Leaky gut… 40% chance you have it… Now, how you feel, will start making sense to you
4 Steps to Heal Leaky Gut and Autoimmune Disease
Article truth value: 10%. Why so low: because the author doesn’t know about the fact that all food is toxic to some level to people whose ancestors did not adjust to that food, and develop counter measures.
Also there is a lot of Tree of Knowledge in the suggestions. I’ll add my notes where I can.
Leaky gut syndrome is a rapidly growing condition that millions (about a billion according to my muscletesting) of people are struggling with and don’t know it.
From the sound of it, you might think leaky gut syndrome only affects the digestive system, but in reality it can lead to many other health conditions.
According to research, the cause of your food allergies, low energy, joint pain, thyroid disease, autoimmune conditions and slow metabolism could be leaky gut symptoms progression.
In this article, I will outline specifically how you can heal leaky gut syndrome and break through the health problems you’ve been struggling with.
What Is Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Think of the lining of your digestive tract like a net with extremely small holes in it that only allow specific substances to pass through. Your gut lining works as a barrier keeping out bigger particles that can damage your system.
When someone has leaky gut (often referred to as increased intestinal permeability), the “net” in your digestive tract gets damaged, which causes even bigger holes to develop in your net, so things that normally can’t pass through, are now be able to.
Some of the things that can now pass through include proteins like gluten, bad bacteria and undigested foods particles. Toxic waste can also leak from the inside of your intestinal wall into your bloodstream causing an immune reaction.
Leaky Gut Symptoms and Progression
This leads to inflammation throughout your system and can cause symptoms, such as:
- Bloating
- Food sensitivities
- Thyroid conditions
- Fatigue
- Joint pain
- Headaches
- Skin issues like rosacea, acne, psoriasis
- Digestive problems
- Weight gain
- Syndrome X (inflammation)
One of the biggest warning signs that you may have leaky gut — I recommend that you take a leaky gut test — can be that you’re experiencing multiple food sensitivities. Partially digested protein and fat can seep through your intestinal lining, making their way into your bloodstream and causing an allergic response.
This allergic response doesn’t mean you’ll break out in a rash all over your body, but it can lead to one of the symptoms I’ve mentioned above. If left un-repaired, it can lead to more severe health issues like inflammatory bowel disease, IBS, arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, depression, anxiety, migraine headaches, muscle pain and chronic fatigue.
According to the Journal of Diabetes, there is a strong body of evidence pointing to leaky gut syndrome as a major cause of autoimmune diseases, including Type 1 Diabetes.
Another problem with leaky gut is that it can cause malabsorption of vital minerals and nutrients including zinc, iron and vitamin B12
What Causes Leaky Gut?
There are four main causes of leaky gut which include:
- Poor diet
- Chronic stress
- Toxin overload
- Bacterial imbalance
The most common components of food that can damage your intestinal lining are the proteins found in un-sprouted grains, sugar, GMO’s and conventional dairy.The problem with un-sprouted grains is that they contain large amounts of antinutrients or nutrient blockers called phytates and lectins. Lectins are sugar-binding proteins that act as a natural defense system for plants that protect them from outside invaders like mold and parasites.This is good news for plants but bad news for your body. Your digestive lining is covered with sugar-containing cells that help break down your food. Lectins gravitate toward this area and when they attach to your digestive lining, it damages your gut and causes inflammation.
Lectins and Foods that Cause Leaky Gut
Lectins are found in many foods, not just grains, and consumed in smaller amounts, your body will do just fine with them. But foods that have large amounts of lectins are more problematic. Some of the lectins and foods that cause leaky gut include wheat, rice, spelt and soy.
Sprouting and fermenting grains reduces phytates and lectins, making these foods easier to digest. GMO and hybridized foods tend to be the highest in lectins since they have been modified to fight off bugs. Also, gluten containing grains will damage your intestinal lining and cause leaky gut syndrome.
So while you are working to heal leaky gut and cure autoimmune disease, stay away from all grains, especially ones that contain gluten like wheat. Once your gut is healthy, you can add back in grains that have been fermented and sprouted to eat occasionally.
Conventional cows milk is another food that can cause leaky gut. The component of dairy that will harm your gut is the protein A1 casein. Also, the pasteurization process will destroy vital enzymes, making sugars like lactose very difficult to digest. For this reason, I only recommend buying dairy that is raw and from A2 cows, goats, sheep, or buffalo. (My note: the gluten rich grains in the diet of the animal goes directly into the milk, and will make your symptoms persist, even though you think you stopped gluten! Almost every domesticated animal is fed grain! Beware. I have been somewhat well on sheep, but not completely well. I guess the solution would be to raise my own animals… or to find a farm that does not feed the animals grain. Most grass fed beef sold in the USA is a mis-nomer… the beef is grass finished… the last few weeks are grass fed, but the milk and the flesh is still full of gluten. I don’t think the powers that be want the US population to be healthy.)
Sugar is another substance that will wreak havoc on your digestive system. Sugar will feed the growth of yeast, candida and bad bacteria, which will further damage your gut. Bad bacteria actually creates toxins called exotoxins that damage healthy cells and can eat a hole into your intestinal wall. (My experience doesn’t agree with this doctor’s: if you are NOT exposed to gluten, or if you are not sensitive to it, sugar does not, by itself, will do that. On the other hand sugar is an enemy if you are fructose intolerant… but the effects will be in your esophagus and your stomach, not in your gut.)
Other Factors that Cause Leaky Gut
Sorry, but according to MY muscletesting, these are effects, and not causes.Chronic stress: It weakens your immune system over time, which cripples your ability to fight off foreign invaders like bad bacteria and viruses, leading to inflammation and leaky gut. To reduce stress, I recommend getting more sleep, schedule fun into your week, rest one day a week, meditate on scripture, and hang out with positive, uplifting people.
Toxins: We come into contact with over 80,000 chemicals and toxins every single year, but the worst offenders for causing leaky gut include antibiotics, pesticides, tap water, aspirin and NSAIDS. I recommend buying a high-quality water filter to eliminate chlorine and fluoride and look to natural plant-based herbs to reduce inflammation in your body.
Dysbiosis: Finally, one of the leading causes of leaky gut is a condition called dysbiosis, which means an imbalance between beneficial and harmful species of bacteria in your gut. For many, this imbalance can begin at birth because of a C-section or because the mother didn’t have a healthy gut herself. The overuse of prescription antibiotic drugs, tap water with chlorine and fluoride, and the lack of probiotic-rich foods contribute to this imbalance of good and bad bacteria.
Leaky Gut and the Brain
Another topic I want to quickly discuss is how leaky gut can affect the brain. If you’ve ever seen a child with autism experience a mood swing, this can be caused by intestinal permeability. Gluten-free and casein-free diets have proven effective for many children with autism because these proteins can leak through the gut and then recirculate and act on the brain similarly to an opioid drug.
This is also why leaky gut syndrome has been linked to other psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder. So, in many cases, if you can heal the gut, you can heal the brain.
The 4-Step Plan to Heal Leaky Gut
The good news is there’s a solution to successfully healing leaky gut. There is a four-step process that includes:
REMOVE foods and factors that damage the gut
REPLACE with healing foods
REPAIR with specific supplements
REBALANCE with probiotics
Here’s the protocol I have used with my patients over the years that has helped them see incredible results.
Remember, the top foods to remove that cause leaky gut are sugar, grains, conventional meat, conventional dairy and GMO foods. The top toxic exposures to eliminate are tap water, pesticides, NSAIDS and antibiotics — but remember to always consult with your physician if he or she has prescribed these for you.
