When I was a kid, I could NOT live without sugar
I would eat a whole bag of twizzlers in one setting
I lived for coming home after school and downing a ton of kool-aid (yes, I was an 80s child!) while watching LIttle House on the Prairie
Add to that, I had a lot of childhood colds, ear infections and sinus infections – so I took tons and tons of antibiotics
Add to that, I swear I was born with digestive issues – I had a lot of embarrassing bathroom visits with friends and even times I couldn’t make it home from an athletic event without pulling the car over and running into the bushes (TMI, I know!)
So, as you can imagine, after nearly 3 decades of sugar addiction and having my primary doctor be Urgent care and antibiotics, as well as having to run to the bathroom with diarrhea or loose stools…..my body cried uncle
I found my first Naturopath at nearly age 30 and then began my journey learning about leaky gut syndrome and candida overgrowth in my gut
What is candida?
We all have it
Many types of fungi live in and on the human body, including the genus of yeasts known as Candida.
Candida is typically found in small amounts in the mouth and intestines and on the skin.
At normal levels, the fungus is not problematic. However, when Candida begins to grow uncontrollably, it can cause an infection known as candidiasis.
Typically, the healthy bacteria in your body keep Candida levels under control.
However, if healthy bacteria levels are disrupted or the immune system is compromised, Candida can begin to overproduce.
Candida over growth in the system can cause:
AnxietyDepressionBrain Fogfatiguepoor sleepjoint painDigestive issuesBloating & many more symptoms.
And since I had no clue how to shift my addictions to sugar and fast paced/high stress living (life in the fast lane!), I did end up acquiring an autoimmune disease diagnosis, called Hashimoto’s
I probably spent $15,000 or more over many years of working on my gut health – many candida cleanses, liver cleanses, sugar detoxes, fasting, probiotics and countless holistic health care appointments later (naturopaths, functional medicine doctors, acupuncturists, chiropractors galore)
After all of that (from 2008-2013), and having a healthy second pregnancy, I found myself in 2014 having what appeared to be pretty good gut health….BUT, the addictions to sugar, this time in the form of alcohol, came back as my stress levels as a mom/wife and entrepreneur increased
And that set me on a path of no return – and it was frustrating.
Had I really gotten rid of the candida overgrowth?
Nope
For nearly a decade I struggled with binge drinking and felt like a failure – knowing that a lot of my “addiction” was coming from my decades of sugar dopamine hitting consumption DAILY
How could I break this addiction, since sugar is known to be 8x more addictive than cocaine?
In the past two years, I turned to sacred plant medicine and kambo frog medicine as a last resort
And it was the answer!
I had heard Kambo frog medicine, specifically, had helped many with autoimmune issues and candida overgrowth
Kambo is a medicine that is purgatory and forces you to poop and vomit, as well as sweat, cry, create somatic releases and even give you a spiritual experience.
I also knew it did a lot of help in healing the gut brain.
According to Amazonian practitioners of kambo, it is believed to drive out panema, which is negative energy from the body.
However, scientists believe that this might be as a result of the effect of the peptide chemicals which are found in the kambo secretion such as:
Phyllocaerulein is a hypotensive neuropeptids in Kambo that stimulates the adrenal cortex and pituitary gland. Present in kambo at around 32 micrograms per milligram, it has a role in the medicine’s analgesic and satiety effects.
Phyllomedusin interacts with tachykinin receptors—shown to regulate the functions of L-Dopa, serotonin, and other neurotransmitters—while phyllokinin targets the bradykinin receptors. Phyllomedusin contracts smooth muscles while phyllokinin relaxes them. Both are potent vasodilators, increasing the permeability of the blood-brain barrier.They are present in kambo at around 22 and 18 micrograms per milligram, respectively.
Sauvagine, present at 3 micrograms per milligram, functions like a hormone. It interacts with the pituitary-adrenal axis and corti–cotropin-releasing receptors—involved in stress, anxiety, depression, and addictive behavior.
Adenoregulin stimulates the binding of agonists to A1 adenosine receptors and is shown to cause behavioral depression in mice.
Deltorphins and dermorphin are both powerful opioid receptor agonists. Deltorphins in particular have among the highest binding affinity and selectivity to delta opioid receptors of any natural compoun Dermorphin is highly selective for mu opioid receptors. Present at 5.2 and 0.25-0.33 micrograms per milligram, respectively, these peptides are many times more potent than endogenous beta-endorphin.” https://thethirdwave.co/psychedelics/kambo/
Due to all of its clarifying effects, and the effect that kambo treatment is known to have on pain, it is also known to have a tremendous effect in helping to treat addiction. This is because addiction usually rises as a result of trying to dull out some form of emotional persistent pain. When this pain that leads to the addiction is alleviated, there is usually little or no need to seek out these addictive substances anymore.
Research has also shown that this is effective not only as a preventive measure for addiction but also as a form of treatment for addicts. This is because the practice of kambo helps to provide one with an alternative to managing their pain even while they purge the addiction out of their bodies. In practicing this, people have found that many become less reliant on pain medication to help manage their pain and this, in turn, helps to wean them off the addictive substance and even helps them to work through the withdrawal process at a faster rate.
When it comes to dealing with addiction, kambo has actually been referred to as a practice that interrupts the addiction itself. This deduction is largely dependent on the spiritual and physical properties of kambo. These spiritual properties refer to the ability of self-reflect on a much deeper level than ordinarily would be possible. During this act of intense self-reflection, a person is said to be able to look inwards and unearth their deeply hidden negative characters and habits. This revelation then helps them to deal with these habits and characters and even goes as far as helping to identify opportunities for personal healing, development, and growth. This spiritual property is said to actually be able to tackle the deep fundamental cause of pain in a person’s mind, and this is what makes it valid for the treatment of addiction as well.
