Leaky Gut, Food Intolerances, and Autoimmunity

Leaky Gut, Food Intolerance, and Autoimmunity

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Leaky gut is a widely discussed topic within the alternative healthcare community. However, the abundance of information available can be overwhelming. My goal is to clarify how leaky gut might be impacting your health and what steps we can take to restore intestinal integrity.

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What is Leaky Gut?

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The intestines serve as the main site for absorbing food components into the body. They are lined with a thin layer of epithelial cells, just one cell thick, held together by structures known as tight junctions. These tight junctions act like glue, keeping substances that should stay in the intestines securely inside. Additionally, a layer of mucus coats the intestinal wall cells, serving as a second barrier.

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However, when intestinal permeability, aka leaky gut, occurs, the mucus layer thins, and these tight junctions can become damaged, creating small holes. This permits food particles, toxins, enzymes, fungi, and bacteria to "leak" into the bloodstream and spread throughout the body.

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What Causes the Leak?

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Various factors can lead to intestinal permeability. Key contributors include chronic inflammation, a diet high in processed foods, prolonged stress, bacterial overgrowth, antibiotic use, and the continued consumption of foods that one is intolerant to.

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How a Leaky Gut Leads to Food Intolerances

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When the contents of the intestines, such as partially digested food, leak into the bloodstream, it prompts a response from the immune system, which perceives this as a threat. Since food particles should not be in the bloodstream, the immune system reacts by causing inflammation and mounting an attack to eliminate these particles. This reaction resembles how the body responds to seasonal allergies, like pollen.

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If you continue to consume a food item that your immune system has recognized as a threat, you may begin to develop additional reactions to that food and potentially experience more intolerances over time.

Symptoms of food intolerances can surface up to 48 hours after consumption. Some common symptoms include:

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- Constipation

- Diarrhea

- Acid reflux

- Bloating

- Abdominal pain

- Gas

- Brain fog

- Depression

- Anxiety

- Painful menstrual cramps

- Joint pain

- Fatigue

- Acne

- Eczema

- Rosacea

- Scratchy throat

- Hoarseness

- Itchiness  

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By understanding and recognizing these symptoms, you can take steps to address your food intolerances more effectively.

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Autoimmunity and Intestinal Permeability

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Intestinal permeability is also thought to be a significant contributor to many autoimmune diseases.  

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For example, in Hashimoto's thyroiditis, gluten proteins, present in grains like wheat and barley, can seep through the intestinal lining, causing the immune system to attack these gluten particles. This can lead to the immune system becoming confused and also attacking the thyroid gland, as thyroid tissue shares a similar structure with gluten proteins.

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Intestinal permeability is likewise a key factor in several other conditions, including:

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- Alzheimer's Disease

- Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

- Endometriosis

- Diabetes

- Obesity

- IBS

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Solutions for Intestinal Permeability:

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I utilize a method called the 4 R approach to gut repair:

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Remove: The first step is to identify and eliminate factors that damage the gut lining. This includes reducing stress, avoiding highly processed foods, addressing bacterial overgrowths, and identifying and eliminating food intolerances.

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Replace: Next, we focus on supplementing any missing digestive enzymes or acids necessary for proper digestion. This stage may also involve replacing habits, eating patterns, and mindsets with ones that serve you better.

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Repair: In this phase, we incorporate foods, herbs, and supplements that promote healing of the intestinal lining and the mucus layer, such as marshmallow root and vitamin D.

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Reinoculate: Finally, we introduce essential microbes back into the gut through fermented foods and targeted probiotic supplements.

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By following this 4 R approach, we can tackle the root causes contributing to leaky gut and establish a healthier gut environment moving forward.

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If you are dealing with leaky gut, autoimmunity, or food intolerances, I would be happy to support you on your healing journey. Sign up for my free consultation below to learn more about how I can assist you.

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