Leaky Gut Syndrome
The effects of modern living can take a toll on our digestive tract. Stress, poor quality food, alcohol, medications like NSAIDS, gut infections, and even gluten all may contribute to chronic inflammation of the digestive tract lining. Your gut lining is as big as a tennis court, so this is no small matter!
Normally the cells lining the gut have what is called tight junctions between them. Nothing should get through except tiny food particles such as amino acids, fat molecules, simple sugars, and the vitamins and minerals from your food. These nutrients are absorbed through the cell membrane of the cells lining the small intestine.
Leaky gut syndrome occurs when gut inflammation goes on long enough to loosen up the tight junctions, leaving gaps and holes between the cells that line your small intestine. This allows for larger-than-normal food particles, bacteria, and toxins to enter your blood stream that can cause all sorts of problems.
Naturopathic doctors have known for decades the existence of leaky gut syndrome as a real thing, and its role in the development of autoimmune diseases. Some allopathic doctors have just begun to accept this progression as well thanks to the masses of modern research coming out on the microbiome.
Normally the cells lining the gut have what is called tight junctions between them. Nothing should get through except tiny food particles such as amino acids, fat molecules, simple sugars, and the vitamins and minerals from your food. These nutrients are absorbed through the cell membrane of the cells lining the small intestine.
Leaky gut syndrome occurs when gut inflammation goes on long enough to loosen up the tight junctions, leaving gaps and holes between the cells that line your small intestine. This allows for larger-than-normal food particles, bacteria, and toxins to enter your blood stream that can cause all sorts of problems.
Naturopathic doctors have known for decades the existence of leaky gut syndrome as a real thing, and its role in the development of autoimmune diseases. Some allopathic doctors have just begun to accept this progression as well thanks to the masses of modern research coming out on the microbiome.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of leaky gut start out innocent enough.
It begins with general gut inflammation and gut-specific symptoms such as gas, bloating, cramps, maybe some irregularity. Then more food allergies or intolerances seem to develop. If you ever have a food allergy panel and show reactivity to most of the foods, it's not your immune system that's the problem, it's your leaky gut.
As the condition of the gut degrades, the health impacts can be quite dramatic and widespread. Think fatigue, joint pain, acne, food allergies, autism, rashes like eczema or psoriasis, respiratory issues, asthma, and autoimmune diseases.
How can leaky gut lead to autoimmune diseases? It's really quite simple.
Remember, over 70% of your immune system is located in and around the gut.
When larger-than-normal food particles are able to enter your bloodstream, your immune system cells see it as an invader. Your body might make antibodies to this food particle, as it should if this were a true bacterial or viral invader.
The mistake comes when the antibody is made to a certain part of the food particle that resembles a certain part of your own body, such as your thyroid gland. Now you have antibodies that start to attach to your thyroid gland and it sets up your immune system to begin destroying your own thyroid gland.
When your body attacks your own thyroid gland, it's known as Hashimoto's disease and gives symptoms of hypothyroidism.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Hashimoto's disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism, and they state that doctors do not know why your immune system attacks your thyroid gland.
Unfortunately, “modern medicine” is usually slow to accept what has become common knowledge to functional and naturopathic doctors.
The body can only handle so much at a time, and if you have chronic lack of sleep, stress from work, and a poor diet then there's just no energy left to keep up the repairs on the gut. It becomes a vicious cycle of gut destruction leading to lack of vital nutrients leading to more gut destruction. And research shows that when your gut is leaky, your blood/brain barrier is leaky as well, allowing toxins to enter your brain.
Some experts say that these days virtually everybody's gut leaks to some degree.
It begins with general gut inflammation and gut-specific symptoms such as gas, bloating, cramps, maybe some irregularity. Then more food allergies or intolerances seem to develop. If you ever have a food allergy panel and show reactivity to most of the foods, it's not your immune system that's the problem, it's your leaky gut.
As the condition of the gut degrades, the health impacts can be quite dramatic and widespread. Think fatigue, joint pain, acne, food allergies, autism, rashes like eczema or psoriasis, respiratory issues, asthma, and autoimmune diseases.
How can leaky gut lead to autoimmune diseases? It's really quite simple.
Remember, over 70% of your immune system is located in and around the gut.
When larger-than-normal food particles are able to enter your bloodstream, your immune system cells see it as an invader. Your body might make antibodies to this food particle, as it should if this were a true bacterial or viral invader.
