The intestinal lining is a protective interface between the digestive tract and the rest of the internal organs and systems. It is a semi-permeable lining that, when healthy, lets in small digested nutrients and keeps out larger undigested food particles and pathogens. When the intestinal lining is damaged, a condition known as increased intestinal permeability or leaky gut usually due…
You may have already heard about leaky gut syndrome (increased intestinal permeability)—damage to the intestinal lining that creates holes through which travel toxins, bacteria, and large food particles from the digestive tract—all of which are not meant to cross the intestinal lining and can trigger an inflammatory immune response that enters systemic circulation and can manifest disease processes in virtually…
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that involves an immune system attack of the protective sheath (myelin sheath) that covers nerves. This destruction has a damaging effect on the communication between the brain and the rest of the body. The disease process varies widely per person, ranging from symptoms of weakness, tingling, numbness, blurred vision, muscle stiffness, and difficult thinking…
Autism is a complex disorder involving a number of contributing factors that are not entirely understood. Many children with autism also suffer from digestive symptoms, which are thought to contribute to the condition as a possible causative factor. A recent study published in the Public Library of Sciences (PLoS) journal is strengthening the evidence for gluten’s role in autism. Researchers…
Gastrointestinal complaints such as nausea, cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea are common among athletes. This is thought to be due to the change in blood flow during intense exercise—blood is diverted from digestion to the heart and muscles where it is needed. The decrease in blood flow to the intestines during intense exercise is known to increase intestinal permeability, or leaky…
Belly fat, or visceral adipose tissue (VAT), is the fat that accumulates around the organs in the abdomen. It is strongly related to metabolic disorders including insulin resistance, fatty liver and inflammation. Because of the close proximity of belly fat to the intestines, and the ability of gut bacterial toxins to affect inflammation outside the gut, the relationship of increased…
I’m really excited about a couple of new studies on gluten sensitivity. I have been talking about this condition for so long, knowing that it contributes to many different health conditions in the body. The science is only beginning to scratch the surface of what clinicians have been seeing for years in patients who suddenly feel better after removing gluten…
The title of this article has been taken directly from the journal Gut Pathogens January 2011, and can be accessed for free at www.gutpathogens.com. This article tells the story of the gut connection. As we have been preaching for years, there is good evidence of a connection between gut bacteria and most (if not all) of the body organs, including…
Most surgeons on call on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day are not surprised when they get called into the ER to see a patient with right upper abdominal pain and tenderness radiating through to the back. There are also no surprises when an abdominal ultrasound shows a dilated gallbladder, possibly with a thickened wall, and gallstones ranging from the size of…