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The #1 Cause of GERD, Gas, Bloating, Indigestion & Weight Gain Guest: Ann Louise Gittleman The purpose of this presentation is to convey information. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure your condition or to be a substitute for advice from your physician or other healthcare professional. Donna: Visionary health expert Ann Louise

Gittleman Ph.D., CNS has always been a trend-setter. She has the uncanny ability to pinpoint major health concerns and provide solutions years ahead of mainstream medicine. Highly respected of the grand damme of alternative health and also the author or award-winning books, thirty books to be exact, she single-handedly launched the weight loss detox revolution in her 2002 New York Times Bestseller The Fat Flush Plan, which spawned a series of five additional Fat Flush books. She's a graduate of Connecticut College and also of Columbia University. Ann Louise was recognized as one of the top ten nutritionists in the country by Self magazine. She's also a recipient of the American Medical Writer's Association award for excellence for her book Super Nutrition for Women. Ann Louise forged new ways of thinking of obesity early on in her career. Over two decades ago she predicted this global diabesity epidemic that's currently affecting up to one in two Americans in nearly 70-80% of some populations worldwide. She was the first to proclaim that obesity was caused by the lack of the right kind of dietary fats and the wrong kind of carbohydrates in her best-selling book Beyond Pritikin. That book was published in 1981. In Beyond Pritikin, she


predicted that the fat-free, carb-rich diet was creating metabolic syndrome, sugar cravings, and fatigue. She also targeted gluten sensitivity and food intolerances as unsuspected weight gain factors. This was way back in 1981, long before the gluten epidemic became as popular as it is today. In her classic Guess What Came to Dinner? Parasites and Your Health, Ann Louise shed a spotlight on the hidden hazards of parasites and how their symptoms are typically misdiagnosed and confused with other common health disorders. Several years later she wrote The Gut Flush Plan, which targeted yeast, bacteria, and food sensitivities as primary health saboteurs. In the book Your Body Knows Best, Ann Louise introduced the blood type diet connection and stated that one diet may not be right for everybody. She also led the way to presenting natural alternatives to synthetic hormones for menopausal symptoms in Super Nutrition for Menopause. She's widely credited as one of the first to popularize the term "perimenopause" in her New York Times bestseller, Before the Change. Ann Louise's most current book, the highly acclaimed Zapped once again eliminates an emerging and hidden health risk: the visible hazards of electro pollution. Zapped in a step-by-step manual for fortifying the body, detoxifying the home, and protecting yourself and your family from the invisible hazards of electromagnetic fields. She's been featured on 20/20, Dr. Phil, The View, Good Morning America, Extra, and The Early Show. In addition, her work has been featured on CNN, PBS, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CBN, FOX News, and BBC. Ann Louise has served as a celebrity spokesperson and formula developer for many of the largest companies in the health foods and network marketing industry including Vitamin Shoppe, Balance Bar, Spectrum Oils, Barleans, Carlsen's, Essential Formulas, Tonalin, Beauty Control, and Mannatech. Her work has credited in a myriad of national publications ranging from Time


and Newsweek to Glamour, In Style, Good Housekeeping, Ebony, USA Weekend, Parade, and the Oprah magazine. Today she's continuing to forge ahead into new health frontiers. Of course, she would and thank God she is, lucky for all of us listening. And we're going to be talking today about the simple but shocking causes of bloating, gas, heartburn, and GERD. Ann Louise, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us today. Ann Louise: It's wonderful to be with you again, Donna. Donna: We had a fantastic response the last time we did a gut summit together. And we talked about parasites, of course. But when you told me that you had a whole different topic to talk about this time, I was really excited. I like to be the one who's introducing new concepts to the world, and I think it's fantastic that you're the one doing it his time because as always this has been your pattern for two decades. You're always ahead of everybody else. You're a true visionary. You're always on the forefront of what we need to know to be healthy. So what is the special topic we're going to talk about today? Ann Louise: Well, I think today we really need to talk about some of the underlying, hidden, unsuspected, and unrecognized solutions to most people's problems, whether they be mechanical or biochemical issues with too much gas, too much bloating, problems with too much or too little acid. And I think that if we start in that respect, then you take a look at how structure equals function. And although many of us have been exploring how important it is to clean up our diet, use the proper fermented foods, probiotics, make sure that we're eliminating food allergies, take our digestive enzymes, hopefully I haven't forgotten anything there, but I would suggest that it's also important to take a look at some of the structural imbalances that may be at the bottom of some of our more unseemingly mysterious illnesses. And that's where I'd like to begin.


