Reader Questions: Terrible bread, meetup organizers, ulcers

And now for some reader questions:

Q: Dru from Idaho asks "Is this paleo?" sending along this attached picture:

A: No. You got Dim Sum and got a bunch of bread? Dude, where are the writhing sea creatures drenched in various rich possibly-alcoholic sauces? Do they even have Dim Sum in Idaho anyway? 

Whew, thanks for sending along easy questions! Remember that if you want to ask a question, please use the contact form and not comments. If it takes me five gazillion years to answer your question, I'm totally sorry. Let's just say that my inbox is in quite a state these days.

Q: 

I think we've "virtually met" via PaleoHacks but I'm in the process of starting a Paleo meetup in the San Francisco bay area ala what you and John have got going for NYC. I was wondering if you'd have any advice for a dude just starting out with this whole meetup thing. I've emailed John as well but was hoping if I could get your input. Would really appreciate any direction you could give.

A: Running a meetup is hard work and I can't say we do it perfectly. I guess our strategy is a

1. Diversity: We have many types of meetups from fitness to parties to eating out. I think this allows us to attract a wide variety of people. Also, if you do meetups that cost money, also do some that are free. I don't know about SF, but in NYC another major challnege is "provincialism". People in upper Manhattan and reluctant to go to events in Brooklyn, so we try to have Meetups in many different places.

2. Have co-organizers and draw on members to help. It's tough work planning events. I used to plan events full time and I'm happy I don't do *that* anyore. When members propose meetups we encourage them to be involved in the planning process.

3. If a meetup costs money, any money at all, require FULL payment to RSVP. We've tried being nice and doing deposits, but it just leaves up calculating stuff grumpily at the end of the meetup.

Q:

hey completely off topic but i just read your post on GERD on MDA and had a question for ya. i've been paleo for 6 months and have been under a lot of pressure at work/home (selling house, moving etc) when i started to notice a dull ache causing me pain in my stomach that subsided when i ate...except i never felt hungry :( so i went to the dr and she gave me nexium. i only took it for 3 days and had to stop because the side effects were worse than the pain! i've started drinking an ounce of aloe juice 2x daily and have been drinking 1/2c kefir once daily and doing zero fruit (except figs since they are highly alkaline). after you began your diet healing process, how long until you noticed some relief? i know every individual is different but i just can't see the answer in taking a PPI for 30 days...stopping a natural body process entirely seems...well wrong to me! any advice? thanks!

A: It made big news when scientists found out ulcers were caused by h.pylori. The problem was that they completely threw out the past proposed cause: stress. Stress might not tear a hole in your stomach itself, but it can definitely contribute to things do this. I definitely wouldn't take nexium, since it does not address the root cause of the problem. The proof is in the fact that the number of patients who are healed by the 30 day cycle the box advertises is virtually zero. Peter at Hyperlipid has written extensively about the dietary causes of bacterial overgrowth and recommends a very high fat nearly zero carb diet, which is the protocal I followed for several months. It's also very important not to take NSAIDs (AKA aspirin and ibuprofen) because they can contribute to ulcers. I don't really think kefir is as effective as a good commercial probiotic supplement since there is little evidence that bacteria in fermented milk can survive the journey to the gut, but it probably won't hurt anything. I personally take Jarrodophilus, which is expensive, but worth it. I would also recommend taking the NOW Foods Super Enzymes Robb Wolf recommends.

I would also say that perhaps you should consider making some rich nutritious bone stocks and if you can find sea buckthorn products near you there is strong evidence that it helps heal ulcers.

I would also recommend eating more than you want in the morning to get the gastric juices stimulated. My own routine in the morning, which I completely hate, but it's helped me through plenty of stress, is to do some intense exercise for 30 minutes or so and then eat a big meal. There is evidence that exercise can blunt the effects of stress. 

How long does it take to get rid of stomach problems with paleo? It can take anywhere from 1 week to a six months. I think it's important to stay completely gluten-free and to eat enough calories in order to speed up the process. I would do very low carb for 2 weeks to a month until stomach pain subsides and then follow the Cooling Inflammation protocol which recommends some vegetal fiber in order to support a better GI flora.