All disease begins in the gut.- Hippocrates
Hippocrates said this more than 2,000 years ago, but we’re only now coming to understand just how right he was. Research over the past two decades has revealed that gut health is critical to overall health, and that an unhealthy gut contributes to a wide range of diseases including diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, autism spectrum disorder, depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.
In fact, many researchers (including myself) believe that supporting intestinal health and restoring the integrity of the gut barrier will be one of the most important goals of medicine in the 21st century.
There are two closely related variables that determine our gut health: the intestinal microbiota, or “gut flora”, and the gut barrier. Let’s discuss each of them in turn.
The gut flora: a healthy garden needs healthy soil
Our gut is home to approximately 100,000,000,000,000 (100 trillion) microorganisms. That’s such a big number our human brains can’t really comprehend it. One trillion dollar bills laid end-to-end would stretch from the earth to the sun – and back – with a lot of miles to spare. Do that 100 times and you start to get at least a vague idea of how much 100 trillion is.
The human gut contains 10 times more bacteria than all the human cells in the entire body, with over 400 known diverse bacterial species. In fact, you could say that we’re more bacterial than we are human. Think about that one for a minute.
We’ve only recently begun to understand the extent of the gut flora’s role in human health and disease. Among other things, the gut flora promotes normal gastrointestinal function, provides protection from infection, regulates metabolism and comprises more than 75% of our immune system. Dysregulated gut flora has been linked to diseases ranging from autism and depression to autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s, inflammatory bowel disease and type 1 diabetes.
Unfortunately, several features of the modern lifestyle directly contribute to unhealthy gut flora:
- Antibiotics and other medications like birth control and NSAIDs
- Diets high in refined carbohydrates, sugar and processed foods
- Diets low in fermentable fibers
- Dietary toxins like wheat and industrial seed oils that cause leaky gut
- Chronic stress
- Chronic infections
Antibiotics are particularly harmful to the gut flora. Recent studies have shown that antibiotic use causes a profound and rapid loss of diversity and a shift in the composition of the gut flora. This diversity is not recovered after antibiotic use without intervention.
We also know that infants that aren’t breast-fed and are born to mothers with bad gut flora are more likely to develop unhealthy gut bacteria, and that these early differences in gut flora may predict overweight, diabetes, eczema/psoriasis, depression and other health problems in the future.
The gut barrier: the gatekeeper that decide what gets in and what stays out
Have you ever considered the fact that the contents of the gut are technically outside the body? The gut is a hollow tube that passes from the mouth to the anus. Anything that goes in the mouth and isn’t digested will pass right out the other end. This is, in fact, one of the most important functions of the gut: to prevent foreign substances from entering the body.
When the intestinal barrier becomes permeable (i.e. “leaky gut syndrome”), large protein molecules escape into the bloodstream. Since these proteins don’t belong outside of the gut, the body mounts an immune response and attacks them. Studies show that these attacks play a role in the development of autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s and type 1 diabetes, among others.
In fact, experts in mucosal biology like Alessio Fasano now believe leaky gut is a precondition to developing autoimmunity:
There is growing evidence that increased intestinal permeability plays a pathogenic role in various autoimmune diseases including [celiac disease] and [type 1 diabetes]. Therefore, we hypothesize that besides genetic and environmental factors, loss of intestinal barrier function is necessary to develop autoimmunity.
The phrase “leaky gut” used to be confined to the outer fringes of medicine, employed by alternative practitioners with letters like D.C., L.Ac and N.D. after their names. Conventional researchers and doctors originally scoffed at the idea that a leaky gut contributes to autoimmune problems, but now they’re eating their words. It has been repeatedly shown in several well-designed studies that the integrity of the intestinal barrier is a major factor in autoimmune disease.
This new theory holds that the intestinal barrier in large part determines whether we tolerate or react to toxic substances we ingest from the environment. The breach of the intestinal barrier (which is only possible with a “leaky gut”) by food toxins like gluten and chemicals like arsenic or BPA causes an immune response which affects not only the gut itself, but also other organs and tissues. These include the skeletal system, the pancreas, the kidney, the liver and the brain.