And one of those mysterious illnesses is something that has been known as the mother of all illness. And believe it or not, it's called the hiatal hernia syndrome. And I believe that most individuals that have GERD or that are experiencing anxiety or problems with their digestion, the inability to breathe, I believe that much of that may have to do with a hiatal hernia which probably has not been diagnosed or has been overlooked. And what you have to remember is that the hiatus is a very particular hole in the diaphragm, which is your breathing muscle. And it's the hole through which your esophagus turns into the stomach. So when you have a hernia, it is the term for any type of stretched, torn, or weakened muscle. So if the diaphragmic muscle becomes torn or weakened or if in fact the stomach is pressing against it, then you're going to have many problematic conditions which includes lung pain or rapid heartbeat or rapid rise in blood pressure or a dry, tickling cough which I have had for years, Donna, which is the reason I've gone into the hiatal hernia as much as I have. Or even problems with overall fatigue or constipation or left shoulder pain or nausea or vomiting or hiccups or intestinal gas or sensitivity at your waist. The symptoms are absolutely endless. But much of it has to do with this particular syndrome. And easily and interestingly enough is very easily solved if you can do just the right things. Donna: Well, our listeners probably don't have a visual in their mind of what the gut really looks like. And we see pictures all the time that there's the mouth and then there's this esophagus, this long, skinny tube that connects to the stomach, and so on - small intestine, large intestine. But they don't realize that the esophagus has to go through the diaphragm and there's a hole there, right? Is that what we're...? Ann Louise: Yes. Yes. And that's through which the esophagus actually becomes the stomach. And if there's a problem in terms of the stomach which


then pushes up through the esophagus, then you have an issue with a hiatal hernia. Donna: So if you were looking at a picture of it, you'd see the diaphragm, some of the stomach would be just above the diaphragm and some— Ann Louise: Or pushing against it. Donna: Oh, okay. Ann Louise: So you actually herniate that muscle. You stretch it. You tear it. Or you press against it. Or there's pressure. And that in of itself also links tot he vagus nerve so many of the problems of the hiatal hernia actually have to do with the interference of the vagus nerve with the stomach if it's even a little, little but displaced. So the vagus nerve, which is known as the major pathway in your body in terms of much of your feeling, the well spring of your feelings and your emotions as well, is also intimately involved with the hiatal hernia. So the two of them are intertwined, and I know that there's been a lot of interest with the vagus nerve on this summit already. But I can tell you that if in fact you have a hiatal hernia, that vagus nerve is going to be pinched. And if in fact you contract when you hear any negativity or if you feel very fearful, if you have anger, if you're envious or you're jealous, this can also lead to the stomach contracting, makes you very acidic and then can press against the hiatal hernia. Donna: Well, the vagus nerve is everyone thinks of it, if they even know about it, as this connecting nerve between the gut and the brain and the gut and then the brain and our head. But the don't realize, I think, for the most part there are many other organs affected by the vagus nerve and why this is such an important nerve.


Ann Louise: Oh, it's exceedingly important, and it used to be known as the wandering nerve. It connects so many different areas of the body. And if you look at the pathway, it goes from the head to the larynx, through the bronchial and lungs and the esophagus to the stomach, the small intestines, your blood vessels, the liver, the pancreas, the colon, the kidney, the bladder as well as your genitals. So the point being is it's an exceedingly important nerve in the system, and it's very sensitive to not just emotions but to becoming pinched because of the hiatal hernia. So the two of them are inter-reacted and they're interrelated and react to one another. And I think that's one of the reasons that we consider inflammation of the gut to be connected to inflammation in the brain because of that vagus nerve connection. Donna: Well, if you have a hiatal hernia, how do you diagnose this? Can you feel it? Can you tell? Did you know when you found out that you were having trouble that you actually had one or was it a surprise to you? Ann Louise: It was the biggest surprise of my life. I had had an accident where I fell many years ago because I had taken it was a pain medication for an eye injury. I had an eye abrasion and I still don't know how I could've gotten that with a soft contact lenses and was given some pain pills because it was so very, very painful. Well, I got up in the middle of the night with this sample little pain pill, which I figured one little pain pill, I never take pain pills, my liver is in good condition, it couldn't do any harm, got up in the middle of the night and promptly fainted and hit my head. And when they found me in the morning, this was a very serious injury, which resulted in a concussion and ten stitches on my forehead and three teeth by the way, three veneers that were broken. So it was a very serious injury. But what I didn't know at the time was that I had actually had a very small


hiatal hernia which gave me no symptoms but the pressure of the fall and hitting my head and falling straight down on my rear end actually pushed that hiatal hernia through the diaphragm. And so months later when I couldn't breathe well, had a rapid heartbeat, and thought maybe I had a heart condition that resulted from the fall, I met a very intelligent, very intuitive, and very skilled chiropractor that actually was able to push it down for me. So if you have a chiropractor, a naturopath, or even some physical therapists, they're able to actually move and feel that hiatal hernia and push it all the way down. And then you have to maintain special exercises, which I'll tell you about in a minute, as well as a special diet that can actually help that whole area heal. Donna: You know what's absolutely amazing about this is that in the interview I did with Dr. Datis Kharrazian, he has a great book out on the brain and he really specializes in that. And he mentions in his interview that a head injury immediately impacts the gut. Within a thirty minutes after a fall like you had, the gut is responding in a very negative way somehow. And you are describing perfectly what he talks about. He also talks about the vagus nerve. He gives a fantastic tip in there on how to help the vagus nerve work better. So I love it when these interviews weave together and tell a story for people, a story with new ideas and thoughts and solutions I've never heard of before. This is amazing. Ann Louise: You know how I look at it, when there's truth in the air, it will pop up in many different places. And so I think that the two of these are very, very connected. Many people that have GERD, for example, actually have a hiatal hernia. And in fact, there was one study that I can recall where just about 95% of the individuals in the study had a hiatal hernia, and they also had symptoms of acid reflux. And when the stomach went back to where it belonged either through


