Many of you will have followed Micki Rose’s long search for a way to deal with her own (and many of her patients’) devastating and debilitating food sensitivities which has culminated in her ‘Barrier Plan’. There is an in depth explanation of her theories, and her plan, on the Foods Matter site here; but, in essence she believes that, in those with multiple sensitivities, the body’s natural ‘barriers’ (the gut wall or gut barrier, the skin barrier, the blood brain barrier and the lung barrier) have broken down and become permeable, allowing all kinds of allergens and other ‘foreign bodies’ into the blood stream and into organs in which they have no business to be.
These foreign bodies can cause allergic/sensitivity reactions and inflammation which, if it becomes chronic, may lead to a disruption or deregulation of the immune system and, in time to the dozens of autoimmune conditions which seem to afflict 21st century – coeliac disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, Parkinson’s, motor neurone etc etc etc. Her approach is two fold – first eliminate all the allergens (a lot easier said than done) and then rebuild the barriers.
Her theories, her elimination protocol and her subsequent barrier rebuilding are all described both in the article on our site mentioned above and, in much greater detail in the Plan itself (available, along with hundreds of supporting documents/research, from the Pure Health Clinic shop – and an absolute snip at £65…..). But what is fascinating is the success that both she and those following the plan are managing to achieve.
There are posts scattered through her Truly Gluten Free site (she promises to put up a testimonials page very soon…) from followers of the plan who are already feeling hugely much better on the first stage elimination diet but here is the post on which she logs her own migraine scores over the last six months since she has been following her own protocol.
She scored her migraines from 1 – 12. As she says:
‘The migraine used to score about 8-10 on the pain scale. The average one now is about 2-4, with an occasional 6. They used to last 4 days and now last 2 days – almost on the dot of 48 hours, it just goes and then I need to sleep.’
She then totals up the scores for the months which, before she started the plan in January, were averaging out at around 200 a month. Since January they have run as follows:
January 64.5
February 56.5
March 51.5 (we had carpets fitted and I suffered more migraines as a result)
April 57.5 (an ongoing gum problem flared up, a reaction to something, still working out exactly what)
May 55 (still had gum problem and was mightily fed up 
)
June 29 Yes, 29!!! (gum problem pretty much gone, most days.5-1. PLEASE God or whoever is looking after me, let it stay gone!)
And that is just the migraines. As all sufferers from multiple intolerances know only too well, it is not just the severity of the symptoms that is so disabling it is the multiplicity of them. But, as one improves, so, on the whole, do the others… Which suggests a very encouraging prognosis for those following her plan…
For an introduction to the barrier theory, the barrier plan diet and the barrier supplement protocol see Micki’s article; for the plan itself got to the Pure Health Clinic shop here.
Bless you, Michelle, that is very kind of you!
One point to make: the general scores for Jan-June are for ALL reactions and illness, including migraines, not just for migraines. Which actually is why I was so excited. This includes the scores for the chronic fatigue, restless legs, brain fog, aching, eczema, body itching etc etc; there were plenty of symptoms, hence the scores of 200+ and rising at the start two years ago!
One tiny update from this weekend to add now too – I shall do this on the blog shortly – and do the testimonial page asap, hint taken! I have been a lifelong hayfever sufferer – remember doing your O level exams not being able to breathe?! I have hated Summer since my teens and avoided grass pollen like the very plague.
This weekend, I camped – albeit cheating in a caravan – in a field in the middle of the Dartmoor countryside. I was nervous but my hayfever has been non-existent practically this year so far so I went for it. NO REACTION AT ALL! How exciting is that? Could my mucous membranes be strengthening, or is it just easing as I get older?
As for the other reactions – usually plentiful when I am away and out of my usual comfort-zone – I did have one mild migraine I think kicked off from Fairy washing up liquid when I did the washing up on the first afternoon. But, for the first time ever, it last 24 hours and scored a 2 mainly because of the nausea. Not the usual debilitating awfulness. Yay. And no more washing up either, now there’s an excuse…