IBS and Leaky Gut Syndrome

Food particles, chemicals and bacteria that travel through your intestine are travelling “outside” your body even though they are inside you. We say these substances are “outside”, because the wall of a healthy intestine acts as a filter to repel the waste substances and only absorb nutrients into the body.

Imagine the intestine as an intelligent, flexible ‘tubing’ that carries the food that feeds your body. As the food passes through this ‘tubing’ its wall—the intestinal lining—absorbs nutrients (properly digested food particles) into the body. The intestinal lining also prevents toxins (undigested food particles, pathogenic bacteria, yeasts, chemicals etc.) from entering the body. This is what happens in a healthy intestine. If the wall of your intestine can no longer effectively absorb nutrients or repel toxins it is unhealthy and health care professionals call this ‘Leaky Gut Syndrome’.

It’s easy to see the intestine has an important role in nourishing the body. So it makes sense to keep it healthy. But what if you live a healthy lifestyle—eat nutritious food, take regular exercise etc.—yet you still have digestive problems? Could other factors play a part in creating an unhealthy intestine or leaky gut? The answer is yes.

There are many reasons why your intestine or gut becomes ‘leaky’ and unhealthy. Here are some of the more common ones: infection (e.g. Candidia), trauma (surgery), the overuse of certain medications (e.g. antibiotics and aspirin), pathogenic bacteria and food allergies (e.g. gluten intolerance). Here’s what Dr Sherry Rogers has to say, “Gut damaging medications like NSAID’s, acid inhibitors, and antibiotics, plus processed food diets, compromise intestinal lining which houses over half the immune system. Healing of all disease is at a standstill until the gut is healthy.” That’s a clear message to anyone suffering from disease.

When toxins and large undigested particles of food penetrate the gut lining they are regarded as foreign invaders by the body and are attacked by the immune system. This causes inflammation, allergic reactions and food/chemical sensitivities. This can lead to many chronic health problems.

Some of the most common conditions associated with the Leaky Gut Syndrome are Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Celiac Disease, Chronic Fatigue, Candidia, food allergies and pain. IBS is not considered an inflammatory disease, but minor damage to the intestinal lining that is not detectable in standard testing and what is called “subclinical inflammation” do appear to contribute to the symptoms of IBS.

If you are struggling to overcome a persistent health problem, give consideration to the health of your intestine. Health care professionals insist that the maintenance of gut integrity is essential to good health. So ultimately, it makes sense to support and heal the gut first.

Four steps that may help you:

1. Ask your healthcare practitioner or nutritionist about a bowel friendly diet .
2. Check with your Doctor about the possibility of pathogens in your system, such as, H. pylori and Chlamydia.
3. Talk to your health care practitioner about the possibility of sensitivity to foods.
4. Consider supporting the intestinal lining with a high quality, natural product.

Stay positive in your belief that you will heal your Leaky Gut and look forward to a brighter future.

Disclaimer: The content of this article is provided for information purpose only. It is intended to provide educational material and is not designed to provide medical advice. Readers in need of medical advice should consult the services of a competant medical health practitioner.

© 2003 Mary Reynolds