particular exercises—and don't let me forget to mention those—or seeing a very skilled chiropractor, a physical therapist, or a naturopath, then the symptoms went away when that hiatal hernia was fixed. And there are many individuals who have a hiatal hernia but don't have acid reflux. So it's a very interesting phenomenon. I think part of that may have to do with another issue that I'd like to bring up without getting confused, and then we're going to go back to the exercises you should do on a daily basis to get your vagus nerve working properly, as well as the hiatal hernia. And this issue has to do with a very special valve that actually is very important for separating the esophagus into the stomach. And it's a valve that's located between the esophagus and the stomach. And it's known as the lower esophageal sphincter. And when that isn't working properly or it opens and closes too quickly or doesn't open and close enough or it's too lax, then you can get a reflux back into the esophagus with that little tickling cough that a lot of us have which can then create sinusitis problems. A lot of hidden sinus problems really are caused from a chronic issue with hiatal hernia or GERD. So what I want to say here is that if in fact you have issues with a lower esophageal sphincter or acid indigestion that you definitely know about or problems with your esophagus, whether it's various esophageal situations or just irritation to the esophageal lining or some sort of reflux esophagitis, then I'm going to suggest that you make some dietary changes immediately. You don't even have to have this diagnosed. What you have to do is stop eating foods that weaken and make the LES very slack. And those foods are just miraculous in terms of the elimination diet because many of us are eating them on a daily basis because they're known to be these very high antioxidant foods and they're very much in vogue.


The foods that actually create a weakness of this situation and can then result in a problem with your esophagus or with a hiatal hernia or reflux include (drumroll) onions, number one, sugar that we all know of, coffee, number two, chocolate, number three, and most importantly any type of mint. Peppermint greatly weakens and relaxes this particular sphincter. So if it becomes too relaxed then you're not going to be able to block the acid that's from in your stomach into leaking into the esophagus and getting that tickling cough and getting the irritation that so many of us experience. So that's also exceedingly important. Now, in terms of your hiatal hernia and the vagus nerve, what you need to do on a daily basis, as far as I'm concerned, is to make sure that you're breathing properly, number one, and number two what also might be helpful is to do jumping first thing in the morning either on your trampoline or just on a soft surface. You need to drink a few glasses of lukewarm water, which relaxes and then weights down your tummy. You inhale. You jump up, and you exhale very forcibly when you land. So this enables that water in your tummy to tug the tummy downwards while your diaphragm then springs up. And it's one of the oldest secrets of getting a stomach back south where it belongs and not up into your chest. Donna: Wow, that's amazing. That's just amazing. Anybody can do any of that. Ann Louise: It's amazing, and it's very easy. The other thing to do is to exercise your diaphragm with particular breathing exercises. That's why breathing is so very important. You can pant like a dog those breathes in and out for maybe a minute. And you move your belly in and out instead of your chest, and that's hard to do. To this day, I can't do this for more than ten seconds without getting tired.


So you pant like a dog for about a minute, and you move your belly in and out, not your chest. And you can also sit in a chair. And you put one hand on your chest and the other on your belly button, you let all of the air out, every single bit of it, and then for a minute you inhale and you exhale very deeply, very slowly, and you keep your chest and shoulders still and expand and contract only your belly. So that strengthens your solar plexus. It strengthens your gut and it strengthens the stomach and it keeps it downwards where it belongs. Donna: For years I've heard about the vagus nerve and how important it is to breathe. That relaxes the vagus nerve. Breathing relaxes the vagus nerve. So that's another lovely thing that's going on here. But I had no idea it was connected to a hiatal hernia. Ann Louise: It's because of the pinching action. And you know the other thing that people need to do…And I love this one. And I know that you'll be talking about the gargling, which is so important for the vagus nerve, but you sing loudly. Singing very loudly will actually strengthen the vagus nerve. So you sing very loudly in the shower or wherever and note that the vagus nerve is a pathway that's based on acetylcholine so I think that certain supplements may also be in line here, which would be choline- or acetylcholine-based supplements. The one that I really like because it's a choline-based supplement is or it is a choline-based supplement, not necessarily acetyl but I do like like lechitin because I feel that it gives the body a lot of choline and is very soothing for the nerves, especially non-GMO soy lechitin. It's actually one of my favorite hidden cures for the nervous system and also for helping the vagus nerve settle down. Donna: So that would even be phosphatidylcholine? That's another supplement.


Ann Louise: Yes, phosphatidylcholine I like. Or you can take other things that are very healing for the gut, but I think what's important here is that people understand that it is a pathway. It's a very important nerve pathway between the gut and the brain, and if there's anything that's inflamed, we want to quiet that down. And choline is a wonderful soother, whether it's phosphatidyl or acetyl. Donna: Okay. So choline is also found in eggs. Would they be good for that, I mean they're not part of what you mentioned, not onions, sugar, coffee, chocolate, or mint. So eggs. Ann Louise: No, those would loosen. But the ones that will strengthen the vagus nerve very specifically now, not the LES, would probably be your omega three eggs. Yes, indeed. Especially the yolks. Donna: Oh, yeah, yeah, that's where all the choline is. And so back to the list of foods. Onions, does it matter whether they're raw or cooked? You should just leave them out of the diet completely? Ann Louise: Leave them out of the diet completely. The same thing with chocolate, coffee, any kind of mint- peppermint or spearmint. Alcohol, onions, and refined sugar. Yes. So a diet high in any of those foods, the chocolate, the coffee, and you know how big coffee is these days. Donna: Chocolate, too. Ann Louise: And chocolate, too. Yes, it's a wonder food in so many programs. And a diet that's too excessively high in these kinds of foods or that’s high in fat. And this is just going to blow your mind because fat is now the food fuel that we're all going to to lose weight. But if it's very high in certain kinds of fats, that can already add injury to insult with an already weakened, lower esophageal sphincter.


