
ALL DISEASE BEGINS IN THE GUT HIPPOCRATES
28TH MAY WRITTEN BY FLORA CRICHTON
Leaky gut can be a major driving force of chronic inflammation. This can leave us feeling extremely fatigued. Leaky gut occurs when certain stressors cause the lining of our gut to become ‘leaky.’ The gut lining is formed from tight junctions, which keep anything we ingest from leaking into our blood stream. When we experience leaky gut, substances we ingest can leak from the gut into our blood stream. This can alert the immune system and lead longer-term to inflammation.
These are a few of many factors, which will cause a gut lining to become more leaky…
* Antibiotics: these can kill off a huge amount of our gut bacteria (microbiome) - it could take up to two years to re-establish a healthy microbiome. A diet full of plant based foods and supplementing with a strong probiotic during and post antibiotics consumption can hugely decrease the negative effects of antibiotics. Antibiotics also sadly reside in our food supply - such as meat, from factory farmed animals (herds of animals can be dosed with antibiotics).
* Pesticides sprayed on our crops, particularly glyphosate herbicide can kill of the microbiome, as well as disrupt the gut wall, breaking tight junctions. So, either buy organic, or at least wash fruit and veg thoroughly.
* Environmental toxins; BPA in plastics - most has now been banned, but another chemical called BPS, may be even worse. Plastics can disrupt our hormone production also.
* Heavy metals; high mercury levels can be found in people with mercury amalgam fillings, as well as bigger fish, such as tuna or shark. Choose smaller fish eg. salmon, mackerel.
* Medications and drugs contribute to leaky gut. Leaky gut causes inflammation. This can produce more pain, which causes us to take more drugs. Getting off medications, NSAIDS, ibroprofen by improving the gut microbiome will lessen pain and inflammation.
* Grazing and snacking from dawn until after dark. Our digestion takes a huge amount of energy to perform, yet we eat upon waking and snack throughout the day, until after dinner. Eat within a smaller eating window and eat less often to ensure the gut has time to ‘heal.’
* Stress, most important and often neglected, will weaken the tight junctions of the gut lining.