What is Leaky Gut and how to improve digestive health?

The digestive tract sometimes known as the gut is the gateway to health. If you have a healthy gut then the chances are that you are in good health. However, there’s a condition called leaky gut or leaky gut syndrome that can lead to a host of health problems and it has now been linked with over 140 autoimmune conditions.  Click here to find out more about The FREE online AutoImmune Serious – Betrayal, by Dr Tom O’ Bryan.

The gut tract is like a net and is naturally permeable to very small molecules of vital nutrients. In fact, regulating intestinal permeability is one of the basic functions of the cells that line the intestinal wall. In sensitive people, gluten and other harmful invaders such as toxins or infections can cause the gut cells to release zonulin, a protein that can break apart tight junctions in the intestinal lining.

leaky-gut-diagram-1

leaky-gut-diagram-1

Once these tight junctions get broken apart, you have what is known as a leaky gut (or intestinal permeability). When your gut is leaky, things like toxins, microbes, undigested food particles, and more can escape from your intestines and travel throughout your body via your bloodstream. Your immune system marks these “foreign invaders” as pathogens and attacks them. The immune response to these invaders can appear in the form of any of the nine signs you have a leaky gut, which are listed below.

What causes problems with digestive health (leaky gut)?

Underlying most modern day chronic day diseases, there are a number of root causes attributed to our Western lifestyle, and these then contribute to the core imbalances and dysfunctions which if left unchecked develop further into physical symptoms leading to a diagnosis.   We are now learning that these underlying biomarkers are evident well in advance of the onset of the chronic illness, yet our current medical model is a disease management model, post symptom recognition and not yet advanced or diverse enough to look at health prevention or health creation.  This is where the functional medicine model can support the creation of health and the latest scientific health screening bioenergetic systems, can provide insight into these root causes and core imbalances.

The main culprits are pollution and parasites but can include foods, infections, and toxins. Gluten is one of the number one causes of leaky gut. Other inflammatory foods like dairy, or sugar and excessive alcohol, are suspected as well.  The most common infectious causes are parasites, candida overgrowth, and small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Toxins come in the form of medications, antibiotics, airborne allergens and environmental toxins like mercury, pesticides, herbicides and BPA from plastics.  Stress and age also contribute to a leaky gut.

Here’s the whole list of the Symptoms of a Leaky Gut

  • Aches and pains
  • Allergies
  • Arthritis and joint pain
  • Asthma
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Autoimmune Disease (check out the list of 140)
  • Candidiasis
  • Digestive Problems such as gas, bloating, reflux, diarrhea or constipation
  • Epilepsy
  • Fatigue (chronic, ME or fibromyalgia
  • Fertility (male and female)
  • Food Intolerance or sensitivities
  • Headaches & Migraine
  • Hormonal Imbalances such as PMS or PCOS
  • IBS, Crohn’s or Colitis
  • Mood and Mind (depression, anxiety, ADD or ADHD)
  • Migraine
  • Post-Operative recovery
  • Skin problems (acne, eczema, psoriasis,)
  • Sports Injuries
  • Sleep Disorders
  • Stress & Anxiety
  • Thyroid (Thyroiditis, Hashimoto’s, Graves)
  • Weight loss or gain and many more….

If you think you mighthave symptoms of a Leaky Gut, then try the Leaky Gut Quiz here!

It takes guts to get Healthy! – Love your gut, heal your gut, heal your health

How you feel and the symptoms you are experiencing is only ever the tip of the iceberg, yet underneath the water line is where we need to look to uncover what is really going on.

eq-root-cause

Root Cause

The Functional Medicine Approach to Digestive Health

We use  ASYRA Pro  bio-resonance to complete the health screening protocols using the functional medicine 5R approach.   During a comprehensive health consultation, the aim is to work through the 5R stages and help you identify the underlying root causes and which core systems are out of balance, we can then look at the most effective treatment plan to acheive optimum health.

1. REMOVE  

Remove stressors: get rid of things that negatively affect the environment of the GI tract including allergic foods (gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs and sugar which can lead to food sensitivities), infections (parasites and ptential problematic bacteria or yeast), and gastric irritants like environmental toxins (chemicals, or heavy metals).  You don’t need the hassle, embarrassment or expense of a stool analysis, we use the ASYRA Pro to screen energetically.  This might involve using an allergy “elimination diet” and we use the ASYRA to find out your individual food sensitivities, so you don’t have to cut out whole food groups from your diet which can lead to nutrient deficiencies.  For those who are highly toxic, we may to look at how to modulate the immune system or even recommend a course of Iso-immunotherapy.