So if you're taking any fats and it's helping other things in terms of weight loss and you're on a ketogenic diet, it's helping your nervous system, it's helping your brain, it's helping your seizures, then what you need to do if in fact you are veering towards a higher fat diet, if you're paleo-friendly and so forth, then you need to be taking a very good digestive enzyme to make sure that the fat is not having a detrimental effect on any other aspects of the digestive process. Donna: And that would be like a pancreatic or lipase? Ann Louise: Well, what I would do is I would do bile. I would bile, ox bile, or I would do a lipase because if in fact there is something going on with the hiatal hernia or you have GERD or you've got any of these symptoms in terms of problems with the esophagus and so forth, you don't want to add a pancreatic enzyme that is a high protease enzyme because it can be very irritating to the sensitive mucosal linings. Donna: That's interesting too because Dr. Gerard Mullin talked in his interview about ox bile. And he said that it's not really talked about much. But it's starting to become a major area of research. And he thinks we'll be hearing a lot more about ox bile in the future. He didn't go into it. So this is great that we're bringing it up here. I just have a few more questions though. I'm sure people are wondering this. If they don't have a head injury, what are the other ways? Obviously a fall is going to impact your digestion, but what about other ways to get a hernia like this? Ann Louise: Oh! Well, that's how I discovered the hernia. But it is by no means the only way to get. So there are many other ways that people can get a hiatal hernia. If you think about poor posture and people not aligning themselves properly and slouching and having text neck, they're texting on their phones or they're over their computers or they're at their desks, there's a number of ways that that can happen.


So I think just sitting too much, being sedentary is one of the issues. And poor posture has to do with another. And as we get older, we tend to have forward head syndrome which is going to be upsetting the stomach and pushing everything forward. Donna: When you say a good chiropractor can diagnose this, do they have to have special kind of training? Or I don't know. I've never been to a chiropractor that even looked at that part of my body. Usually they're looking at your neck and your spine, never my belly. Ann Louise: Well, there was a chiropractor that I saw in Tennessee. I flew all the way to Tennessee when I uncovered that this was my issue when I couldn't breathe properly. He was very trained with his fingers and started breaking through adhesions, Donna. And immediately when I felt my stomach go down south there where it needed to be because it was so high up, it felt like it was so high up and crowding my chest, I became very emotional. So it's a very emotional release. Now, on the Internet if people Google "hiatal hernia," they can look up videos of Dr. Gregory Johnson who is an expert in releasing hiatal hernias and has worked with people from all over the world and teaches other chiropractors how to use the specific technique to lower and to adjust a hiatal hernia. Donna: Would this help you avoid surgery? Because usually if you go on the Internet, you're going to come to someone like WebMD who's completely sponsored by Monsanto, by the way. And of course they're going to talk to you about the surgery you need to get. Could you avoid surgery? Ann Louise: Well, Dr. Johnson works with people that have had the surgery and haven't been helped. So I believe that you can and certainly that's what I did rather than go into the surgical route. Donna: And you're completely satisfied? You definitely feel the relief from


having done this? Ann Louise: Yes, but I consistently do my jumping with the water that I spoke about. I do my breathing with the belly as much as I can. And I try to be very relaxed as much as I can. And with the triple A personality, it ain't easy. And I know that you can relate. Donna: Mmm hmm. I think a lot of people listening can relate and certainly we definitely can all relate to slouching. And I've got a little Apple computer that's small so I can carry it around and move it from place to place. But it's not a big screen. And I hunch over the all the time. And I don't even notice I am. My friends come by and say and take my shoulders and round them back up again and then I remember that I'm hunched over. So we probably all eventually create this. How many people do you think actually have a hiatal hernia? Is it really common? Ann Louise: Yes, eight out of ten. But it doesn't usually create many problems. It's asymptomatic with many people. But other people have the bloating, the belching, the gas, the regurgitation, the hiccups, the nausea, the constipation, and a dry, tickling cough, which was always my signal. I had that for years. Donna: Yeah. I think a lot of people have that. I think I even have that, too. And I don't know if it's related to this. I never thought it would be related to this. I thought it might be something in the environment like mold flying around or something I'm being exposed to that you can't see. And I think most people relate sniffing and allergies to airborne toxins. Ann Louise: Well, if in fact you've got any of those symptoms, as well as certain emotional symptoms, it can be very, very related to the hiatal hernia syndrome. So it's very much worth looking into, as well as doing those


