Leaky Gut Syndrome

I’ve been around my fair share of leaky gut. I think it should go without saying that if you have any sort of gut dysfunction then you have dysbiosis. That is the part that everyone seems to agree upon. Where the disagreement arises is in how to properly correct it.

If you don’t already know, let me explain exactly what dysbiosis is. Your digestive tract is host to billions and billions of bacteria, yeast, fungus, etc; both good and bad. For a healthy gut, it is all about balance. A healthy gut contains a balance of both good and bad bacteria, of bacteria to yeast, and so forth. When that balance exists, then each does its part to keep the others in check.

This healthy balance is somewhere on the order of 80% beneficial bacteria to 20% harmful bacteria. And typically there are the majority of bacteria to the minority of yeast and fungus.

But for many reasons, this balance can be thrown off. In our society, I can say with certainty that the two most common reasons are because of the Standard American Diet (SAD) full of processed food and sugar and the overuse of antibiotics.

SAD Diet

You see, the beneficial bacteria feed on many of the whole food fiber sources in your diet like inulin (plant or vegetable fiber). The harmful bacteria however feed on sugar. So with poor dietary choices, which is most often the case, consisting of few vegetables and an abundance of sugar it is easy to see how the harmful bacteria take charge. This results in a reversal of roles in the gut where the harmful bacteria make up the 80% and the beneficial bacteria a mere 20%. This is one way dysbiosis develops and can easily lead to Leaky Gut Syndrome.

Antibiotics

I think you would agree that antibiotics are very effective at killing bacteria that cause infection. But they are also just as effective at killing beneficial bacteria. When you use antibiotics you are literally wiping the slate clean in your gut. This leaves the re-growth of bacteria up to a rat race. Take into account the SAD diet and the lack of natural sources of beneficial bacteria in your diet and all odds are in favor of the harmful bacteria and yeast. This is why antibiotics are a major cause of leaky gut.

The Great Debate

There are many health practitioners who claim that correcting dysbiosis is as simple as adding a probiotic (beneficial bacteria) supplement to your daily regime. This would be true if the harmful bacteria and yeast were not overgrown. But that is rarely if ever the case, especially when leaky gut is present.

But still, many of the health practitioners do just that. They give you a bottle of probiotic pills and send you on your merry way. You jump with joy as you take them and begin to see signs of relief. You may even claim that your practitioner is a miracle worker. But what happens when you stop taking them? That’s right. Your problems come right back. So you might start another round of probiotics. This cycle continues and continues until you decide to either stick with probiotics permanently or you figure out that there is more going on inside your gut than you might realize.

The problem is that all of those harmful bacteria, yeast, and fungi are still there and still holding strong. The probiotic supplements are only providing you temporary relief but they still don’t have ability to take back control of your dysbiosis or leaky gut.

If you want true results, then you have to first correct the root of the problem. You have to do your part by following a proper leaky gut diet to help starve those harmful bacteria to give your probiotics a fighting chance at survival.

If you want to truly correct your dysbiosis, then you must first create an inhabitable environment for the beneficial bacteria to flourish.

In health and happiness,

Karen Brimeyer
Author of the Leaky Gut Cure

Do you suffer from seasonal allergies? Do you also suffer from any of the other leaky gut symptoms? You might be surprised to find how closely the two are related.

Maybe you are like me. I never had allergies of any kind growing up. Come to think of it, I don’t remember anyone having them. But today, it seems like allergies plague almost everyone. You might think this is just a coincidence but I have to tell you that it is not.

It wasn’t until I had developed leaky gut that I even started to notice the development of seasonal allergies. I would get a cough, runny nose, and watery eyes during the change of seasons. I never thought to question why because these symptoms were so common that they were generally accepted as no big deal. And symptoms that aren’t considered a major health risk tend to get swept under the rug. But for me, things only went downhill from there. I started experiencing digestive problems along with skin problems like eczema. I had no idea that this was all related to my gut and it wasn’t until I addressed the underlying problem that the reality of it really hit home. As soon I healed my gut, my allergies immediately disappeared and I haven’t dealt with them since.

The Leaky Gut Seasonal Allergy Link

When you suffer from increased intestinal permeability, undigested food particles, pathogens, toxins, and other harmful substances are able to actually pass through your intestinal lining and directly enter the bloodstream. All of these substances are considered foreign invaders to the body which prompts your immune system to respond and combat the invaders. The big problem with this is that it is occurring continuously day and night without end.

Initially, your immune system does its job and fights off the foreign invaders. But after battling for a long time without rest, it quickly becomes overstressed and overactive. It is this over-activity of the immune system that prompts it to erratically react to anything it comes into contact with. This includes all of the pollen, mold, and other allergens that are always in the air. It is because your immune system is too busy defending you from your own leaky gut that it doesn’t have the time or ability to properly deal with these allergens. So you are left with seasonal allergies by reacting to any foreign airborne particles that you come into contact with.

All of these common airborne allergens have always existed and will always exist. So the days of blaming these allergens as the problem are over. It has little to nothing to do with them and everything to do with your gut health.

