The Detrimental Effects of Leaky Gut
Damage Caused by Leaky Gut Syndrome
The Systemic Breakdowns That May Result
Below is the chapter on Leaky Gut taken from Dr. Sean Woods’ book, “The Healing Vibe.”
A big problem occurs in the small intestine when poor food choices, as well as poorly digested food, sit along the wall of the bowels. This scenario weakens and creates loose junctions in the wall of the small and large intestines. This problematic condition is known to some as leaky gut syndrome and is the major issue in the growing epidemic of celiac disease. The job of the intestines is to make sure that food gets broken down into a form such that when it passes into the blood system, meridian system, or lymph system, it is properly prepared to go to work. As the intestines deal with the overeating, poor food choices, bad bug overgrowth, and damaging products we are delivering, it weakens and breaks down the tight junctions that line the intestinal walls. It is at this point where the outside world is allowed to enter our bodies for the task of supplying our bodies with nutrition and hydration. When these gaps get too big, large particles of food, toxins, and bugs get into our bodies and cause problems.
The tight junctions of the intestinal walls are regulated by a protein called zonulin. Bad gut bacteria and gluten are two powerful triggers shown to destroy zonulin, allowing the gut to become highly permeable. These may be two of the worst triggers but there are hundreds more that we consume daily. When the junctions of the intestines start separating, it simultaneously loosens the junctions at the blood brain barrier. It turns out that both the blood brain barrier and the bowels are regulated by zonulin. This is how you can get larger particles than normal entering the brain and wreaking havoc on the nerve synapses. Toxins and undigested food create a plaque in the brain that you don’t want. If you have any of these neurodegenerative processes going on in your brain, you most likely have a leaky gut and a leaky blood brain barrier.
Mucoid plaque, arteriosclerosis, and amyloid beta are associated with many of the diseases being fought today in the modern world. These plaques are seen and interconnect with diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer’s. These diseases have everything to do with an overly acidic body chemistry and a GI tract that is malfunctioning and leaking whether you know it, feel it, or not.
Leaky gut is directly connected to poor bile production from the liver. Without healthy bile mixing with the contents of your food, digestion never gets completely handled in the small intestine. Over time, without good quality and quantity of bile, you will start to see plaque and congestion throughout the body. An important fact to keep in mind is that the bile salts are supposed to be reabsorbed into the body. Without bile keeping the body’s systems moving in the right direction, the body becomes acidic in certain areas and the body deals with this acidity in several ways.
One is to pull calcium out of tissue and/or arterial walls to buffer the acids (arteriosclerosis). Secondly, the body will make extra ‘bad’ cholesterol to protect itself from the acidic burn (high LDL’s). Thirdly, when the systems are taxed, the kidneys back up and the body starts retaining water to protect itself from harmful waste.