Leaky Gut Syndrome, or as it’s termed LGS, is the name given to a very common health disorder that we see, in fact, its becoming far more prevalent over time. It is being identified as a major cause of illness in people and if left untreated causes in some cases life threatening conditions.
Leaky Gut Syndrome is when the lining of the intestine or gut wall has become more open or porous than is healthy or usual.
With it being more open bacteria, fungi, parasites, toxins, undigested protein, fat and waste normally not absorbed into the bloodstream in the healthy state, is able to LEAK or pass through a more porous than usual Gut Wall.
Health issues, lack of exercise, the way we think, how we breathe, the quality and type of food we eat, the things we drink, the medications we take and other factors all combine to have an effect on our body.
One of the areas affected when we are not looking after our bodies is that our whole digestive tract can become aggravated or inflamed.
When the intestinal wall becomes inflamed it then becomes dysfunctional and will develop a more porous nature.
All material that crosses the intestinal lining are inspected by the immune system and it is here the immune system has to have its strongest support or barrier. If the gut or intestine is not healthy, neither can the rest of the body be healthy.
70% of our immune system is located around the digestive area. In a normal healthy person the small intestine behaves like a selective sieve allowing only the broken down products of digestion into the bloodstream.
Nutrients and well digested fats, proteins and starches are readily able to enter into the bloodstream whilst large molecules, microbes and toxins are kept out.
When an inflamed intestinal tract allows the entry of undesired material to our bloodstream our immune system is placed under more and more ongoing pressure to fight and detoxify these unwanted materials from our system.
Typical Signs & Symptoms Of LGS Include:
- Bloating, gas, burping, reflux
- Abdominal pain and or distension
- Fatigue after eating
- Constant hunger
- Headaches
- Neck, shoulder, middle and lower back pain
- Sore joints & muscle pain
- Raised temperature
- Food allergies
- Dysbiosis (imbalance of gut)
Stress is a major cause of LGS. While we can not always remove stress or stressful situations, if we are looking after the over all health of our body and mind using the 6 Life Principles we are able to minimise the impact of stress on our digestive tract.
It is in the Small and Large intestine that all of the nutrients, water and salt needed to fuel or feed our metabolism enter our bodies. The small intestine does almost all nutrients absorption, performing processing of sugars, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
The large intestine mainly absorbs water and salts from the remaining contents.
These are the foundation of the fuel for our bodies if there is poor gut health them we will have poor nutrient uptake. LGS caused by the inflammation of the gut lining can be brought about by the some of the following:
- Alcohol and caffeine, which irritate the gut wall, this includes cokes (diet and regular), chocolate, coffee & chlorinated drinking water
- Use of antibiotics
- Environmental contaminants
- Medications
- Poor diet – high in refine d foods, processed sugars and nutritional deficiencies
- Incomplete chewing and digestion of foods
- Stress
- Parasitic type infestations
Leaky Gut Syndrome Can Be Directly Associated With The Following Conditions:
Autoimmune disease and disorders, Stress, Environmental illness, Acne, Allergies as well as food sensitivities, Eg. Gluten and dairy, Inflammatory joint disease / arthritis, Intestinal infections, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Liver dysfunction.
Action Points
Reduce your chance of suffering LGS
The following points will greatly assist your body to reduce the chance of you suffering from LGS.
- Keep away from the non-foods, sugars, alcohol, coffee, refined carbohydrates and processed foods.
- Provide proper nutrition to the body by eating for your metabolic type and eating quality organic and other whole foods.
- Chewing foods to a liquid before swallowing is critical to helping digestion and maintaining a healthy intestine.
- Include quality Probiotics and other natural digestive enzymes to improve the digestive function and health.
- Drink only purified non-treated water and hydrate with the correct amount for our body weight.
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