75: The Crucial Link Between Gut Health and Disease Management Part 2 | Linda Murphy

We continue in part 2 with Linda Murphy, a registered holistic nutritionist, shedding light on the profound influence of gut health. She introduces us to the powerhouse that is stomach acid, our unsung hero in the fight against harmful bacteria and the key to unlocking vibrant digestion through healthy bile production. We're not just talking about avoiding upset stomachs—this episode reveals how a balanced gut microbiome is your shield against inflammation and autoimmune diseases. It's an insightful look at the intricate dance between our internal flora and our well-being, and trust me, you'll want to know the steps.

As we wade through the often misunderstood waters of detoxification, Linda guides us through our body's natural defenses, like mucus and fever, and poses an intriguing perspective on common flu-like symptoms. Could they be a sign of internal cleansing rather than illness? We'll also touch on the emotional threads that weave through our digestive health, underscoring the impact stress can have on our thyroid and adrenal health. With practical tips on combating unwelcome guests like parasites and Candida, this episode is brimming with natural remedies and dietary advice to support your body's detoxification process.

Finally, we turn our attention to the power of community in the healing process. Linda highlights how HealingStrong, a nonprofit organization, is creating a lifeline for individuals grappling with cancer and other diseases. Discover how joining forces with a support group or accessing free educational resources can be a turning point in your health journey. So, if you've ever felt alone in your quest for wellness, let this episode be a beacon of hope and empowerment, reminding you that every small step is a leap towards a healthier, happier you.


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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

the drinking water, eating fiber and doing a lot of things, and they still have issues with constipation, and sometimes that does stem from an underactive thyroid, right. So we have to kind of bump back again, right, To kind of figure out what's going on. But that's, and sometimes the thing is you got to go back to digestion because how did the thyroid get compromised, Right? So it's always going back.

Speaker 2: 0:25

So we'll say, okay, so the thyroid could be an issue, but we still got to go back to the main thing, you're listening to the I Am Healing Strong podcast, a part of the Healing Strong organization, the number one network of holistic cancer support groups in the world. Each week we bring you stories of hope, real stories that will encourage you as you navigate your way on your own journey to health. Now here's your host stage four cancer thriver, jim Mann.

Speaker 3: 0:56

Hey, thanks for joining us for part two of the very important subject of gut health. If you missed part one, make sure you go back and listen. And now we continue our conversation from part one with registered holistic nutritionist Linda Murphy.

Speaker 1: 1:11

So how does stomach acids affect your intestinal system? So what happens is that strong stomach acid that we need is needed to kill harmful bacteria like H pylori. Wankwank, nudge, nudge, oh yes, write it down and then it kills yeast, okay, and then it stimulates the pancreas to produce bile and bile is very important.

Speaker 1: 1:41

This was produced in the liver and bile is what we call liquid gold. Bile is so important for emulsifying fat soluble vitamins and emulsifying our fats and to get rid of toxins in the body. So hydrochloric acid see how it directly affects the intestinal system. It's needed to kill that harmful bacteria in yeast and it stimulates bile. So that's how our intestinal system or colon needs to be kept healthy by a healthy digestive system. So it's all tied together. Nothing is separate. So when we look at the intestinal system, so we can have and of course those foods that I talked about can cause issues With flattening our villi, or villi or our little finger, like protrusions that line the intestinal wall.

Speaker 1: 2:36

That that's how we absorb our nutrients and they can become flattened. And then what also we get? So if we have harmful bacteria that's not being killed, and yeast and we don't have enough good bacteria, because we want more good bacteria than bad bacteria of yeast, right. So those three things have to be. We all have them. It's a, it's a microbiome, everybody's a slightly different, like a fingerprint, but we want more good, beneficial bacteria. And when we have more bad bacteria in yeast, we call it dysbiosis. It's an imbalance, and then that creates an inflammation, and then what we get in some people have heard of this term and I'll explain it more in detail, because I explained this before like oh, that's really good info, and that is that we end up what we call leaky gut. You heard leaky gut.

