In this episode we are going to discuss leaky gut symptoms together with a simple way to resolve them.
6 years ago I made the life changing decision to quit drinking alcohol so I could show up fully for myself, my commitments and the people who depended on me.
Once I quit drinking however, it opened a Pandora’s box of health symptoms. Symptoms that made me question whether or not sobriety was worth it.
Health issues that turned out to be textbook leaky gut symptoms.
I started to experience things like memory loss, issues with word recall, the inability to remember what I was about to do or say, extreme fatigue during the day then wired but tired insomnia at night.
Which then manifested in bouts of anxiety and depression for the first time in my life.
I thought I was going crazy and no one had any answers for me.
These mystery health symptoms turned out to be leaky gut symptoms.
6 years ago no one really talked about leaky gut symptoms. The only solution available seemed to be a thyroid medication or an anti-depressant.
No thanks, I did not get sober only to be medicated by big pharma.
Over the past 3-5 years there have been so many exciting scientific discoveries and advancements that are pointing to the gut microbiome and gut-brain axis as the root cause of many health conditions.
Over the past 11 years as health coach I have worked with thousands of clients on their journey towards optimum health through clean eating and filing in the nutrient gaps.
However through my own experience over the past 3 years ago, I now feel morally called to help people optimize their brain and body through targeting the gut microbiome and gut-brain axis.
Its most certainly been a game changer and missing link for me and it could be for you too.
Lets dive in.
In this episode You will Learn:
- What leaky gut is and what the factors are that can contribute to it
- How leaky gut symptoms manifest
- How to repair leaky gut without complicated elimination diets or protocols
- How to optimize the singling of neurotransmitters, hormones and immune cells across your body
And how understanding this can naturally support and alleviate leaky gut symptoms
To fully understand leaky gut symptoms, their negative impact on your health and how to repair it follow the steps outlined in My Top 5 Hacks (link above):
what is leaky gut and what are the factors that can contribute to it?
Leaky gut, also known as increased intestinal permeability, is a digestive condition in which bacteria and toxins are able to “leak” through the intestinal wall and into the blood stream causing a cascade of inflammatory responses.
Think of it like building a wall with bricks and mortar. You want to mortar to form tight junctions so nothing seeps in but over time the mortar can start to deteriorate causing it to become permeable allowing unwanted things to seep in.
This is the same thing can happen to the junctions of intestinal wall.
Not good.
So what are the factors that can contribute to leaky gut?
- Eating the standard America diet which is low in fiber and high in sugar and saturated fats
- Physiological stress and trauma
- Antibiotics use without the proper use of probiotics to restore gut balance
- Long term use of medications
- Exposure to chemicals and toxic household cleaners
- Consumption of artificial sweeteners
How leaky gut symptoms can manifest
So many of my clients come to me with a myriad of mystery health symptoms. In most cases they have been to many doctors and naturopaths and despite going down many rabbit holes they still have not gotten relief.
For me personally, I went down the hypothyroidism path, the adrenal fatigue path, the hormone balancing path and the cognitive repair path. None of which made me feel any better.
Yes you can get tested for leaky gut (zonulin) but 9 times out of 10 its most likely the underlying root cause and the protocol is the same regardless.
If you are experiencing anything of these symptoms, its time to address leaky gut:
- Autoimmune conditions
- Brain fog and cognitive decline
- Fatigue and sleep disturbances
- Anxiety and depression
- Aches and pains
- Food intolerances
- Bloating, gas and digestive issues
- Slow metabolic response and poor nutrient absorption
How to repair leaky gut And Alleviate leaky gut Symptoms without complicated elimination diets or protocols
As we discussed in section 1 a variety of factors can lead to permeability (holes) in the gut lining often referred to as leaky gut.
Here are the 3 steps you will need to take to alleviate leaky gut symptoms:
1. Complete 3 Day Gut Reboot
The first step in rebooting your gut microbiome is to rid your body of bad gut bacteria imbalances.
Bad gut bacteria is often one of the sources of digestive problems, food intolerance’s, auto immune symptoms, inflammation, plateaued weight, unhealthy food cravings and nagging mental wellness issues such as brain fog, fatigue, anxiety and depression.
2. Repair Leaky Gut
Leaky gut can be easily be repaired by giving the body the key nutrients needed to repair gut lining that can often be in short supply in a compromised gut. These nutrients include zinc, alpha and beta glucans, antioxidants (e.g. vitamins A, C, and E), fish oil, and the amino acid glutamine.
3. Balance Gut Microbiome Diversity
While drinking kombucha, eating kimchi and taking a probiotic is good for ongoing gut health maintenance you will still need to do a targeted intervention to get your gut re-diversified with all of the strains of good bacteria shown to mental, physical and digestive health.
I outline the exact steps you will need to take to successfully accomplish theses 3 steps in more detail here: HERE
How to optimize the singling of neurotransmitters, hormones and immune cells across your body
60-90% of your “FEEL GOOD” neurotransmitters and 70% of your immune cells are produced in your gut.
Neurotransmitters like serotonin (mood), dopamine (motivation), norepinephrine (concentration and focus) and GABA (relaxation) for example.
Whats ever more interesting is that the communication between the gut and brain is bidirectional and goes 90% one way from the gut to the brain, crazy right?
So how exactly do they talk to each other? They talk to each through whats now commonly referred to as the gut-brain axis. Which is a complex system of nerves (vagus nerve, cells and biochemicals).
To optimize the gut-brain axis and signaling across your body you will want to start loading on nutrients that balance normal signaling between cells of the gut, brain, and immune system such as yeast alpha & beta glucans, mushrooms high in polyphenols (maitake, shitake and agaricus), fucoidan seaweed, calcium butyrate, magnesium butyrate and zinc carnosine. These nutrients also help nourish the gut lining which improves gut permeability (leaky gut).
I outline the exact steps you will need to take to accomplish this in more detail here: HERE
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Looking for help please reach out
Ernestina,
Let me know if you are still looking for support. Here to help.
Thanks,
Jess