Last week I discussed some of the roots of mental decline. Today I want to focus on one of the most common but ignored causative factors of current day illnesses. It’s often ignored until it’s become overly troublesome.
I shared how inflammation is a primary root of mental decline, but where it frequently begins is one of the most abused areas of our body. Over the counter drugs used to treat symptoms in this area can generate some of the largest financial gains for the pharmaceutical industry.
Your digestive tract takes some of the heaviest abuse of the entire body. We have a very sensitive garden of micro-flora residing in your small and large intestine. When upset, normal biological functions are disturbed. These functions involve chemically changing the foods ingested as well as protection of the organs of digestion.
When the pH is altered here, it throws off normal function. The pH of your mouth is where it all starts. Your salivary glands bathe your mouth with an alkaline, enzyme rich saliva which protects the teeth and gums. It also initiates proper digestion.
Chemical exposure can upset normal function of the salivary glands, initiating digestive inflammation. When this is the case, appropriate systemic detoxification protocols can greatly improve digestive function.
Stress, either physical or mental/psychological, plays a huge part in altering digestive health. Usually when dealing with stress, the body goes into a fight or flight mode where the digestive system shuts down, and body chemistry is dramatically altered. At this point, stagnation begins in the gut along with putrefaction and fermentation. The byproducts of these create inflammation, resulting in what’s commonly called “leaky gut”. When this happens, allergens and fecal bacteria are allowed to leak into the blood, negatively impacting immune function, and leading to many autoimmune diseases. Many other issues lead to a leaky gut.
Many drugs used to treat symptoms, negatively impact the normal function of the gut. This includes non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like your typical Ibuprofen and Tylenol. These can break down what’s known as the tight junctions between mucosal cells, allowing toxic elements into the blood. This initiates inflammation in the body, especially the brain and nervous system. As with other drugs, alcohol can also damage the gut wall lining.
The big offender in creating a leaky gut is gluten. The incidence of gluten sensitivity has risen dramatically. Years ago, it was rare to see patients who couldn’t tolerate wheat. Now, gluten intolerance is running rampant. Because of gluten damage, sensitivity to other foods are increasing dramatically. With a gluten sensitivity, we frequently see dairy allergies.
The grains of today aren’t what they were when I was a kid. Gluten is added to foods to increase the longevity of the food. It’s no longer about delivering healthy nutrition to the consumer, but prolonging shelf life. This is the same philosophy which keeps pasteurization of milk a hot topic. It’s all about longer shelf life. It’s not about your health, but keeping more money in the pocket of the manufacturer.
Gluten increases the permeability of the intestinal wall. Zonulin is a protein which helps maintain a tight junction between intestinal membrane cells. Gliadin from gluten binds to the receptors causing zonulin to be released, resulting in increased mucosal permeability. The more this happens, the more gluten enters the blood, resulting in more and more systemic inflammation. Gliadin reacts with these receptors in everyone. Not just in those with known gluten sensitivity. This should suggest a reduction in grains even to non-reactors.
It’s not just the gut that’s affected with gluten consumption, but the the entire body. Arthritis often times is diminished when gluten is eliminated from the diet. If you’re dealing with any autoimmune disease, consider cutting dramatically back on all grains.
If you have what many have described as a foggy brain (difficult thinking), chances are you’re being adversely affected by gluten. Going on a grain free diet for at least six weeks may reveal the true issue. Not only will you be thinking more clearly, but many other issues you’ve been dealing with may be cleared by this. You may not be aware of it, but you could be cutting off a connection to eventual cognitive decline, or even worse.
I shared how inflammation is a primary root of mental decline, but where it frequently begins is one of the most abused areas of our body. Over the counter drugs used to treat symptoms in this area can generate some of the largest financial gains for the pharmaceutical industry.
Your digestive tract takes some of the heaviest abuse of the entire body. We have a very sensitive garden of micro-flora residing in your small and large intestine. When upset, normal biological functions are disturbed. These functions involve chemically changing the foods ingested as well as protection of the organs of digestion.
When the pH is altered here, it throws off normal function. The pH of your mouth is where it all starts. Your salivary glands bathe your mouth with an alkaline, enzyme rich saliva which protects the teeth and gums. It also initiates proper digestion.
Chemical exposure can upset normal function of the salivary glands, initiating digestive inflammation. When this is the case, appropriate systemic detoxification protocols can greatly improve digestive function.
Stress, either physical or mental/psychological, plays a huge part in altering digestive health. Usually when dealing with stress, the body goes into a fight or flight mode where the digestive system shuts down, and body chemistry is dramatically altered. At this point, stagnation begins in the gut along with putrefaction and fermentation. The byproducts of these create inflammation, resulting in what’s commonly called “leaky gut”. When this happens, allergens and fecal bacteria are allowed to leak into the blood, negatively impacting immune function, and leading to many autoimmune diseases. Many other issues lead to a leaky gut.
Many drugs used to treat symptoms, negatively impact the normal function of the gut. This includes non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like your typical Ibuprofen and Tylenol. These can break down what’s known as the tight junctions between mucosal cells, allowing toxic elements into the blood. This initiates inflammation in the body, especially the brain and nervous system. As with other drugs, alcohol can also damage the gut wall lining.
The big offender in creating a leaky gut is gluten. The incidence of gluten sensitivity has risen dramatically. Years ago, it was rare to see patients who couldn’t tolerate wheat. Now, gluten intolerance is running rampant. Because of gluten damage, sensitivity to other foods are increasing dramatically. With a gluten sensitivity, we frequently see dairy allergies.
The grains of today aren’t what they were when I was a kid. Gluten is added to foods to increase the longevity of the food. It’s no longer about delivering healthy nutrition to the consumer, but prolonging shelf life. This is the same philosophy which keeps pasteurization of milk a hot topic. It’s all about longer shelf life. It’s not about your health, but keeping more money in the pocket of the manufacturer.
Gluten increases the permeability of the intestinal wall. Zonulin is a protein which helps maintain a tight junction between intestinal membrane cells. Gliadin from gluten binds to the receptors causing zonulin to be released, resulting in increased mucosal permeability. The more this happens, the more gluten enters the blood, resulting in more and more systemic inflammation. Gliadin reacts with these receptors in everyone. Not just in those with known gluten sensitivity. This should suggest a reduction in grains even to non-reactors.
It’s not just the gut that’s affected with gluten consumption, but the the entire body. Arthritis often times is diminished when gluten is eliminated from the diet. If you’re dealing with any autoimmune disease, consider cutting dramatically back on all grains.
If you have what many have described as a foggy brain (difficult thinking), chances are you’re being adversely affected by gluten. Going on a grain free diet for at least six weeks may reveal the true issue. Not only will you be thinking more clearly, but many other issues you’ve been dealing with may be cleared by this. You may not be aware of it, but you could be cutting off a connection to eventual cognitive decline, or even worse.
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