How To Heal Your Leaky Gut
You do all the “right things” to “heal your leaky gut.”
You take probiotics and digestive enzymes; eat fermented foods; use essential oils; cook clean eats; drink water; make bone broth; and you’ve even tried Dr. Oz’s or Dr. Axe’s top tips …BUT you still often wonder: “Will it ever heal?!”
“Why won’t the bloating, or constipation, or IBS go away?!” you cry.
News flash:
You can be doing “everything right” (on paper) to “love your gut” (probiotics, real food and water, included)…BUT, sometimes there is MORE to your gut story…Something going on “underneath the hood” than a basic gut-loving protocol can address.
(And until you address the UNDERLYING cause of your “gut issues” first, you may continue to experience “gut related symptoms”).
THE BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN HEALING THEIR LEAKY GUT
A mistake many people run into when they’ve been at the whole “leaky gut healing” thing for awhile is following an excellent gut-health “maintenance” plan for maintaining an all-around healthy gut BEFORE ridding of any underlying pathogens or unhealthy gut bacteria in the first place.
Probiotics, enzymes and real food WILL get you far, BUT if any underlying issues continue to remain unaddressed, then you will continue to feel the same—if not worse in some cases (since certain probiotics, healthy foods or supplements can sometimes actually contribute to or aggravate the problem).
UNDERLYING GUT ISSUES
Some potential underlying “issues” that play a role in the health (or imbalance) of your gut (beyond “leaky gut”) include:
1. SIBO—Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth
2. Infections/Parasites
3. Food Intolerances (even to “healthy foods”)
4. Low Stomach Acid or “Hypochlorhydria” (stomach acid is necessary for healthy digestion)
5. Dysbiosis & Fungal Overgrowth (ie. imbalance of “healthy” and unhealthy bacteria in your gut)
6. Toxic Burden (i.e. toxin buildup such as mercury or lead poisoning, mold exposure)
7. Autoimmunity & Intestinal Permeability (i.e. openings in your intestinal tract)
Each of these underlying pathologies require MORE than just a one-size-fits-all approach to healing leaky gut that you’ll ready in most blogs or see on Dr. Oz.
And even though probiotics, enzymes, fermented foods and clean eating CAN ALL BE BENEFICIAL beneficial for the gut, IF there is something ELSE going on in your gut, then specific supplements, protocols, foods, probiotics and lifestyle changes may be required for YOUR body (not the masses)!
Where to start?!
WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
If you’ve ALREADY started a basic gut loving protocol (probiotics, enzymes, fermented foods)—along with changing your lifestyle (with real food, 7-9 hours of sleep each night, and stress management)—and you STILL aren’t healing, “gut testing” may be warranted.
Test don’t guess!
Knowledge is power and when you have specific answers about what could be going on with your gut, you can THEN treat it accordingly.
The “next best step: would be to partner with a skilled, knowledgeable practitioner who can help you “look underneath the hood” and then give you clinically-proven and scientifically-backed protocols for addressing any “findings.” The cool thing? Many of these tests can be done from the comforts of your own home.
COMMON GUT TESTS
Depending on your symptoms, some common types of gut tests that assess for underlying pathogens include:
1. Comprehensive Stool Analysis (with 3 samples)—
2. SIBO Breath Test
3. Organic Acids Test
4. Comprehensive Blood Analysis
5. Urine/Hair Analysis (toxins)
6. Intestinal Permeability Screening
7. Food Intolerance Testing
Which one to do?!
Don’t worry too much about the logistics. That is what working with a skilled practitioner is for!
It is not advised you run your own tests on your own and attempt to interpret them—since not all tests are credible or created equal (ie. just like no two burgers are created equal…there is a BIG difference in a Big Mac and homemade grass-fed burger).
THE BOTTOM LINE
“Gut healing” and “Healthy gut maintenance” are TWO DIFFERENT things, and should be approached DIFFERENTLY.
If your gut is “not healing” with the basics then the “next step” would be to do some deeper digging. There are several options on how to address your leaky gut issues.
Contact Dr. Lauryn today to learn more about “loving your gut.”