Could Intestinal Permeability be the root cause?
Disease begins in the Gut. Moreover, what starts in the gut generally doesn’t stay in the gut. For example, food sensitivities may impact gut health and then cause inflammation in other parts of the body such as the joints. Also, most autoimmune diseases have a high correlation to intestinal permeability.
What is Intestinal Permeability exactly? Let’s take a look at what the Gut is first:
• Essentially a tunnel, a well-guarded and regulated
exchange corridor that is outside of the systemic body.
• The entry way for essential nutrition to fuel every cell in the body.
• The exit path for most toxins and waste.
• Guarded by a planetary level population and diversity of microbes.
• Home to more than two-thirds of the immune system, surveying our intake, outflow, and microbial balance.
• Exchange controlled by a very complex, semi-permeable interface that is only one-cell thick. When this interface becomes excessively permeable, therefore letting semi-digested food, microbes, bacteria, etc. come inside then is when we have Intestinal Permeability causing all kinds of disease dynamics.
• Housing its own nervous system, which generates neurotransmitters used throughout the body.
• The gut and brain connect via a highly interactive vagus nerve with 90% of the nerve fibers going
from the gut to the brain (afferent).
Potential triggers/causes of Intestinal Permeability:
o Low Vitamin D
o NSAID drugs
o Other Drugs
(e.g. SSRI, hormones, birth control pills, chemotherapy)
o Gut microbial imbalances
and overgrowths (e.g. candida)
o Pathogenic microbes
o Antibiotics
o Gluten (zonulin)
o Stress
o Highly processed foods
o Toxins, chemicals
How can we heal the Gut?
Working with a Functional Medicine doctor or Health Coach can help you heal the Gut by using some natural supplementation, food and lifestyle habits. Some of these are:
• L-glutamine is helpful to heal villi for poor nutrient absorption and leaking. Use with caution for those with anxiety.
• Ensure Vitamin D sufficiency to prevent future permeability. Always ensuring that Magnesium and Vitamin K levels are sufficient too.
• Mucilaginous herbs are key to support mucosal layer regeneration.
• Foods that naturally help to sooth the gut lining include: chia seed, ground flaxseed, artichoke, legumes, gelatin, collagen powder, and bone broth.
• Stop use of agents that damage the gut lining: NSAIDs, pesticides, artificial sweeteners/colors, etc.
• Address stress: baths, meditation, breathing techniques, exercise.
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Virginia