2. REPLACE  

Replace the healing ingredients missing from the body required for proper digestion and absorption that may have been depleted or compromised by diet, disease, aging or other factors.  The Leaky gut diet is easy to follow and you may need to replace digestive secretions such as digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid and bile acids to aid digestion or identify the main nutritional deficiencies and understand WHY the body is unable to access, absorb or assimilate them.  Again, we use the ASYRA Pro to determine if you require any additional product support and find the right supplement and the correct dosage.

3. REINOCULATE 

Help beneficial bacteria flourish by ingesting probiotic foods or supplements that contain the “good” GI bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacillus species, and by consuming the high soluble fiber foods that good bugs like to eat, called prebiotics.  Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms found in the gut that are also called “friendly bacteria.”  Use of antibiotics kills both good and bad bacteria.  Probiotics in the form of supplements or food are often needed to help re-establish a balanced gut flora. Fermented foods, such as yogurt, miso, and tempeh are food sources of probiotics.  Prebiotics are food ingredients that selectively stimulate the growth of beneficial microorganisms already in the colon. In other words, prebiotics feed probiotics. Prebiotics are available in many foods that contain a fiber called inulin, including artichokes, garlic, leeks, onion, chicory, tofu, and other soy products. Grains such as barley, flax, oats, and wheat are also good sources of prebiotics. Another good prebiotic source is a supplement called “fructo-oligosaccharide” or FOS.

We use the ASYRA Pro to source a probiotic supplement that contains beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria and lactobacillus species. (Our favorite for both synergy and immune support is Bravo yoghurt).

4. REPAIR

Support the lining of the GI tract repair itself by supplying key nutrients that can often be in short supply in a compromised gut, such as zinc, antioxidants (e.g. vitamins A, C, and E), fish oil, and the amino acid glutamine, as well as herbs such as slippery elm and aloe vera.  Following the Leaky gut diet will provide most of the essential building blocks and we use the ASYRA Pro to check if they are any additional requirements.

5. REBALANCE

Consider the other lifestyle choices which contribute to health: Sleep, exercise, and stress can all affect the GI tract as well as additonal strategies to help to boost immunity and help prevent future ill-health. Balancing those activities is important to an optimal digestive tract.

Top ‘Leaky Gut’ Treatments and Natural Remedies

Foods to Avoid

  • Commercial dairy products (A1 casein, lactose)
  • Gluten
  • Sugar, sweeteners, and refined flours
  • Caffeine
  • Known allergenic foods such as nuts, shellfish, eggs, wheat, dairy
  • Grains

Supplements to Include:

  • Prebiotics
  • Probiotics
  • Anti-microbial herbs and supplements
  • L-glutamine (essential amino acid to repair the digestive tract)
  • Essential Fatty acids
  • Vitamins and minerals
  • MAFActive cream

Other Lifestyle factors

Check out the Seven Pillars of Health in Cleanse, Nourish and Heal to learn how Sleep and Stress play a major part in achieving optimum health.

How can Cleanse, Nourish and Heal Help?

Good health is a birthright and shouldn’t only be available to those who have the affordability to invest in their health.  All our clients are introduced to the 7 pillars of health and the 3-day sugar cleanse as part of their healing journey, but this is also our FREE gift to anyone who wants to take back the control of their health and stop suppressing their symptoms with medications which can lead to further health challenges.  Instead, embark on the healing journey.  This is not for the faint-hearted, it’ not a magic pill or quick fix and if you don’t believe in functional foods, medicinal plants and accessing your innate healing ability, then this is not for you.  Cleanse, Nourish, Heal.

How to find out more?

To find out more about how the natural healing arts and the lastest scientific health screening technologies can help.  Request an initial FREE chat to discuss your health challenges and how I can help or ask how the Living Matrix and Timeline report can help you and your practitioner get to the root cause of your health challenges.

 

 

Schedule a FREE chat with me!

 

Kirsty Terry, Msc, BSc, R(Nutr), RTT™, AFMCP™

Kirsty is a Healthpreneur and uses the modalities of Functional Medicine, Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT™) and Bioenergetic Health Screening to help her clients achieve their optimum health and vitality naturally.

Kirsty is passionate about how the mind and body works together in creating the onset of illness and combines psycho-emotional, energetic, physical and meta-physical approaches for a truly comprehensive, radically wholistic approach to health and wellness.

She helps her clients to get to, and understand the root cause of their health challenges, and helps them address the lifestyles changes required break free from managing symptoms and achieve their optimum health and vitality.

For anyone who is sick, stuck or just fed-up with the ongoing pattern of managing only symptoms. Her unique combination of modalities provides a truly comprehensive and wholistic approach to achieving health which are non-invasive, painless and a drug-free.

When I’m not trying to heal the world, I’m a Zumba queen, or blissing out with a good meditation