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All disease begins in the gut. — Hippocrates
Hippocrates made this profound statement more than 2,000 years ago, but we’re only now coming to understand just how right he was. Gut health is critical to overall health, and an unhealthy gut contributes to a wide range of chronic diseases, including diabetes, obesity, autism, depression, and anxiety. Many researchers, myself included, believe that supporting intestinal health and restoring the integrity of the gut barrier are two of the most important goals of medicine in the 21st century.
If you’re experiencing issues, learning how to support gut health naturally could make a difference in your overall health and well-being. If you’re working in the health and wellness field as a nutritionist, health coach, or another allied provider, understanding gut health could help you support your clients as they work to restore and maintain a healthy microbiota. Read on to learn why a healthy gut is essential for creating a healthy body and how you can restore and maintain a healthy gut for life.
Finding natural methods to heal the gut can help you get relief from a wide range of distressing symptoms. Find out how to support a healthy gut through diet and lifestyle. #optimalhealth #changeagent #chriskresser
Health Coaches: Why Focus on Gut Health?
If you’re in the health coaching profession, you’ll undoubtedly encounter clients with existing gut problems and chronic diseases. Some may struggle with obvious gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation, diarrhea, gas, or bloating that clearly point to gut issues. However, others may have extraintestinal manifestations, such as blood sugar dysregulation or mental health issues, that are also rooted in gut dysfunction. No matter who you’re working with, supporting your clients as they take steps to heal their gut naturally should be a priority due to the profound impact of gut health on overall health.
The idea of the gut affecting overall health may seem far-fetched to some people. Therefore, I recommend beginning any discussion of gut health by briefly describing the two related variables that determine gut health: the intestinal microbiota and the gut barrier.
Are We More Microbial than Human?
The human gut is home to approximately 100,000,000,000,000 (100 trillion) microorganisms, collectively referred to as the “gut microbiota.” (1) The gut microbiota harbors a gene set 150 times greater than that of the human genome. (2, 3)
These microbes aren’t just passively living their lives; they have a profound impact on our health. Within the GI tract, gut microbes promote peristalsis (the movement of food through the intestines), protect against infection, produce vitamins, and maintain a healthy gastrointestinal mucus layer.
Outside the digestive tract, gut microbes influence other organs and tissues through neural networks and signaling molecules. Through these complex communication networks, gut microbes regulate 70 to 80 percent of the immune system and influence blood sugar control. (4, 5) They also modulate the function of the brain, bone, heart, skin, eyes, and muscle tissue. (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
What Disrupts the Gut Microbiome?
There are many features of the modern lifestyle that disturb the gut microbiome. Exposure to these harmful factors is pervasive in our society.
Processed, Inflammatory Foods
The Standard American Diet, packed with processed, inflammatory foods such as refined carbohydrates and industrial seed oils, is an established risk factor for gut dysbiosis. (12) The Standard American Diet reduces bacterial diversity and induces inflammation in the gut, thereby contributing to a slew of downstream adverse health effects.
Low Fiber Intake
Our gut microbes ferment dietary fiber to fuel their activities. A lack of dietary fermentable fermentable fiber, which is quite common in the United States, deprives gut bacteria of this fuel and leads to reductions of beneficial bacteria. (13)
Stress
Chronic psychological stress alters the gut microbiota; in fact, this may be one of the critical mechanisms by which stress contributes to so many chronic health issues. (14)
Chronic Infections
Bacterial, fungal, and viral gut pathogens alter the composition of the gut microbiota. (15) Importantly, a gut infection does not need to be acute to cause problems in the gut microbiota; some infections fly under the radar for years. Stool testing is a valuable tool for identifying both acute and subclinical gut infections.
Antibiotics and Other Medications
Antibiotics and non-antibiotic medications such as birth control pills, proton pump inhibitors, and NSAIDs significantly alter the gut microbiota, according to research. (16, 17) Repeated rounds of antibiotics and the use of non-antibiotic meds are important risk factors to identify.
