Leaky Gut – The Modern Epidemic

© September 2016, By Prashant Shah, http://spiritual-living.in

AN OUTLINE: Leaky Gut happens when the walls of our intestine become like a leaky sieve. It allows partly digested proteins, bacterial toxins and large semi-digested food particles to enter the blood stream. This is the primary source of many of the ailments and debilitating conditions in our society.
Millions of people are affected by this disorder, but most of them are not even aware of the fact that their troubles originate in the gut. The number of persons affected by Leaky Gut has reached alarming proportions due to the common and indiscriminate use of Antibiotics and NSAID drugs.

Contents:

• What is a leaky gut?
• What are the common signs of the leaky gut?
• What foods aggravate the leaky gut?
• What happens to the gut when we take antibiotics?
• How to restore the leaky gut

What is a leaky gut?

The gut or the small intestine is full of folds and structures that have a surface area of about 200 meters – about the size of a tennis court. It is like a sieve or permeable membrane that allows nutrients to pass through and keeps out the undigested foods, harmful bacteria and parasites. And to do this job, it is assisted by millions of microorganisms (bacteria) that outnumber the gut cells by 10 to 1. These microorganisms are a mix of good guys (mutualises), bad guys (pathogens) and neutral bystanders (commensally). In a normal gut the ration of good guys to bad guys is usually 85%.

Every time the food is passed down from the stomach the gut has to discern as to what it must accept and what it must reject. Larger proteins are broken down in the intestines into amino acids and short-chain peptides; and the larger carbohydrates and fats are broken down into simpler sugar molecules. The smaller and broken-down (digested) food products are then allowed to pass through and enter the blood stream. The larger (undigested) products are kept out of the blood stream until they are broken down and digestible.

What happens when the gut lining becomes inflamed? There are microvilli on the gut surface which produce the necessary enzymes and secretions that are essential for healthy digestion. They get damaged or altered. Hence, some food remains undigested. Further, the inflammation weakens the structure that provides adhesion between the cells. As a result the holes in the intestine wall become larger. Then larger undigested food particles along with some bacteria are able to pass into the blood stream. The defence mechanism of the body can confuse some of these larger particles with invading particles like gems and parasites. And that can generate an autoimmune response which shows up as a food allergy.

The liver has to break down these undigested particles so that they can be eliminated from the blood stream. As a result the liver gets overworked. Then it does an incomplete job or begins to malfunction. Some toxins remain and have to be excreted by alternate processes through the skin and mucus membranes. The higher level of toxins in the blood then becomes the foundation of illnesses. The person is never really well!

What are the common signs of the leaky gut?

• Feeling tired or sluggish
• Frequent indigestion with heartburn, bloating and gas (foul smelling)
• Stools: Sticky semi-liquid or hard, but not well formed
• Food allergies (to sugar, milk, gluten, etc.)
• Clogged sinuses, asthma and wheezing
• Skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and acne
• Muscular cramps or rheumatic joint pains
• Brain fag and fluctuating moods

What foods aggravate the leaky gut?

Foods don’t cause Leaky Gut, but once this condition has developed certain foods will aggravate it.

The usual culprits are sugar; dairy milk; milk products and products treated with pesticides, herbicides and food preservatives.

In addition to the above some people develop a high sensitivity to GMO foods; gluten (wheat protein); egg white; chocolates; and nuts and oils that have become rancid. The present approach is to eliminate these allergic foods from the diet. That’s fine. But since you are never going to return to normalcy, this elimination has to be done for life! That’s not so fine.

What happens to the gut when we take antibiotics?

Then the good guys (healthy bacteria) get mobbed and the opportunistic bad guys (destructive bacteria), which are able to survive the on slaughter make their move. Once these bad guys get a stronghold in a region of the gut, they change the environment. The probiotics (the good bacteria that help the digestion and produce vitamins) get displaced; holes or small perforations arise in the intestinal lining; and they change the pH balance in the gut making it acidic. That can lead to fungus (yeast) overgrowths like candida and parasites. Given as period of rest and proper food, the body will restore the normal condition. However, when there are repeated attacks by the frequent use of antibiotics and other NSAID drugs, the leaky gut condition becomes chronic. Then you experienc irritable bowels (IBS) and in some ways you are never going to feel well. Gradually some of the body organs can also get affected. To know the details, click: http://wp.me/p13uIG-iE

In addition to Antibiotics the powerful drugs that are used in modern times to treat typhoid, malaria, dengue, chikungunya, asthma, and tuberculosis are big culprits. Our readers may feel a sense of helplessness on reading all this. However, some alternative therapies have survived, like the good bugs. They heal the person by strengthening the immunity! So what should you do? Have your trouble diagnosed by your physician, but in the long term take your treatment from the alternative therapy. To know more, click here: https://darshanacentre.wordpress.com/2016/02/20/using-biochemic-remedies/

How to restore the leaky gut?

If you have the usually signs of leaky gut, like tendency to gas or flatulence, ill-formed or sticky stools or an unpleasant feeling in the belly and frequent digestive upsets, you have a leaky gut.

Once this condition is set, taking yogurt or buttermilk or even eating foods like bottle gourd, kafirs, etc. is not going to settle the issue. You will have to take some of the powerful probiotic products that are in the market. Further, if you use probiotics, don’t take them along with digestive enzymes. The enzymes can break up the bacteria.

Some recommendations:

• After taking any antibiotic treatment, consider using PROBIOTICS for another week. It will alter the bacterial balance in the gut. After a gut illnesses, like the irritable bowels syndrome (IBS), use probiotics for a few months to replenish the gut with healthy bacteria. Replenishment with probiotics has only a temporary effect).
• All probiotics are not equally effective. Different ‘strains’ (types of bacteria) have different effects. Hence, it is best to choose a probiotics formulation that has at least four kinds of different strains. Such combinations are available in the Indian market as brands like Enbioz and Vibact.
• Like probiotics there are also PREBIOTICS. They serve as food for the gut wall cells and assist the growth of healthy gut bacteria. Undigested (complex) carbohydrates in the form of fibers usually serve this function. There are also some natural prebiotics like: garlic, ginger, leek, bananas, watermelon and honey. You can use them liberally.
• L-GLUTAMINE: This is an amino acid supplement that is commonly used by muscle builders. However, it is also a very useful nutrient for the gut wall cells and the associated immune cells. Hence, it has been strongly recommended for promoting the growth of intestinal cells. It reduces the gut permeability (leaks). You can take a one gram capsule for a few months daily, between meals, to have the desired effect.

We wish you good luck. To reads more on Holistic Health, click here, https://darshanacentre.wordpress.com/healing/