This is a crucial point to understand: you don’t have to have gut symptoms to have a leaky gut. Leaky gut can manifest as skin problems like eczema or psoriasis, heart failure, autoimmune conditions affecting the thyroid (Hashimoto’s) or joints (rheumatoid arthritis), mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, depression and more.
Researchers have identified a protein called zonulin that increases intestinal permeability in humans and other animals. This led to a search of the medical literature for illnesses characterized by increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut). Imagine their surprise when the researchers found that many, if not most, autoimmune diseases – including celiac disease, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease – are characterized by abnormally high levels of zonulin and a leaky gut. In fact, researchers have found that they can induce type 1 diabetes almost immediately in animals by exposing them to zonulin. They develop a leaky gut, and begin producing antibodies to islet cells – which are responsible for making insulin.
In Step #1: Don’t Eat Toxins, I explained that one of the main reasons we don’t want to eat wheat and other gluten-containing grains is that they contain a protein called gliadin, which has been shown to increase zonulin production and thus directly contribute to leaky gut.
But what else can cause leaky gut? In short, the same things I listed above that destroy our gut flora: poor diet, medications (antibiotics, NSAIDs, steroids, antacids, etc.), infections, stress, hormone imbalances, and neurological conditions (brain trauma, stroke and neurodegeneration).
Leaky gut = fatigued, inflamed and depressed
Here’s the takeaway. Leaky gut and bad gut flora are common because of the modern lifestyle. If you have a leaky gut, you probably have bad gut flora, and vice versa. And when your gut flora and gut barrier are impaired, you will be inflamed. Period.
This systemic inflammatory response then leads to the development of autoimmunity. And while leaky gut and bad gut flora may manifest as digestive trouble, in many people it does not. Instead it shows up as problems as diverse as heart failure, depression, brain fog, eczema/psoriasis and other skin conditions, metabolic problems like obesity and diabetes and allergies, asthma and other autoimmune diseases.
To adequately address these conditions, you must rebuild healthy gut flora and restore the integrity of your intestinal barrier. This is especially true if you have any kind of autoimmune disease, whether you experience digestive issues or not.
How to maintain and restore a healthy gut
The most obvious first step in maintaining a healthy gut is to avoid all of the things I listed above that destroy gut flora and damage the intestinal barrier. But of course that’s not always possible, especially in the case of chronic stress and infections. Nor did we have any control over whether we were breast-fed or whether our mothers had healthy guts when they gave birth to us.
If you’ve been exposed to some of these factors, there are still steps you can take to restore your gut flora:
- Remove all food toxins from your diet
- Eat plenty of fermentable fibers (starches like sweet potato, yam, yucca, etc.)
- Eat fermented foods like kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, kim chi, etc., and/or take a high-quality, multi-species probiotic
- Treat any intestinal pathogens (such as parasites) that may be present
- Take steps to manage your stress
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{ 65 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello Chris,
I have been following your series with great interest. I have followed a strict paleo diet excepting the inclusion of a small amount of high fat pastured dairy products for about 5 months. I have struggled with chronic facial hives and rash for several years and, if anything, these have gotten worse on the paleo diet. I started a dairy-free challenge a few days ago, and if I don’t see an improvement within the next couple of weeks, will try an egg-free challenge. Because of the dairy-free challenge I am reluctant to add kefir or yogurt to my diet. Any recommendations on specific brands of probiotics? There is a bewildering assortment out there.
Hi Chris
I’m on a low carb/GAPS diet to deal with chronic yeast overgrowth and h.plyroi overgrowth and I can’t have sweet veggies or starches like yams, sweet potato, etc. Are there other sources of fermentable fiber? Also, I have not come across this term before, can you describe what you mean by it?
Thanks for another great blog post!
Try water kefir, try brands such as Kevita found in natural food stores. I am DF and rely on this. I now make it myself, google it and learn more. It’s good stuff! In addition to this add raw sauerkraut to your salads or meals along with digestive enzymes. This regime has helped me tremendously.
