About your Immune System
About 70 to 80 % of your immune system is in your gastrointestinal tract (GI tract). Anything that affects your GI system can also affect your immune system too.
What are things that can affect your GI system and cause Leaky Gut?
Additives in food
Antibiotics
NSAIDS
Artificial sweetners
Unhealthy diet - low in fiber, high in sugar, processed foods
illnesses
Stress
Being inactive
Vitamin D deficiency
All of these can change the bacteria composition that live in your gut and affect the immune system
Protective factors
The cell layer in your intestine is one cell thick. It is like a fence. The cell wall is like a fence. The glue that holds your cell fence posts together are called tight junctions. These keep the intestine "separate" from the rest of your body.
If you have "holes" between the fence posts, particles come into the intestine that don't belong there. Food particles also can go through into the blood stream before they are fully digested. When this happens, your immune system looks at those particles and labels them as invaders or enemies. The immune system will mount an immune response against them.
Leaky Gut
If a person has leaky gut, it is also likely you will have food sensitivities too.
To heal leaky gut - It is important to remove foods and chemicals that are causing the inflammation
The biggest problem is to identify what foods you are sensitive to. An average person eats between 20 and 60 different foods. This does not include the chemicals/additives in foods.
Using a blood test, the MRT (Mediator Release Test) is a food sensitivity test that can identify 176 foods and chemicals that cause inflammatory responses in the body. It is considered the highest standard of food sensitivity test available.
Who would benefit from testing for food sensitivities?
If you have symptoms or conditions that may be related to food sensitivities include:
Migraines and/or other types of headaches
Hives, eczema, skin rashes
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), heartburn and other gastrointestinal issues
Bloating or diarrhea
Acid reflux
Brain fog
Fatigue, irritability, anxiety and other mood disorders
Fibromyalgia
Joint or muscle pain
Congestion or respiratory conditions
Behavioral issues, such as anger, aggression, hyperactivity or attention deficit disorder (ADD)
Why taking care of your leaky gut matters!
A leaky gut can impact your health and how you feel! One of the first steps is to identify and remove foods you are sensitive to.
Juanita