Seasonal allergies may not be a life threatening symptom but they are definitely trying to get your attention for a reason. They are really a way of your body telling you that something is not quite right. It’s time to start listening to these signs and use them to paint the bigger picture of your health. If you continue to ignore them or mask them with the use of allergy medications then your body will find another way to get your attention. And the next time it does, it will be with more extreme symptoms that won’t be as easy to dismiss. Do yourself a favor and get to the root of the problem by addressing your leaky gut.

In health and happiness,

Karen Brimeyer
Author of the Leaky Gut Cure

I borrowed (stole actually!) this great leaky gut diet tip from a great fitness expert that, like me, understands the importance of the foods that you eat to your health. You probably don’t stop to the think about the psychological practices that so many of the processed food companies use to “convince” you to buy their unhealthy products.

Before I go any further, I’ll tell you this great leaky gut diet tip.

If a food product has to use its packaging or other advertising to sell you then that alone should be a clue that you should not eat it!

Think about it… When is the last time you saw a marketing campaign or television commercial for apples? When you buy fresh meat at the store does it come in a box or does it have a bunch of bright colors and smiley faces all over it? When was the last time you had to read the print on a package of strawberries before deciding whether or not they are healthy?

It’s all about food psychology.

Your brain is pre-wired to know what foods are good for you and what you need. That is why when you see an apple by itself you eat it without question. It doesn’t need fancy advertising to sell you. All you need to see is that it looks and tastes like an apple. It is all natural instinct.

These other processed foods that come in all kinds of boxes and packages on the other hand have to spend millions of dollars in advertising and marketing to bypass your natural instinct and reprogram your brain to convince you to eat their processed foods. They play off the fact that your brain is programmed to interpret bright colors (naturally found in fruits & vegetables) as foods. So they mimic these colors and make them even brighter on their packaging to further confuse your instinct. Without the television commercials and bright colors you would probably walk right by them because your brain does not naturally interpret a cardboard box or plastic packaging as food.

So the next time you are strolling through the grocery store, keep this great leaky gut diet tip in the back of your mind. If the box jumps out at you then just keep walking until you are instinctually drawn to some natural and whole foods. I’d bet you would start seeing some improvement in your chronic symptoms.

In health and happiness,

Karen Brimeyer
Author of the Leaky Gut Cure

Happy day after Halloween!

I hope you had fun last night whether you were out trick-or-treating or home handing out candy. I spent my night out with my family and my 2 year old son going door to door collecting leaky gut promoting high fructose corn syrup ridden candy. That Halloween candy is worse for your health than you probably thought.

Yes, I am quite the health nut but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want my son to enjoy on all the fun holidays or festivities. So last night I wanted to keep my little “organic free-range chicken” up to par with organic standards which isn’t easy on a night where all regards for health are tossed out the window.

But as you can see, I also couldn’t resist dressing him up in an adorable costume and taking pictures to use as blackmail for a little later in life.

Of course my little chick wanted candy of his own just like all the other kids but I came prepared. To avoid all that high fructose corn syrup, I emptied some wrappers from some of the more popular candies and filled them with more health healthy candy alternatives like organic macaroons and dates which contain only all natural ingredients. When he wanted a piece of candy, I made sure he got one of my special treats. The best part was he never knew the difference.

Whatever you did last night is in the past (including eating all that Halloween candy!). Do yourself, your kids, and your leaky gut a favor and toss out whatever Halloween candy you might have left and replace it with a healthier alternative like I mentioned above. Halloween or not, you should cut all processed candy out of your diet.

6 Reasons Why You and Your Leaky Gut Should Stay Away From High Fructose Corn Syrup

1. It travels straight to the liver where it is metabolized directly into fat. In fact it converts to fat more than any other sugar.

2. A recent study found evidence that it contributes to the development of diabetes.

3. It causes you to eat more, consume more calories, and gain weight because it does not stimulate production of the hormone leptin which works to regulate your appetite and signal to your brain that you are full.

4. It is highly processed and contains no enzymes, vitamins, or minerals. Instead it strips your body of these much needed micro-nutrients.

5. The fructose in high fructose corn syrup is not the same as fructose in fruit. It is chemically altered and the body doesn’t even recognize it as a food. Also, it is almost always made out of genetically modified corn.

6. It has been shown to increase osteoporosis, tooth decay, anemia, osteoarthritis, and many other leaky gut symptoms.

Do yourself a favor and ditch the Halloween candy filled with high fructose corn syrup. There are tons of healthier alternatives that will leave you more satisfied and healthier in the long run.

In health and happiness,

Karen Brimeyer
Author of the Leaky Gut Cure

Let me welcome you to the site that is dedicated to helping you understand the link between leaky gut and your chronic health conditions.

We’ll be discussing related symptoms and conditions that range from food allergies to irritable bowel syndrome to chronic fatigue syndrome to autoimmune disease. We’ll also look into many different natural ways you can get relief from your symptoms through the use of diet, lifestyle improvements, and supplements.

This condition that leads to intestinal permeability affects millions of people every day and is a typically undiagnosed and untreated by conventional medicine.

I have overcome this condition myself and resolved my own chronic symptoms that I had been dealing with for years. I have also had the pleasure of working with many personal clients to get the same results.

Be on the lookout for great new material that I’ll be posting soon.

In health and happiness,

Karen Brimeyer
Author of the Leaky Gut Cure