The mistake comes when the antibody is made to a certain part of the food particle that resembles a certain part of your own body, such as your thyroid gland. Now you have antibodies that start to attach to your thyroid gland and it sets up your immune system to begin destroying your own thyroid gland.
When your body attacks your own thyroid gland, it's known as Hashimoto's disease and gives symptoms of hypothyroidism.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Hashimoto's disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism, and they state that doctors do not know why your immune system attacks your thyroid gland.
Unfortunately, “modern medicine” is usually slow to accept what has become common knowledge to functional and naturopathic doctors.
The body can only handle so much at a time, and if you have chronic lack of sleep, stress from work, and a poor diet then there's just no energy left to keep up the repairs on the gut. It becomes a vicious cycle of gut destruction leading to lack of vital nutrients leading to more gut destruction. And research shows that when your gut is leaky, your blood/brain barrier is leaky as well, allowing toxins to enter your brain.
Some experts say that these days virtually everybody's gut leaks to some degree.
But it doesn't have to be that way
There are successful treatment and prevention strategies that can heal your gut and heal your whole body. The sooner you can address leaky gut syndrome the better to reduce system-wide damage. Your gut has an amazing ability to heal itself when given the right tools. The lining of your gut is replaced with new cells about every 4 weeks, so progress can be fast when you follow a succinct protocol.
I devised a 6-step approach to dealing with leaky gut syndrome:
1. Remove foods that are irritating the gut. An elimination diet is an effective way to find hidden food allergies or intolerances. Eating whole foods and eliminating the junk and alcohol is also key.
2. Reduce dysbiosis. By the time someone has leaky gut syndrome, they most likely also suffer from dysbiosis, which is basically a gut infection with bad bacteria and yeast. This alone can cause gut inflammation so it needs to be addressed as well. Anti-microbial herbs are a great way to reduce the dysbiosis.
3. Replace digestive enzymes. When under stress, your body has insufficient energy to make the acids and enzymes necessary for proper digestion of your food. Supplying these in a pill form is beneficial while your body is healing and regaining its vital energy.
4. Repair the gut lining by adding soothing herbs and nutrients such as glutamine and curcumin. This is also a good time to reflect on the stressors in your life that may have contributed to leaky gut syndrome and how you might reduce their effects on your body. Stress breaks down tissue, so this has to be addressed for gut healing to occur.
5. Repopulate the gut with probiotics and fermented foods. A little bit of real sauerkraut or kimchi each day can go a long way. Soil probiotics are a wise addition as well since our food supply is often lacking in these essential friendly bacteria.
6. Re-introduce foods that you have eliminated one at a time to see what your digestive tract can now tolerate in its new state of health. Foods that cause a reaction in your system should be avoided long-term. Of course, going back to the way you used to eat will only re-create the leaky gut problem, so some permanent healthful changes need to be adopted.
I devised a 6-step approach to dealing with leaky gut syndrome:
1. Remove foods that are irritating the gut. An elimination diet is an effective way to find hidden food allergies or intolerances. Eating whole foods and eliminating the junk and alcohol is also key.
2. Reduce dysbiosis. By the time someone has leaky gut syndrome, they most likely also suffer from dysbiosis, which is basically a gut infection with bad bacteria and yeast. This alone can cause gut inflammation so it needs to be addressed as well. Anti-microbial herbs are a great way to reduce the dysbiosis.
3. Replace digestive enzymes. When under stress, your body has insufficient energy to make the acids and enzymes necessary for proper digestion of your food. Supplying these in a pill form is beneficial while your body is healing and regaining its vital energy.
4. Repair the gut lining by adding soothing herbs and nutrients such as glutamine and curcumin. This is also a good time to reflect on the stressors in your life that may have contributed to leaky gut syndrome and how you might reduce their effects on your body. Stress breaks down tissue, so this has to be addressed for gut healing to occur.
5. Repopulate the gut with probiotics and fermented foods. A little bit of real sauerkraut or kimchi each day can go a long way. Soil probiotics are a wise addition as well since our food supply is often lacking in these essential friendly bacteria.
6. Re-introduce foods that you have eliminated one at a time to see what your digestive tract can now tolerate in its new state of health. Foods that cause a reaction in your system should be avoided long-term. Of course, going back to the way you used to eat will only re-create the leaky gut problem, so some permanent healthful changes need to be adopted.