11 Most Surprising Things About SIBO, IBS, & Leaky Gut
1. You can have leaky gut anywhere in the intestinal tract—mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine or large intestine. ("Gut" includes all of these organs!)
2. In 60-84% of IBS cases, the underlying cause is SIBO. (Considering as many as 1 billion people suffer from IBS… that is a lot of people who actually have SIBO!)
3. SIBO is linked to one of the root causes of fibromyalgia.
4. The endothelial lining of the gut is only 1 cell thick. (In comparison, the skin on the palm of your hand is about 30 cells thick.) When gaps form between the connections of these cells (the tight junctions) then leaky gut occurs.
5. The gut connects directly to the brain via the Vagus Nerve and the endothelial cells lining the gut communicate with others throughout your body - that’s how gut conditions can cause symptoms as diverse as eczema to anxiety.
6. The sound of your stomach “rumbling” when you’re hungry is actually the noise of the Migrating Motor Complex (MMC) “sweeping” the small intestines and preparing for new food. A dysfunctioning MMC is a top cause of SIBO.
7. Narcotics and slow down motility in the gut and trigger SIBO. Even short-term narcotic use can result in SIBO.
8. It takes an average of 6.6 YEARS to be diagnosed with IBS from the onset of symptoms.
9. SIBO is often related to: psoriasis, restless leg syndrome, and diabetes!
10. Doctors have just discovered food poisoning can cause changes in the immune system and cause a newly-defined type of IBS: post-infectious IBS. A simple blood test can diagnose you.
11. Doctors still don’t know with certainty what causes autoimmunity, but the leading theory is that genetic predisposition combined with leaky gut triggers autoimmunity.
The Autoimmune-Gut Connection
Have you ever wondered exactly how the gut and autoimmunity are connected? Here’s what the experts have to say:
At least three-quarters of your immune system is located in your gut, typically communicating with the immune system throughout your body in your defense. Your gut lining is richly supplied with blood vessels. The gut is like a sixth sense with a surface area larger than a football field where it communicates with your other environmental interfaces with the world—skin, mouth, sinuses, respiratory tract and cervix. And your gut harbors trillions of microbes, mainly bacteria weighing as much as your brain does. It plays a very important role in both your digestive and overall health. And this gut microbiome is in constant dialogue with both your gut and brain.
Intestinal permeability is the gateway into the development of autoimmune diseases. What does that mean? It means it's the initiating problem that's going to manifest somewhere in your body, but it starts in your gut. Hashimoto’s thyroid disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, losing your hair (alopecia), having psoriasis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson's, cardiovascular disease, they all have this immune component that seems to initiate with the leaky gut. So, that's why it's important to understand this leaky gut thing and how to identify it and what to do about it.
I love the Institute of Functional Medicine’s 4R Program for healing a leaky gut. It has been successfully applying this program for the past 15 years. The evidence is strong: protecting and restoring the intestinal firewall is of primary importance for your health.
Reference: www.DigestionSOS.com
