Cathy, I appreciate the challenges that you so authentically present. We cannot underestimate the environmental toxins and the decades of their use. There has been some very interesting research on the tight junctions of the GI tract. These tight junctions prevent toxins from permeating the intestinal tract and leaching into the blood stream. However, foods like modern day wheat, glyphosate (Roundup) residue among others cause the body to produce a substance called Zonulin, a protein, that signals the tight junctions to open. Now you have the blood stream flooded with toxins that the tight junctions would have closed off. These toxins can include Candida yeasts, gluten, as well as heavy metals, herbicide residue, and pathogenic bacteria.

Both Peter and I have noticed over time that our GI tracts just weren't functioning optimally. For myself there were times when I would swallow food and get an immediate burn in my gut, lasting only a few seconds, but incredibly uncomfortable. Peter would get real digestive pains, heartburn. We started looking for causes: was it the conventional strawberries we bought when organic was not available? Did we not cook the beans enough? We made peppermint tea from our mint, drank aloe juice, took probiotics, juiced every day (thank you Trinity), and while there was improvement, the problem wasn't fixed. We fasted, focused only on eating alkaline foods, but I could still feel something needed to be healed in my gut.

The mirror for all of this was the horses: so many are experiencing leaky gut and irritable bowel syndrome.

I stumbled on this research on tight junctions and the lightbulb went off. Down the rabbit hole I went and found lignite extract. Lignite is peat with a high carbon content. A very interesting study showed that it closes the tight junctions.

For three weeks Peter and I have been taking Lignite extract. Finally for the first time in several years there is no burn in my gut when I take my first bites of food. Peter's heartburn is gone. My gut feels totally different, and our elimination is different. We both commented this morning that we feel lighter energetically, because I think the daily toxins like chem trails, glyphosate, car exhaust can't permeate our gut mucosa anymore.

We had some lettuce from our garden last night and I told Peter to just shake off the dirt, don't wash the leaves, as more and more we have to get the soil based micro organisms back into our gut.

I know you have battled Candida for some time, and I wonder whether restoring the health of the tight junctions may be of some help.

love, tigger