If you read the attachment parenting/pro-breastfeeding literature you will find discussions of the development of the infant gut. Apparently, babies come with leaky guts–the cells of the mucosa have spaces in between them, naturally. Those gaps close at about six months of age. Breastmilk coats the mucosa and plugs up the gaps, as it were, without causing harm. It is believed this also helps train the infant’s immune system.
Now think about all the parents out there giving solids to their babies at four months of age. What’s the most commonly introduced first food?
Not that formula before six months of age is a tremendous idea either. It typically contains corn syrup solids and vegetable oils.
Angela: fermentable fiber = soluble fiber. They are long-chain glucose polymers (polysaccharides) so they’re not allowed on the GAPS diet. By definition, anything with a prebiotic quality is not allowed on GAPS because they’re all polysaccharides.
Hi,
Is the salt content of sauerkraut a concern?
Thanks
Great thorough info… as a colon hydrotherpist I see how poor nutrition lack of good bacteria and overuse of antibiotics r aiding in a very sick world. I enjoy ur site.
Great post, and great blog Chris! Thanks a lot for a ton of useful information! I love this series especially. I have a question – is the idea behind taking fermentable fibers to promote the growth of good bacteria?
Great article Chris. Sums up my experience with autoimmune issues. Once I started avoiding toxins (specifically gluten) and taking a quality pro-biotic, my psoriasis and eczema went away for the most part (occasional flare-ups when I stray from diet). Both also improved my hypothyroid symptoms to the point I experience less brain fog and can go through most days from 5:30am to 10pm without a nap.
I added high quality colostrum from grass-fed cows about two months ago, and it’s really helped too. Not sure what your thoughts are regarding that supplement, but I recommend it.
Hi Chris.
Thank you for your article, which points the way to improve one’s habits. -
I have an issue with the numbers; in North America, of course, it is customery to call a number with 6 zeros a million, with nine zeros a billion and with 12 zeros a trillion and so forth. This is incorrect, strictly speaking. When a million acquires another set of six zeros it would become a billion i.e. twice the group of zeros. A trillion would have 3 sets of 6 zeros. This is the custom in Europe including Britain. Enough said about this. -
Diabetes type 1 is often caused by the ACT of vaccinating, or any other violent act by a ‘grown-up(?)’ upon a small and helpless child. The child suffers a DHS, a biological conflict forming a Hamerscher Herd (HH) and effecting the Langerhans cells of the pancreas. It LOOKS like an autoimmune response, but it actually is a part of a SPECIAL Biological program of Nature we are all born with. The reasoning is, that there is not enough insulin production to have an effective defense response, therefore more of these cells need to be made. This would take place upon resolution of the conflict and this part of the pancreas would have more cells to enable the body to mount a more effective defense of itself. -
Generally speaking, while a lot of research is being done, the initial perspective is more often than not, backward. The responses of the biological body, are being looked at as the causes and a hypothesis is made to explain something, which for all intents and purposes, has been mis-identified.
Germanic New Medicine has been propagated using only 5 Biological Laws of Nature, whereas the conventional ‘wisdom’ works with over 5000 (and counting) hypotheses. Learn more about this here:
http://learninggnm.com .
HI Chris
Thanks for your response about fermentable fibers. What would you recommend in lieu of fermentable fibers since they are not allowed on a low carb/GAPs diet?
Angela
Sauerkraut would be a very good food, if ‘they’ did not insist on pasteurization. The salt in making it becomes part of one’s intake requirements and basically, if one ingests too much salt, the body responds by making one thirsty in order to bring the salt content of the intercellular space back to the .09 percent level.
Nope, there is plenty of non-pasteurized brands of sauerkraut to buy out there. Wholefoods sell several and they also carry non-pasteurized Kim Chi. But it’s expensive. Of course Chris is talking about non-pasteurized sauerkraut though. And it’s super easy to make. You really do not need that much CELTIC SEA SALT (which by the way does not make you thirsty if too much is ingested, unlike refined supermarket crappy salt) in a batch to make a good sauerkraut.
