Costochondritis and Gastroparesis

Many of us that suffer with gastroparesis also suffer from costochondritis, and we are constantly looking for relief from both.

What is Costochondritis?

First, let's talk a little bit about what we are dealing with here.

Costochondritis is a fancy word for inflammation of the cartilage in the rib cage. Unfortunately, there is no known singular cause, but inflammation can be caused from a variety of things. (we'll get into this in a bit)

The pain can feel like:

• stabbing

• ripping

• tenderness

• sharp

• pressure

• worse when you cough

• worse when you take a deep breath

• sometimes worse when you are laying down

This pain typically occurs under a few ribs, closer to your breastbone, but sometimes can radiate further past the breastbone.

(photo cred: Health &)

The Gastroparesis Connection

So, you might be wondering how this connects to Gastroparesis. While there hasn't been any "official studies" on their connection, I speak with lots of people who suffer from both. What I have often seen, and experienced myself, is that when you are going through a "flare" with your GP, your Costochondritis will spike. How so?

Well, when you are flaring, it is usually because you ate/drank something that did not agree with you. It becomes a domino effect. Your digestive system sends up flares, the immune system reacts and sometimes goes into overdrive to attempt to protect the rest of your body from invaders and that can cause inflammation in one or many areas of your body. Enter costochondritis.

How to Get Relief

Okay, so you are in pain, maybe from both GP and Costo, but you need relief NOW.

GP pain relief takes a little longer, and while I would usually rather address the underlying cause of the pain, sometimes the most realistic process is to help relieve the immediate pain and then do the work to help relieve the rest after.

Quick ways to relieve your pain:

• While I typically don't recommend medication, sometimes you have to have the quick fix. Medications like Ibuprofen (Motrin) or Naproxen Sodium (Aleve) are helpful.

• A warm bath

• Switching ice and heat on and off

My more preferred methods are prevention:

• Keeping/Getting your Gastroparesis flares under control

• Limiting pro-inflammatory foods and drinks

• Keeping stress levels low

• Daily stretching & mild physical activity

• Massages

I used to suffer quite often from Costochondritis flares and almost always did they coincide with my Gastroparesis flares. When I was able to get my GP under control, I noticed the less frequent, and now almost never, flares from Costochondritis.

Hopefully, this was helpful if you are suffering from one or both of these conditions.

If you have any questions for me at all, please reach out and I would love to help you start feeling better ASAP. In the meantime, you can grab my free 3-Day Gastroparesis healing guide here.

Until next time,

Keep it Fresh. Keep it Simple. Keep it Real.

Gastroparesis Frequently Asked Questions

On the daily, I get all kinds of questions about Gastroparesis, so I thought it might be a good idea to gather them all together into a Gastroparesis Frequently Asked Questions blog for you to be able to reference anytime. When necessary, I will update the questions, or add a part 2, 3, etc. on.

So, let's get started with some of the basics.

1. What exactly is Gastroparesis?

I have discussed this in another blog, that you can read here. However, quickly, it's a nerve condition that affects the stomach muscles and prevents proper stomach emptying.

2. How do you get tested for Gastroparesis?

It might take a little bit to get the test for GP, because the doctors typically go through a slew of other tests for digestive dysfunction, but if you have ruled out everything and want the test, then advocate for yourself and ask for it. What they do is give you a meal to eat, and then you lay down on a table as a machine watches how you digest and how long. It can take up to 4 hours laying there, depending on what your doctor wants/needs.

3. Is Gastroparesis progressive?

GP can get worse, but that doesn't mean it will and it doesn't happen to all of those who get it. Some say no matter what you do to treat it, it could still get worse, but that depends on the treatment.

4. Will it ever go away?

Technically, it will never go away, however, don't fear. GP can go into remission and stay dormant for the rest of your life, and then it can flare up at any point. It all depends on how far into the condition you are and how hard you are willing to work to turn the corner to getting better.

5. Is Gastroparesis genetic? Can I pass it to my children?

As of right now, it does not look like it's hereditary. However, there is an exception to this, in regards to autoimmune diseases. The AID that runs in families can lead to GP, therefore, making GP genetic. Note that means you are mostly passing down the autoimmune disease.

