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Comment by CodeWriter23 | Hacker News Reader

Have you looked into the GAPS protocol? There's an operating theory that allergies and autoimmune issues are linked pinhole-sized ruptures in the intestines, and GAPS takes a very pragmatic and mechanical approach to helping heal one's intestines. My wife had eczema from her fingertips to her shoulders on both arms and GAPS mostly cleared it up over a couple of weeks. She fully cleared up the eczema using the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol for a few more weeks.

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GAPS protocol is a quackery and its creator is antiscientific and dogmatic.[1] Your wife's eczema cure probably had nothing to do with GAPS protocol. Even if it was the reason it may not work for others and other diseases.

[1] - http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2011/08/01/gaps-in-a-docto...

The idea of healing small ruptures in the intestines by lining them with fats and collagen to isolate them from inflammatory stool components, and then preserving that lining by eating soft foods seems highly practical to me.

And on a scientific scale, I give your assessment a zero. You have simply wielded the word "science" with contempt prior to any observation. IOW you're employing pseudoscience to make your point, then referencing a blog post which cherry picks assertions from a licensed scientist, cites them out of context, relies on analogy, and you present this as "Science". You have in essence conflated science with rhetoric, especially given the well-documented biases of the Skeptics, the organization behind scienceblogs.

Criticize work not people.

Wish I had enough karma to downvote. Not CodeWriter's comments, but dimmuborgir's - for being so rude.

Contrary to you he at least gave a reference link to pick apart and discuss the validity of his claim. Which is better than a counterargument thar boils down to "I believe it could work because these ideas behind it soundsl reasonable" with no actual back-up from scientific studies testing those hypotheses. Which is then followed by an ad hominem accusation of being unscientific, and topped off with a claim of "well documented biases" but again without providing any actual references to said biases.

I don't know anything about GAPS and have no stake in its validity going either way, but I can say that your accusations of unscientific behaviour come across as projection.

A quick search shows this hitting too many of the typical pseudoscience bullshit triggers to merit much further analysis:

- mentions of "toxins" and "heavy metals"

- zero quality research or scientific backing

- broad list of afflictions it can miraculously cure, with little scientific reasoning for method for most

- supported by Dr Axe and other peddlers of bullshit

- origin story about how "mainstream medicine" failed the creator, who doggedly persisted in finding magic cure

Etc, etc.

Like most alternative treatments that aren't inherently harmful, I'd try it if everything else failed.

But this almost certainly doesn't work.

Edit: I mean, check out this blog post on eczema and the GAPS diet. I don't mean to make fun of this parent, but this is exactly what I'm talking about. I'm not sure there's any actual facts or understanding of science here at all. Almost every sentence is wrong. http://www.mariarickerthong.com/healing-eczema-with-the-gaps...

That epidemiology sounds compelling. I had 18 months of completely debilitating IBS due to "allergic reactions" to Cipro and Levaquin. That left other serious now diagnosed scars in nerve demyelination and yet another rarer autoimmune disease. I of necessity live a pretty refined weekly regimen I keep tweaking (anti-inflammation, upper respiratory, gut health). Humira for example is contraindicated by my nerve demyelination. Restoration to American grab and go commercial habits is not really in my cards according to overlapping specialists. My remaining dream is to kickstart an Open Source Longevity movement with open data sets, cost accounting and revision history on GitHub. My kid and Americans generally need more oxytocin rich hippie deluxe food and hospitality and less Soylent.

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