All disease begins in the gut
Hippocrates
Hippocrates said this more than 2,000 years ago,but we’re only now coming to
understand just how right he was. In fact, many researchers (including myself) believe that supporting intestinal health and restoring the integrity of the gut barrier will be one of the most important goals of medicine in the 21st century.
You would be surprised to know that,you are trillions of micro-organism living in a colony. If they are in harmony, so you are and if they are fucked off , then think who you would be ?! Your body is just a Petri-dish ,where these microorganism survives and thrives.
FIX YOUR GUT HEALTH
“Maybe you are searching among the branches, for what only appears in the roots”- Rumi
There is 500 species and three pounds of bacteria in your gut which helps digest food, regulate hormones, excrete toxins and produce vitamins and other healing compounds. SMARTEST DOCTOR IS YOUR BODY.
Your gut is your “second brain”. Did you know that your gut contains more neurotransmitters than your brain? In fact, the gut has a brain of its own. It is called the “enteric nervous system”. Messages constantly travel back and forth between your gut-brain and when those messages are interfered with inflammations caused due to processed foods ,your health will suffer.
Two wolf in your digestive system- Good bacteria and bad/wrong bacteria, whom you feed the most will grow and take the lead of your health.
Processed foods are the treat for bad bacteria whereas whole unprocessed foods,probiotic,prebiotic,fermented foods are the treat for good bacteria.
Your healthy gut bacterial determines what nutrients are to be absorbed and what toxins ,allergens and microbes are to be thrown out. Your gut has to get rid of all the toxins produced as byproducts of your metabolism, if things get backed up when you are constipated, you will become toxic and your health will suffer.
There are two closely related variables that determine our gut health: the” gut barrier” and the “gut flora”. Let’s discuss each of them in turn.
THE GUT BARRIER: THE GATEKEEPER THAT DECIDE WHAT GETS IN AND WHAT STAYS OUT
Leaky gut, also called “intestinal permeability” or “gut permeability”, is when the tight junctions between the cells that line your small intestine loosen. This allows bacterial fragments and undigested food particles and large protein molecules to enter your bloodstream.Since these proteins don’t belong outside of the gut, the body mounts an immune response and attacks them. Studies show that these attacks play a role in the development of autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s,celiac disease,leaky gut,Irritable bowel syndrome(IBS).
In this condition immune cells attack and damage the villi, finger like
projection that stick out from the wall of your digestive tract. The villi are important because they increase the surface area of your intestinal wall which allows you to absorb all the nutrients that your body needs. If your villi are damaged then you don’t absorb nutrients such as protein, fat, vitamins and minerals very well and you become tired, anemic, frequently sick
and lose hair….
THE GUT FLORA: A HEALTHY GARDEN NEEDS HEALTHY SOIL
Our gut is home to approximately 100,000,000,000,000 (100 trillion) microorganisms.That’s such a big number our human brains can’t really comprehend it. In fact,you could say that we’re more bacterial than we are human.
Supporting the gut flora with nutrients, herbs and pro drugs such as probiotics or prebiotics is a movement that is now being practiced by practitioners at the cutting edge of medicine.
Your bad/wrong bacteria ,with time ,has potential to make you sick and overweight.Your gut has quite lot to manage. Even in a perfect world ,it is hard to keep all of this in balance. But ,in our modern world, there are endless obstacles that can knock our digestive system off balance ,making it much more difficult to maintain excellent digestive system.
POTENTIAL TRIGGER: OUR MODERN DAY DIETS–GLUTEN
Problem with gluten is that it is hard to digest. Modern day agricultural practices include something called genetic modification, so that these plants can grow larger or resist disease more effectively. As a result, they contain protein that is not natural to the plant.
Originally, our ancestors were hunter-gatherers, so they ate animals, nuts, seeds, and berries, rather than grains. Then they settled down to farming and ate seasonally, rotating their food to eat what was available during that time of year. The benefits of this are that you are constantly varying your diet and there was no storage system like today. The downside of storage is that you are eating the same things throughout the year and increasing the risk of developing allergic reaction. Processing removes fiber and nutrients to longer
their shelf life.
Due to molecular mimicry of gluten and tissues your immune system get confuse and attack your own tissues. This further leads to auto immune disease.
A diet high in animal-based foods such as diary, eggs and beef can promote inflammation and throw off the balance of good bacteria that live in your digestive tract. Fiber and vegetables are also critical for bacterial balance and to nourish the liver so that it’s able to effectively remove toxins from your body.