Hi Chris,
Great article! I’ve been following a custom version of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet where I eat about 3,000 calories a day of 60% fats, 30% proteins, and 10% carbs consisting of fats, meat, veggies, and very small portions of raw fruit (like 10 raspberries). I’ve been following this very strict regimen for almost 2 years now.
Before the diet I was a mess from Celiac Disease with severe leaky gut and bacterial overgrowth. Going gluten free didn’t work at all. But now that I’ve been on my version of the SCD Diet I feel incredible with more energy, mental clarity, and better health that I’ve ever had in my life. Perfect poops everyday.
My friend and I even wrote a book about how we tweaked the SCD Diet to heal our guts and have helped many people with Celiac, Crohn’s, UC, and IBS do the same. This stuff works for so many people with autoimmune and digestive diseases… especially if you avoid dairy and egg.
I also wanted to add that I made huge strides with digestion once I started taking Vitamin D3, digestive enzymes, Betaine HCL, and 200 CFU’s/day of an 11 strain probiotic. And you’ve written some great content about that in the past.
So thanks for doing what you do! I always look forward to your knowledge.
Jordan Reasoner
Hi Richard, just came across email on Chris’s site where you stated that you had just got off the drug”cyclosporine. I was curious if you had a big glare-up after going off the drug and how the gluten free diet is going. I know it’s been a couple of years but I just came across it now. Thanks, lisa
Hello everyone. I have had psoriasis for the past 22 years.
I have just come off a drug called cyclosporine which gave me around 90% clearance, however I didn’t get on with the side effects.
On Saturday I am starting a gluten free diet to see if that will help. I am writing about my successes/failures with this approach at http://www.healthyhappieryou.co.uk/2011/02/can-a-gluten-free-diet-clear-my-psoriasis-part-1
I would be interested in getting any tips or advice from any of you that have tried this approach before Smiley
Warmly,
Richard
Hi Richard,
Just wondered how you got on with your diet and psoriasis?
Cheers
Garry
Guess it didn’t work out for Richard since he shut down his whole website, it don’t even exist now.
Hi,
You said that birth control can contribute to unhealthy gut flora. I have been trying to look up exactly how that happens, but I haven’t found an answer. So how does taking the pill harm your gut? I have long questioned whether or not birth control is really a good idea, so I would really like to understand this aspect as well.
I think you mean yuca (YOU-kah) rather than yucca (YUCK-ah). It’s almost impossible to eat a yucca root…very fibrous and not really edible. Yuca, on the other hand, is delicious.
Excellent post Chris,
Can you hazard a guess why sauerkraut might be problematic for some? I seemingly get instant brain fog, stimulation, salivating and oddly cravings. The best I can come up with is a possible histamine, suplhur reaction.
Due to also avoiding dairy, are there any other whole food probiotics you would recommened?
Thanks,
Raw cabbage (including fermented) can interfere with your thyroid hormones. Ask me how I know.
I have to be very sparing with the sauerkraut. Hypothyroid and brain fog city
Regarding colostrum and leaky gut:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110224091607.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21148400
I was on antibiotics for a good number of years so I can definitely attest to the ‘powers’ these drugs have on me — a weak digestive system, loose stools and lots of gas. Unfortunately, I only knew about the link much later. The doctors that put me on this path were most probably as clueless as me about the consequences and the alternative safer treatments available (there are as I found out years later). So if you’re on long-term antibiotics, you should really question why and find out other less destructive alternatives. If you look hard enough, there usually are. Don’t rely 100% on your doctor; do research on your own. Thankfully, the damages I’ve sustained were not so severe to the extent that they were completely irreversible. Now I regularly take probiotic foods like tempeh, kimchi and natto to restore my gut flora and avoid foods that give me bloating and gas (like beans). Thanks for writing about this topic, Chris. More people should be aware of the consequences of taking antibiotics for prolonged period of time.
