I don’t think cyclospora is to blame for all the 10+ urgent episodes women are telling me about.
It’s possible this is a resurgence of something I saw during the pandemic and after sitting down with Kim Rogers “The Worm Queen”, famous for her ParaFy tinctures and her website Mrs. Rogers Hood I’m wondering about a few more things.
Viruses, bacteria, mold, yeast and parasites can hang out in your body as co-infections and when your immune system dips, is stressed or hormones shift things can flare up.
And if that isn’t fun enough, certain bacteria can be primed to reabsorb estrogen through the gut causing even more gas, bloating, puffiness, weight gain and frustration.
Travel to a new place, even if it’s a different part of the United States brings exposure to new bugs in the water.
I’ve long thought there could be a common denominator when it comes to chronic ailments of the gut, I’d even throw constipation in here too, and water.
After talking with Kim Rogers about her battle with the city of Seattle and the small Olympic Peninsula town of Hoodsport in Washington when it came to her water testing vs theirs of the same water, I was horrified.
Many places claim their water is good, and if I’ve learned anything in the last decade it’s to question everything and do your own research.
What if the water you’re drinking, cooking, showering in or exposed to on a daily basis is the reason you’re unable to kick the gut issues despite doing everything else to keep your gut healthy?
Or what if your travel has you letting down your guard a bit when it comes to water and you get exposed to something new?
I’ll be honest I haven’t pressed this subject with many folks in my practice other than asking about filtering water because I usually get one of two answers: 1) I have a fridge filter and 2) I’m on a well and it tested just fine.
Truth is, fridge filters aren’t enough and most ignore the blinking light indicating it’s time for a filter change on the panel for years anyway.
I’ve had a lot of push back on this subject and after talking with Kim Rogers I’m not going to ignore it anymore.
Before you panic about your water, know there are things you can do right now to minimize exposure and test out your situation.
Tap Score is a company that tests wells and city water online – go to mytapscore.com.
Do not rely on your local municipality’s water testing, they don’t look for things they don’t want to see.
Grab some bottled water in glass bottles as these have the highest ratings for cleanliness and get going on some research to figure out your water.
In the interim you can get a counter top system with a charcoal filter or if you have a reverse osmosis system in your camping gear grab it and start using it.
Keep in mind anytime you do some deep filtration with reverse osmosis of your water you’ll want to add minerals back in using liquid minerals like Concentrace.
I have used the Berkey for over a decade and many of my patients use AquaTru for counter top systems.
When I moved into my home here in Wisconsin I put in another whole house filtration system from SpringWell.
If you’re finding that you can’t seem to kick your gut symptoms no matter what or if you have chronic fatigue, mold, Lyme, Epstein Barr or histamine intolerance issues, you really want to dial in your water situation.
I’m even considering purchasing a travel reverse osmosis system as It’s quite interesting how many folks I see getting sick after travel to places with “good water”.
Stay tuned I’m going to start testing out systems and if any of you have suggestions I’m all ears.
Kim Rogers and I had a great podcast talking all about her ParaFy tincture system, how she created a nut free one for those with tree nut allergies and more!
Don’t miss this one, especially if you’re living in Washington State, it’s a real eye opener!
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s email with my complete guide to putting diarrhea in check (even if you don’t have this going on right now, save the guide to help when you least expect it).
Here’s to healthy water,
Dr. J
