Why are gut health issues on the rise?
Are you one of the many people today suffering from any of the following issues ? :-
- IBS and Digestive problems
- Bloating
- Candida (yeast overgrowth)
- Food sensitivities and allergies
- Thyroid conditions
- Joint pain
- Fatigue
- Headaches and skin issues
- Mood disorders
- Diabetes and cancer
If so then it’s most likely that your gut needs a bit of TLC :-
Hippocrates is famous for saying “All disease begins in the gut” and so taking the time to care for your gut should be a good starting point on the road towards health.
The disorders listed above could be leaky gut symptoms – leaky gut arises because the barrier of the gut has been damaged and small microscopic holes have appeared. The inside of your gut is a very toxic environment from which your body needs to be protected. In cases of leaky gut, the toxins are able to leak out into the rest of the body where they can cause chronic inflammation and disease.
Unfortunately, our modern diet and lifestyles seem to be causing an epidemic of leaky gut. The delicate balance of good and bad bacteria known as our gut flora or microbiome has become disturbed by a wide range of factors. One of the most important ones is antibiotics. We are taking them in not just as medicines but also from the food we consume such as meat and dairy, where the animals have been treated with routine antibiotics. Other factors which disturb gut flora include environmental toxins e.g pesticides, GMO’s, artificial sweeteners (which cause bad bacteria to multiply), medications e.g Aspirin, NSAIDs, chronic stress and improperly prepared gluten food – most processed bread is now made far too quickly and the beneficial bacteria which would make the bread digestible and nutritious are not being given enough time to develop. This is causing havoc for many people’s digestion.
Recent studies are now showing that many illnesses have been linked to the loss of diversity of your gut bacteria.
What you can do to help heal your gut
- Make your diet as natural as possible and try to cut back on sugar and processed foods which are difficult for the body to digest. For more details see diet clean-up plan. Try and recognise your own triggers by keeping a food diary.
- Drink more water ( lemon water is an excellent cleanser and body alkaliser).
- Replace processed fats with healthy healing fats such as coconut oil .
- Recent studies are showing that curcumin (the active ingredient found in turmeric) is a powerful medicinal herb which can really help with digestion and gut inflammation.
- Consider supplementation with good high-quality live probiotics to repopulate gut bacteria especially if you have recently taken antibiotics.
- Digestive enzymes can help if your diet doesn’t include many naturally enzyme rich foods such as fruit and vegetables. Detoxifying superfood capsules and powders can also really help to restore alkalinity in the gut and expel heavy metals from the body.
- Juicing is an excellent way to give your body and digestive system a chance to heal. Cucumber juice, particularly has a very cleansing effect on the body. See Juicing for health for more details.
- Managing your stress levels is very important. The stress hormone cortisol can have a very negative effect on the intestinal barrier so look at your health holistically and focus on how to get calm and reduce your stress levels. Yoga is great for healing body and mind and certain stomach postures can help balance the contractions of the gut which can really help digestive disorders.
The detailed research of Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride has shown just how much your gut can affect all aspects of your health. Her book – the Gut and Psychology Syndrome explains the link between gut flora and chronic disease including neurological disorders such as depression, ADHD and autism. She developed the GAPS protocol diet to help her son who suffered from autism.
Sources for this article :-
Antibiotics and the gut microbiota – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26793178
Metabolic effects of non-nutritive sweeteners : –http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26095119
Probiotics in digestive diseases http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26657927
The effects of curcumin on inflammation www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25861416
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