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The Elephant (Analogy) in the Room is from Day 3 in one of the best books for healing — A Gutsy Girl’s Bible: a 21-day approach to healing the gut.

Why am I so adamant that this is one of the best books for healing?

Well, because Hippocrates said it best,

All disease begins in the gut.

Hippocrates

Furthermore, and beyond physical disease, there is a huge mental and emotional component surrounding the gut. Therefore, when we talk about ultimate healing, we must acknowledge both the physical and emotional, understanding also that both are relevant to the gut.

Through my own experiences, I was able to heal from these things then write one of the best books (ya, ya, biased – oh well!) to help you, too.

The message I’m sharing today is an important one so I wanted to write it out fully + share via blog post format.

I also wanted to record the message in a short podcast episode.

If you prefer to listen, I have also recorded it for podcast episode 55, bites #9.

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Want to learn even more about the gut and ways to heal it? Learn all the secrets via my signature book, A Gutsy Girl’s Bible: a 21-day approach to healing the gut. Grab your copy on Amazon HERE.

Or, have this book at your fingertips instantly by downloading the PDF now.

Elephant (Analogy) in the Room

Click HERE to save the elephant (analogy) in the room for later.

Perhaps you have heard the parable of the blind men and the elephant.

To summarize, six blind men are touching an elephant.

Each man is touching a different part of the elephant, so each man has a different answer to the question,

What are you touching?

Their answers range from “a wall” to “a type of snake.” 

All six men are touching a single, real object (the elephant), but because that object is so big, their viewpoints and experiences of what it might be are different. Each of the men only has one small piece of the puzzle.

In order to identify what the elephant really is, they would need to connect all their individual experiences. 

Healing your gut is like trying to identify that elephant with a blindfold on.

As long as you’re only approaching the issue from one angle, you will never find the complete answer.

And each person who touches the act of gut healing will view and experience it in different ways.

But there is one right answer—for the blind men, the answer is “elephant.”

And for you, the answer is “healed.” 

To arrive at that answer, you will need to draw on all your past experiences, make connections between what you’re currently feeling and thinking, and ultimately spend enough time “moving about the elephant.

That is, looking at your gut health from every angle—to find the right approach. 

When I first started my own healing journey, I was very much like the blind man only touching one small piece of the elephant.

Knowing everything I know now, if I had to start my entire gut-healing journey over again, there are three things I would do right away, and I encourage you to do all three. 

First, keep an extremely detailed food journal for at least 2 weeks.

….but ideally for all 21 days of this journey, or even a whole month.

During this time, make no changes, and don’t lie about anything you’re eating or drinking or the way you’re living.

The more honest you are with yourself, the more accurate the next steps can be.

And the more accurate the next steps are, the faster you will heal. 

Once you’ve tracked your food and lifestyle patterns for a few weeks…

…review all the information and look for common themes.

• Where are you seeing patterns?
• Do certain foods cause symptoms?
• Is there something coming up with supplements and/or medications you’re currently taking?

Highlight the things that stand out most to you, and take your journal and your notes to your doctor to help guide their next steps. 

Finally, begin to make changes based upon your results…

…and do only the things you need to do in order to heal. You might find you need a low- FODMAP diet, or you might not.

You might need to go gluten-free, or maybe you’ll be fine just switching to organic gluten.

Or perhaps it was just a matter of low stomach acid all along. 

If you’ve been spinning your wheels trying quick fixes with no results or using “Dr. Google” to drive your dietary and lifestyle changes, you’re probably feeling frustrated.

That’s because you’re only looking at certain pieces of the puzzle; you’re like the blind man who can only feel the elephant’s leg.

An honest and complete journal combined with the right diagnostic tests will allow you to begin to see the whole elephant for what it is. 

More Healing Resources

If you like this message, and are interested in getting the book A Gutsy Girl’s Bible: a 21-day approach to healing the gut, then you will love the course that accompanies it (the course includes a copy of the book!).

This resource is invaluable, and I’m looking forward to seeing you inside the group.

More from A Gutsy Girl

1. Welcome to A Gutsy Girl Podcast
2. Hang out on Instagram
3. BFF’s on YouTube
4. Free resource: The Master Gutsy Spreadsheet
5. Rated-G Email Club

Wrap Up

Time to wrap this up. As always, a huge goal for this show is to connect with even more people.

Feel free to send an email to our team at podcast@agutsygirl.com. We want to hear questions, comments, show ideas, etc.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please drop a comment below or leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

If you liked this post and episode, you might also enjoy:

1. Healing Blooms from Within
2. 13 Lifestyle Swaps for the Gutsy Girl
3. 21 Gut Healing Lifestyle Components

Xox,
SKH