352: Adult Acne, Digestive Healing Plan, Old Sneakers, Food Allergies (HouseCall)

The 2nd Cabral HouseCall of the weekend is here! Today, we have some amazing community questions that are completely different from yesterday's show... Check them out now and be sure to tune in for the answers! Anonymous: Hi Dr. Cabral, I have a couple issues that I'm struggling with: hair loss and cystic acne/congested skin. I'm a woman in my 40's and have been seeing a functional medicine doctor for several years. She helped me diagnose sibo and candida overgrowth, which were causing my digestive issues. I also have low ferritin and slightly low testosterone and DHEA. I now have the digestive issues under control; however, I'm still struggling with acne and hair loss. I had great results with my skin clearing up and normalizing (less oily) while on spironolactone but my doctor wanted me to go off it back when we were still diagnosing my issues. What are your thoughts on the use of spironolactone? Is it safe to take? I hate the idea of taking it but I hate my skin even more right now. I've also heard spironolactone can help with hair loss. I'm currently taking saw palmetto and if that doesn't help with the hair loss then she may have me try DHEA supplements too but said there can be some risk in that if we don't get the dosage just right. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated! Andrea: Hi Dr. Cabral, I have suffered from digestive-based issues as long as I can remember. When I was a child I remember being hospitalized due to chronic constipation because I couldn't even walk! From there, I have had bouts of both constipation and diarrhea that last for years at a time. For the past 4 and a half years I have dealt with chronic constipation - I can easily go 5 days without a bowel movement, which is extremely distracting because I have a lot of bloating, distention and sharp pain. I found a functional medicine practitioner who ran some tests to discover I am slightly sensitive to casein, whey, egg whites and wheat, so I have since removed those foods. My thyroid panel looked fine despite my morning body temperature being low for years. A stool test revealed I had a parasitic infection (Giardia) which we treated, and after running the test again after treatment, he discovered I had low SigA and H, Pylori. He put me on a treatment plan of adaptogenic herbs to manage stress and L-glutamine to build up my intestinal lining, but we did not address the H. Pylori. He did also mention candida being present (which makes sense because I have recurring vaginal yeast infections), which we did not address either. My symptoms have not reduced, and I still have pain and discomfort and fullness in the bowels after eating. I have survived the past few years with many tears, digestive enzymes before meals, senna tea (almost every night, which I know is not good for me) and very high doses of magnesium citrate to produce regular bowel movements (which I know is throwing off the balance of my body and is potentially very dangerous). I eat a mostly plant-based diet, tons of vegetables, chew my food well, drink 3 L of water every day, live an active lifestyle (HIIT workouts mostly) avoid gluten, now avoid sugar and alcohol, and do "all the right things" including trying my best to get my stress in check. Dr. Cabral, what do you recommend I do next? I lack the money to keep paying for tests and supplements that yield no results. I just want to be sure I am spending in the right direction. I am committed to my recovery and follow every plan correctly; I just cant figure out what I am doing wrong. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my truncated story and answer my question. I love your podcast; I listen every morning and can't thank you enough for sharing your knowledge and wisdom with us all. Be well, Andrea First I want to say thank you for sharing your podcast and all of the guidance you have given to me and so many others. I cannot tell you how much I truly appreciate it. Lindsey: Message: Hi Stephen Just wondering how much I should change my trainers (sneakers) if following a mixture of residence/ interval training 6 days a week as suggested by yourself ! I often get pain at the heel/ bottom of the foot on one side and I'm wondering if it's because of the shoes. I have about 10 pairs I rotate. X Mari: Dr. Cabral, Several months ago my 9 year-old daughter was tested for food sensitivities via Igg test. She was found to be mildly allergic to gluten, dairy and eggs, which we immediately eliminated from her diet and all her GI symptoms went away. Huge relief! However, we also had our 3 year old son tested, although he had no GI, behavioral or other issues, we simply wanted to make sure he has no sensitivities like his sister's. To our shock his gluten, gliadin, dairy, eggs levels were off the chart, with mild citrus and almonds/cashews thrown in. Right away we eliminated all the culprits from his diet and surprisingly, he now has some skin irritation and often some mild GI symptoms, although it has been 3 months since we eliminated all the offending foods... Could it be that he is still sensitive to something that Igg test did not catch and would you recommend a better test (ALCAT ?) or repeat the same Igg test in a few months? I am really at loss, since we eat organic, non GMO foods and I feel like he was doing so much better before the initial test. Thank you for your help! I hope you enjoyed the Q&A and all the tips along the way! - - - Show Notes: http://StephenCabral.com/351 - - - Get Your Question Answered: http://StephenCabral.com/askcabral