exercises, remembering to sit up straight, which is what I'm trying to do right this moment. And understand that there are ways that you can help yourself with these exercises and certainly looking on the Internet for the hiatal hernia adjustment and having your practitioner whether he's a naturopath or physical therapist adjust you could also be helpful. Donna: If we stopped right this minute, this interview's been priceless. But I have more questions to ask you. SIBO is so common today. It seems like everybody thinks they have SIBO. And I bet you anything that a lot of those symptoms and maybe even a lot of misdiagnosis is happening because this is the problem. Do you have anything to say about SIBO? Ann Louise: It's not an issue that I have dealt with as much as the LES dysfunction, the problems with hiatal hernia, the problems with esophageal damage, and the problems with HCl production. But I would say that if you have any kind of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, then it may be very helpful to do any kind of functional medicine testing to see exactly which bacteria you may be harboring and then do some sort of very strong antibacterial or botanical treatment that can actually kill the different varieties of bacteria. And that's where, and I've got to just circle back to this, and I hate to keep saying the same thing again, but that's where it's so important to deal with your stomach because one of the ways that your body is able to detoxify and immobilize and disarm bacteria is through the proper ingestion of hydrochloric acid. But if you have a hiatal hernia, if you have a problem with GERD, and if you have an esophageal issue which are all intertwined (as I've discussed), then you can't take the hiatal hernia, which is the natural antibacterial aid that will


kill all the pathogenic bacteria and viruses and parasites that we're ingesting. So it's a roundabout circle, which is why you got to look at the structural issues before you even deal with these metabolic and nutritional aspects. Donna: I don't mind circling back over because you said so many wonderful things. People need to hear this over again. So I'm going to ask you a few more questions that are kind of repeating what we talked about already. So stomach acidity, how would you increase stomach acidity. Some people are born with less stomach acid. One thing both of us got into years ago was Dr. D’Adamo's work and certain blood types like blood type A tend to be very low in stomach acid. I'm an A, and I've always had low stomach acid. So I'm always very mindful of ways to increase stomach acid. And so let's talk about that just a little bit because I know you're an expert in that too. Ann Louise: Here's the issue with that. I think many people do very well with different techniques. I've always been a believer with hydrochloric acid supplements, at least 500. I think one of the supplements that I promote is 590 mg of hydrochloric acid with a little bit of pepsin and ox bile, my HCL + 2. However, that doesn't work for people that have the issues we've been discussing. So first you have to heal those issues. If there is any issue going on with your esophageal irritation, you've got to heal that maybe with a little bit of slippery elm or a little bit of zinc carnosine, which heals the lining of many of our very sensitive digestive tissues. And then you can try something like gentian root, which can be very, very helpful to people. Digestive bitters like dandelion root or orange peel can be very helpful. Even a little bit of raw apple cider vinegar or sauerkraut, believe it or not, can be very helpful. So I think you should try those things first like a little bit of raw apple cider vinegar, maybe a tablespoon in about four ounces of water. Drink it right before you eat. That will help very much to enhance your digestive elements.


The other thing to remember, Donna, is that hydrochloric acid which is the only beneficial acid in your body, by the way, it's the one you want to have, is made by zinc, number one, so you’ve got to have enough zinc foods. It's also made with iodine so you've got to be eating or consuming iodine-rich foods or taking an iodine supplement. And the other issue is salt. And I'm a big believer in Celtic sea salt. So you have to have enough salt. You have to have enough zinc. And you have to have enough iodine in your system to make this naturally. Donna: In the morning I'm a big fan of Celtic Sea Salt, too. And I buy the salt through Selina Naturally. And they have a new salt now. It's from Hawaii. And it's called Makai. Ann Louise: I love it. Donna: And that one's higher in potassium than it is in sodium. So for people that are salt sensitive, which I look at people's genes and I see a certain percentage, not a whole lot, but a certain percentage are salt sensitive. So this is a really good salt for them. But I've often encouraged people to do, and I do it myself every morning as I prepare two big glasses of water, I put the Makai salt in there with a little bit of lime and a few drops of stevia and drink that. And then now I'm going to get on. And I do do the mini tramp sometimes. But I didn't realize the benefit to a hiatal hernia. So now I'm going to do that and make sure I do it right after drinking the water. So that's a brilliant solution. I'm excited to try that. But I always mention that putting a little salt in the water too is a good thing to do, too. And it's great that we're both in agreement on that. Ann Louise: Definitely. Donna: The best salt. You know, everybody is so into the Himalayan salt right


now. I just can't get people to realize that it comes from Pakistan. It's a really dirty country. They have no control over the salt. And so it's just sort of a marketing illusion that we've got this fantastic pink Himalayan salt when in truth the Makai salt I'll pick any day over the Himalayan salt. Ann Louise: Yes, I couldn't agree with you more. I think in terms of being morally and ethically correct, I think we have to go with the Celtic sea salt. Donna: Now, getting back to the other things that are good for you like slippery elm, zinc carnosine, there are products that will put these all together for you. Do you have one that you promote and sell that has these particular products in it? Ann Louise: For healing the gut membranes? Donna: Mmm hmm. Ann Louise: There are a few of them that my distributing company that I'm the spokesperson for does distribute. But what I can say is that a lot of people use the DGL. I'm not a fan of that necessarily for everybody. And I don't like the DGL tablets that they have on the market because they usually contain a lot of anise and a lot of fructose or some sort of alcohol, a sugar alcohol, which can promote bloating in the system so I don't like those. I'm not even a real big believer in xylitol, probably the only one in your summit these days isn't a xylitol believer. But for those of us that are— Donna: Oh, no, I think everybody's anti-xylitol because it's a FODMAP. A lot of people like Jerry Mullin and Dr. Kharrazian, everybody brings up FODMAP. I think we're all in agreement. Absolutely. Ann Louise: I'm in good company. So I'm not a believer in those particular products. And some people don't do well with mucilaginous herbs either like slippery elm or marshmallow. So what I like the best is something called


