Your Digestive System - It Affects Everything
Hippocrates was absolutely right when he said: "all disease begins in the gut." After reading this article, you will have a better understanding of why this is the case.
What do irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diverticulitis, colitis, Chron’s disease, fibromyalgia, asthma, systemic candidiasis, autoimmune diseases, mood disorders, dementia, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis have in common? They are all inflammatory diseases that may originate with a condition known as "leaky gut syndrome."
What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?
Leaky Gut Syndrome (AKA: increased intestinal permeability) is a term that has not been widely accepted in the conventional medical community, but it is becoming more accepted with all the research that supports its existence. Most physicians were not exposed to this information in medical school, and if they are not staying current with the recent developments in this area of study, they may deny that this condition exists. However, mounting evidence is causing the conventional medical community to take a second look at leaky gut syndrome. This condition is gaining acceptance in traditional medicine circles, and more research is being done to clarify the concept of intestinal permeability in the maladies mentioned above. Linda Lee, MD, a gastroenterologist at Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center says, “We don’t know a lot [about Leaky Gut Syndrome], but we know that it exists…In the absence of evidence, we don’t know what it means or what therapies can directly address it.” This is statement is coming from a Conventional Medicine practitioner. Functional Medicine practitioners have extensive knowledge of leaky gut and have protocols to repair the gut lining. This speaks to how Functional Medicine is changing the landscape of medical treatment.
The theory behind leaky gut syndrome is that, as a result of damage to the intestinal lining, the protective barrier between the intestines and the bloodstream, is unable to do its job to allow necessary nutrients to filter into the blood while protecting against the leakage of partially digested foods and toxic substances into the bloodstream. When these substances end up in the bloodstream, the immune system is activated because it is sensing foreign particles in the blood. These food particles are tagged by the immune system, and this is how food sensitivities develop. The immune system’s job is to mobilize lymphocytes to kill these unwelcome invaders. Killer T cells are dispatched to destroy the invader and B cells are dispatched to create antibodies to attach to the invader. As a result, the immune system generates an inflammatory response to dispel the invader from the body. As you may already know, chronic inflammation is at the root of many serious illnesses. If you have a leaky gut, this process is a chronic immunological response. Your immune system is constantly in overdrive fighting this battle, which results in chronic and persistent inflammation. If the damage to the intestinal lining isn't repaired, more food sensitivities will develop until your food choices become very limited.
The intestinal barrier works to keep food out of the bloodstream in 2 ways: there is a physical barrier and a chemical barrier. The physical barrier is the wall of cells that line the villi of the intestinal tract, which are held together by multiprotein junctions called zonula occludens, whose job it is to keep the villi so tightly together that no large molecules of undigested food can enter the bloodstream. This cell wall protects against antigens that are too large to be absorbed into the barrier. The chemical barrier is Secretory IGA (SigA), which is an antibody that protects the body against things that shouldn’t come into the system. SigA is extremely important for the immune system, and it is suppressed by an elevated Cortisol/DHEA ratio, which is an indicator of immune dysfunction. If conditions are chronic, the SigA that is supposed to be protective actually stops working. So when the immune system is chronically challenged by an ongoing illness, and it is failing to work like it should to protect against pathogens, the body becomes a place where toxins can thrive. Bacteria, fungus, and parasites will take up residence in the intestinal tract, which can cause symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain, cognitive decrements, disruptions in the hormonal balance, and other symptoms. If this goes on too long, autoimmunity develops because the immune system has begun to attack the body’s own tissue.
Examples of autoimmune diseases include Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Psoriasis, and Celiac Disease. It may sound unbelievable, but these diseases are actually preventable and, in some cases, reversible. If you merely medicate the symptoms and fail to address the root of the problem, these problems will remain with you for the rest of your life. If you already have an autoimmune disease, you are at high risk of developing other autoimmune disorders as well. Isn’t it worth the investment in your health to resolve your gut issues to stave off the development of autoimmune disease?
In good health,
Valerie Folsom-Martin, MSW, LCSW, CIMHP, CCTP, FDN-P, CHHC
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