C-Section Birth and Lack of Breastfeeding
During vaginal birth, a baby passes through the birth canal and is “seeded” with a mother’s beneficial bacteria, setting the stage for optimal gut microbiota development. Babies born by Caesarean section, on the other hand, are first exposed to microbes present on the skin of those who touch them during the C-section delivery (doctor, nurses) and immediately after (mom), as well as whatever limited microbes are floating around a sterile hospital environment. A newborn’s lack of exposure to a mother’s beneficial vaginal bacteria alters the course of gut microbiota development in infancy and childhood and may be associated with future health problems, even into adulthood. (18)
Breastfeeding provides infants with breast milk rich in probiotics, prebiotics, and immunoglobulins, which facilitate the development of a healthy gut microbiota. (19) Infant formula lacks many of these nutritional factors and is associated with suboptimal development of the gut microbiota. (20)
Circadian Rhythm Disruption
Circadian rhythm disruption, induced by factors such as abnormal sleep/wake schedules and blue light exposure at night, causes imbalances in the gut microbiome. It also compromises the integrity of the gut barrier, the second essential variable that influences gut health. (21)
How Does the Gut Barrier Impact Our Health?
As I mentioned earlier, two variables influence gut health: the gut microbiota and the gut barrier. But what exactly is the gut barrier and why is it essential for our health?
The gut is a hollow tube stretching from the mouth to the anus that passes out anything that is not digested. The gut barrier, a multilayer system made up of intestinal epithelial cells and proteins, prevents the escape of non-nutritive (and potentially harmful) substances from the intestine into the bloodstream. When the structural integrity of the gut barrier is compromised, large proteins and other molecules escape from the gut into the blood; this phenomenon is referred to as “leaky gut.”
What Causes Leaky Gut?
We’ve learned that many of the factors that harm the gut microbiome, such as antibiotics and an unhealthy diet, also contribute to leaky gut, a predisposing factor in the development of many health issues.
In addition, there are particular substances that can compromise the intestinal barrier and cause abnormal permeability. Research has identified a protein called zonulin as one primary culprit.
Zonulin increases intestinal permeability, including that of the tight junctions between intestinal cells. It has emerged as a critical link between leaky gut and adverse health consequences such as autoimmune diseases. (22) Gliadin, a component of the gluten protein, promotes leaky gut by increasing zonulin production. You can learn more about the connection between gluten, zonulin, and leaky gut in my podcast with researcher Dr. Alessio Fasano.
The Health Consequences of Leaky Gut
It is possible for someone to have leaky gut even if they don’t have gut-related symptoms. In fact, studies indicate that it can manifest as eczema, autoimmune disease, obesity, and many other chronic health conditions. (23, 24, 25)
If leaky gut is left untreated, it will be nearly impossible to improve other health issues, such as blood sugar control and cognitive function. That’s why it’s so important to focus on promoting a healthy gut barrier.
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Seven Ways to Heal the Gut Naturally
While it’s not always possible to completely steer clear of those factors (an adult cannot control, for instance, whether he or she was born by C-section or breastfed), there are still many ways in which you can improve gut health.
1. Remove Processed, Inflammatory Foods from the Diet
Transition to a whole foods-based, nutrient-dense diet. Identify and remove foods that are causing inflammation, such as gluten and dairy. Inflammatory foods can be identified via food sensitivity testing or an elimination diet.
2. Add Fermentable Fibers
Eat plenty of fermentable fibers, found in foods such as artichoke, onions, garlic, and plantains. These fibers fuel the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and help heal leaky gut.
3. Add Fermented Foods
Fermented foods are rich in probiotics that help restore a healthy gut microbiota and intestinal barrier. Unpasteurized sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha, yogurt, and kefir provide probiotics in abundance. However, make sure you’re not struggling with histamine intolerance before increasing your intake of fermented foods, as fermented foods can exacerbate symptoms.
4. Seek Treatment for Any Intestinal Pathogens
Gut infections are an important cause of gut dysbiosis and leaky gut. If you—or your clients—are currently seeking treatment from a Functional Medicine practitioner, ask about testing like the Genova GI Effects test or GI-MAP. These can identify specific bacterial, fungal, or parasitic imbalances causing gut dysbiosis.
