Leaky Gut Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes & Solutions
Could Leaky Gut be the source of all those niggling health concerns?
Did you ever wonder why you have so many strange health conditions that just don’t go away? And no matter how many times you go for a check up, get a massage, do hot yoga and gulp down green smoothies, that bloated tummy, drippy nose, bad skin and brain fog just wont budge? Isn’t it just annoying when your friends and family are chugging coffee, downing doughnuts and digging into deep fried everything and for some reason you seem to feel worse than them?
Well instead of throwing in the towel after yet another pilates class, know that there are solutions out there when you know what is causing the problem. Leaky gut and candida, often related, can cause all sorts of different health problems, and as a result and can go undetected for years. But if you educate yourself about these problems and their solutions, you can be sitting pretty once more and striding with a spring in your step!
What is Leaky Gut & How Does It Effect Me?
Undigested protein molecules in the small intestine can create holes and cause inflammation. Once that happens, the undigested protein can get into the bloodstream. If you have protein in the bloodstream, the body recognizes it as a foreign invader and starts to attack it, this can cause auto immune diseases, such as hives, eczema, mental fog, or fatigue, joint pain, swelling, or arthritis. Food allergies are a key sign.
What Can Cause Leaky Gut?
Not eating in a relaxed frame of mind, eating on the run, while at work, or when stressed. Not chewing properly. Having low stomach acid. Not having enough enzymes in the diet or repeatedly eating enzyme depleting cooked foods. Bad food combining. Eating damaging foods, such as processed foods. Partially digested food particles. Overworked and stressed pancreas, liver and gallbladder. Eating meat, processed grains, sugar, alcohol and smoking. The measles vaccine.
Some Common Symptoms of Leaky Gut
Hives, eczema, mental fog, or fatigue, joint pain, swelling, or arthritis. Food allergies, sinus or nasal congestion, especially shortly after you eat. Chronic or frequent inflammation anywhere in your body. Things that don’t heal quickly. Confusion, poor memory or mood swings. Bowel diseases like colitis, Cohn’s disease and cealiac disease.
Conditions Associated with Leaky Gut Syndrome
Acne, Asthma,
Aggressive Aging,
Arthritis, Autism,
Autoimmune diseases,
Cancer, Candidiasis,
Celiac disease,
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,
Crohn’s disease,
Cystic Fibrosis,
Dermatitis, Eczema,
Fibromyalgia,
Food Allergies, Hives,
Inflammatory Bowel Disease,
Irritable Bowel Syndrome,
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities,
Multiple Sclerosis, Malnutrition,
Ulcerative Colitis.
Leaky Gut Prevention & Cure Action Steps
1 – Digestion begins in the mind ~ relax before eating.
2 – Chew until your food is liquid.
3 – Practice food combining ~ avoid protein and sweet combinations, fruit and oil combinations.
4 – Eat plenty of raw food to increase enzymes.
5 – Drink at least 2 litres of water a day away from meal times. You can have it warm, with some lemon, with pinches of green superfood powders, as a thin hemp or almond milk….
6 – Remove processed foods and recreation drugs, cigarettes and coffee.
7 – Leave long gaps between meals, at least 4 hours and replace some meals with green juice.
8 – Have some liquid only days and some fat free days to give the body a break.
Supplements to Help Heal Leaky Gut
- Flax (ground) /chia (whole) gel
Slippery Elm- Liquorice
- Acidophilus/probiotics
- Digestive Enzymes
- Glutamine
Zinc- Quercetin
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Marshmallow root
- Aloe Vera
- Plantain
- Propolis
- Calendula
Inulin foods –
Jicama, Artichoke, chicory & dandelion- Fermented foods –
saurkraut, kefir, kimchi - Coconut oil
- Chamomile
- Green Leafy vegetables
How to Heal the Gut
Remove inflammatory foods from the diet.
Use digestive enzymes to enhance assimilation of food and to create an ideal pH within the gut.
De-inflame the digestive lining and lay down nutrients to tighten up the gap junctions (holes) of the digestive tract.
Build up the villa which increases the surface area of the intestines.
Lay down antibodies and probiotics to strengthen our first line immune defense.
Learn about this subject and more on our Deep Tissue Detox course with Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo!
About Heather Gardner
Heather Gardner, Raw teacher, Raw Chef, Naturopathic Nutritionalist & Kundalini Yoga teacher, was born a 3rd generation vegetarian onto an organic farm in Wales, and raised on a remote Irish mountainside by her herbalist and homeopath mother.
Her unique lifelong knowledge of pure plant powered living has turned into her life’s passion. Seeking solutions to her own health challenges, she committed herself to studying and practicing the healing properties of wild plants, herbs and nutrition as a teenager, later studying natural nutrition, aromatherapy, reflexology, massage and many other healing modalities.
She has worked for over 10 years in the UK natural products industry as a health & beauty manager at Wholefoods and Planet Organic, as well as a natural remedies trainer and brand manager traveling to train staff in the health stores of UK & Ireland. In these years she received a high level of training and insight to the properties of uses of herbs and natural diet, using this knowledge to guide people towards achieving better health naturally.
A long term committed high raw foodist and a parent, Heather now lives peacefully in nature in the west of Ireland surrounded by her beloved wild plants and is dedicated to inspiring and uplifting through her workshops, on raw foods, wild food and natural beauty as well as teaching Kundalini yoga. She also runs her own business www.
You can connect with Heather on facebook at www.facebook.com/