Interesting to see more detail on this. In the 90s I had severe IBS symptoms, from stress and eating chicken-mushroom-mayonaise sandwiches for lunch for nearly a year (well, almost
In desperation I ended up doing strict Hays diet food combining and avoiding dairy, yeast, alcohol (and as a consequence very little wheat) and after a few months I was able to get back to eating just about anything; I’ve often wondered what the mechanism was for defusing the food senstivities and ‘leakiness’ could fit.
Any thoughts on whether this issue would have an impact on asthma, especially adult onset? my husband has coughing (rather than wheezing) asthma irritated by nasal drip (no more adenoids), and while the leukinase-inhibitor immunosupressants are a huge help it would be interesting to see if diet can help reduce the minor attacks he still has…
I second Felicia’s comment on the negative aspects of birth control. I am currently on the pill and curious of any negative factors.
Hi nice post
I’m from Portugal and I would like to tell that there is a blog written in spanish called “Nutrición Primitiva y Salud Integral”, http://nutriprimal.blogspot.com/ ,
in which the author is just translating this series of articles, namely 9 steps to perfect health, to spanish without telling the readers that they are yours.
Very strange, maybe you want to do something about it.
Best wishes I amire your work
I take a organic probiotic that has worked better than anything else. Its helped my gut issues, my child’s issues and my mothers IBS. Its available worldwide but is bought from here http://www.organic4u.com.au Its called inliven. It has the foods in it that processes the probiotics better, and being certified organic, its very pure. I just add it to juice or a smoothie.
i am beyond convinced the gut is the path to health for everybody. if one can figure out whats wrong with their digestion, they will have health. seems once obesity or thyriod problems etc all of it set in, the problem is long established already with an unhealthy gut
wanted to add, what do you think of culturing lots of foods, like sweet potatoes, ketchup etc?? beneficial??
Hi Chris – Great article yet again. You don’t seem to touch too much upon colonic treatments or colon cleansing to help get rid of the “toxins” that are essentially stuck inside our digestive system. Is it worth taking a further look into this kind of treatment to help cleanse the gut? Do you have first hand experience?
I’m not a fan of colon cleansing. There’s no evidence of “toxins” stuck in our digestive system, nor that colonics help remove them. Colonics do, however, remove a lot of healthy gut flora, and they can be quite harsh. People have different opinions on this subject. This is mine.
Hey Chris – Love your work please keep it up!
Could you clarify your response to colon cleansing above, does that include the many different “therapeutic” enemas talked about around the web? For example coffee enemas for liver detox? Thanks!
I’m referring specifically to colonic hydrotherapy. Enemas are fine in most cases.
Do you know much about the effects of metformin on gut health? I know it gets in the way of absorbing vit B12 and makes my lactose intolerance even worse. I used to be on it to treat PCOS, but went off while breastfeeding. Now that my son is weaned, I’m trying to re-educate myself on the benefits/risks. There have been a number of studies showing improvement even for non-obese, but I just wonder if it will wreck my gut.
Chris, i love your blog, this is all fantastic and really thorough.
I wanted to ask, how does one treat internal pathogens like those you mentioned without knowing about them? what is required in order to find out?
Sean: a stool test is usually a good start. Must be a reputable lab, preferably one that uses DNA/PCR technology. A lot of false negatives with the typical labs.
Chris, is there a soy-free, lactose-free formula for babies, one that doesn’t contain fructose syrup. My grandson is 4 months old. He’s currently on lactose-free formula (since he was six weeks old for suspected lactose intolerance or sensitivity) which is soya based. All lactose-free formulae here in Ireland appear to be soya based. He now seems to be reacting to the formula. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
Noreen: see this link for info on good formula options.
What do think about taking food grade diatomaceous earth for it’s health benefits? Is there a risk of getting cancer when taken long term?
Dear Chris,
If you suspect you have leaky gut and want to heal it will raw milk kefir help or hinder? I am trying to sure my osteoarthritis.
Many thanks!