Speaker 3: 3:30

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1: 3:31

Yeah, okay. So what leaky gut is? It's gaps in the intestinal wall, because inflammation is causing bits of gaps, it's almost so. A good visual is picture your garden hose with a whole bunch of holes in it and you want your water to go through, but it's spilling out, so the water is not. It's coming out through the hole, so you're not getting all the water you want. Well, leaky gut is you're getting leakage. You're getting things, but you're getting spillage. You're getting things that are spilling into the bloodstream.

Speaker 1: 4:04

You're getting undigested food, particles and toxins going into the bloodstream.

Speaker 3: 4:12

It's nasty.

Speaker 1: 4:13

And so what that does, it creates. So you're not supposed to have anything into your blood other than blood right.

Speaker 1: 4:22

And foods have been broken, the nutrients and stuff that are broken down, not undigested food and toxins. So right away your body's like alert, alert, alert. Right, it causes a histamine, inflammation, histamine. Your immune system goes whoa, what's going on here? Stimulation, t cells, b cells, they're like oh, emergency, emergency, we got to get this stuff out. So we, all of a sudden we have this inflammatory thing happening.

Speaker 1: 4:49

Well, that inflammation can travel through the entire body and reside in any weakened parts in the body. So where can those? So that's where predisposition genetically can happen. So here you have a predisposition for joint issues. You have a weakened well that inflammation can reside in the joints and inflammation is traveling and can reside in the joints.

Speaker 1: 5:15

Cardiovascular issues can reside in the arteries, cause problem-carved ulcerative system. Oh, what if you have some respiratory stuff going on? All of a sudden you've got, you know it's going to affect your lungs. So that inflammation, the healthier gut and that inflammatory process that happens with having undigested food and toxins getting into your bloodstream is going to affect all areas of the body. So every system is connected to the gastrointestinal tract and your body's ability to urinate test times, your ability to be able to absorb properly and not have leakage and having these things going to your bloodstream. So, on that same note, I got to say it guys, I'm going to say it and that is so when I talk to people about when they really understand this and I'm explaining this about anything that goes in the bloodstream, that's not blood, anything that comes in. So we have undigested food and toxins going into the bloodstream.

Speaker 1: 6:17

You know big red lights, your blood, your body's going wow, what's this, what's this? Causes a reaction and if you have that, enough, if that happens often, guess what? Great Autoimmune diseases. Because your body goes in like it's, it's getting confused, it's happening so much, it's like whoa, whoa, good guys, bad guys, self non-self oh, what am I doing? Wow, leaky gut is the major contributor to autoimmune diseases. So when they say we don't know what causes autoimmune diseases, yes, we do. Yes, we do. It stands from leaky gut. When we're talking about bloodstream and anything going into the bloodstream, guess what I'm going to talk about? Vaccines.

Speaker 1: 6:59

Oh yeah, If you inject something into your bloodstream, you inject any foreign matter into the bloodstream, your body's going to go whoa, what is this? Oh dear, oh dear, I don't recognize this. This should not be injected in the bloodstream. You inject apple juice into your bloodstream you're going to get a history response people. So imagine the stuff that we're injecting in our bodies that are toxic. Same thing anything goes in the blood whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. So we're getting a lot of autoimmune diseases and a lot of things happening. Oh, okay, that's enough said yeah, okay, that makes sense, doesn't it?

Speaker 3: 7:42

It sure does.

Speaker 1: 7:45

And so along with that. So when we have not enough good bacteria and bad bacteria and yeast, and that yeast when it gets to a certain state, where we have too much of it, it is called Candida, and Candida is very common and oftentimes when people have Candida they also end up with an infestation of more of parasites. Well, parasites in us, but what degree do they cause, wreak havoc and cause problems. So this leads to Candida, inflammation and parasites. And do you know, there's a lot of research now, especially Hall de Clarke talks a lot about this. She has a great book, big, thick book on it, and there's lots of research now on parasites and cancer, lots of research on that. So they're really starting to look at that.