5. Emphasize Healthy Sleep Habits
Get seven to eight hours of high-quality sleep a night to support your gut health. I recommend sleep hygiene practices such as maintaining a regular sleep schedule and avoiding blue light exposure at night. Blue light exposure can be minimized with blue-light-blocking glasses and the f.lux and Iris apps.
6. Develop an Exercise Routine
Develop a sustainable exercise program that will keep your gut microbes in shape. If you’re an endurance athlete, you may need additional gut support to mitigate the adverse effects of frequent endurance exercise on the gut microbiota, such as increased intestinal permeability. (26)
7. Manage Stress
Make stress-reduction practices, such as yoga or meditation, a part of daily life. Mindfulness apps such as Headspace or Calm can be helpful for people who are new to meditation.
Better supplementation. Fewer supplements.
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I was told to take antibiotics for a bite, I wasn’t told it would kill all my natural bacteria as well, now I have extreme pain due to improper function of the digestive system, and now I read this article ” 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. ” so basically I am doomed, nice to know. I might as well eat a bullet now and save myself this suffering.
Hey Mike,
Don’t despair! It’s good that you know what caused your problem. There are already a lot of ways to restore gut bacteria known. If all else fails, you could get a fecal transplant. I’ve been hearing amazing recovery stories about these.
You could start with much easier things like probiotics and fermented vegetables and all that. Lots of things to do. I take a daily probiotic, and I realized my leaky gut/candida comes back when I forget to take it. That should be some evidence that it actually does something. Cool, huh?
Hope you’re doing well.
Sincerely,
Rob
Hi Chris
I know this is an old post but I am desperate to find out how to treat parasites (as you mentioned to do so). I have tested positive to blastocystis hominis and giardia. I can’t find anyone who knows anything about how to treat this effectively. Is antibiotics the only option?
Regards
Tania
Hi Tania,
I was 7 months pregnant when I had giardia (from contaminated drinking water). I was scared to take the usual antiobiotics, because I didn’t want it affecting the baby. I started researching some alternatives, and found one that truly worked: raw garlic. I was very skeptical at first, but I read studies that found garlic to have anti-fungal properties and is even lethal against parasites and amoebas. Sorry I don’t have the links but you can google it to find the scientific journals online.
So I tried it – it is not the best tasting remedy, and you’ll probably smell like garlic for a few days. But it is nothing compared to the benefits of keeping your good gut flora intact, and not having the problems that many talk about on this forum from awful antiobiotic side effects.
The recommended I took 3-4 large cloves of garlic, 3 times daily, for 5 days. Yes 5 days is a long time to eat garlic but you need a constant stream of the substance in order to kill off all the parasites/amoebas. You can mince it and mix it with honey so it tastes better, or just chop it up smaller and swallow them whole like pills. IT WORKED. I can remember feeling better after the second day, so I foolishly decided to stop taking garlic (i hated the way it tasted) but of course the symptoms came back because I needed to treat it longer. As soon as I ate raw garlic, within 5 minutes the cramping and gas pains stopped. So I just sucked it up, and finished the last 3 days, and was GIARDIA FREE. it was awesome and my baby didn’t have to be affected by it. I hope this helps.
Thank you so much for your response. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond.
Unfortunately I have an allergy to garlic so this would not be an option for me.
But, yes, I have heard that garlic is quiet powerful. Not sure what to do. My husband and 3 children have also tested positive for blastocystis.
If you’re allergic to garlic, try ginger root. It can help to kill candida, parasites, etc.
I will be glad to tell you how to cure parasites. The best book to pick up on the subject is by Hulda Clark and it’s called The cure for all Cancer. She will tell you that Cancer is caused by having parasites and she has one of the best parasite cleanses for people and for pets, since a lot of people get parasites from their pets. The book is pretty old so you would probably have to order it.
