A Healthy Gut – What’s all the Fuss About?

Over the last three months, I have deliberately chosen to write and focus on understanding how a healthy gut affects every aspect of our health. It has become clearly evident to me that the true source of healing resides in the confines of our GI tract.

I recently attended a talk given by my dear friend on the topic of Ayurvedic Medicine. This healing concept originated in India over 3,000 years ago. The fundamental philosophy of Ayurveda is “heal thy gut, heal thy symptoms.” During this talk, the realization came upon me that what Eastern ancient medicine knew 3,000 years ago has only claimed territory in the West a decade ago.

How many times do we recall our mothers or grandmothers complaining of merciless symptoms of menopause or our fathers moaning with relentless joint pain? Not much at all, right? But now, it seems every article, every conversation, every ad mentions one physical ailment or another and how there is a medication to “fix” it. I often wonder why we see so many advertisements for medications but hardly any on exercise or nutrition. Why does medication have to always be the only answer?

Why are the children of this generation thrown into the fires of puberty before they even hit double digits? Why do the women in the third through fifth decade of their lives suffer when life is supposed to be rosy? What could have so drastically changed within the last 30 years that health is no longer the care free life we once thought it was?

Our DIET has changed. Our FOOD industry has changed. Our CONSUMPTION has changed. There is no big mystery disease that explains most of our symptoms. We, as humans, need to simply the search for the answers.

We are what we eat.

I know it is frustrating!! We eat the “right” foods. We eat the “right” quantities. We eat at the “right” times. Yet, nothing seems to help improve those dreaded badgering symptoms. If what you are doing is not working, stop trying to put a round peg in a square hole. Look at other causes. Look at what is going into your mouth!!

The term “leaky gut” is beginning to make its way into research labs and proving how our gut seems to have the answers. Here’s a very simplistic explanation. Altered, modified, hormone and antibiotic infested crops are not meant for human bodies to process. Over the years, this constant traumatic exposure has caused disruptions to our DNA structure. The breakage of the DNA molecule has resulted in maladaptive pattern to which our bodies don’t recognize. This causes our endocrine system to short circuit. It prevents our hormonal pathway from staying in true alignment.

Simultaneously, antibiotics in the food enter the lumen of the bowel and kill our “good” gut flora. With the diminishing army of the good guys, the bad guys, “bad” bacteria, flourish. These bad guys cause a “leak” in our gut. This leak triggers a release of inflammatory cytokines. The surge of cytokines leads to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance subsequently causes weight gain, hormonal imbalances, diabetes and eventually blankets the operation of every system in the body.

With full disclosure, I share the story of my own journey over the last two years. In 2014, my thyroid relapsed. Normally it is a small adjustment in my medication and I revert back to normal. At that time nothing worked. Long story short, I soon found out I had a severe sensitivity to gluten, which I never experienced before. I gave up gluten expecting to improve. Never came. Struggled on for the next 18 months while beating my head against a wall trying to figure out what I was missing. I was a “clean” eater. I exercised like a crazy person. Slept like a baby. Why couldn’t I figure this out?  So in February of this year, I had blood taken for the MRT Leap Food sensitivity testing. MRT checks for 150 of the most common food sensitivities.

I had my answer. The test confirmed I had high sensitivity to apples, quinoa, whey, milk, lentils, turmeric, walnuts, pistachios, peanuts, chocolate, oats, and broccoli.

Say what??  But those are all the healthy foods I was “supposed” to eat. That’s what I was told. That’s what I read. And there isn’t anyone taking away my chocolate and peanut butter!!

It turns out those specific foods were continuously causing insults to my GI system. The leaky gut was now a high tide flood. I very slowly started decreasing and eliminating the high reactive foods. Within two weeks, swelling in my hands diminished. Energy levels improved. Weight started to normalize. Life started to have hope.

It has only been two months. But in these two months, it is beyond a shadow of a doubt, clear to me, we must heal the layers that lie in solar plexus. When getting evaluated by your physician, it is very important ALL medical causes are evaluated also. You are welcome to call my office and learn more about this test, and other ways I can help you.

If you are left with more frustrating questions than answers, I encourage you to look into the core of your existence, the core of your health, the core of your central energy. Look into the core of your gut!