most likely will be minor and temporary. If your health practitioner deems it appropriate, vitamin C may help reduce detoxification symptoms. I also encourage you to drink lots of water to support the cleansing and detoxification process. The good news is that by the end of the four weeks you should feel amazing, energized, and peaceful. For some women it takes the full 28 days, and for some they will start to feel a transformation in just a few days. At the end of the 28 days, you should experience the following reduced or eliminated gut inflammation, increased energy, decreased or completely resolved brain fog, reduced or eliminated joint pain. It's critical to strictly adhere to the guidelines during the detox phase so you can successfully achieve a perfect baseline in your body and move on to the next phase, the reintroduction of foods that will help you identify your personal trigger foods.

Reintroduction And 72-Hour Tracking

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Phase two, reintroduction. The next eight weeks of the Heal, Seal and Repair Protocol involves slowly and separately reintroducing foods back into your diet and then monitoring for adverse effects. Choose a single food from the reasonable or acceptable foods list to reintroduce to your diet based on your personal preference. Avoid introducing several foods at a time, for example a salad with carrots, cabbage, and onions. Make sure you're adding a relatively small amount of your single chosen food. I recommend a palm-sized piece of solid food or 20 mls to 40 mls of liquid at a time during the reintroduction period. Here's an example of what this might look like. On day one of the reintroduction phase, you may want to add salmon back into your diet. You add a small quantity of salmon, perhaps in your breakfast omelette, or maybe for lunch. It's your protein served with your three cups of green vegetables. Then for the next 72 hours, you will monitor how your body responds to the salmon and note any adverse reactions. Look for skin rashes, changes in mood, discomfort in your gut or bloating. Write down any observations in your healing journal to track any problematic foods. You must wait the full 72 hours because it's how long it takes your body to tell you whether that food is a trigger for you. It's important to wait the full 72 hours before reintroducing another new food, so noticing adverse reactions is as accurate as possible for each food you reintroduce. The stricter you adhere to these steps, the more accurately you will be able to identify your trigger foods and achieve the best clinical outcomes from the second phase of the protocol. If you experience an adverse reaction, try removing that particular food from your diet. Then write down any changes in how you feel or react. This reintroduction process and accurate monitoring are crucial in developing an individualized list of tolerable and safe foods for you to consume. The foods you need to nourish your body according to what it needs, boost your vitality and make you feel amazing. Whenever possible, I recommend using only organic sources of food to help minimize possible adverse reactions due to pesticides or other external contaminants. Once you have tested what you want from the reasonable and acceptable food list, you may want to reintroduce a few foods from the Eat with Caution list using the same 72-hour monitoring protocol. Always be sensible and use your intuition when selecting your food choices. For example, if you know from past experience that your body has a sensitivity to eggs, then common sense says eggs most likely will not be one of your safe foods. By this point in the protocol, you might be craving something sweet. As I said, heal, seal and repair is not meant to be a restrictive diet. So if you're intentional in your choices, there is nothing wrong with a bit of sweet indulgence. As you transition to the reintroduction phase, keep these key guidelines top of mind. Reintroduce one food at a time. Reintroduce a relatively small amount. Monitor for adverse reactions for 72 hours before reintroducing another new food. Select foods only from the reasonable and acceptable foods list. And choose from the eat with caution list only if you really want to explore that food as a possibility for your safe food list. The length of the heal, seal, and repair protocol. As mentioned earlier, the length of the detox phase is intended to be only four weeks. The reintroduction phase is then followed for up to eight weeks. If by the end of the 12 weeks of the heal, seal and repair protocol you continue to suffer from negative symptoms, you may consider doing more functional testing to identify any possible underlying conditions still impacting your overall foundational health and well-being. If you take nothing else away from this information I've shared, please know your gut is the foundation of everything else, and alongside a healthy gut, your lifestyle, your quality of sleep, your stress levels, your movement, and food are the cornerstones of your healing. Your gut is your earth element, your foundation. When it's healthy, when the inflammation is reduced, when the lining is strong and sealed, everything else in your body has the capacity to heal and thrive. You are worth this investment. You deserve to feel vibrant, energized, and at peace in your own skin. Gut integrity is essential for proper hormone metabolism. Without gut repair, hormone interventions simply won't hold. This is why we begin with the gut, and why it's the first pillar of the hierarchy of healing. To enhance your results. There's one last thing to consider.

Rocket Fuel Supplements And Starting Date

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To truly heal, seal, and repair your gut, achieve incredible results and feel amazing, I recommend my patients use a basic prescription of interventions that includes botanicals, nutraceuticals, and psychobiotic medicines. I describe this prescription, this combination of medicines as rocket fuel for your results. When a patient asks, Dr. Holland, do I have to add the prescription to the protocol or can I solely focus on food in your heel seal and repair protocol? My answer is always you do not have to follow the prescription to get the results you desire because food is always first. It's the cornerstone of your gut health. However, I also recommend if you are eager to supercharge your gut healing journey. More can be done with a basic prescription of medicines. An example of a powerful repair prescription is listed in the resource section. Research demonstrates that specific nutrients can support and enhance gut healing. Specific probiotic strains may work synergistically to restore beneficial bacteria and reduce inflammation. Now it's your turn. Pick a date, turn that dream into a real goal with a deadline. Then begin. You already have everything you need to heal, seal, and repair your gut. The tools are in your hands. The only question is when will you start? What's next?

Rebalance Preview And Closing

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Rebalance. With your gut healed, your mucosal lining repaired, your microbiome thriving, and the good bacteria are back in charge, you're now ready for the second phase of the hierarchy of healing. Rebalance. This is where we begin to bring your hormones back into balance to realign your biochemistry. It's important to remember true hormone balance is only possible once digestion and detoxification are working as they should, clearing the way for lasting change. In chapter 11, you will meet six archetypical women I often see in my clinic. Each one arrived with symptoms that are, in my view, among the most common and critical for women to understand in perimenopause and menopause. I hope that their stories will help you recognize aspects of your own journey and give you the clarity and knowledge to ask the right questions, avoid misdiagnosis, and advocate for the care you truly deserve during this vital phase of life.