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The 5 R's

ChrisD

Senior Member
Messages
472
Location
East Sussex
What do people think of the naturopathic principle of the 5 R's: Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, Repair, Rebalance ?

1. Remove
Remove stressors: get rid of things that negatively affect the environment of the GI tract including allergic foods (gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs and sugar which can lead to food sensitivities), infections (parasites and ptential problematic bacteria or yeast), and gastric irritants like environmental toxins (chemicals, or heavy metals).

2. Replace
Replace digestive secretions: add back things like digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid, and bile acids that are required for proper digestion and that may be compromised by diet, medications, diseases, aging, or other factors.

3. Reinoculate
Help beneficial bacteria flourish by ingesting probiotic foods or supplements that contain the “good” GI bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacillus species, and by consuming the high soluble fiber foods that good bugs like to eat, called prebiotics. n Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms found in the gut that are also called “friendly bacteria.” Use of antibiotics kills both good and bad bacteria. Probiotics in the form of supplements or food are often needed to help reestablish a balanced gut flora. Fermented foods, such as yogurt, miso, and tempeh are food sources of probiotics. n Prebiotics are food ingredients that selectively stimulate the growth of beneficial microorganisms already in the colon. In other words, prebiotics feed probiotics. Prebiotics are available in many foods that contain a fiber called inulin, including artichokes, garlic, leeks, onion, chicory, tofu, and other soy products. Grains such as barley, flax, oats, and wheat are also good sources of prebiotics. Another good prebiotic source is a supplement called “fructo-oligosaccharide” or FOS.

4. Repair
Help the lining of the GI tract repair itself by supplying key nutrients that can often be in short supply in a compromised gut, such as zinc, antioxidants (e.g. vitamins A, C, and E), fish oil, and the amino acid glutamine, as well as herbs such as slippery elm and aloe vera.

5. Rebalance
Consider the other lifestyle choices which contribute to health: Sleep, exercise, and stress can all affect the GI tract. Balancing those activities is important to an optimal digestive tract.

In the process of this, they also advocate using parasite cleansing and Heavy metal detox protocols, I don't know exactly what these entail but should I be wary? The diet is something that I have got down anyway so i am not concerned about that...
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
What do people think of the naturopathic principle of the 5 R's: Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, Repair, Rebalance ?
Most of this is helpful to ME/CFS patients....but many of us have done all this and are still sick. So my take is that, while it may be helpful, it is not going to bring fundamental change to ME/CFS patients.