Speaker 1: 8:36

And so, and you know, the thing is, when our bodies are detoxing from any of these things, right. So sometimes you think, okay, is it really and I'm not going to go into this because it's a whole other pathway that I've been really, you know, researching and going into but is it that we actually have flu, stuff Like what is actually the flu? The symptoms of flu are the same as our bodies detoxifying. So think about this for a minute. So, because I'm getting a lot of this research from some scientists and doctors. So, in thinking about and I always have to talk about this going into our flu season, our lack of vitamin D season, and that is that with with detoxification symptoms, comes mucus fever, you know, your body's trying to expel, so the body wants to expel things, so we're detoxifying. The way for a body to expel is to create mucus and bacteria, and sometimes we get a bit of diarrhea, like things that are your body's purging, getting rid of stuff, right, so that's our body's way of getting rid of things.

Speaker 1: 9:55

So it's actually that we've caught something, or is it actually we're always just trying to detox or bodies trying to detox, right? So the interesting thing I just want to put a little plug in people's brains about this and you can, and I, you know, I say to people you know, do some more research on your own too, because I mean, I'm just really this is really fascinating me, and that is when we talk about certain things that we, you know, are in, that have been happening the last few years, and I think we're safe on this platform. But but this is why. So there's such a problem with parasites in Candida. So think about what people kind of side effects people have been having. And then they take ivermectin or something, and oh, ivermectin's an antiparasitic and they start to get better.

Speaker 3: 10:51

Weird.

Speaker 1: 10:52

Interesting, right? So is it that it's that we, our bodies, were trying to get rid of parasites and Candida, or you know, is it? What I'm trying to say is that are we actually, you know, catching something, or is our bodies purging and and trying to heal itself and the immune system and we were spelling toxins and stuff from our environment, getting rid of things, right?

Speaker 3: 11:17

And we try to stop it. Yeah, so that's your wife.

Speaker 1: 11:21

Yeah, exactly. So we want to try to expel the stuff and get rid of it.

Speaker 3: 11:25

Okay.

Speaker 1: 11:26

So so we have stress, processed foods, the things that we're doing that create a shutdown of our digestive system. That impacts our intestinal system and then our intestinal system you can see where that inflammation can reside in anywhere in the body. So anything we want to do, we always go back to digestion every single time and that's the thing I find that's really missed when clients come to me and they've been doing all this stuff adding on this one side, you know bringing like I love herbs, I love all these remedies and stuff, but if we don't address, address how the digestive system works and fix that leaky boat, then sometimes they only get. So you know they get so far with their treatments and their and their ability to heal. And there's a great movie that a lot of people if you haven't watched it, it's really going to explain side. It's really details the movie heal. And the movie heal talks about this that people could be eating healthy, exercise, seem to be doing all the right things, but they don't deal with the emotional part of things and we really see how emotions and stress affects your digestive system. That's so, so important.

Speaker 1: 12:39

So I always, I always say to people let's get back to that right when things aren't moving like that's. Let's look at your stress numbers. You know just, and I was just helping a client a couple weeks ago and you know we started digging, we go back, back, back, and I started asking her numbers, or stress numbers, and you know she said well, right now there are three, but they used to be like a 12 out of 10, from 1 to 10. What your stress? What was your stress over? Oh, but a 12 like oh dear.

Speaker 1: 13:07

Okay, that's bad, but you know what? But when she started to think back she said, oh, you know, she was, you know, taking care of family members, and she also got very stressful. And after that was when all these things started popping up hmm, and another big one that's linked to something very common is thyroid.