6. How bad can Gastroparesis get?

I should preface all of this by saying, you don't technically die *from* Gastroparesis, but there have been a few who have died because of the side effects from the condition. Gastroparesis, left untreated, can lead to being on a feeding tube, a pacemaker in your stomach, extreme malnutrition, hair loss, etc. You can avoid all of this by treating it properly.

7. What is the treatment for Gastroparesis?

Building on the last question, there are "technical treatments" given by 99% of doctors out there. I have met very few people who have felt better with any of these treatments.

The current treatment includes a type of prokinetic medication to encourage stomach contractions. These medications are Domperidone or Reglan. Reglan is a dangerous medication that can affect the central nervous system. Domperidone is very difficult to get in the US.

If bad enough, it will lead to a feeding tube or a gastric stimulator (pacemaker) in the stomach.

I do not stand behind any of these "treatments", as they are just shots in the dark. I do have some recommendations to help with your GP symptoms.

These are some of the main, more basic, questions for now. In a later post or in an update to this one, I will answer more of nitty gritty questions that come in!

If you have any questions you would like answered, feel free to reach out to me at info@realpeeljuice.com to get those answered!

3 Smoothie Recipes for Gastroparesis

Finding different recipes for Gastroparesis that work for you can be difficult. If you suffer with GP, you know that not everyone can eat the same thing and sometimes you can't even eat the same thing you were able to eat the week before.

Here are 3 smoothies, that can be adjusted to your needs, that are great for those of us who deal with Gastroparesis.

It will help

• provide needed nutrients

• an easily digestible meal

• takes the stress away from trying to figure out what to eat

Granted, you don't have to have Gastroparesis in order to enjoy these smoothies, as they are delicious and packed with nutrients everyone needs.

Melon Green

Smoothie

• 1 cup mixed melon balls

• 1/2 handful baby spinach

• Juice from 1/2 a lime

• 1 scoop of vanilla protein

Blend and enjoy.

Choc Dream

Smoothie

• 1/2- 1 frozen banana

• 1/4 cup frozen zucchini

• 1/4 cup frozen avocado

• 1 handful baby spinach

• 1 tbsp nut butter of choice (I prefer almond butter or cashew butter)

• 1 cup almond milk

• 1 scoop chocolate protein

• 1 tbsp chocolate magnesium (optional)

• 1 tsp trace minerals (optional)

Blend & enjoy! This smoothie provides lots of great fats that are easy to digest, which normally, Gastroparesis patients have a hard time digesting. Plus, the cacao offers a ton of magnesium, which is great for the muscles.

Berry Blast

Smoothie

• 1 cup mixed berries or just strawberries

• 1/4 handful baby spinach

• 1 cup coconut milk

• 1 scoop vanilla protein

Blend & enjoy!

BONUS: Easy Green Smoothie

• 1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks

• 1/4 cup frozen zucchini

• 1 handful baby spinach

• Juice from 1 lime

• 1 cup coconut water

• 1 scoop vanilla protein of choice (optional, but highly recommend)

• 1 tsp trace minerals (optional but highly recommend)

Blend and enjoy.

This smoothie is great to provide a TON of greens and the vitamins and minerals needed without it being too hard to digest. I highly recommend the trace minerals because more than likely, you are severely lacking most of the minerals your body needs, and this will provide that in an easy-to-absorb way. Do not overdo the drops, because it will taste like metal.

Now, I know you might be fearful to try them, but give them a go & see how you feel. After all, it's worth a try.

When and Why to do a Juice Cleanse

You might see that I don’t talk much about juice cleanses, so you might think, why would I ever do one.

You also might think that they are just trendy or too sugary and pointless, but I am here to tell you they do have a purpose, when used for the right reasons.

Unfortunately, a lot of companies, “influencers” and others tout cleanses as a great way to lose weight or detox your body completely, and this is just, simply, wrong.

Yes, you will drop weight when you cleanse, but about 80% of it will come back, because you will be eating solid food again. If you go back to poor eating habits, you might gain it all back and then some. Yes, it “detoxes” in a sense, but not in the way its touted.

So, let’s go over the reasons for when & why to cleanse.

1. You are ready to make a change in your health:

   Whether this looks like weight loss journey, reversing diabetes, giving yourself more energy, etc. This is a wonderful reason to do a cleanse. This is a great jumping off point, and will influence you to choose better afterwards.