meadowsweet tea where you can drink four ounces of meadowsweet tea, maybe a couple times a day in terms of healing mucosal membranes. I love the zinc carnosine because it can actually attach itself to those areas of the digestive tract that need help or some kind of repair, and it's magnificent in terms of dialing down any kind of inflammation. So I think it's really a critical part of any kind of healing, especially if there's a mucosal barrier in the body that's somehow irritated, inflamed, or damaged. I'll tell you the other thing I like which some new research has uncovered and that is I like melatonin because it has been found to really target many of the unfortunate complications of GERD. And it can be a powerful supplement to reduce reflux. So I like people to take small amounts for short periods of their time, maybe three milligrams before bed. But I think it can be very helpful in that regard. And I also wanted to say something about the ox bile. And that is that the ox bile that I think is important as an essential digestive enzyme right from the get go for those of us that are eating a lot of fats and may have problems with GERD or an irritated esophageal lining or have problems with the LES, we should understand that ox bile has also been found through Hungarian research to be incredibly healing for psoriasis, as well as ADD and ADHD. So it is an up and comer when it comes to your body and health. It's amazing to me how many digestive issues control so many of our contemporary concerns. So if you want to heal yourself, look to the gut. Donna: Ox bile, where would you purchase ox bile? Ann Louise: In the health food store. I think about a 50 mg I would start with, maybe three times a day. Donna: And zinc carnosine, is it enough zinc to meet your requirements? You're an expert on copper and zinc. And one of my favorite books you've ever written is the book on having too much copper. I think a huge number of


people are always suffering from just this imbalance between zinc and copper. And that book was almost written before its time. It would be great if it were launched again because I think more people would jump into that. But if they don't know about, they need to go back and get that book. It's an amazing book, and I think lots of people have way too much copper, way too little zinc. Ann Louise: Yes, and I couldn't agree with you more because the current diets that we're on. Donna: Yeah, let's list them. Let's list the foods that are high in copper, if you don't mind. Light chocolate and nuts and seeds and so on. Ann Louise: Oh, chocolate, nuts, seeds, soy, and tea. All kinds of teas are very high in copper. Tea is one of the highest sources of copper, as a matter of fact, in the system. And so if the copper is not balanced with enough zinc or if you've got a copper IUD or if you've had amalgam fillings since 1976, you could be copper toxic, which is going to affect the zinc that you need to balance your HCl that we're talking about naturally. Or you're going to be lacking the zinc, which is so much a part of the zinc carnosine. And on the market you can find some terrific zinc carnosine tablets. I can't recall the exact dosage that's needed, but I remember that most of them are based upon the studies in Japan where they have been using this for ages and ages. And you just take two a day. It's exceedingly helpful. Donna: Did they develop that for ulcers? I think they did. Ann Louise: Yes. Yeah, for ulcers. And so these work for people that are sensitive. I also find for myself that a little bit of glutamine, L-glutamine will work, maybe three grams twice a day. I like that. I personally can't tolerate any of the mucilaginous herbs so I don't do the slippery elm. I don't do the marshmallow. But I love that meadowsweet tea so there are lots of things to choose from.


Donna: And meadowsweet tea you can buy in any health food store? Ann Louise: I think you'll have to find it online. Donna: Because I haven't ever seen it before. It's the first I've even heard of it. Ann Louise: It's an anti-inflammatory. And it tones and it helps to really dial down even more, I would say, inflammation for the esophagus and the stomach. You can buy it as a tincture, I think, online, as well. Donna: Okay, great. Well, I just want to point out to everybody that as beloved as chocolate is, it happens to be on the do not eat list for FODMAP, for histamine intolerance, and for oxalates. I mean there's just lots and lots and lots of reasons not to eat chocolate. It's very, very high in oxalates. It's one of those foods that elicits this very strong histamine response in the gut if you eat it. And it's definitely on the FODMAP. So for gut health, chocolate is definitely out. And then I'm always amazed at nuts and seeds because first of all people can get them in big, gigantic bags and they eat a lot at a time because in the old days you had to actually use your nutcracker and get into the nuts so after you opened six or seven you had enough. Now you can just get the whole bag. And then people don't soak them so they don't remove the enzyme inhibitor on the outside. And then they're high in oxalates. They're high in copper as is the chocolate also is also in that list too. It's too high in copper. There’s a zinc copper balance. It's just these really popular foods are just really, really wrong. And I just cringe to see that. Spinach is really, really popular right. People are putting it in the smoothie. And then a lot of almond milk, that's another way people are getting nuts and seeds, and they put a lot of almond milk into their smoothie to make it nice


