Inside your intestinal tract is a protective lining with openings that allow nutrients from foods to be passed into the blood stream after being digested properly. This lining works as a barrier to prevent large, undigested particles of food getting into the blood stream causing damage to the body.
What is Leaky Gut?
Leaky gut is when someone has a malfunction in the ability of the tight junctions of the protective lining in the gut to open and close appropriately and thereby allowing large, undigested particles of food to enter the blood stream instead of only the nutrients from the properly digested food. When this happens proteins like gluten, harmful bacteria, toxins, and toxic waste byproducts from bacteria enter the system causing an immune reaction in the body.
Leaky gut can cause food sensitivities, rashes, hives or itching, and eventually lead to autoimmune conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn’s disease, Hashimotto’s thyroiditis, Lupus, and more. The immune reaction by the body to Leaky gut causes an inflammatory response that can also cause symptoms like bloating, depression and anxiety, irritable bowel, chronic fatigue, joint pain, headaches, weight gain, or skin disorders like psoriasis, acne, rosacea, and eczema. Leaky gut can also cause vitamins like zinc, iron, and vitamin B12 to not be absorbed properly.
Causes of Leaky Gut
The main causes of Leaky Gut include chronic stress, toxin overload, bacterial imbalances, and poor nutrition. Consuming sugar, conventional cow’s milk, gluten, and genetically modified foods cause confusion in the body as it does not recognize these as real foods for human benefit. Once your body has healed from Leaky Gut adding back these foods from time to time may not be harmful or cause problems.
How to Heal from Leaky Gut
To heal from Leaky gut you will need to eliminate damaging foods, replace them with real foods as close to the original state that they come in instead of from a box, packaged, processed, frozen, or canned source. Repair the gut lining with specific supplements known to repair the gut, and repopulate with probiotics to rebalance the ratio of good bacteria to harmful ones.
Important foods to stay away from to heal Leaky Gut: Sugar, grains, GMO foods, hormone laden meats, and conventional dairy products. Also, eliminate tap water, pesticides, over the counter anti-inflammatory medicines like Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Advil, Aleve, and use antibiotics judiciously.
To learn more, contact me today. I'll create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your specific health concerns. Schedule a consultation by calling (615) 828-7729 or send an email.
Here's to your health!
Pattie
Medical Disclaimer: Pattie Rose serves as a functional medicine consultant along with your current health care provider. She is not considered a replacement for your primary care physician. All the recommendations included in this website are not meant to diagnose or replace supervision by a medical professional. If you should experience any adverse reactions, please contact your primary care physician.
Information sources:
Kiefer D., Ali-Akbarian L (2004). “A brief evidence-based review of two gastrointestinal illnesses: irritable bowel and leaky gut syndromes.” Alternative Therapy Health Medicine (3): 22-30.
Pike M.G, et al. (1986). “Increased Intestinal Permeability in Atopic Eczema.” Journal of Investigative
Dermatology
86(2): 101-104..
Maes M, Leunis JC (2008). “Normalization of leaky gut in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is accompanied by a clinical improvement: effects of age, duration of illness and the translocation of LPS from gram-negative bacteria.” Journal of Neuro Endocrinology
, 29(6), pp. 902-10.
Visser, J (2010). Tight Junctions, Intestinal Permeability and Autoimmunity Celiac Disease and Type 1 Diabetes Paradigms. PubMed.
Z Liu, N, Li,J Neu (2005). “Tight junctions, leaky intestines, and pediatric diseases.” Acta Paediatrica
, 94(4), pp. 386-393.