Hi Chris,
Just wondering what your thoughts are on using Siberian Ginseng to help with adrenal fatigue and leaky gut. I’ve been very lethargic on-and-off for quite some time. Signs point to adrenal fatigue and I’ve taken a number of steps over the past couple of years to combat this as well as heal my gut (including no grains, dairy, legumes; eating smaller, more frequent meals during the day; cutting way back on the number of high intensity workouts each week; managing stress, etc.). I started to feel much better after adding a B-complex supplement to my breakfast. I’ve also looked into Siberian Ginseng and have read that it contains long-chain sugars called glycosides…will these long-chain sugars help in gut healing?
Thanks for your time and knowledge,
Jessica
How do you measure gut flora? If you take pro biotics, how do you know if its working?
I’m curious what your thoughts are on soaked grains? Also, is it necessary to purchase expensive probiotics to heal the gut flora, or can one acheive this by drinking water kiefer and eating fermented veggies? Thank you much for your time!
If you have leaky gut or other gut symptoms you may have Celiac Disese, this can be treated by going totally 100% Gluten Free. There is a simple blood test that you should demand your doctor order if you have symptoms, as it could save your life.
Recent research also shows a connection between GMO’s and leaky gut, as the pesticides engineered in corn and soy fed to animals and humans literally eats holes in our stomach and intestines. Autism is now also being linked to leaky gut, as people with autism commonly have gut inflammation and illness.
Hi Chis,
Thanks for all the good info. Been fighting depression and food allergies for years and am finally on the right track thanks to generous information people like you are publishing.
Classical medicine is still in the stone age.
Keep up the great work!
If a person is FODMAP sensitive, what does one do with the advice “Eat fermented foods like kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, kim chi, etc…” Would it be better to start with just a probiotic? Are fermented FODMAP foods less of a problem?
Any attempt to reintroduce a FODMAP food as part of an elimination/challenge test has resulted in runaway gas, pain, and other symptoms that last for a couple of weeks after removal and now I am reluctant to even experiment with anything from this class of foods.
Thank you!
Chris,
You stated: “Research over the past two decades has revealed that…an unhealthy gut contributes to a wide range of diseases including diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, autism spectrum disorder, depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.”
I’d like to see some studies which explain how an unhealthy gut contributes directly to autism and diabetes. Often times people like to say, “Those with autism tend to also have Celiac disease,” but that doesn’t say anything about how a leaky gut could be the cause of their autism; in fact, it could be either way; it could be that autism causes leaky gut.
And a leaky gut could just be one of many, many factors that leads to autism. But you seem to think there is a more direct causative effect going on. You almost seem to say that leaky gut causes autism.
I’d like some more solid proof and you seem to have it.
Charly, you could try looking at this:
http://www.espa-research.org.uk//onlineresearch.html
sorry Charly, I was addressing Seeking
See here: http://www.microbialinfluence.com
There is research showing a link between lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of gram negative bacteria in the gut and autism. Role of leaky gut, mercury, and relation to LPS toxicity is explained too.
I’ve had generalized anxiety disorder and ASD social inwardness my entire life, to the point of having huge difficulty holding conversations and maintaining eye contact. Also, huge food sensitivities to gluten and dairy. Mother worked in a dental office handling mercury for amalgams before I was born. Paleo with grass fed raw meat (no it never makes me sick) has massively helped. In fact, I got my first girlfriend at 24 years of age after three years on raw paleo diet.
There is definitely a link between the gut and autism spectrum.
Hello Chris, I’m 51, m, and have suffered from stomach issues for most of my adult life due to a poor diet and stress, now the pain in my stomach (lower left side) is unbearable, years ago I had various procedures by a G I Doctor from barium enamas to colon endoscopy very invasive to say the least, he snipped a sample to perform a biopsy and after all was said and done, he came back with IBS…I’ve visited natural paths that tell me I’m healthy despite being over weight (75 lbs), I gave up on the medical community and the health and wellness groups as well, my family all claimed it was psychosomatic…these last few weeks have been so painful and bloating and bloody stools + fatigue are killing me …I’m afraid it’s U.C. or C.D. or worse…I want to be healthy for my young daughter…could I still reverse this and live a normal life??
