I am often asked in the clinic about leaky gut and how to heal it. Well, my answer is fairly straight forward as we know a lot about this condition. I start of by saying that as Naturopaths we don’t make claims about healing anything and then go on to talk about how we approach this condition using naturopathic approaches. Leaky gut is a complex condition and in order to understand how to treat it, we need to first understand what causes leaky gut. I am going to focus on a few of the common causes.
Leaky Gut Symptoms
Unexplained food intolerances, allergies, constipation, wind and bloating could end up being chronic symptoms if proactive steps aren’t taken to diagnose the problem and then to treat it. And what is of even more concern is that this condition makes you more susceptible to developing serious gastrointestinal illness down the track.
What Causes Leaky Gut?
In today’s article I want to explain what Leaky Gut actually is and then share with you some of my Naturopathic expertise and show you how heal a leaking gut – well, ways to maximise the healing ability of the gut as much as possible.
The digestive tract is a complex but one part of it, the small intestine membrane, acts as a wall, separating undigested food and the bloodstream. This barrier allows the tiny molecules to be transported through the membrane and into the blood stream, supplying the body with the essential nutrients. Under normal circumstances, a healthy person may have as much as 20% of undigested proteins getting through this barrier. This permeability is normal to a degree.
Now there are certain factors that will increase the permeability of the intestinal wall and one of the main things is excessive inflammation. This is what is referred to as leaky gut. So what happens is that larger molecules of undigested foods are able to pass through the membrane into the blood. As a result of this, the immune system is triggered.
When there are too many CIC’s the kidneys and liver have a hard time getting rid of them and they can end up being stored in the soft tissues of the body which drives the already inflamed tissue throughout the gut. And of Course the more inflammation, the higher the possibility of allergies.
Healing Leaky Gut
By understanding what leaky gut is, we now can find ways to address it and begin to help the gut to function normally and for the barrier to become more discerning about what goes through and what is blocked!
A term used to describe the unhealthy balance of organisms (microbiome) that live in the gut. We have all heard of ‘friendly’ bacteria and these are the ones we want to have in our system and importantly, in the right amount. The use of probiotics have become everyday supplements for leaky gut and their judicious use can be really helpful in getting the gut balance back into order. Different studies show that various probiotics are better suited for certain conditions while other studies show that a general probiotic can have positive effects on the gut microbiome.
Candida Overgrowth
This yeast can overgrow throughout the body causing candidiasis which contributes to leaky gut as well as trigger allergic reactions. It can also lead to gradual degradation of the intestinal wall integrity. One naturopathic approach is to have a diet that contains no sugar and fermented products. This way the candida is ‘starved’ and can be reduced throughout the body.
Ideal Liver Function
The liver is like a big sponge in the body and it is able to filter up to 99% of bacteria that has originated form the gut. Candia and other pathogens activate the liver detoxification processes but in order for it to do so, it needs to be in top working order. If your diet is less than optimal or there are too many toxins in your body as well as other various factors, then your liver will not be able to detoxify effectively and at least, not be working at peak efficiency.
So anything we can do to promote liver health is going to be great when trying to find out how to heal leaky gut. Perhaps the biggest impact on liver health is your diet. I know it gets a bit repetitive but it is true. Remove processed foods, ensure your diet is balanced and you’ll be on the right track. Foods like beetroot are wonderful ‘liver cleansers’ and other vegetables that are bitter in taste as this will stimulate the healthy functioning of the liver. Dandelion root coffee is my favourite herb for the liver and easily obtainable. Globe artichoke is another ‘liver’ plant.
Medications
As a naturopath, I put a lot of emphasis on body pH because this can affect your overall health in many different ways. It’s important to be aware that there are some pharmaceuticals that are alkalising and when they enter the stomach they alter the pH and this in turn can affect the digestive process. Larger molecules are able to escape the mucosal barrier. In other words, contribute to leaky gut. The NHS (UK) has some more information on medications as well as a good summary of leaky gut. Leaky Gut Syndrome.
Alcohol
Anti-inflammatory molecules called prostaglandins can be diminished by small amounts of alcohol. (It inhibits an enzyme called delta-g-desaturase.) This means that there is more inflammation at the intestinal wall and this, again drives problems like allergies, for example.
Parasites
Intestinal parasites adversely affect out health in all sorts of ways including leaky gut. They mostly live in the gut but can enter the blood stream and make their way to various organs and tissue. The toxins that are released by parasites cause damage to your body, especially in the digestive system. The resulting inflammation, again, contributes to the leaky gut.
Leaky gut requires an eclectic understanding as to its causes and then this allows us to approach it with strong and focused naturopathic treatments. If you have any questions please contact me at my clinic. Andrew James Healing Centre.
Pictures
Lady with stomach pain: Image Анастасия Гепп. Pixabay. disease-4392164_1920