Speaker 1: 13:31

So stress affecting the adrenal glands and affecting thyroid. So you know that's so. Then we just and it just goes on and on, like you just see all the branches going off, to like okay. So then this affects this and this affects that, and then stress affects, you know, estrogen, how estrogen and then affects women's border bones and you know, but it all stemmed from their body, their ability to absorb and eliminate and to get good absorption right. So, so important.

Speaker 1: 14:05

So what I usually say to people is you know, we can do some cleansers. We can get certain foods that help to cleanse if we have intestinal issues with parasites and Candida. There are certain foods that are really beneficial, like pumpkin seeds, garlic, ginger, cayenne, oregano or parasites. We can do wormwood and cloves, papaya seeds. There's also the great foods that we can introduce to help kill off parasites and help reduce Candida. Then of course we want to load up with those great probiotics. Of course we have good bacteria. We also have to feed our good bacteria. We need those fruits and vegetables and inland legnands, like from flax seeds, and then getting enough vitamin A. There we go again. We end up in a catch-22. Our intestinal system requires a good amount of vitamin A, but if we don't have enough hydrochloric acid to stimulate bile, to emulsify our fat-soluble vitamins, which is A, d, e, d and K, then you're not in vain. We end up with this vicious circle happening Then of course we require zinc.

Speaker 1: 15:36

One of the things that I really love is Omega-3 fatty acids. That's for every system in the body needs Omega-3s so important for the intestinal system. It helps to reduce inflammation. If people are posed to fish oil, then there's flaxseed oil. Some people will do krill. There's Omega-3s in a lot of foods, but we want to make sure we get a good quality oil, that we're going to be getting enough of these great Omega-3s. Of course, fiber is super important, because we talked about elimination, so we're making sure the colon is eliminating at least twice a day.

Speaker 1: 16:19

We want to make sure we're getting that stuff out, because if it's sitting we've got stuff in the colon sitting too long. We're going to recirculate those toxins. So we're going to really make sure that colon is working well. The thing is sometimes people will be drinking water, eating fiber and doing a lot of things and they still have issues with constipation. Sometimes that does stem from an underactive thyroid. We have to bump back again to figure out what's going on. Sometimes the thing is you've got to go back to digestion Because how did the thyroid get compromised? It's always going back, so we'll say, okay, so the thyroid could be an issue, but we still got to go back to the main thing and stress and how that can affect the thyroid.

Speaker 1: 17:11

Magnesium is great. Magnesium is great. It's a great way to relax muscles. It's a great laxative, especially eating powder. Magnesium is great. People could do epsom salts baths, which gives them a great amount of magnesium. If people don't want to have, especially for men I know men that are not necessarily allowed to have baths epsom salts baths. So soaking the feet in epsom salts it's a great way to get your magnesium in there.

Speaker 1: 17:39

And then, of course, your B vitamins, glutamines, great glycine so those are great for the intestinal system as well. There's lots of great things that we can add to help with the intestinal system.

Speaker 3: 17:55

Man, my mind is full right now. I need to switch where I can dump some stuff off and then reload, yeah. So I'm sitting right in like crazy and I realize I'm recording this so I can just listen to it anytime I want. But I feel like I'm doing something when I'm right down.

Speaker 1: 18:14

Yeah, so I find that that's one of my ways to learn is that I go to these classes. Sometimes they say, oh, you know, when you get the recording, you don't have to write down. It reinforces it. Right, writing it down, listening to it again, yeah, because that stuff, and see, the thing is, I'm always doing this with my students. So I find that going over and over and over it is a way we can retain it right, but there is a lot of information. So, yeah, writing down and that's actually on the side note, that's a lot of people writing right, especially our kids nowadays, and it's a great way to retain things. I mean, I was an educational assistant for 17 years, taught special needs, and we used to do tactile, visual and auditory, and so for us to learn, we need to use all three. So you're doing all the right. Now You're doing all three to learn. There you go.

Speaker 3: 19:07

Man there you go.

Speaker 1: 19:08

You're doing a really good thing again.

Speaker 3: 19:11

This is great.