I believe anti biotics that I took back in Sept destroyed all of my good bacteria in my stomach becasue I have been suffering from chronic hard passing stools since. The urge to go is slighty there but the stool is hard and will not come out. How can I restore the becateria in my stomach? Doctors just keep telling me I am constipated and to take miralax every single day. I know the anti biotics messed something up and I want to fix it. I do not want to be on miralax everyday for the rest of my life.
Any help would be great!
Do you have any advice on how to gain weight with a leaky gut?
I have zinc/copper imbalance, some heavy metals, adrenal exhaustion, and react to pretty much every food. I’ve lost 35lbs from trying to eliminate the offending foods and trying to eat paleo, and can’t seem to gain it back. I’ve been trying a lot of ghee/chicken broth and recently grass fed butter and red meat, and taking enzymes (Plant based), probiotic supplements and making my own sauerkraut, but progress is slow and I’m trying to avoid ending up in hospital on a nose feed because my BMI is dangerously low. I have type 5 stool, I think from too much fibre – winter squash, carrots etc, or maybe im just intolerant to them. I’ve been craving protein which i’ve bumped up, but I know that won’t help me gain and I’m worried about my body being too acidic. I can’t seem to find a good fat/protein/carb ratio that balances my stool/blood sugar/puts weight on. I’ve been considering millet (if I sprout it) to help me gain, as the nose feed would be full of E numbers/soy leicthin/maltodextrin/etc so I figure grains and omega 6′s from the dark chicken meat I’ve been eating for zinc are the lesser of the two evils. But I need to put on some lbs ASAP. any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
I have been suffering from asthma for approx. 30 years and my condition has been worsening in the last 3 to 4 years because of frequent bronchitis. I was always short of breath, coughing really bad, going up a flight of stairs would make me cough for an hour etc…. As time went on, I could see myself having to quit my job and be on oxygen in a near future. In April 2012, my doctor advised to take kefir to boost my immune system. I started that same day. I didn’t see any improvement in the beginning but after 5 weeks, I came home from work one night with a very high fever that lasted approx. 24 hours. After that, I started to see an improvement every day. Within approx. 2 months, I was like a new person. No more coughing, no shortness of breath, I was able to decrease my medication by 50% ! We’re already in January and I didn’t have any bronchitis yet this winter. Last summer I was able to bike, play golf etc. I take approx. 3 tablespoons of kefir every day. To this day, I still have a hard time believing that your lungs can improve so much with something that helps your digestive system.
I wholeheartedly agree that maintaining a healthy gut is integral to being a healthy person. I am, however, confused as far as the autoimmune diseases relate to this. I have been diagnosed with RA. It tests in the blood. If an unhealthy gut caused me to have RA, would it not go away when I correct the problem? Would that then reflect in a blood test? Would I then no longer be considered to have RA?
for anybody with leaky gut and candida the body ecology is the way! and the book teaches you how to starve the yeast and rebuild your inner terrain! I had that battle after i was given antibiotics. Doctors are not educated on the importance of gut health. like chris said we are more bacteria than humman.
you can’t rebalance your gut unless you remove heavy metals first specially mercury!! candida loves mercury.once you bring the metals down your body starts to heal.
I am learning so much in recent years…. my sons 3 yrs and 7 months have leaky gut/food alergies/intolerances. I think itlinks to my poor gut/immune health because before getting pregnant with th 3 yr old I had full blown pneumonia and took antibiotics for 6 weeks. At the time I knew nothing of natural health/probiotics, etc. My first son (born before my pneumonia) is 6 and has no issues at all. I have never had the same digestion or immune system since… I am taking a lot of steps to try heal my sons and myself and have been learning so much. Thank you for these “9″ steps articles, I appreciate how well they explain rather than just dolling out advice. I am curious, though, as to why there’s no mention of taking enzymes? I know we don’t get all that we need from our diet and have been looking into them but the variety and research is overwhelming. My 3 yr old is off dairy/egg and I am nusing my 7 mon old so I have been off dairy /egg/wheat/gluten for the last 6 months. His tummy is so senditve there’s a whole list of other foods I avoid (bananas, lettuce, cabbage, apple/orange juice, to name a few…) because he gets severe gas pain and diarrhea/constipation if I eat them. The only baby foods he tolerates are sweet potatoes and pears. (Carrots gave him diarrhea, peas constipation…) I really want to heal his gut so any advice is helpful! Thanks again!
