As the name might hint, Leaky Gut is a condition where half-digested food, bacteria, and waste products leak from the lumen, the tube of the small intestines, into the blood and lymph. As a result, the immune system launches an attack on the invaders.
The problem is that unlike an acute disease like flu or colds, leaky Gut is a chronic disease unless it is treated. The immune response fights the invaders but does not stop the leak in your Gut. Each time you eat, the immune system is reactivated, which results in a confused overactive immune system. You end up with systemic inflammation and autoimmune disease.
How would you know if you have a leaky gut?
- Fatigue after eating
- Joint pain
- Food Allergies
- Chronic Allergies
- Chronic skin conditions
- Constipation and/or diarrhea
- Brain fog
- Depression and/or anxiety
- Chronic fatigue
- Migraines
- Autoimmune disease
If you experience one or more of these symptoms, there is a good chance that you got a leaky Gut; as you can see, the symptoms can show in different parts of the body. Sometimes it is hard to connect the dots and find the common underlying root cause of all the signs. Treating the symptoms with antidepressant or steroid medicine for the skin issues or the joint pains and aches might exacerbate the gut hyperpermeability.
The only way to heal a leaky gut is by giving the Gut the support needed to reclaim its integrity.
An integrative approach to healing the Gut you want to bundle together:
- Healthy nutrient-dense diet
- Rest specifically to the digestive tract by practicing intermittent fasting and the entire body by allowing it to heal and rejuvenate by getting enough sleep.
- Movement stimulates the blood and lymph flow. It will enable more nutrients to reach the cells and more toxins to be removed and eliminated
- Stress reduction prioritizes the digestive tract and allows more rich nutrients blood to flow into the Gut.
- Herbal Supplements
The 5 R’s are nutrition and herbal protocol to
support returning balance and health to the
Gut.
- Reverence is an essential aspect of healing your relationship with food in general and your Gut specifically, eating while sitting down by the table without distraction such as the T.V or your computer. Enjoying the whole experience of the meal, its smell and taste feeds your body, mind, and soul. When you provide for your entire being, you will be satiated after consuming much less food. When you eat while distracted, your soul stays hungry. You will need to snack again soon after you ate.
- Remove gut irritants. Some medications, processed foods, gluten, milk products, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine irritate the Gut and cause leaky Gut.
- Replace your diet with a nutrient-dense diet. A nutrient-dense diet consists of vegetables, grass-fed organic proteins, cold-water fatty fish, and healthy fats.
- Replenish your gut bacteria by using prebiotic and probiotics.
- Restore the integrity of the Gut by using supplements and herbs.
Are you looking to learn more about leaky Gut? and what can reverse this condition?
In my program Aging With Grace – The Wise Women Way to Holistic Wellness at any Age, I share practical guidelines that will repair the integrity of the gut using the 5 R’s.