Speaker 1: 19:12

So what I'd like to say, though, is because I've been doing this for so long with clients and my students, so what I'd like to say to anybody listening is that number one we have to come at everything from place of peace and confidence and knowing that every little bit that we do is going to make a difference. You don't have to do everything at once.

Speaker 3: 19:38

Right.

Speaker 1: 19:39

Okay, so that's number one, and that you know the Lord doesn't want us anything when we feel overwhelmed or you feel like, oh my goodness, how am I going to do all this, that we don't want to come from a place like that, and that's. The Lord makes things simple. And so if we take that information, like you, take that information and what we do is go Lord, how do you want me to start with first? And he lets us know he knows our bodies and I still ask him all the time. I'm like, even though I've been doing this for a long time, sometimes I'm like hey, lord, what do you want me to do? Like what, what should I add? What should I do? And do you know, I always feel like I get an answer. I'm like okay, folks, a little bit more in this, because, after all these years, sometimes I'm like I and I still I mean, I'm still researching, taking things and I'm still learning all the time. And sometimes I'm like and what happens is sometimes people think they have to fit all of this in every day, right, like, how am I going to put all this in every day? Oh, my goodness, I'm not. Like you know, write it all down.

Speaker 1: 20:39

And I say to people okay, start with one or two things and then add something else. And sometimes I go weekly, I rotate. Sometimes I have a week of doing something and then I rotate to something else that I add in and I rotate things, and so it doesn't matter. I mean, you know what the thing is. We're going to see. So I'll tell you this right off the bat. When I learned about not drinking with my meals, that was huge. What a difference. Just doing that, I didn't get those duck pains anymore, right? So I'll say to my, I say to people say, okay, just do one thing right now and see the difference it makes and like, oh yeah, okay, what next? Okay, choo, choo, choo, right.

Speaker 3: 21:26

Yes.

Speaker 1: 21:28

Diabrambary. Just doing those three things is going to make a dramatic change. And sometimes, when I go through all the things that I do with my clients sometimes I work with people for months and I'll ask them I'll say, okay, so what was a couple of things that really, really made a huge impact? Right, and I, it can be. And it's funny because, you know, I think about some people that go to and I love functical doctors and homeopathic doctors, but they'll, you know all these tinctures and drops and all this stuff, and I'll ask somebody, like they'll come to me and I'll say so, of all the things I recommend and all the things you've been doing, from all the different recommendations, what's the best thing? I'll say, oh, that diaphragm, breathing, it's free.

Speaker 3: 22:08

Yeah, it's good in our budget that fits well.

Speaker 1: 22:11

Yeah, right. So all the things that could be doing, they're like wow, the diaphragm breathing made the biggest difference. I could feel calmer before I ate. It helped me with my sleeping. I woke up in the middle of the night. I noticed a calm, my nervous system down right. I could sleep. So, and like I said, with me, not drinking with my meals. So, of all the things that we have access to, just take a few.

Speaker 1: 22:36

And if you really don't want to start with, pray and expect, and this is what I learned today when I was in, I was in my worship group this morning and I always, I always learned something the Lord always downloads things for me every single day. And when we turn to the Lord with expectation, expectation that he's going to speak to us and answer us, because that's his will, is to be part of our lives and to do those and have an expectation, it happens. It happens. Expect, anointing, expect blessings, favor, expect answers, expect it. Just say I expect this because you're my Heavenly Father, you love me, and so I'm confused, a little bit overwhelmed, but you know what? I know that you can, you can do this for me. I'm going to expect that you can give me an answer. Make me feel calm about this. I'm going to diaphragm, breathe, pray about it. I'm going to expect that you can give me an answer on this and I'll know exactly what to start with. I'll know.

Speaker 3: 23:36

Yes, good advice, and of course we all know. Just stop eating junk and eat good stuff instead. Yeah, that's brilliant on my part.