and creamy. So you wouldn't get that in nuts. You would never be getting— Ann Louise: That many almonds. Donna: No. Ann Louise: And let me say something else about chocolate. Many different varieties are very high in lead so it isn't just the copper that we're concerned about but the lead content can be very, very toxic. So I think carob is a much better substitute, quite frankly, because it's a very high element in potassium, which many of us lack in our diets if you're taking the right kind of Celtic sea salt. Donna: And then carob though is awfully sweet. It's going to feed gut pathogens and yeast and sadly— Ann Louise: Not the sweetened carob, but just the toasted carob powder. Donna: Oh, you can do that. Yeah. Oh, good to know that! Ann Louise: Yeah, I use that for my hot chocolate, and I use it for baking. And I now have found a source of carob chips on the Internet that does not contain any dairy products and no sweeteners. So I'm very pleased about that. Donna: Can you share that source with us? Ann Louise: Yes, it's the Chatfield's carob chips. I just found it. I'm very excited. Donna: Chatfield's? Ann Louise: Yes, Chatfield's.


Donna: Good. Good. Good. People need, if we're going to take away all the things they're eating, they do need alternatives. So this is fantastic. Ann Louise: Oh, without a doubt. They most definitely do need alternatives. Donna: Do parasites fit into this story anywhere? Because I know that's another area that you years ago brought to everybody's attention. I think there's still not enough talk anymore about parasites, and they are having such a huge impact on our brain and behavior, our cravings. I don't know. I guess it's not in any way related to this hernia, is it? Parasites, would they? Ann Louise: I don't know. But I do know that parasites will block the absorption of nutrients. They can make you gain weight, interestingly enough, because they block the absorption of so many nutrients. They inflame the digestive tract. So, yes, there could be an issue with that, particularly with amoeba and giardia. They affect the gallbladder tremendously. A lot of gallbladder issues are actually a source of giardia poisoning. They can hinder the absorption of minerals, fats, and vitamins. And they also affect your hormones so a lot of individuals find that their hormones are out of whack. And they're also a major, major issue when it comes to acidifying all of your bodily systems because they damage organs, and they cause the central nervous system to become a lot more sluggish. And they make you sluggish because it affects the brain. And they can live anywhere in the body. They can not just invade the digestive tract. They can live in your stomach. They can live in your head. They can live in your brain. And that's why I think it's important at least twice a year to put a colon cleansing, parasite-directed detox on your list. And of course, I must tell you that the one that I like the best because it contains a specific type of herb that can remove the head of tapeworms or it can remove the hooks and suckers of other types of problems that are also related to the human


ropeworm. That's my colon cleansing kit, which has two particular types of detoxification herbals in there. One is called the Para-Key. The other is the Verma-Plus, that I have found over twenty-five years is the most successful at really removing the microscopic invaders or those foot-long tapeworms or the roundworms or the whip worms or the thread worms or the human rope worm. So we do testing at UnikeyHealth.com for all kinds of virus, bacteria, parasites, problems also with inflammatory responses in your digestive tract. And we also test for parasites. But I think because there are over 200 that have been found in this country, just do a cleanse twice a year. And again, my favorite that I can vouch for is the Colon Cleansing KJit with the Para-Key, the Verma-Plus, and then a probiotic that you follow up afterwards with called Flora-Key. Donna: I know that they're fantastic. So I'm really glad we moved around to that. Unikey, can you tell people how to get to the site? Ann Louise: Yeah, I would go to UnikeyHealth.com. And it would be under the detox, I believe. So it's UnikeyHealth.com. There's also self-help testing. That's where the GI panel is located, our tissue mineral testing for your hair, for your adrenals, for your saliva in terms of your hormones. And I think you'll find that that particular portal will be helpful to you because I actually review all of the test results that come in for the GI panel, for the hormones, and for the adrenals. So you'll be getting a personalized letter from my office from me to you. Donna: Wow. That's pretty amazing. I don't see how you do that, but that's amazing. Now, I do have another question that popped into my mind about going on a cleanse like this, a parasite cleanse. And if you have a hernia like this, like we were talking about in the beginning, is there any connection between feeling worse? How do people feel when they go on a parasite cleanse?


Ann Louise: Some people feel better within a week. Some people are detoxing. It's very, very individual. Their gas, their bloating, their intestinal discomfort can go away. They headaches, their muscle weakness or fatigue goes away. Their fat melts away. It's very, very individual. But I can tell you that if you have parasites in your gut, in your large intestine or in your small intestine, then they can produce a lot of gas and a lot of bloating and a lot of toxicity. And that in and of itself, all the pressure that is in your gut, can pull up your stomach. So for some people, this may be a first line therapy to get a program like my colon cleansing kit to remove all of that and then deal with the structural issues, which may be a little easier to manage and navigate. Donna: So when you're on a parasite cleanse, is there anything, too, that's pushing things out because constipation is such an issue? You don't want to kill those parasites and then you're not moving your bowels. Ann Louise: No, but I can tell you that the ingredients in the Para-Key and the Verma-Plus are such that people move their bowels. Donna: Oh, that's good. So what we've been talking about is absolutely amazing. And I hope people listen to this interview more than one time. This is why I'm encouraging people to please buy the summit. And these interviews are meant to be listened to for the next couple of years over and over and over again. Every time you listen to one, it will be more and more appropriate. You'll pick up new information. You'll be able to share this information with lots of other people around you. Obviously this topic, this hiatal hernia, and everything that Ann Louise has been telling us is cutting edge. No one knows this. As usual, she's introducing this new concept to us. And it's amazing.


