Healing the Gut
Let’s be positive about this; however chronic your gut problems so far, it need not be a life sentence. And bear in mind that the gut is a harsh environment and the cells lining it are described as being in a state of physiological (that means normal) inflammation.
When healing the gut, remember Denis Healey’s First Rule of Holes;
When you find you’re in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.
In other words, first find out what factors are harming the gut and get rid of them.
Then there are some simple things you can do to start the healing process
Think about these factors:
Leaky gut
If your gut is leaky your digestion is impaired, and vice versa. Look at this list;
Glucose, salt, emulsifiers, organic solvents, gluten, microbial transglutaminase, and nanoparticles are extensively and increasingly used by the food industry…. all of the aforementioned additives increase intestinal permeability. Can you tell me you had none of those in the past week?
Allergens and toxins can get through the leaky gut wall into your bloodstream and cause harm – not least to your liver, which can become overloaded and stressed. Often this is the first place where things go wrong.
Alcohol and NSAIDs
Both alcoholic drinks and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs strip the mucus and increase gut permeability after just one dose. So that’s aspirin, indomethacin, ibuprofen (Advil), celecoxib, all of them. Some are better than others, but none are completely safe. Cut them out if you can.
Circadian disruption
Our wake-sleep cycle is designed to synchronise to the sun; that includes activating gut immunity in the day, when we normally eat – because that is when we are most at risk of food poisoning and gut infections. Eating late at night is a good way to disrupt that process. Intermittent fasting can give your gut a chance to get on with the job of digestion. Bright light in the morning will switch you into daytime mode.
Infections
It’s not the first thing you think of, unless you recently had an acute episode of diarrhoea or vomiting or both, but it’s certainly possible. Just a mild bout of flu can weaken your gut defences for weeks, allowing the inflammation cycle to get established.
But it can be bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites, Helicobacter, the only organism that can survive stomach acid – even all of these wrapped up in biofilm, which is what enables infections to be chronic. You will need a practitioner to set up testing and oversee treatment.
SIBO
Small intestine bacterial overgrowth is not the same as infection. It’s a chronic imbalance.
Several different factors can destroy the balance of organisms and molecules – low stomach acid, medications, poor diet, ageing – and lead to chronic inflammation, brain fog, fatigue, etc etc.
Liver stress
When you develop a problem digesting food, it typically starts with fatty foods. This is NOT AN ALLERGY; it’s your liver and biliary system feeling the strain. Fixing the liver can be the first step in fixing digestion.
Food intolerances
These can be both cause and effect of gut dysfunction. At least consider cutting out the big ones, wheat and dairy, for a trial. Even if intolerances are not the root cause, elimination may take the pressure of symptoms off and allow you to move forward. Give it a month, and be preared for things to get worse at first.