Healing a leaky gut

First, we have to remove or reduce what is damaging us before we can start to heal, and this is particularly true when it comes to supporting our gut health.

The gut lining, or intestinal epithelium, plays a critical role in health and disease. But, the gut lining can become compromised, and when this happens, the process is called increased intestinal permeability or altered mucosal integrity or - most commonly - leaky gut.

The gut lining, when it’s healthy, is a selectively permeable barrier. It allows things like water, electrolytes and nutrients to leave the gut, enter the bloodstream, and travel to where they’re needed.

Equally, it stops toxins, pathogens, and large food particles from entering the bloodstream and potentially making us ill. When it is damaged, it becomes leaky, allowing pathogens etc to enter the bloodstream and cause inflammation. The body may mount an immune response and these particles can also potentially cross the blood-brain-barrier, which can have an impact on congitive and mental health.

Alcohol, even small amounts (and I’m talking even less than 14 units per week), can lead to leaky gut. So can a high sugar diet; Candida overgrowth; infectious agents like viruses; chemotherapy; food sensitivities (gluten is the major culprit here); pharmaceuticals like antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories; over-exercise and STRESS.

Alcohol, sugar and stress are the most common drivers that I see in my clients, particularly as they go through menopause (which also, by the way, has an impact on the gut lining).

Stress and leaky gut

We can support our gut barrier by removing alcohol, and reducing sugar and irritants like gluten and dairy. But it’s important to get serious about boundaries, too.

Many people who drink (or drank) to excess or choose other damaging ways to self-soothe, have poor boundaries and can be people-pleasers.

We say yes to many things that we shouldn’t, that we don’t have capacity for, or that we don’t really want to do because we feel we have to prove that we are good people.

Many of us, for various reasons, place a pretty low value on ourselves, and then feel even more worthless when guilt around drinking or other self-destructive behaviours sets in.

“The greater the guilt, the more we try to emancipate ourselves by flawless behaviour.” Anodea Judith

For us to heal, we don’t only need to remove offending substances, but also identify and then change unsupportive patterns of behaviour, such as people-pleasing.

My work as a nutritional therapist is about supporting my clients with nutrition, but also about working with the client to recognise patterns and support behaviour change.

We can’t do one without the other.