So it's a lot of information. Ann Louise, do you mind just summarizing a little bit? Like first of all, what are some of the symptoms that indicate they might have a hiatal hernia? Ann Louise: I would say that we have to recognize that structure equals function and so there are some things physiologically that may not be functioning the way they should because of posture, because of accidents, because of ergonomics. And I would say that the most common symptoms that we need to look at for hiatal hernia would be that persistent tickle in the throat. I would say sinusitis that doesn't clear up, heartburn, inability to breathe, a rapid rise in blood pressure, even belching or hiccuping that comes way too frequently, a lot of bloating, intestinal gas, joint pain in the extremities, dizziness or shakiness, even anxiety attacks and hyperactivity can all be related to the hiatal hernia. So that needs to be assessed. It needs to be assessed by a practitioner that is skilled in knowing how to relieve it naturally using pressure and using very, very gentle techniques. Or, it can simply be prevented by doing the jumping up and down with two glasses of water, landing. Maybe jump up and down six to ten times with two glasses of water in your tummy to weigh down the stomach so it can pull the stomach down. And when you jump up and down, inhale and then exhale. You're going to be exhaling forcibly on your heels as much as possible. So actually land on your feet feeling your heels. That's number one. And then number two, the other issue in terms of structure equals function is you want to make sure that the LES (lower esophageal sphincter) is functioning properly because that is the little sphincter that connects the esophagus with the stomach. And if in fact that is weak or slack because of too much alcohol, too many fats, too much chocolate, too many peppermint teas or even too much refined sugar, then you're going to get a little bit of


leaking of the stomach acid. Stomach acid ain't bad. It's really you're friend. Your stomach needs to be acidic. That's what kills all the bacteria, the virus, and the parasites. But when it's leaking into your esophagus where it doesn't belong, you need to strengthen that particular valve that allows it to be leaking and irritating the esophagus so we want to eliminate those foods for the esophagus. So now we have the hiatal hernia. We've got the esophagus that we need to be healing. And we need to be strengthening the lower esophageal sphincter. That's very important. And then I also feel that it's very important for you also to support and heal any kind of irritation that may have occurred in any of your mucosal linings. And that's where your particular teas like meadowsweet tea. Some people would be able to tolerate slippery elm a little bit better. Even a little bit of powder that's made from, I would say, some sort of deglycyrrized licorice root would be helpful for some individuals. Or a little bit of zinc carnosine that can attach itself to those damaged parts of your esophageal tract or your digestive tract. It will help promote tissue repair and can dial down inflammation. That's a good thing as well as melatonin that can help really target a lot of the resulting complications of GERD. I think it's also important to support your stomach acidity naturally. And that's where ingesting more zinc is very important, is very critical to heal the lining of the digestive tract. We need the right kind of salt. Both Donna and I just really love Celtic sea salt, Selina’s Celtic sea salt, as well as the other nutrient which is very important in that respect which is iodine. So you need to make sure you have enough iodine in your system either through the ingestion of iodine-rich foods, which would be heavy metal and radioactive free algaes that you can get, seaweeds, or by taking a really good iodine supplements. You might also try a little bit of apple cider vinegar


throughout the day or sauerkraut juice. I quite honestly love that very much. Or, even some natural betaine HCl that you can get through the Unikey link that I've been talking about with my colon cleansing kit which also has a little bit of ox bile in it and pepsin. That's if in fact you have no irritation in the esophageal lining and don't have a full diagnosis of GERD. What I want everybody to understand is the stomach is very related to the gut and that that pathway is through an axis that's known as the vagus nerve and some of the important ways of really strengthening that are to make sure that you're not reacting to negative emotions. It's really feeling very grateful every day. Bless and count your blessings. Make sure that there's no anger or fear or jealousy that enters into your system or enter into your mind. You should bless everything that you want. Bless your body. Bless your system. Bless perhaps your hiatal hernia, your sensitivities. And understand, I think, that many of us are so much more powerful than any of us have ever been led to believe and that our bodies can be very invincible and can have, once they're given the raw materials, the ability to really heal themselves. Healing, as far as I'm concerned, Donna, is just never a straight path. A lot of times you're going to get those good days. You're going to get bad days. You're going to get a lot of turns in the roads, a lot of twists, a lot of ups and downs. But if you can start making a use and bless everything in life, then you can master the art of self-healing and master the art, which is not just a science, it's also an art of living. And I think that's what the message needs to be. Donna: That is a fantastic wrap up. I'm not going to go any further because I


want people to remember all of that. Listen to this again so they can definitely take notes. But thank you so much. It's just amazing for two decades, three decades really, you've been out in the world putting fantastic information out there for all of us. You're still doing it. Please don't ever stop. This is why those of us that are a little bit older have to take good care of ourselves because we do have that wisdom and that experience that comes from years of making lots of mistakes and learning how to do it right. So Dr. Ann Louise, Gittleman, thank you very, very much for this interview. Ann Louise: And thank you so much, Donna Gates.

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