Also the quickest way is to just pick up a cleanse by Brenda Watson in the health food store. I think it is called Paragone.
Hope this helps,
Terri
I was recently prescribed Macribid for a UTI which did nothing for infection so was then put on CIPRO for 7 days. About a week after completing CIPRO i began having lower right abdominal pain with lower back pain. Thought it might be a kidney infection from the persistent UTI, but U/A and blood work showed no infection. It’s been over 2 weeks and though the pain/discomfort has decreased, it is still there. A friend suggested it was the CIPRO that has caused this. I am now also having discomfort in across my stomach about an inch over belly button. Do you have any suggestions for me? Anything would be greatly appreciated.
Mel.
UTIs are a program of nature and are created by the body to be able to ‘mark your territory’.
If you have issues involving your territory, taking a cue from Nature (wolves), one needs to assert oneself to retain it. In Nature, and we are part of it, that means marking it in the fashion of dogs. That is why it effects the urinary tract. We are, however, also civilized human beings and we resolve these issues somewhat differently. But biologically speaking, we DO have to resolve this biological conflict and do whatever it takes to resolve this conflict, if possible, permanently.
Don’t use chemicals to resolve a biological conflict.-
http://learninggnm.com .
Cipro is very dangerous! It belongs to a class of drugs called Fluoroquinolones. They are actually Chemotherapeutic antibiotics. This class is so damaging because it damages the mitochondria / DNA & inhibits the Cytochrome P450 enzymes of the liver to detoxify chemicals we are exposed to. The threshold of adverse reactions varies from one person to the next. However often it is a delayed reaction. This is a disgrace that it is given to the public….but the damages are real and do not go away after stop taking this medication. Levaquin, Avelox are also in the same class. The injury is systemic effecting the muscoskeletal system, tendons, ligaments all over the body. It is a terrible tragedy how causally this class of drugs is handed out. Avoid steroids & anti inflammatory drugs like NSAIDs. Will cause more damage. Dmannose is a safe effective alternative for UTI. Cipro does great harm to the gut as well. It is a systemic injury…….meaning everything. CNS, PNS, Autonomic Nervous System, eyes, gums, teeth, skin, pancreas, gallbladder……dreadful.
Hello Chris,
I’m currently on a juice fast of 6 months with added bone broth as I feel. The reason for the fast was because of chronic mega illness from two tick bites ( same time). It’s been 3 years sense I was bit and I’ve been working hard to get a handle on this. I stared the fast because it was the only thing I have not tried. Before the fast I was having pain everywhere, muscles, joints, bones, chilling headaches, and unrelenting spiking fevers. 3 weeks into the fast the fevers slowed down and stopped. Now after 6 months, I have thoughts of stopping this fast, however when I’ve made attempts to introduce a whole food ( blended, watered down). veggies or fruit that I currently juice already, I would with in 2 or 3 hours start to have returning, spiking fevers, marked joint pain and some headaches as well. This has been repeated 5 or six times now. I can juice and I’m fine, zero fevers, less pain. I’m suspecting there is something wrong with my intestines or lining. I’m juicing organic veggies, sweet potatoes, yams and some fruits. I make the bone broth all organic as well. I’m at the end of my knowledge here and looking for some insight. Thank you for any ideas you may have for me.
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!
Hi Laura-did you clear h pylori naturally or you used antibiotics? thank you in advance for getting back with me!
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….
Is the sugar in my Greek Gods Greek yogurt a worthy compromise to obtaining the probiotics?
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
Give vegetable juicing a try. It’s amazing how it fixes the digestive system and the body. Throw in any vegetables like kale, beets, chard, carrots, cucumber, celery, tomatoes, peppers etc..even parley and cilantro. Keep vegetables unpeeled, just washed. Also make sure they are organic. Black seed oil or just black seed also heels the body too. Hope this helps. Get well! 🙂
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 Chris,
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 🙁 Please help! So sad that there are so few doctors out there that you can trust!!!
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!
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 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?
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.
Thank you
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!
It sounds like you might have pyroluria.
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!
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??
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.
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!
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!