Speaker 1: 23:45

Yeah, yeah, when most people know that, like I mean.

Speaker 1: 23:47

I when I talk to people, most people know that they have to cut out the junk, right. The big part they're missing is understanding about how they digest. So that's where I step in. I say you know what, like, let's talk about how you digest, but and the thing is to get people to lower, how many people are walking around with excessive stress? And so, if we can diaphragm breathe, go for walks, you know, get our, you know, when the weather's nice, but so I, I don't. I'd like to be living in Florida and somewhere warm, my feet ground in the sand and the grass.

Speaker 1: 24:22

But you know what? Basically, when we talk about anxiety and calming our bodies down to have good digestion, who do we turn to? Right, right, and God tells us over and over again he says fear not, 365 times in the Bible. Fear not, right, for reason, and not have anxiety, right. So there's a big reason because it affects our system and our ability to absorb and get the nutrients we need.

Speaker 1: 24:54

And he tells us to eat the seeds and plants. He tells us what food. He tells us not to be. He tells us what we need to do, right. So if we have, if so, if you're out there and you're and you're doing all the things that you think you need to be doing, but you're still living in a stress of anxiety and fear and and panicking, and that diagnosis has sent you into a tailspin. Let me tell you you get in the Bible, get in the Word and pray and ask for direction and he will give it to you. He will Expect it Because that's how good he is. He's good and he will do that. So that's how I like my talk.

Speaker 3: 25:34

Excellent. God is good.

Speaker 1: 25:35

That's a good way to end that.

Speaker 3: 25:37

So if people want more information, they just go to the best body, the number four, lifeca right.

Speaker 1: 25:44

Correct. Yeah, they can also email me at info at best body for lifeca as well. I want to just directly email me as well.

Speaker 3: 25:53

Yes, don't putcom It'sca. It's in Canada for crying out loud.

Speaker 1: 26:00

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3: 26:02

Where it's snowing and I love snow, but hey, I was just in Florida two days ago and it was like 70 some Sorry, oh, that's terrible. I did it at a coffee shop doing a little reading, just you know de-stressing.

Speaker 1: 26:16

Yes, yeah, yeah yeah. I'll go bundle up with de-stress, I'll go put all my hat and my mitts and everything else and go for my walk and de-stress as the cold wind whips on my face.

Speaker 3: 26:30

Do a snow angel yeah.

Speaker 1: 26:34

Well.

Speaker 3: 26:34

Linda, I know there's so much more to talk about, but they can get that at your website and you've given us a lot to think about. Of course, I got my notes here and I'll see how good I took my notes when I go back to edit things and listen to it up. Oh, I missed that part. Yeah, so I'll be right in these notes. Well, thank you so much.

Speaker 1: 26:52

My pleasure. Yeah, I love sharing the passion and yeah, it's, and I I've already, I've already taught for four hours today and the another hour, so you can tell that I never run out of I love talking nutrition. I never get tired of it.

Speaker 3: 27:09

All right. Well, hopefully we'll talk again.

Speaker 2: 27:12

Yeah, I would love that You've been listening to the I Am Healing Strong podcast. A part of the Healing Strong organization. We hope you found encouragement in this episode, as well as the confidence to take control of your healing journey, knowing that God will guide you on this path. Healing Strong is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect, support and educate individuals facing cancer and other diseases through strategies that help to rebuild the body, renew the soul and refresh the spirit.

Speaker 2: 27:47

It costs nothing to be a part of a local or online group. You can do that by going to our website at healingstrongorg and finding a group near you or an online group, or start your own, your choice. While you're there, take a look around at all the free resources. Though the resources and groups are free, we encourage you to join our membership program at 25 or $75 a month. This helps us to be able to reach more people with hope and encouragement, and that also comes with some extra perks as well. So check it out. If you enjoyed this podcast, please give us a five star rating, leave an encouraging comment and help us spread the word. We'll see you next week with another story on the I am healing strong podcast.