I know you’ve heard of a leaky faucet but have you heard of a leaky gut? A leaky what? A leaky gut! It’s a real thing, and I have one. Do you? You may be surprised by the answer. In fact, it’s believed to affect millions.
It seems like only yesterday that I was blissfully unaware of the term “leaky gut” and certainly didn’t know I had one. Then, one day my leaky gut gave me a run for my money and caused my body to totally collapse.
So, what is it? Have you ever had a coat pocket with a hole in it? You know, the kind where your change “leaks” out of your pocket and into the inside lining of your coat. That’s kind of what a leaky gut is. It means that the intestinal lining has “holes”. In other words, it’s permeable. The result is that undigested food proteins leak into my bloodstream before they are ready to. My immune system senses that they are foreign invaders and attacks them, thereby creating a memory of that foreign invader so it can remember to attack it again if it’s ever spied in my body in the future. So, my body has decided to attack corn, soy, tomato, gluten, eggs, beans, and more. This is a simple way of describing food allergies and how they develop. However, food allergies aren’t the only result of a leaky gut. Autoimmune disorders also result including diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Celiac disease, and more.
Leaky gut is not thought to be something that’s genetically inherited or to be a condition that only effects certain people. Leaky gut can happen to anyone, just like anyone who does cocaine can get addicted. It may be true that some people are more likely to get leaky gut just as some people are more likely to become addicted to substances. However, we are all vulnerable. If you have a typical American diet, are under a lot of stress, and/or have an imbalance of healthy bacteria in your small intestine, you may become a victim.
I’m working on healing my intestinal lining, but it isn’t an easy process and technically isn’t guaranteed to be possible at my stage. I wish I would have known that I had this condition…before it was too late. I say that like it’s a terminal diagnosis or something. Technically, it’s not. Sometimes, however, I feel like I’m going to die when all I want to do is eat a Mexican feast at El Sombrero or pick up Smashburger on my way home from shopping and quickly remember that I’ll likely NEVER be able to do that again!
So, what are some signs that you may have a leaky gut? Do you suffer from any of the following:
digestive problems including bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion
random gastrointestinal symptoms that you can’t figure out
arthritis or general joint pain
food sensitivities
yeast infections
eczema
psoriasis
Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or other IBD
IBS
Autoimmune condition of any kind including diabetes, multiple sclerosis, celiac disease, fibromyalgia, lupus
POTS
insomnia
migraines
lymphoma
exercise intolerance
This list is not all inclusive AND you don’t have to have more than one of the above to have a leaky gut. Just one of the above could be an indication that something is seriously wrong in the gut.
This is my plea with America to fix your leaky gut before it fixes you!
Feel free to comment below or write me with any questions. May all your guts be healed in Jesus’ name!
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