HEALING AND MAINTAINING A HEALTHY GUT BARRIER

It’s good to know your internal flora status, and there are tests available for you to find out exactly what levels of certain bacteria are residing in your gut. Gut flora is, however, only one side of the gut-health story. Healing and maintaining a healthy gut barrier is another highly important factor.

The gut barrier reaches from your mouth all the way through to your anus, and its primary focus, aside from transporting and eliminating food and water, is to prevent foreign, unwanted substances from entering the body. The gut barrier must therefore remain strong and healthy in order to perform this function. Unfortunately, due to unhealthy modern lifestyles, gut permeability or “leaky gut” is becoming a common problem. This involves the breaking down of the intestinal walls, creating “holes” that allow large protein molecules to escape into the body. Because these substances are not supposed to live outside the walls of the gut, the immune system views them as invaders, mounting an immune response that aims to attack these proteins. This phenomenon is believed to be a primary culprit in the rise of autoimmune conditions. I noticed that as soon as I started healing my gut lining, my symptoms began to disappear.

Although conventional medicine in the past scoffed at this idea, many medical experts and researchers are now beginning to recognize that the integrity of the intestinal barrier is paramount in preventing and healing a range of diseases.

A really important point for you to remember on your own healing pathway is that the way to heal the gut involves a dual focus: improving the balance of good bacteria in the gut, and healing the intestinal walls to decrease intestinal permeability. By doing this you’re allowing your gut to smoothly complete all of the functions required to regulate your entire body, without leaking unwanted toxic substances into the bloodstream, and thus minimizing your risk of developing various diseases.

Your immune system is your first line of defence. Without a healthy balance of good bacteria in the gut, your immune system can’t do its job effectively, and in essence is defenceless.

The digestive system is comprised of cells, proteins, tissues and organs that work together in a complex way to defend the body against harmful bacteria, infectious diseases and toxins. In fact, the gut mucosa that forms the intestinal barrier connects with the largest population of immune cells in the body, known as gastrointestinal immune cells. These come from the lymphoid branch of the immune system and they include lymphocyte cells that attack harmful invaders. These lymphatic cells also form bundles known as Peyer’s patches, which work together to protect the mucous membranes of the small intestine from infection. They do this by releasing specific white blood cells (lymphocytes) known as T-cells and B-cells to defend the inside of the digestive tract from infection, as well as repair the damage that bad bacteria cause to the intestinal walls.

The intestinal barrier is also home to friendly gut flora that are critical for overall immunity. These guys act as mighty warriors for the immune system, and are dependable allies for immune cells, helping them enhance their “natural killer” effectiveness and boosting their overall defence of the intestinal walls so as to prevent pathogens and infections from entering the bloodstream. This is why maintaining a healthy balance of good bacteria in the gut is so important. Without them, your immune system can’t do its job effectively, and in essence is defenceless.

If you think you may have leaky gut, nourishing slippery elm porridge (see opposite) will really help you to seal your gut lining. The herb slippery elm has been shown to neutralise acidity, and acts as a soothing demulcent by coating the membrane surface and protecting mucous membranes along the gastrointestinal tract. Slippery elm porridge really helps to soothe irritated intestines by isolating the acidic environment, and promoting tissue regeneration. It helps with constipation and doesn’t cause bloating. Slippery elm has been used as both food and medicine in many herbal traditions, including Native American, Ayurvedic, traditional Chinese and Western medicine. This porridge is extremely nourishing and can be eaten as a meal. If your leaky gut is particularly troublesome, eat it three times a day for three days to really help promote gut healing and then return to eating it as a meal replacement when needed. You can also make a small drink with 1 teaspoon slippery elm powder and 1/2 cup (4 fl oz/ 125 ml) warm water to be taken half an hour before meals.

It’s only in recent years that scientists have begun to discover the vital importance of the links between diet, gut bacteria and the immune system. Scientific evidence now shows that the types of food you eat directly determine the levels of certain bacteria in your gut. Changing your diet will change the kind of bacteria you have, which will either support the strengthening of your immune system or deplete its defensive capabilities. Conclusions drawn from the current research all reveal that a healthy immune system is the result of a diet that supports healthy gut function – one that emphasises whole, unprocessed foods and helps repopulate the gut with good bacteria.

Your two nervous systems are formed at the same time during fetal development, and are created from identical tissues, connected via the vagus nerve. This is the tenth cranial nerve, which runs from the brain stem right down to your abdomen, and is the primary route your gut bacteria use to transmit messages to your brain. Knowledge of the vagus nerve completely flips the idea that the brain controls the rest of your body. Rather, it reveals that your gut is largely in charge. In fact, your gut sends far more information to your brain than your brain sends to your gut!

Just as you have neurons in your brain, you also have neurons within your gut. This includes neurons that produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of wellbeing and happiness, and it’s found in its greatest concentration within the gut, not the brain itself. When my autoimmune disease first flared up I had terrible symptoms of anxiety and depression. This was partly due to the steroids I was taking and to the anxiety of being sick, but also because my gut didn’t have the correct balance of microflora and wasn’t functioning properly.

The ability of the gut microbiota (the community of microorganisms in your gut) to communicate with the brain and influence behaviour is emerging as a very exciting concept in the scientific world of health and disease. Research proves that your own unique combination of microflora interacts with you as the host to form essential relationships that govern the balance and functioning of your entire body. There’s no doubt that the presence of good bacteria in the gut alters brain function. Research has gone so far as to show that the presence of a particular strain of bacterium known as Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001 removes anxiety-like behavior in mice. Other fascinating scientific findings include the ability of certain probiotics to modulate antidepressant-like behavior by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines (cell-signalling proteins) and increasing levels of tryptophan (an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein), both of which have been implicated in depression.

The close connection between stress-related psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety and gastrointestinal disorders like IBD provide further proof that the gut-brain axis exists. The impact of poor gut health on the functioning of the brain has been scientifically linked to a range of illnesses including ADHD, autism, chronic fatigue, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), Tourette syndrome, and anxiety and depression. Good gut health is without a doubt paramount in the state of your mind; once I started paying attention to my gut, my anxiety and depression dissipated.

Research continues to link the state of the gut to many modern-day illnesses. It seems that Hippocrates was right all along. And the key to maintaining the health of the gut can be found in another of Hippocrates’ wise statements: “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”

You know the truth by the way it feels. Listen to your gut.