Disorders of Digestion and GUT
Irritable Bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder of the intestines affecting perhaps 20% of the adult population that leads to pain, gassiness, bloating, and changes in bowel habits. Symptoms include constipation, diarrhea or a painful but unsuccessful urge to move the bowels.
Leaky gut – or leaky gut syndrome (LGS) – is a poorly recognized but very common problem, which is rarely tested for. This condition results from an overly-permeable intestinal lining with spaces between the cells of the gut wall. These spaces allow “foreign” material, bacteria, toxins and food) to leak into your body where they should not be, placing an additional burden on the immune and detoxification systems.
The lining of the digestive tract can be damaged by overuse of antibiotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, chemotherapy, alcohol consumption, antacids, too much sugar, stress, bacteria, toxic chemicals, parasites, fungal infection, some foods and various other means. A leaky gut allows food particles to enter the blood stream undigested, thus leading to food intolerances.
Leaky gut and incomplete digestion go hand in hand. Leaky gut allows not only oversized undigested particles to enter the blood stream but also bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. When this happens there is an alarm that goes off in the immune system. The immune system builds antibodies against these foreign molecules. This leads to a vicious cycle of allergic and autoimmune responses. Every time we eat something there is a lot of stress for the body that has a leaky gut. The longer this leaky gut and incomplete digestion exists, the less able the body systems are able to function correctly.
A leaky gut can result in many different types of illnesses such as:
• Autistic behavior
• Food allergies/intolerances
• Inhalant allergy
• Chemical sensitivities
• Cancer
• Alcohol consumption intolerance
• Weak immunity(recurrent infections)
• Celiac disease
• Chronic candidiasis (yeast infections)
• Asthma, bronchitis, respiratory infections
• Shortness of breath
• Skin rashes, hives, eczema
• Allergic sinusitis, nasal congestion
• Nasal polyps and sinus infections
• Chronic tonsillitis, and otitis media
• Arthritis and chronic joint pain
• Abdominal pain and bloating
• Constipation/and or diarrhea
• Indigestion or flatulence
• Mucus or blood in stool
• Fatigue, chronic tiredness
• Confusion, poor memory
• Fuzzy thinking
• Mood swings
• Depression
• Poor exercise tolerance
Causes
Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS) occurs when the wall of the GI tract is damaged. A healthy intestinal wall allows only nutrients to pass into the bloodstream; when it is damaged, larger molecules–such as incompletely digested fats, proteins and toxins slip through, as well. Your body, recognizes these substances as foreign and forms antibodies to them, which is why you suddenly become allergic to foods you’ve always eaten without a problem. LGS also causes “environmental allergies”, causing the individual to responds to various inhalants from the environment. Furthermore, one can form antibodies to proteins similar or same as human proteins, and then your immune system starts to attack parts of the body. This is how autoimmune diseases, like MS or arthritis “work”. Deficiencies of vitamins and minerals are common with persons with LGS because, they lack cells to move minerals and vitamins from the gut to the blood.
Candida albicans is a major cause. If you have Candida overgrowth in GI tract you also have Leaky Gut Syndrome. Candida overgrowth causes LGS : when Candida changes from yeast to fungal form it forms rhizoids, a root like structure, that breaks the intestinal walls. Even when you get Candida in balance and heal the gut, your food allergies will remain for a while because you will still have the antibodies to that food.
Stress. The intestinal lining replaces itself, on the average, every 14 hours. To replace intestinal walls you need blood and the first organ to lose blood during stressful situations is intestinal tract. If you experience a lot of stress, your intestinal lining will not regenerate and LGS becomes likely.
Antibiotics and steroids decrease number of friendly bacteria allowing Candida to proliferate, which causes LGS.
Hormonal imbalance allows Candida to proliferate, a primary cause of LGS.
Alcohol and caffeine decrease number of friendly bacteria, and again allow Candida to proliferate.
Parasites or bacteria such as Giardia or H. Pylori
Food allergies aggravate LGS.
Enzyme deficiencies e.g. celiac disease, lactase deficiency causing lactose intolerance
NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen, aspirin, etc. interfere with mucus production.
Chemicals in fermented or processed food.
Healing the Intestinal Wall & Leaky Gut
Avoidance of aggravating foods like gluten, grains, milk products, sugars, alcohol, red meats, artificial colors and flavours.
Enzymes are essential chemicals that are the foundation of human bodily functions. They are catalysts (activators) in the chemical reactions that are continually taking place within the body. As coenzymes, vitamins work with enzymes, thereby allowing all the activities that occur within the body to be carried out as they should
Removal of overgrowth of bad bacteria, fungus, virii, and parasites.
Recolonisation of friendly gut bacteria
Supportive nutrients: essential fatty acids, certain vitamins (e.g., A, D, E, B-12, folic acid) and certain minerals (e.g., copper, iron, magnesium, selenium, zinc)