Vitamin D, Vitamin A, selenium, zinc and healthy fats are the important nutrients for healthy immune system.
POTENTIAL TRIGGER: CHRONIC STRESS
Chronic stress means that your cortisol is constantly elevated something that has potential to damage your gut and immune system and prevent it from healing. Chronic stress lead to adrenal fatigue, which is when your adrenal glands get exhausted and don’t produce the hormones required to keep your body running properly, including adrenaline, DHEA and testosterone.
Stress is one factor that impacts your good bacteria. Another is five A’s- Antacids, antibiotics, alcohol, advil and animal foods.
POTENTIAL TRIGGER: POOR DIET AND INFLAMMATORY FOODS
Sugar ,alcohol ,processed food generally increase inflammation and intestinal damage which may lead to leaky gut.
POTENTIAL TRIGGER: POOR SLEEP
Too little or poor sleep can impact your gut health and lead to intestinal permeability . It’s one thing to stay up late occasionally, but if you’re frequently going to bed late, waking up early, or have chronic insomnia, your leaky gut will likely be worse than if you’re getting enough rest.
HOW TO HEAL LEAKY GUT:
Did you know that the molecules in the foods you eat actually tell your cells how to behave? The process of identification and instruction is called NUTRIGENOMICS.
Food is information that communicates with the body on a cellular level and tells it what to do as well or better than medicine can. That’s why food matters in healing process. We all are biochemically unique, so it’s better to create your own personalized nutrition plan.
The food you eat (Nutri-) affects the genetic expression of your cells (genomics). Food affects which genes to be activated. Genes direct your enzyme activity, and enzymes determine how a cell, tissue and organ will function.
The overall health of the gut depends on three things: digestion and absorption of nutrients, elimination of waste including toxins and bugs, and the ongoing maintenance of good gut function. 70% of your immune system lives in your gut.
“You are what you eat and digest”
You should choose food based on how it will affect your cells, not just based on calories!
STEPS TO HEAL LEAKY GUT:
- Eat whole, unprocessed foods. Make sure to include plenty of “FIBER” from foods like vegetables ,beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
- Eliminate food allergies.
- Take broad spectrum digestive enzymes food. Foods that contain natural digestive enzymes include pineapples, papayas, mangoes, honey, bananas, avocados, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, kiwifruit and ginger. Adding any of these foods to your diet may help promote digestion and better gut health.
- Rebuild your rain forest of friendly gut bacteria by taking probiotics , prebiotics, fermented foods and less stress.
- Get good fat. Take extra omega 3,which help cool inflammation in the gut.
- Heal your gut lining. Use gut-healing nutrients such as glutamine and zinc to repair the lining in your gut so it can resume its normal function.
- Take butyrate high food. Good bacteria thrives on butyrate. Butyrate lowers inflammation and heals the gut.
- Fasting or intermittent fasting. Gives your gut a rest to decrease inflammation and allow healing.
- Regular moderate exercise
- Get enough sleep
- Reduce alcohol consumption.
- Chew food and eat in healthy environment.
Fixing your digestion may take some time, but it can be done. And its absolutely essential if you want to achieve vibrant health. So, listen your gut’s tantrum(constipation,loose stool…) and work on your inner tube.
SUPPLEMENTS TO HEAL LEAKY GUT:
- Probiotics and Prebiotics. Helps to restore and feed good bacteria.
- Vitamin D
- L-Glutamine
- Collagen
- Omega 3
- Primrose evening oil
- organic coconut oil
- Fermented food
- Folate
- Ashwagandha
- selenium(brazil nuts)
Only thinking is not going to help you ,you have to put things in action. You need to change your environment,make powerful decisions,remove everything that conflicts with your decisions,resist triggers and temptations(food,technology….) and make positive choices automatic.
You don’t have to sit and wait to get a disease that is preventable. And you don’t have to sit and watch your disease get worse, thinking that there is nothing that can be done to reverse it.
References:
https://www.amazon.in/Immune-System-Recovery-Plan-Autoimmune/dp/1409179478
https://www.amazon.in/Leaky-Gut-Syndrome-Ultimate-Through-ebook/dp/B00KTRJF9G
https://www.amazon.in/Mind-Gut-Connection-Conversation-Impacts-Choices/dp/0062376551
https://www.amazon.in/Healthy-Gut-You-Personalized-Transform/dp/0999766805
Cosmic wellness 