Leaky gut and your health
Leaky gut syndrome affects many people and some are not even aware that they have it. Leaky gut affects the digestive system and can have a lot of other symptoms that affect your energy levels, thyroid, autoimmune system, metabolism, in fact all areas of your body. Leaky gut is having a digestive system that has no protection against things that will harm you. Bacteria, gluten and toxins can pass through your system and affect your immunity. Also you become deficient in vitamins and minerals because you don’t absorb your food properly.
Symptoms of leaky gut vary from digestive problems to headaches, joint pain, skin problems, thyroid issues, food allergies, bloating and even metabolic syndrome. Food sensitivities are often a sign of leaky gut and these cause inflammation of your system. Your system becomes acidic rather than alkaline and that leaves you open to all kinds of Health issues including Candida, IBS and even eczema or chronic fatigue. Dysbiosis which is an imbalance of good and bad bacteria is also a chief cause of inflammation and a precursor of leaky gut.
Some other reasons for leaky gut can be poor diet which lends itself to a toxic overload in your body and then the good and bad bacteria become imbalanced. Stress is also a factor because when we are stressed it releases different chemicals in our body. When you are stressed the immune system gets weaker and can’t fight off illness which is why it’s important to have a balance in your life of work, sleep and fun by learning to relax.
There are many ways to repair the gut, cut down on the inflammation in your system, desensitize yourself to foods you are allergic to and increase your immune system to become healthier.
Dietary conditions which are important in leaky gut are chief culprits such as grains which contain lectins. Lectins are sugar binding proteins which attach to your stomach lining and cause inflammation. So sugar, dairy products (milk), wheat, rice, soy and anything genetically modified is also a culprit. Gluten damages the lining of the stomach so it is important to steer clear of all grains if you want to heal. So you are looking for products that contain lectins, sugar and casein. Add to this drugs such as NSAIDS, toxins and poisons in our water such as fluoride and it makes for a very sickly cocktail which will keep you unhealthy for years.
Ways to heal leaky gut follow a procedure aimed at rebalancing the system which can be achieved with probiotics and prebiotics and specific supplements to repair the gut. Also it becomes important to stop eating foods that aggravate your system. These foods can be narrowed down by doing some sensitivity testing which often can specifically tell you whether you should be eating lemons or limes or cutting out that banana that you love so much. Sometimes foods that are causing us inflammation are overlooked because they are only inflammation specific to you. Your friend or brother or sister may not be sensitive but you are and that is why it becomes important to be tested. However it’s not just a matter of stopping eating the foods that aggravate leaky gut it is also important to take the correct measures to heal the damage that has occurred.
Many people believe that bone broth can heal the cell walls as it contains collagen, proline and glycine. L-Glutamine and licquorice root combined with Omega 3, Aloe Vera and coconut juice are also important. Kefir and raw yoghurt contain probiotics that will heal and sauerkraut is a good fermented vegetable.
So being told you have leaky gut is not a sentence. There are many ways to repair the gut, cut down on the inflammation in your system, desensitize yourself to foods you are allergic to and increase your immune system to become healthier. Take the time to repair healthy gut properly and you will be reaping the rewards for years to come.
