The Sneaky (Leaky) Health Hazard You Need to Fix NOW!

If you thought the leaky faucet🚰 in your kitchen was a problem, wait until you hear about leaky gut!

Much like that leaky faucet that allows water to escape when it shouldn’t, a leaky gut allows undigested food particles, proteins, bacteria, and other harmful substances to leak out of the small intestine and into the bloodstream…somewhere you definitely don’t want such things to wind up!

Sadly, leaky gut has become so prevalent that it’s more the norm than the exception — and it’s wreaking havoc on our wellbeing.

Read on to find out more about this health hazard, and more importantly how to reverse it!

What exactly is leaky gut?

Our gut lining is made up of just one layer of epithelial cells, and when damage occurs to these cells in the small intestine it results in leaky gut.

Leaky gut develops when the normally tight junctions between the epithelial cells loosen, creating “holes” — akin to Swiss cheese — that undigested food (especially proteins) and toxins can escape through and enter the bloodstream. Our bodies recognize these particles as foreign invaders that need to be eliminated, and our immune system attacks them. This leads to a constant, endless cycle of inflammation and overstimulation of the immune system, which can eventually result in autoimmune issues — when the body starts attacking itself and confusing its own cells as threats that need to be taken out. This is especially true of hypothyroidism, because the proteins that comprise our thyroid “look” similar to the undigested proteins that escape when someone has a leaky gut. After a while, the body begins to see the thyroid cells as problematic, too, and attacks them.

What causes it?

One definitive cause hasn’t been identified, but the toxins we come into contact with on a daily basis in combination with the abundance of grains and unhealthy food/alcohol we consume, our high levels of stress, gut dysbiosis (the outnumbering of bad vs good bacteria) and infections all contribute to the problem and erode our gut lining / drive inflammation.

But what kind of toxins are to blame? And aren’t grains supposed to be good for you?

Here’s a couple examples, and I’ll explain the connection to the grains, too. Let’s talk about herbicides and pesticides first, particularly glyphosate, the active ingredient in RoundUp. Modern grains are known as “RoundUp ready,” because they’ve been genetically engineered to withstand huge doses of RoundUp, both while they’re growing and before harvest to dry them out (that way they can be harvested at the farmer’s convenience without rotting). The moment that glyphosate hits your gut lining after it rides in on the piece of bread you just ate, it begins breaking down the lining within four seconds. Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a senior researcher at MIT, has done some really interesting research on this if you want to look it up. Grains also turn to sugar in the body, and excess sugar consumption contributes to gut dysbiosis.

Medications are another example of a toxin that breaks down our stomach lining. Yes, medications have their place and are life-saving in certain instances — I’m not anti-medication! But we overuse medication in our society without giving proper weight to the consequences and side effects they carry. Acetaminophen, NSAIDs, and antibiotics are just a few examples of common medications that negatively affect our gut…not to mention the antibiotics found in our food, antibacterial soap, etc.

And these examples are just the tip of the iceberg — we’re surrounded by toxins in our environment day in and day out…we’d be here for hours if I started running down the list!

Symptoms of leaky gut

The symptoms of leaky gut are far reaching and can include:

• Digestive issues, including irritable bowel syndrome
• Skin problems like eczema and psoriasis
• Allergies
• Chronic fatigue
• Chemical sensitivities
• Joint pain
• Swelling

If somebody comes to me with a health problem, I can almost guarantee that person is dealing with some level of leaky gut, and for them to get well, they’re going to have to fix their gut.

How?

By removing / reversing the root causes we’ve discussed that include:

-Gut dysbiosis
-Toxins
-Consumption of excessive sugar, grains, inflammatory oils & medications that harm the gut lining
-Infections (like parasitic infections, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth [SIBO])

Take these steps NOW to heal leaky gut:

1. Strengthen your digestion! We can’t have undigested foods passing down into the small intestine, as that creates its own irritation. A major problem for a lot of people is low stomach acid, and antacids only worsen the issue. It seems logical that if someone has acid reflux, heartburn, poor digestion, etc. they have too much stomach acid…but in fact the opposite is true! To improve digestion and increase acid, try supplements like Betaine HCL (with pepsin is best), digestive enzymes, and eat “bitter” vegetables like artichokes, dandelion, and arugula. Beets can also be helpful, as they play an important role in the health of your gallbladder…ginger and cinnamon, too.
2. Replace good bacteria that’s been lost. Eat things like kombucha, kimchi, raw sauerkraut, yogurt (if you can tolerate dairy, find organic, grass-fed yogurt, or eat coconut yogurt), cottage cheese from grass-fed cows, raw cheese, etc. Probiotics can also be helpful, but don’t take the same one all the time as you’ll risk overproliferation of individual strains. One cup of raw sauerkraut has over ten times the amount of probiotics you’ll get through 60 days worth of probiotic supplements, with a greater variety of bacterial strains. I’m a huge proponent of getting probiotics through food over supplements! But, if you’re going to take a probiotic supplement, look into a spore based (or soil based, SBO) probiotic. These strains of good bacteria are much, much more resistant to stomach acid, so they’re more likely to make it past the stomach and into the small and large intestine where they’re needed most.
3. Eat foods rich in prebiotics. Probiotics provide the good bacteria, but prebiotics “feed” the good bacteria and keep them healthy! Integrate foods like onion, garlic, leeks, dandelion, asparagus, apples, and organic bran / oatmeal into your diet on a regular basis.
4. And finally, work to heal the lining of the gut. Things like bone broth (especially homemade bone broth), hydrolyzed collagen powder, L-glutamine (take 1,000 mg / 1 g of powder in water 3–4 times a day — bonus, it will also help cut carb cravings!), and zinc carnosine will help heal the gut lining. Beyond that, to soothe an irritated gut, try slippery elm, marshmallow root, and aloe vera.

Don’t let a sneaky, leaky gut undermine your health any longer — follow the steps above to start fixing it today!