Summer is finally here and we all want to be looking and feeling great. So many of us, train hard and eat clean but we can never seem to shift those last few pounds!
Is there an exercise you are leaving out? Is there a superfood that you haven’t heard about? Or do you simply have a “leaky gut”?
That’s right. Leaky Gut Syndrome is a phrase not many of us have heard before, let alone know what it is.
A Leaky Gut is when the intestinal lining in our gut becomes more porous than normal, so abnormally large spaces become present between the cells of the gut wall.
This allows the entry of toxic material into the bloodstream that would normally be repelled. In a Leaky Gut the bacteria, fungi, parasites and their toxins (yes, that means their waste), undigested protein, fat and waste pass through the damaged gut wall.
Over time, this causes chronic inflammation in the body. An inflamed body and suppressed immune system make it very hard for you to lose the extra pounds you’re carrying.
The body turns into a stressed state and keeps hold of the fat cells to use for energy in the ‘fight or flight’ situation it’s preparing for.
Obviously, this situation never occurs, leaving you with a layer of stubborn fat.
But it is not only losing fat that can be the problem. Leaky Gut Syndrome can also be the underlying causes of many ailments that seem completely unrelated.
Arthritis, chronic fatigue, migraines, celiac disease, skin conditions, diabetes and lupus may well be linked to Leaky Gut Syndrome.
If you would like to learn more about this condition then refer to “One Cause, Many Ailments: Leaky Gut Syndrome.” by Dr. John. O. A. Pagano.
11 Signs Of A Leaky Gut
- Fatigue
- Fevers of unknown origin
- Food intolerances
- Abdominal pain
- Abdominal bloating
- Diarrhea
- Skin rashes
- Shortness of breath
- Poor exercise toleranc
- Toxic feelings
- Cognitive and memory deficits
You may be thinking to yourself how the last two signs can be linked to a leaky gut? What do our feelings and thinking have anything to do with our gut?
Well, the gut is widely known in the neuroscience world as “the second brain”. In fact, Michael D. Gershon M.D, wrote a book on the subject with the same title, explaining how your gut has a mind of its own.
According to Gershon, our gut is the only organ that has its own intrinsic nervous system without any input from the brain or spinal cord.
This evolved so our Paleolithic ancestors could hunt, run away from danger and make caveman babies without having to worry about digesting and absorbing food.
This comes in very handy and something we completely take for granted.
Gershon states that there are more than 100 million nerve cells in the small intestine, which is roughly the same as the whole entire spinal cord.
Add the nerve cells in the oesophagus, stomach and lower intestine and then we have more nerve cells in our bowels than our spine.
No wonder we get butterflies in our tummy, feel sick to the stomach and have to show some guts to get through enduring times! This is why a leaky gut can have a huge effect on our psychological wellbeing.
We have another brain down there and have to show it the same respect as the well known one in our head.
13 Causes Of A Leaky Gut – Unlucky For Some.
Dr. John O. A. Pagano has identified the following substances that can damage the intestinal lining and cause leaky gut syndrome from his clinical experience.
- NSAID (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
- Ingestion of allergic foods
- Ingestion of offending chemicals
- Poor diet. Eating highly acidic foods, saturated fats, inflammatory foods such as the nightshades (tomatoes, tobacco, eggplant, white potatoes, peppers and paprika), yeast, grains and sugars.
- Stress
- Spinal subluxations. Usually vertebrae discs T5 through to T9
- Negative emotions and harboured resentment
- Chronic constipation
- Too many sweets
- Fried foods
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Transmissions of toxics through the mother in the case of a newborn.
So, if you’ve made it this far in the post then you’re obviously interested in how to prevent or even heal a leaky gut. Generally speaking, we need to calm down the inflammatory process. That means stop taking whatever may be causing the inflammation in the first place.
Once you have identified the culprit then you need to reduce taking it or cut it out altogether. An elimination diet is the cheapest and usually most effective method of identifying a food intolerance. Cut out suspect foods for eight weeks then reintroduce them back into your diet to see if you suffer any side effects.
Suspect foods you should consider are the nightshades, gluten and dairy.
After this, you can “reseed” the small intestine with friendly bacteria such as those found in natural live yoghurt.
Then you should build up the liver so it can continue its thankless task of detoxifying the body. A liver flush may be a good idea.
4 Ways To Prevent a Leaky Gut
I’m on a roll with the lists now, so here is my last one! There are several actionable tips that I can offer which will help you recover from a Leaky Gut or minimise your chances of developing it.
- Avoid processed food, as they are acidic in nature.
- Try to eat more alkaline foods like fruit and vegetables instead. The pH levels in our body need to be around 80% alkaline, 20% acid. Most of us live in an acidic body.
- If you choose to drink alcohol and coffee, drink in moderation. They are strong gut irritants.
- Medical drugs like antibiotics and prescription drugs can lead to overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut. Only take them when is absolutely necessary. Try and find alternative natural medicines. Prescription hormones like the birth control pill can inflame the gut so consider other contraceptive methods.
If you have any of the symptoms listed in this post, then I would strongly suggest looking further into the Leaky Gut Syndrome as it may be a precursor to an ailment more sinister. 90% of diseases originate in the bowel so it is imperative to keep it clean and healthy.
We’ve all heard of the old adage “no guts, no glory” but bad guts certainly won’t have a glorious end.
If you have any questions about “Leaky Gut Syndrome” then let me know in the comment box below!
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