2. Reduce Malnourishment:

   If you suffer from being malnourished, or you eat a lot of processed foods and don’t realize you might be malnourished, a cleanse can provide a flood of nutrients in an easy to digest manner, so that your body can actually absorb and use them.

3. Rest Your Digestive System:

   Some might say “your digestive system doesn’t need a break” and I can 100% vouch that they are dead wrong. Digesting takes a lot of energy and when you have a slower digestive system, deal with IBS/D, or any other digestive issue, it needs a break to “catch up” sometimes. A cleanse is a great way to allow it to still be nourished but not use even 1/4 of the energy it takes to break down solid food. This will also help with reducing bloating.

These are the main reasons to do a cleanse, and there are other more specific reasons, but for the sake of conversation here, I won’t go into those. However, if you are wondering if a cleanse would be right for you and your situation, I would be happy to chat with you about that and determine if it is or isn’t.

We offer 1-3 day cleanses and each cleanse is made to order.

If you want to check out our cleanse selection, click here

Until next time,

Keep it Fresh. Keep it Simple. Keep it Real.

The Leveler - For Blood Pressure

March Juice Highlight

It only feels right that for March, we highlight a Green Juice!

So, this month’s star juice is The Leveler!

What’s In It?

• Green Apple

• Kale

• Celery

• Parsley

• Lemon

This is definitely one of our more green juices, in that it has very minimal apple and sweetness. However, the lemon and celery bring a really nice brightness and the parsley adds a perfect punch at the end.

What is it Good For?

Helping to manage your blood pressure. And let’s be clear here, that 1 bottle of any juice is not going to change anything. The Leveler, in combination with a good diet, will make the big difference you are looking for.

Let’s highlight a few of the ingredients that are beneficial for blood pressure.

1. Celery: This, mostly water, vegetable has so many benefits. Celery contains a phytochemical called phthalides that helps relax the tissues of the artery walls to increase blood flow and reduce blood pressure.

2. Parsley: The little herb with a big impact. Parsley is high in nitrates that help dilate blood vessels, which improves blood flow and lowers high blood pressure.

3. Kale: This popular leafy green has a number of vitamins that have been found to help lower blood pressure naturally

The other ingredients also play a role, but I wanted to highlight these 3. Overall, The Leveler is like a blood pressure power house juice!

How to Drink The Leveler:

Green juice can be very filling, so here is how I would recommend drinking this juice:

• as a meal for breakfast or dinner

• 2 snacks in your day

If you would like to give The Leveler a try, click here!

Stay tuned for April’s juice highlight.

How to Incorporate Juicing into Your Diet

In the last 10 years or so, juicing has become more and more popular, but people are using its benefits all wrong. Unfortunately, most just focus on doing a cleanse or “detox” for a quick-fix to lose a little bit of weight, but that’s not why we love juicing here.

Yes, doing a cleanse has its benefits, but that’s for another time. Where you see REAL and LASTING results from juicing is incorporating it into your daily/weekly diet.

Let’s look a little further into how you can incorporate juicing into your lifestyle.

Why Would One Juice?

This is a good place to start. Before we can look at how to juice in the best ways, let’s chat about why you should incorporate juice into your life.

1. Easy to digest

2. Easily absorbable nutrients

3. A great way to get a wide variety of fruits and vegetables you might not normally consume

4. Helps change your palette to enjoy more healthy options

5. A great way to get an energy boost without the crash from caffeine

6. It’s DELICIOUS!

And many other reasons, but these are good start. We all need every single one of these and juicing provides them all at once.

So, now what is the best way to juice? A one-off cleanse? One juice every so often?

NOPE.

How to Incorporate Juicing into Your Diet

Truthfully, this depends on your goals and why you are juicing in the first place. So, let’s give a few examples and then how you would incorporate it accordingly.

Disclaimer: none of the following statements are intended to treat or diagnose.

Weight Loss

This would be the most common. Weight loss is a combined effort of good diet, exercise and self-care. However, where you will make most progress is with good diet. So, how does juice fit into this?

Having a juice for breakfast, or 2 snacks in your day would be the best option.

This could be done 3-4 times per week for success. This would also need to be combined with reducing processed fats and choosing whole foods, proteins and fats.

