Leaky Gut – Sounds Gross! What is it?
May 02, 2016
I grew up having to swig Pepto Bismol in order to stop my digestive problems long enough to go to a slumber party with my friends without having excruciating stomach cramping ,bloating, and all around feeling sick. But I didn’t realize I was reacting to certain foods until I was much older. Because my immune system was so weakened from having so many unidentified food reactions, I caught every cold, viral infection and bacterial infection that went around. And our family doctor always prescribed antibiotics. Which almost always caused diarrhea.
As I got older I did the usual stuff, took probiotics, stopped eating wheat and dairy, etc. Then at some point the horrible bloating and stomach cramping started up again, brain fog set in, and the fatigue hit me big time. And I am a busy woman with a family and had so much to do. I would try to push and muscle my way through the fatigue but eventually I would just have to go to my bed and crash for an afternoon. Then a routine blood test showed that my serum protein levels were low. No wonder I was so tired! Then it dawned on me! It was time for me to do a Food Allergy on myself , you know, the same test that I have many of my patients take for their digestive issues. And so I did. And wow! The results were REALLY BAD! I was reacting to almost EVERYTHING!!!! I had a severe case of “Leaky Gut” and because my gut was so inflamed I wasn’t absorbing proteins. Even though I was eating meat again, I was pretty protein deficient! So I changed my diet and began taking the supplements for “Leaky Gut” to heal my GI tract. Those same supplements I prescribed to many of my patients, and slowly my energy started to come back, I no longer had energy crashes, and the next (and subsequent) blood tests came back with perfectly normal levels of serum protein! AND those weird bloated stomach aches went away too! Amazing!
So how does “Leaky Gut” happen? When the gut becomes inflamed, from gluten, an infection, or a flora imbalance, small traces of food enter the bloodstream. Because the macromolecules of food are seen as “non-self” by the body’s immune system, the body forms antigen-antibody complexes to new foods. The next time you eat that food, not only will it cause more inflammation in the gut, but it will generate more antigen-antibody complexes to form. These may deposit anywhere in the body. For some people it may be the joints, others the kidneys, others the reproductive system, and often the brain (brain fog). It really can attack any organ system. So you end up reacting to more foods and having more allergies.
To heal leaky gut requires a very concerted effort as it doesn’t heal on its own. Various supplements can help with this effort. This is why a leaky gut protocol of mine often includes diet changes as well as targeted supplements.
