What
is Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Leaky
gut syndrome is the technical name for increased intestinal permeability. As
its name signifies, this condition is characterizes by a gut (intestinal tract)
that allows far too many substances into the bloodstream.
Normally,
the intestinal walls form a semi-permeable barrier, only allowing properly
digesting nutrients into the bloodstream, while preventing the uptake of toxins
and undigested food particles. Such nutrients are able to pass into the blood
through pores located in the intestinal wall.
Under
ideal circumstances, these pores are small enough to prevent undigested food
particles and other large toxins from escaping the intestinal tract and causing
damage in the bloodstream.
However,
in the case of leaky gut syndrome, these pores widen, which allows anything and
everything to pass through the (now very permeable) intestinal walls and into
the blood.
This
is a big problem and is one of the biggest factors behind food allergies and
auto-immune diseases.
Why
is Having a Leaky Gut Dangerous?
Our
intestinal tract is obviously semi-permeable for a reason. If is meant to keep
out certain substances then there's a reason for needing to do so.
One
of the problems with leaky gut is that it allows undigested food particles into
the blood. When this happens, the immune system builds up antibodies against
the protein in that food and mounts a full-out immune response. The immune
system is simply doing its job. If it identifies a "foreign"
substance in the bloodstream, then it will take the necessary action to
neutralize it.
Unfortunately,
since the body has now developed an antibody army against this food, with time
as you ingest this food your body will become "hypersensitive" to it.
This is how food allergies develop. And the more this occurs with the foods you
eat, the more hypersensitive your immune system becomes.
As
a result, you become much more susceptible to environmental allergens since
your body's immune system is now in overdrive and "paranoid" about
everything little thing it is exposed to.
With
time, a hypersensitive immune system can start reacting in a myriad of
unpredictable ways. In many cases, it will actually begin to attack the body
itself, creating an auto-immune disease such as alopecia, multiple sclerosis,
celiac disease, Graves' disease, endometriosis, and many more.
A
substantial proportion of the population suffers from immune diseases, which
are often chronic, debilitating, and life-threatening. There are more than
eighty illnesses caused by autoimmunity and about 75 percent of those affected
are women. It has been estimated that autoimmune diseases are among the ten
leading causes of death among women in all age groups up to 65 years.
However,
go to your doctor, allergist, or immunologist and they will NEVER even mention
the possibility of leaky gut syndrome.
According
to "brillant experts" at USA Today...
"Scientists
believe multiple factors such as environmental toxins, heredity, viruses, and
certain drugs may play a role in causing an autoimmune disease. Stress, poor
diet, lack of exercise, lack of sleep, abuse of alcohol and use of tobacco can
also weaken the immune system and may play some role as well."
That's
great thanks. And they can say that about pretty much every single disease as
well. The fact remains that many of these "causes" are also at the
root of leaky gut syndrome.
What
Causes Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Well,
as was briefly mentioned above, the substances and choices that stress your
body and digestive system will have a profound effect on the health of your
colon and intestinal tract. Refined sugars, processed foods, alcohol,
medications, and stress will negatively impact the colon.
All
of these can worsen the balance between good and bad flora in your colon. If
the bad are way out of control, then fungi, for instance, can latch onto the
intestinal walls and create irritation, inflammation, and the eventually
widening of the pores.
If
food sits in your colon for too long, it too will irritate the intestinal walls
and predipose them to becoming more permeable. That is one of the reasons why
passing regular bowel movements is so important.
Natural
Leaky Gut Remedies
First,
you need to cleanse your body of the foods and substances that irritate your
digestive and intestinal tract. Second, you need to spend time healing your gut
with nutrients such as L-glutamine, essential fatty acids, and vitamin C.
So
if you suffer from allergies, have an autoimmune disorder, have digestive
difficulties, or want to improve your overall health then you need to take
action immediately. The longer you wait, the worse your condition will get.
But
there's good news!
Now
you can get the support and the time-proven system that will help heal your gut
and cleanse your body of its toxins. To learn more about how the Total WellnesCleanse™ can help you click the link below.
Yuri
Elkaim Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN & Amy Coates, RHN, BSc. is a renowned
fitness, nutrition, and weight loss expert. He is a registered holistic nutritionist
and the co-creator of the Total Wellness Cleanse - a 30-day food-based
cleansing program that has helped thousands of people lose weight, cleanse
their bodies of toxic overload, and restore incredible health. For information
on the Total Wellness Cleanse visit www,TotalWellnessCleanse,com
References:
Noel
R. Rose and Ian R. MacKay, “The Autoimmune Diseases” fourth edition
http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/487/main.html#CausesandRiskFactorsofAutoimmuneDiseasesandDisorders