Hi Chris,
Please help! So sad that there are so few doctors out there that you can trust!!!
I’m not one that takes antibiotics or medicine unless I feel really sick. I was recently prescribed CIPRO for a UTI and I really feel like it destroyed my stomach. I’m constantly nauseous, cramps, mucus in my stool and urine. At this point I’m really upset because I asked the doctor if it’s safe while breastfeeding and he said YES. I came home and for some reason I decided to take her off breast milk while on CIPRO and my 4 month old’s doctor said that CIPRO is one of the antibiotics that they ask moms to stop breastfeeding with. If I knew all the side affects of it I wouldn’t have taken it. I took it for 7 days…one every 12 hrs and I feel like it took away some symptoms but made others worse. Can you please help me out…what SPECIFIC probiotics can I take. I started drinking alot of Kefir…which kind of Kefir do you recommend? I’m a stay at home mom and I need to be able to function while taking care of baby…CIPRO has turned me inside out
So, I’m late to the dance but new to Kefir making. I’ve been kefir-ing coconut milk because of my dear thyroid (meaning no dairy) but have to refresh the grains with milk periodically anyway. Here’s the conundrum….dairy is said to be an unhealthful food because it contains enzyme inhibitors that increase gut permeability but kefir has probiotics that improve gut health (which I’d like). So…if someone (like me) is trying to heal a leaky gut, can that one use kefir cow milk, kefir goat milk or just stay on kefir coconut milk?…I’ve tasted a tiny bit of the kefir cow milk that came from the grain refreshing and it was MUCH better than the coconut milk version. thanks.
hi, my digestive system is worthless, i need help ive been to the doctor and they just took an x-ray of my stomach and told me i was full of shit and gave me a laxative, worthless doctors!!!!!, so i need to take this matter into my own hands before i die, i never heard of anyone getting an intestine transplants, so im really on my own if you can save my life, man i would do anything, im having alot of symptoms like, headaches, sharp pinpoint pain in the stomach and lower back, and i have super loss of appetite like i be hungry as F*CK and put a plate of food in front of me and my appetite is gone! my body doesnt tell me when i have to go and have a bowel movement i have to just sit there and wait, im serious dude i need help cuz the doctors are worthless, they didnt even tell me what to do or what to eat, he just gave me laxatives :/ i need a digestive system genie to help me restore my bowel movements, im getting super skinny plz help
Is the sugar in my Greek Gods Greek yogurt a worthy compromise to obtaining the probiotics?
I have question regarding the fermented foods that help the good gut flora/bacteria. Wouldn’t these also make the bad gut bacteria grow? Please advise….
Hi Chris! Amazing website! I want to know if intolerance to FODMAPS can be overcome? I have been on a Paleo diet for 6 months, have cleared an H. Pylori infection and am doing a strict GAPS protocol, and trying to eliminate all FODMAPS. It feels like there’s not much left to eat since I’m also allergic to nuts, citrus and nightshades….I had a stool test, showing e.coli overgrowth in abundance, which I’m working on with Lauricidin, Para Biotic Plus, Interfase plus, prescript assist probiotics, Custom Probiotics D-lactate free version, S. Boullardii by Klaire labs, Thorne D3…I don’t know what else to do, but being allergic to so much stinks. When I eat something that breaks down to fructose, I can’t take a deep breath. Please let me know if this can be overcome. I’m fine with staying paleo, but not fine with the lack of vegetables and fruit. I eat nearly no fruit, which makes for a bland, blah diet. Thanks so much for your help!
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