Leaky gut

Have you heard about the terminology "Leaky gut"? This is a popular description of gut issues used in Functional Medicine.

Leaky Gut is often the cause of a wide variety of symptoms. These pesky side effects can often seem unconnected and get mistaken for a variety of conditions. Some of them have been given their own name or designation, like RA or fibromyalgia. It’s important to know the warning signs so that ultimately, we can can understand when it’s actually leaky gut and get down to the root cause of the issues. Then, we can help the gut start to heal and get on a path to optimal wellness, rather than more side effects. Healing takes time, but it’s completely worth it. Gut health leads to improvement in all aspects of life.

First, let’s talk about what it is and how it happens. Leaky gut happens when the gut walls start to loosen. They are supposed to be like a taught mesh, only letting very small nutrients through, like glucose, fats, protein and vitamins. However, when the gut is damaged by inflammation, candida, gluten, too much sugar, drugs, toxicity or unhealthy fats, it starts gradually breaking down and loses it’s taught quality. It starts to leak larger food particles into parts of the body that aren’t prepared to break it down, like the blood stream.

Common symptoms of leaky gut:

1. Gas and bloating. One of the causes of leaky gut is candida overgrowth, and candida releases gas. This symptom will get worse when you eat sugar, and it tends to get worse over time.

2. Gut pain. Leaky gut results in a lot of inflammation, which causes pain. It’s generally an aching pain and not extremely sharp, so don’t mistake severe pain for leaky gut. Leaky gut causes a more bothersome pain that just keeps coming back and causes discomfort.

3. Headaches. Leaky gut can cause tension headaches due to the increase of inflammation. The headaches will be worse when you are stressed or not eating well.

4. Achy or arthritic joints. Leaky gut can cause leaking of gluten and dairy particles into the bloodstream. Normally, the gluten or dairy food particles would be broken down into smaller parts, like minerals, fat, glucose, or protein. When the full food particles go into the blood stream, it causes pain in the joints. It may be severe enough to be mistaken for arthritis or other conditions.

5. Red or inflamed skin (rosacea, acne or psoriasis). The gut is a gateway to every organ, including the skin, which is our largest organ. It takes a lot of great nutrition to keep this organ healthy, and with a leaky gut, you loose too many nutrients. Even when you are eating healthy, so if you aren’t eating healthy all of the time, it will be worse.

6. Brain fog is common with a leaky gut. One of the nutrients lost to the leakage is vitamin b-1, and this is a vitamin used for brain health, memory and focus. Other b- vitamins can be effected as well, so this leads to brain fog and can even cause memory issues that can mimic more serious conditions.

7. Low energy. Leaky gut causes low energy due to the nutrient loss as well as the inflammation. Inflammation takes a lot of energy. Think of a burning flame needing fuel to keep burning. This symptom will never get better until the gut is taken care of.

8. Depression or anxiety can result from leaky gut due to the gut and brain connection. Serotonin, the feel-good neurotransmitter, is made in the gut and the brain. When the gut is damaged, the amount of serotonin

production is effected, often declining, which can cause depressed moods and a lack of well-being. Leaky gut can also lower levels of other neurotransmitters, like GABA, which helps slow down racing thoughts that are often associated with anxiety.

9. PMS or PCOS is often triggered, or aggravated by leaky gut due to the way it effects hormones. Leaky gut causes a loss of major nutrients that help produce hormones, like magnesium. This causes low sex hormone levels, like low progesterone, which then results in conditions like PMS.

10. Hypothyroidism (weight gain) can be associated with leaky gut due to the loss of iodine and amino acids. Iodine is a mineral used to create the thyroid hormone, and l-tyrosine is an amino acid that is also used. When these nutrients are unavailable, whether through lack of nutrition in your eating plan, or from losing the nutrients to leaky gut, the thyroid hormones decrease and cause low energy and weight gain, along with numerous other symptoms.

The gut is the gateway to all other organs and systems of the body. A healthy gut creates a healthy body, and a sick, leaky gut can result in a tired, sick body. The good news is that the gut is highly responsive to healing. You can essentially have a new, healthy gut within 3-6 months, as long as you change your lifestyle habits accordingly. Here’s a few things you can do today to help heal your gut.

1. Stop eating gluten. Gluten is though to perhaps be the main perpetrator to causing leaky gut. It increases inflammation and pain in the gut as well as in other areas of the body. When you stop eating it, pain and inflammation decreases, which creates an environment ideal for gut healing. Dairy can also cause inflammation and gut damage, so cutting out the extra dairy can be helpful (don’t do ice cream and if you eat cheese, go light on it).

2. Take a probiotic to help balance out gut flora. Probiotics boost immunity, lower inflammation and promote healing. You can also eat yogurt to help your gut heal. A plant based yogurt, like coconut milk yogurt, may work best.

3. Eat a balanced diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. This will help lower inflammation, provides additional nutrition for healing, and increases fiber, which is critical for a healthy gut. When you eat meat, make sure it’s high quality (organic, grass fed beef, wild caught fish, or free range chicken) and chew your meats thoroughly. This improves digestion which can help reduce belly pain and discomfort.

4. Drink plenty of water. This helps keep you regular which is essential for gut balance. Not drinking enough water can result in uncomfortable constipation and indigestion.

5. Take a high quality multivitamin to help with nutrient status while you are healing. A capsule will be easier on digestion than a tablet.

6. Work with a practitioner that can test you for leaky gut or other conditions that require special eating plans or additional changes. Angelica Clark PA-C, IFMCP is a certified Functional Medicinal practitioner that can help you heal your gut and improve your GI symptoms.

After you make these critical lifestyle changes and help your gut heal, you may feel like a new person! A higher energy level, laser focus, quicker weight loss and great moods are just a few benefits that are well worth the wait.