Poor Gut Health May Cause More than Just Bloating
I talked to a couple of people this week about issues they have been having with bloating and or gut disbiosis. It seems like there is an epidemic if poor gut health or maybe it just seems that way because I have run into so many with the issue.
Sometimes it is not as easy as popping a pre and pro biotic even though it certainly is part of protocol for having good gut health.
One of the first steps to improve gut health if take away offending foods in the diet such a foods that contain gluten, dairy, sugar. You can be tested for these offending foods by a good health care provider such as a Naturopath , a chiroprator who also has nutrition or biochemistry specialty or nutritionist or a Doctor who specializes in allergies. ( I have used Dr. Brouse-) Even though he is in another state he can order these tests and talk with you by phone for results and recommendations
Why all of a sudden Do people have an issue with Gluten?
Thanks to the hybridization of wheat and a grain-centric culture, gluten can be a monster to your health. This protein, found in grains like wheat, rye, spelt and barley, is highly inflammatory for many people.
Does one with gluten intolerance have Celiac’s
NO. There is a difference between Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Celiac disease causes the immune system to turn on itself, attacking the healthy lining of the digestive tract. And the major trigger is gluten, a sticky protein found in many grains that makes it difficult to digest if gluten insensitive.
But in people with non-celiac gluten intolerance, the immune system attacks the gluten. A recent article in The New England Journal of Medicine listed 55 “diseases” that can be traced back to eating gluten Either way, the gut festers out of sight. And, when the lining of the gut is inflamed, the body is even more prone to food reactions, so the problem spirals out of control.
Just a few of the issues caused by gluten issues
Autoimmune conditions
Chronic diseases
Skin eruptions, eczema, cold sores, acne
Fatigue
Joint pain
Indigestion
Bloating Gas
Heartburn
Constipation
Diarrhea
Congestion
Anxiety
Moodiness or irritability
Headaches or migraines are just a few problems gluten causes
The Case of the Leaky Gut
When the lining of the gut is inflamed, small fissures open between the tightly woven cells making up the gut walls. Known as leaky gut syndrome, these chinks in the gut’s armor allow bacteria and partially digested food molecules to slip out into the bloodstream where they are considered foreign invaders.
Gluten Sensitivity—A Common But Hidden Cause of Depression
You may not have realized this, but the gluten level in our grains is much higher today than it ever was before, thanks to various breeding techniques, and gluten can produce depression if you’re sensitive to it. In such a case, the key is to remove gluten from your diet entirely. You cannot simply cut down. It must be removed completely. Many people recover from severe depression when going gluten-free.
“They start to feel good. They have a good mood. The depression, it turned out was really due to gluten sensitivity. And you’re like, ‘How can gluten jump into your brain and cause that? What is going on?’ It has to do with inflammation. When gluten is inflaming your gut, it’s also inflaming your brain. Whatever’s going on in your gut is also going on in your brain. They’re very connected.
The gut is the second brain.
In fact, there are more serotonin receptors in the gut than anywhere else in the whole body.
Other factors of depression can be gluten sensitivity, thyroid imbalance, anemia, some kind of infection, Lyme disease, or chronic fatigue syndrome. Many medical issues will present as depression. Depression is a symptom. Depression is not a condition. It’s not an illness; it’s simply a symptom…
We have this three-pound sophisticated organ [the brain], the control center of our whole body, and it does not get evaluated. No one looks at it. You have a symptom of depression, anxiety, or insomnia, and you get a prescription. That’s crazy. That is not good medicine.
Allergic to Gluten you may have Issues with Dairy
Which brings me to another issue of dairy. It is very common for people who have gluten sensitivity to be also have the inability to break down some of the proteins found in dairy products. So cut out gluten and dairy (and sugar) in your diet for 4-6 weeks and see what happens. Just a note: You may feel worse at first…so don’t think you need and run and get some baked goods.(By the way Baked Goods are often the source of Trans Fatty Acids which causes Heart Disease- It is not cholesterol! But that is another subject for a new post)
It takes time to heal the gut from inflammation. So be patient. And yes a good pro biotic like Optiflora pre and pro biotic can really help with healing. But your gut can’t heal when you are constantly throwing gasoline on the fire of inflammation in your gut.
