From Ozempic to Oxytocin: My Gut-First Health Reboot

I guess, that by now, you are aware that I have Diabetes type 2, and that I have my own cross to bear. Living with Diabetes comes with its own big and small restrictions and repercussions. People with Diabetes 2 are typically overweight, although there are exceptions. I have been overweight for many years. Recently I recognized the possibility that I can lose weight and that it is not difficult to do so, while before I thought that it would be extremely challenging. It's all in the mind as you know.

It all starts with a thought. I decided that this disease has taken too much away from my options in life and that life itself becomes unbearable living with it. Decision was followed by choice. I consciously chose to get rid of it instead of just managing it.

I was compelled to know more about Diabetes and its root causes. The more I read about it, the more I understood, that its roots are more complex than I would ever have imagined. It is a complex disease and creates complications for the body, that are both visible and invisible. It affects mood, destabilizes the energetic equilibrium of the body, creates the conditions for becoming overweight, and even increases the deterioration of the brain, to name just a few.

It became clear to me, that I needed to fix the foundation on which my physical existence on this planet relies on. I needed to pay a lot of attention to what I eat to sustain my body. That's why the first thing I did was to cut out carbohydrates completely out of my food. I was experimenting with a ketogenic diet and later a carnivore diet. The carnivore diet was most appealing to me, and I had a fair amount of success losing weight. Unfortunately, my joy didn't last, as I began eating carbs again and the situation became worse.

I realized that my body's addiction to carbs and ultimately to sugar was more devious than I originally thought. As far as I know, all carbs except fibre are converted to sugar in the body, so it was a no-brainer for me to dump all carbs from my diet, to minimize the sugar production in my body.

I also read more about the gut-brain axis in the body and marvelled at the holographic nature and design of our existence. It seemed to me like a parallel between the bridge between the mind and the Heart from a consciousness perspective. I won't bother you with scientific facts and studies, which will be included in my second book anyway. I will only remind you that everything in the universe, literally everything is mirrored somewhere according to where it's supposed to be mirrored, based on Universal Law, the universal ordering principle. So, it was clear to me that I had to fix my gut microbiome first, which was virtually destroyed by the side effects of taking Ozempic for seven months.

I modified my diet again, including healthy fibre, like Sauerkraut for example, which typically contains only traces of carbs, so it doesn't affect the general rule number 1 I established, which is eating no carbs. I did this because the satiety it provides in a meal is beneficial and I feel full for longer amounts of time. The second thing I did was to make my own yogurt. I did that to introduce specific bacteria to my gut microbiome, which are Limosilactobacillus Reuteri and Lactobacillus Gasseri which are not included in commercially available yogurt. Unfortunately, commercially available yogurt is not fermented for more than 6 hours typically, while I allow my yogurt to ferment for 36 hours. The long fermentation is converting all sugar that is contained in milk into lactic acid, which is effectively getting rid of carbs as well. You might ask yourselves why I chose these two bacteria strains for my yogurt. Limosilactobacillus Reuteri makes us feeling better, through increased production of oxytocin, the love hormone, and increases immunity, by not tolerating bad bacteria in the gut, and killing them off by producing a substance that acts like a natural antibiotic. These are its main benefits. On the other hand, Lactobacillus Gasseri addresses inflammation in the intestines and promotes healing and weight loss. It also promotes vaginal health, although that’s not applicable to me. I will present more information in my book, as this podcast is not appropriate for that.

My strategy is complemented by eating the healthy fibre that I mentioned earlier to nourish the good bacteria in my gut. I don't pretend that I have all the answers, but I am willing to learn more and apply what I know to become healthy again.

So far, my attempt at fixing my gut microbiome has been promising, but I would never have expected that I would one day be wanting to go for a walk. In the past I was not very keen on walking because being overweight makes you a couch potato. However, this changed almost overnight and now, I just wanted to. I was genuinely surprised by this change in my attitude. So, I began walking every day. Unfortunately, however, since Diabetes invites a host of other secondary diseases to affect the body, my arthritis flared up. The cartilage in my knees and right hip has been reduced to a thin layer; therefore, I accept that I will initially pay a price of becoming healthy by feeling a lot of pain.

However, I believe, that this is just temporary. As my weight goes down and my gut is healed, so will my general health benefit from it.

The healthier I get, the better my sleep gets, courtesy of the gut-brain axis. The better my sleep gets, the better I feel after waking up. And I owe it all to a decision I made earlier, to learn more about my gut and to consciously choose what’s good for my health. Was it difficult? No more than lifting a cup of tea. Let's remember what we have covered earlier. If the choice is made when all aspects of our selves are in harmony, the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical, then the choice is right.

My question now, is what can I do further to enhance my health? Considering that we are what we eat, I am considering changes to my diet. I have mostly been eating two organic beef burger patties with no carbs obviously. I have added a slice of cheese on the burger patties that have only traces of carbs, along with yogurt until I am full. I am considering increasing the number of eggs I will consume, having potentially 2 to 4 eggs per day. In the past, eggs were a controversial topic, as scientists thought, that their cholesterol content is increasing the risk of heart disease. Fortunately, this belief has been disproven for healthy people by recent studies. I am aware that as a diabetic I am technically still at risk for heart disease. However, since I am in the process of recovering my health and because according to my doctor I am managing my condition successfully, I am inclined to increase the consumption of eggs, as their health benefit outweighs the risk of heart disease in my estimation. I am further contemplating the addition of supplements to my diet for various reasons. Multivitamins are the obvious first candidate. Having a restricted diet is naturally restricting my assimilation of necessary vitamins and minerals. The second candidate is an omega 3 supplement, like cod liver oil – not just fish oil, as cod liver oil contains also vitamins. The third candidate is creatine, which according to studies is having a beneficial effect not only on muscles, but also on the brain, which is surprising. I will share my relevant experience in future podcast episodes. Supplementation is also beneficial in another way. While I could eat beef liver and get a lot of vitamins and minerals, I might also run the risk of potentially assimilating unhealthy substances. The same applies for fish, where I could get omega 3 fatty acids from. Our planet is polluted and contains an unhealthy amount of microplastics among other things. Oceans are polluted with heavy metals and other contaminants. Eating salmon or mackerel which contain a high concentration of omega 3 fatty acids would also provide me with an unhealthy amount of mercury for example, which is cumulative in the body. Supplementation is healthier in this context and provides pure substances in my opinion. One must look only at the supplement label to find out what it contains and to ascertain if that supplement is appropriate for their needs.

At this point, I need to add a word of caution. Health suggestions are not something which can be packaged and copied like a one-size-fits-all approach. Everybody's health is uniquely different, based on a multitude of factors that play a role in their health. I am just sharing my own perspective on my very own health situation. I would strongly encourage everybody to start owning their own health and do their own research to enhance it, in cooperation with a doctor.

Choice is the application of free will in our lives that makes the difference between living in misery and living in joy. More importantly, if the choice is made in harmony, there is no friction between our aspects of existence, promoting inner balance. It's like a piece of legislation that is unanimously voted on in parliament without dispute and no second-guessing or bitter feelings are clouding the act of free will. This is how we should live: making decisions and choosing what’s best for us and then sticking with the program, seeing our goals manifest in front of our eyes, joyfully and with a sense of purpose.