HouseCall: Skin Bronzer, Stomach Noises, Mystery Skin Rash, HCL Challenge, Chronic Back Pain, Rash on Anus

Welcome back to our weekend Cabral HouseCall shows!

This is where we answer our community’s wellness, weight loss, and anti-aging questions to help people get back on track!

Check out today’s questions:

James: Hi Dr. Cabral I wondered if there was any way you recommend to tan the skin naturally!? Unfortunately I come from a country (UK) where it is very very rarely sunny so its not really possible to get this from the sun. Possibly even some diet tips to improve glowingness (probably not a word I know) of the skin? Any tips much appreciated, thank you 🙂

James B: Hi doc I wonder if you could break down stomach noises that I used to hear all the time from my own stomach, and that I always hear from other peoples. What I’ve found is that when i am eating healthy foods that I can digest properly I almost never get any noises, as soon as I eat or drink a food i cannot tolerate very well, i hear noises from my stomach, these are like gurgling noises. Is it that the foods cannot be digested properly and are fermenting in my gut, which causes something to be released and that’s the noise we hear? (just riffing here). In any case, why do some foods not make noise but other foods do, and if we hear noises coming from our bellies can we assume anything, such as: “this food is not agreeing with me” OR “i have possibly aten too much today” etc. Be keen to know your thoughts. Thank you so much mentor Cabral, James

Cara: Hi, I’m one of your IHP students having completed Level 1 and working on Level 2. I have a friend who has had a tremendous amount of mystery pain and rashes over 2 months. – She has a 3 year old born via emergency cesarean – DHEA was 900 before 2nd pregnancy; amenorrhea for 3 years, history of over exercising, but stopped to get pregnant with 2nd child – Healthy pregnancy, but right before delivery got hand foot and mouth virus – Emergency cesarean right after HFM virus – Nursing – 1 month postpartum; sinus congestion, sore throat, severe joint pain, couldn’t lift arms, pain was worse in the mornings and evenings, MD ran bloodwork and showed EBV and thought she was having mono. – Started to get better, started running again and then got rash on legs, very swollen ankles, MD now says its HSP and may be what caused the 2 month long illness. The rash is so bad some spots are open wounds and the MD wants her on heavy dose steroids for a week – At the beginning of all of this I recommended; Dr Cabral Foundation Level 2, plus folate (nursing), Vitamin D (at least 4,000 IUs, extra Vitamin C, yoga, no running, epsom salt baths, meditation. -She is open to running labs; recommended OAT, FST, Stool test, however she cannot do any detox protocols – I looked into HSP and it looks like its a form of vasculitis and that appears to be autoimmune based to me – She eats all organic, well-sourced meats/fish, very fit– Rash continued to get worse especially if she “over did” anything and she decided to take the steroids, knowing its’a “bandaid” but she was literally crawling around on her hands and knees to take care of her toddler and baby. This is obviously a complex case because she’s a nursing mom and will probably nurse until the baby is 2-3 years. Thank you for your additional insight in this case! (Dr Cabral Detox group and IHP groups didn’t really want to touch on this case… I can see why).

Erin: Hi Dr. Cabral, Is there a reliable test to measure your level of stomach acid, other than doing a supplemental HCL challenge? I suspect that I have very low stomach acid, but HCL supplementation is contraindicated for me. I tried searching through previous podcasts and couldn’t find one that discussed a test for low stomach acid (perhaps I overlooked it?). I take digestive enzymes to give my digestion a boost, but I think improving stomach acid is the key to a lot of my issues. I am beyond grateful to you for your tireless work and dedication in getting out the message of true health and healing!

Christine: Hi Dr. Cabral, I am a 43 yr old woman dealing with some chronic pain that I find concerning. Some background: growing up I had chronic back pain on and off until my mid 30’s, temporarily helped with chiropractic adjustments. I then did a food sensitivity test and removed those foods that triggered inflammation and sealed my gut with your protocol. I had no pain at all for 2.5 yrs when in May 2019 I went for a 3 mi run and have had horrible pain ever since in my back, neck and right shoulder. I have seen a chiropractor and used the Mackenzie method (back extension and neck retraction) to help alleviate pain, only for it to come back one month later. I have very healthy habits including a clean diet, active lifestyle, etc. In March of 2019 my brother was diagnosed with MS (SAD diet, poor lifestyle choices, etc I’m sure helped triggered this) and my sister has had back issues too. I know that I have poor detoxication pathways and do things to rectify this, my omegas are 3:1 and any inflammatory markers have come back with in functional medicine range. I also did an OATS test in the spring and found that I have klebsiella (as well as HPV), and high cortisol. We talk about how low-grade chronic inflammation can have devastating effects on the body and this leaves me worried. I am trying to find the source-is it mechanical, virus/bacteria acting up, or bit of both? I’m in constant pain, grouchy and feel fatigued most of the time even though I go to bed by 9pm or earlier ( I do wake 1-2x during night). I have worked very hard on lowering my cortisol levels and although I havent retested, feel that it is under control. It may help to know that I am almost done breastfeeding my baby, which i’m sure contributes to neck/back pain, but I can’t help but think something else is going on since I have cut out any running/strength training and only walk, yoga/pilates and recovery work since May. Any advice is deeply appreciated. Thank you!!

Sarah: Hey Dr. Cabral! Thank you SO MUCH for all that you do! You’re like a soul brother to me and I’m so glad I’ve found you. I’ve run the big 5 done, found out I had candida among many other imbalances in my body. I’ve done the CBO protocol now as well as supplementation and other protocols based on lab results and recommendations. I still have however, a rash of some kind around my anus that is pink and pretty itchy and I can’t figure out why, what it is, or what’s causing it. I’ve already invested a lot into lab tests so I’d rather not retest again if possible (I’m wondering if this is still a sign of candida?), but I don’t know so I’m wondering if you have any idea on what this might be and/or what to do about it? I’ve tried putting melaleuca, lavender, sesame oil, coconut oil, etc. on it and nothing seems to help. The only time I’ve noticed it gets a little better is when I do your FM detox, but even then it does not go away. I used to have a spot similar to this at the back of my neck/scalp that is gone now after the work I’ve done detoxing, cleaning my diet and rebalancing my body, but this seems to be the last thing I cannot figure out how to get rid of. I’d love to try getting pregnant soon but I want to make sure I’ve done what I can and need to do in my own body before I go into that next season of life. And one last thing! I developed what appears to be a cyst on my inner thigh over a year ago and it has not gone away. Do you have any recommendations on what to do for eliminating cysts? Thank you!!

Thank you for tuning into today’s Cabral HouseCall and be sure to check back tomorrow where we answer more of our community’s questions!