Dr Erika Freeman - Restore Gut Health: How to Heal Leaky Gut Naturally and Maintain Healthy Digestive System

Restore Gut Health

How to Heal Leaky Gut Naturally and Maintain Healthy Digestive System

By

Dr. Erika Freeman

Books by The Same Author

Introduction

T he gut is an organ system that is responsible for intake of foods; digestion and absorption of energy and nutrients; it also expels wastes as feces.

The gut is also referred as gastrointestinal, digestive or alimentary canal. The processing or digestion of food primarily takes place.

Parts of the guts include:

The mouth

Esophagus

Stomach

Small intestine

Large intestine

Anus

This is according to the order at which the processing of food with put through our mouth takes place. This is why having a healthy gut is very important to the health of other organs in the human body. In this book you will learn very important facts about the gut and ways to keep it healthy. Also, there are wonderful natural ways to repair a leaky gut, which will be explored in this book.

The gut helps in the digestion and absorption of food, this puts malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies at bay and it also helps in eliminating waste products from the stomach and the entire body either through sweat or defecation. It also contains billions of healthy microbes that are beneficial to the health; they are known as helpful or friendly bacteria and they are located in the intestinal tract.

These microbes are also known as intestinal flora and they help the intestinal tract to function properly; they benefit the body in the following ways.

The microbes in the intestine are known for aiding digestion. On the other hand, they facilitate the breakdown of dairy foods and proteins in the body system. For instance, during the process of digestion; the bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus creates hydrogen peroxide and lactic acid when it breaks down foods. Hydrogen peroxide kills harmful microbes in the body while lactic acid prevents exhaustion and permanent damage from extreme exercise by making the muscles sore. Even to the physical, lactic acid is keeps the skin shiny and improves immunity from skin ailments.

The intestinal flora also improves the functions of the immune system; they protect the body against infection by preventing the growth of harmful microbes that cause infection. For instance; Lactobacilli prevents the growth of Candida Albicans, which cause yeast infection. Some other types of friendly bacteria prevent infection by creating intestinal barriers; for instance, Bifidobacteria creates substances that prevent the growth of negative bacteria in the body.

These helpful bacteria can also synthesize vital nutrients for the body; they can create vitamin K and they also help the body absorb minerals. The positive bacteria practically function in converting sugars and starches into body energy. These energy improves body agility and resistance.

An unhealthy gut impairs the functions of the gut; this can negatively affect the health and make the body susceptible to diseases. The most common gut problem today is leaky gut.

When the lining of the small intestine gets distorted or damaged, this is referred to as leaky gut. These brings abbot the introduction of waste materials, bacteria, and undigested foods into the blood stream, which could be detrimental to the health of the individual.

When these foreign substances enter the bloodstream; an autoimmune response is triggered in the body and they include irritable bowel, eczema, food allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, migraines and other inflammatory and allergic reactions.

This condition can even affect the functions of the intestines and digestion; they will not be able to produce enzymes needed for proper digestion, this will also affect the ability of the body to properly absorb essential nutrients, this can lead to malnutrition, nutritional deficiencies, anemia, a weak or suppressed immune system and hormonal imbalance.

Causes of Leaky Gut

I nflammatory foods : Sugary foods, processed foods and other unnatural foods trigger chronic inflammation in the body; inflammatory foods damage the gut by causing inflammation of the cells in the epithelial tissue or tissues of the gut. This inflammation causes damage which makes hole in the lining of the gut and cause the tight junctions in small intestines to break down and this leads to leaky gut.

These inflammatory foods include:

Gluten

Vegetable oils (processed)

Wheat

Refined carbohydrates

Refined sugar

Soy

Preservatives

Additives

Diary products (non organic)

Animal products (non organic)

Corn, etc.

Infections:

Harmful bacteria alter tight junctions in the intestine and this increases the permeability of the gut. H. pylori improves the protein on the tight part of the intestine, therefore improving its permeability. This significantly hasten the healing speed of a leaky gut. Malaria parasite, tapeworm parasites and candida all increase gut permeability according to studies. The actions of these parasites can also cause inflammation in the body.

Chronic stress:

High levels of stress can weaken the immune system and this can cause chronic inflammation; this makes the body susceptible to bacteria, viruses and other pathogens which contribute to the inflammation and make it worse, they also multiply in the body, all this contribute to leaky gut.

Lack of probiotics:

Probiotics are friendly bacteria that can help in preventing and healing leaky gut; they strengthen the lining of the gut and keeps bacteria out of the digestive tract and body. A deficiency in probiotics is known as gut dysbiosis and it can lead to leaky gut and yeast infection (candida).

Use of antibiotics, stress, refined sugars and carbs and food borne illnesses can deplete the bodys natural stores of probiotics. Some people are even born with a lack of probiotics; this depends on the state of the mothers digestive system or if the individual was born through C-section.