Posts Tagged ‘repair leaky gut’

leaky gutWhat is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

According to Wikipedia, leaky gut syndrome is a proposed condition of a damaged bowel lining.  The term is used by some holistic health or alternative medicine practitioners, but is not a recognized diagnosis.   It is hypothesized that leaky gut syndrome is caused by increased permeability of the gut walls resulting from toxins, poor diet, parasites, infection, or medication.  The leaky gut then allows substances such as toxins, microbes, undigested food, waste, or larger than normal macromolecules to leak through an abnormally permeable gut wall.  Proponents propose that these out-of-place substances affect the body directly or initiate an immune reaction.

Symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome:

According to my clinical experience, leaky gut syndrome is a cluster of symptoms caused by the digestive tract inflammation.  They include: food allergies, bloating, diarrhea, stomach pain, extreme fatigue, mind fog, poor digestion and absorption, arthritis-like aches and pain, sleeping disorder, etc.  The symptoms mimic several diagnoses such as fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Crohn’s disease, Lyme disease, Irritated Bowel Syndrome (IBS), ulcerative colitis, yeast and parasitic infections, etc.

For many sufferers, it’s just a relief to finally put a name to the symptoms; however, it does not change the fact that their suffering continues.  So, it’s important to know the possible causes of these symptoms and the holistic treatment for them.

Possible causes of Leaky Gut Syndrome:

1)    Yeast and parasitic infections:

Yeasts and parasites use their vampire-like hooks to hook onto the mucous membranes and suck nutrients from the host.  If they develop colonies in the gastric-intestinal tract (GI Tract), then stomach ulcers or leaky guts can be a result.  Not only do they suck nutrients from the host, but they also damage the lining of the walls of the Gastric-intestinal Tract.

2)    Poor dietary habit:

The Standard American Diet (SAD) is loaded with sugar, dairy, wheat, yeasts, caffeine, alcohol, and chemicals.  The SAD feeds the yeasts and parasites and worsens the symptoms.

3)    Psychological stress:

Carrying negative emotions such as anger, resentment, fear, regret, and guilt is like driving a car with the hand-break on.  It causes wear and tear on the car (your immune system).  When your immunity is weak, all kinds of invaders such as bacteria, viruses, yeasts and parasites can defeat you and cause a variety of illnesses.  That which is eating you psychologically is also eating you physically.

4)    Liberal use of antibiotics and other potent drugs:

The western medical establishment uses antibiotics as a “catch all” magic bullet for all infections without consideration of strengthening the immunity.  Cortisone is another popular drug used to inhibit the inflammation process.  In fact, excessive use of antibiotics and cortisone destroys the immunity, because the potent drugs kill both the good and bad bacteria floras in your intestines.  The “bad guys” such as harmful yeasts take no time to come back; while the “good guys” take a long time to rebuild.  Yeasts are airborne, and they are “omnipresent.”  They can re-enter your weak body anywhere, anytime.  Thus, an imbalance is created.   A vicious circle ensues.   To make the situation more complicated, when yeasts are present, parasites also thrive because of their symbiotic relationships.   As I explained in previous articles, when yeasts ferment, they create a chemical substance called “propyl alcohol” and that substance feeds parasites.  To return the favor, parasites use their body surface as a platform for yeasts to grow and expand.

When people develop leaky gut syndrome, usually they encounter all the factors I described above.  Leaky gut syndrome can be repaired if you employ a holistic approach, and be patient with yourself, and with your life!

In the next article, I will discuss the holistic treatment to repair leaky gut syndrome.  Stay tuned.

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