How will this help with weight loss?

• you will be flooding your body with essential vitamins and nutrients

• you will be changing your palette so that you will crave healthier options

• juice is filling

• you will have more energy to then workout and keep up with your day

• and more!

Using Juice for an Ailment or Disease

This is pretty broad, so I will talk more in the terms of using it for Gastroparesis, since I am very aware on how to do that.

Depending on the severity, you will need to do a few days of all liquids, like juice. This would need to be between 5-7 juices per day.

After the few days, you will ease back into regular food over a 2 week period, slowly reducing the amount of juices drank within a day.

You should also be mindful of what your particular condition needs.

How will this help with conditions?

• providing your body with the needed vitamins and nutrients

• giving your body a fighting chance

• more energy to help fight off whatever it is

• and all of the above for weight loss

No matter your reason for juicing, it is something that will need to be done consistently and not for just a 1-time cleanse with temporary results.

Check out our juices here!

Until next time,

Keep it Fresh. Keep it Simple. Keep it Real.

Aubrey

The Defender - Support Your Immune System

February Juice Highlight - The Defender - For Immune Support

This month we are highlighting The Defender, partly because it’s still cold/flu season and we need the immune support and partly because it’s a red color and that’s more fun for February!

What’s In It?

• Pineapple

• Beet

• Orange

• Carrot

I know, I know, people freak out when they hear beets! However, no need to freak here! The beet flavor is perfectly complimented by the other ingredients, you don’t even mind it at all! And for those of you who love beets, you’re going to love this flavor pairing.

What is it Good For?

Every single ingredient in this juice plays a crucial role in supporting your immune system. It is often our best selling juice from November-March, because of it’s immune supporting abilities.

Each ingredient has a slew of beneficial vitamins and nutrients, but for the sake of not writing and entire book, I am just going to address a few from each and how they relate to the immune system.

First, the Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can strengthen your body's natural defenses. There is Vitamin C in the oranges and pineapple.

Next, is pineapple. It is FULL of antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules that help your body combat oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress is a state in which there are too many free radicals in the body. These free radicals interact with the body’s cells and cause damage that is linked to chronic inflammation, a weakened immune system and many harmful diseases. This anti-inflammatory property is crucial in this juice.

We all know the great benefits from carrots but let’s move on to beets. They are also incredibly high in Vitamin C, but they also stimulate the production of antibodies and white blood cells to help combat invaders in the body.

Best of all, it’s absolutely delicious!

How to Drink The Defender:

Although it is a great immune support juice, you do have to be mindful of the sugar content from the natural fruits, so here are our suggestions on how to drink this juice.

• as a meal for breakfast

• 2 snacks in your day

If you would like to give The Defender a try, click here!

Stay tuned for March’s juice highlight.

The Sparkler - January Juice of the Month

Juice Highlight - The Sparkler - For Energy

This month, we are highlighting The Sparkler. It is easily our most popular juice.

What is it?

The Sparkler is the first green juice we ever created, and it remains the most loved. Why? Because it doesn’t taste like other green juices. We like to refer to it as our introductory green juice, because the sweetness is still there from there other ingredients.

The Sparkler contains:

• Green Apple

• Kale

• Orange

That’s it. That is all it takes to make a delicious, yet incredibly healthy juice, that everyone will love!

What is it good for?

The Sparkler is good for energy! Throw away those yucky energy drinks that are awful for you, and replace it with this green juice, and the benefits far extend beyond just energy.

We once had a guy buy one, and came back the next day wanting more, because he was so energetic at work and so productive, without the crash, that his boss gave him money to get more of “whatever was making him so productive”. This is one of my favorite stories, because it shows the true effects of what leading a healthy lifestyle can do for you.

The antioxidants, amount of Vitamin C and the amino acids that mix together in this juice help reduce oxidative stress on the body, lower fatigue levels and improve brain function. All together, it’s much more effective at boosting energy for longer periods of time, than standard caffeine or energy drinks.

How to drink this juice:

• great as any meal, but if I do drink it as a meal, it’s typically for breakfast.

• can be the liquid base for smoothies. Provides a wonderful tropical twist on smoothies

• 2 snacks in your day

If you would like to give The Sparkler a try, click here!

Stayed tuned for next month’s juice highlight!