Leaky Gut
The Leaky Gut story begins in a very important organ: your small intestine. Your small intestine is the home to trillions of bacterias and viruses (microbiome) responsible for many functions in maintaining a healthy immune response in your system.
Researchers are beginning to refer to the microbiome as a dynamic organ. Jobs this microbiome “organ” performs include:
1. Your gut-microbiome makes nutrients.
2. The gut microbiome activates polyphenols, antioxidant plant compounds.
3. The gut microbiome regulates your metabolism and how you use calories and insulin.
4. The gut microbiome influences immunity.
5. The gut microbiome influences brain health.
Leaky Gut is a condition affecting the lining of the small intestine, creating a dysfunctional environment for proper digestion. Leaky gut is also called “increased intestinal permeability”, because the intestine loses some of its ability to filter nutrients and other substances. In a healthy intestines these junctions allow or prohibit particles from moving through the lining of the gut and into the circulatory system. With leaky gut particles can slip through the cells and junctions and leak into the bloodstream or lymphatic system, allowing them to move freely throughout the body. When this happens, particles of undigested foods, bacterias, viruses, other waste by-products will leak through the intestines into the bloodstream.
When the body recognizes these foreign substances and detects that something is wrong, the immune system kicks in and tries to fight what it perceives to be dangerous. This causes inflammation and inhibits function and the immune system will be become compromised. Impaired immune function is extremely important as our gut contains tissue known as gut-associated lymphatic tissue (GLAT) which helps to protect us from antigens causing food allergies as well as microbes carrying disease.
What Causes Leaky Gut:
- Inflammatory foods
Today’s Western diet is full of pro-inflammatory foods that when consumed can damage the cells in your gut tissue, called epithelial tissue and promote intestinal permeability. These foods include: Corn, Dairy, Soy, Wheat and Gluten, highly processed vegetable oils, Refined Sugar, Additives and Preservatives found in processed foods.
- Chronic stress
Psychological stress and heightened stress response can actually impair your body’s ability to regulate your inflammatory response, leading to chronic inflammation throughout your body – including your GI tract. It may sound confusing but chronic inflammation is a result of leaky gut, and chronic inflammation can also cause leaky gut. - A lack of friendly gut bacteria/damaged microbiome.
- Toxic overload
When toxins such as heavy metals, household chemicals, environmental pollutants, add-ins and preservatives enter your body, your liver works hard to eliminate them from your body. However if you are constantly being exposed to these toxins, your liver can become overburdened. This slows down your body’s natural ability to detoxify. A sluggish digestive system will allow toxins to linger in your gut which then contribute to damaging your gut lining and therefore increase intestinal permeability. If you are experiencing symptoms related to leaky gut, we’d like to help you find a solution. Dr. Alice Feldman uses Functional Medicine Approach to treat each individual case with individualized care.
Our Method of Healing
We Find The Root Causes For True Healing
Chronic illness can present with different symptoms and challenges so there is no “cookie-cutter” treatment that works for everyone. Instead, our personalized protocols are individualized with a person’s specific focus. This way we are able to address each person’s unique root cause through our functional medicine approach.
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