How long does it take to heal a leaky gut?

Last Updated on November 26, 2023 by Cathy

How long does it take to heal a leaky gut? You’ve probably heard about “leaky gut” or intestinal permeability. If not, a leaky gut happens when the gut lining becomes damaged and creates openings.

There are many reasons that cause a leaky gut:

• Heavy metal toxicity
• Overuse of antibiotics, birth control pills, NSAIDs
• Poor digestion
• Poor diet
• Stress
• Toxic overload (e.g., pesticides, smoking)

Everyone is different so it really depends on your situation as to what causes a leaky gut. Having multiple sclerosis (MS) makes you a very high candidate for having a leaky gut.

A leaky gut causes many health issues including:

• Autoimmune diseases 
• Brain fog
• Chronic fatigue 
• Food sensitivities 
• Gut pains after eating
• Infections (e.g., yeast overgrowth)
• Joint pain
• Vitamin and mineral deficiencies 

Food plays a big role but how serious are you about your diet? Are you very strict or do you cheat on occasion? – Be honest with yourself. Sure one processed cookie may seem harmless but that cookie is sabotaging your healing. It isn’t worth it. Every bite you take is important for healing your gut. 

Stop Eating Foods That Feed Diseases Including:

• Dairy
• Gluten
• Refined sugar
• Artificial flavors and sweeteners
• Natural flavors
• Corn (it’s mostly a GMO)
• Soy (it’s mostly a GMO)
• MSG
• Canola oil (it’s mostly a GMO)
• Pork (it’s high in fat and prone to parasites)
• Farmed fish (it’s washed in toxic chemicals due to parasites)
• Processed citric acid (it’s mostly derived from corn)

Load Up On Anti-inflammatory Foods

Instead, you need to eat foods that are nutrient-dense. Add lots of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. These are the foods that will fight inflammation, bacteria, and viruses. They are high in antioxidants, fiber, minerals, phytonutrients, and vitamins.

Focus on quality and read every label. Conventional meats have antibiotics, growth hormones, and GMOs (from their feed). Conventionally grown produce includes pesticides and GMOs. Everyone is different so it is hard to predict how long it will take to heal your gut. I’ve been living with MS for most of my life so I have decades worth of damage. I also have gut infections (candida) and mycotoxins (mold) to deal with.

If you are dealing with heavy metal toxicity or parasites your healing time may be different. It really depends on how long you’ve had a leaky gut and the severity of the damage. Which includes infections.

Stress is Inflammatory 

If you are chronically stressed your body can not heal. Stress is an inflammatory and it can hold you back and create flares. Whether it’s stress from work, home, relationships, or finances you have got to get a handle on it.

However, it’s how you look at it. I know, living with MS is stressful – believe me, I’ve been there more than once. The key is to not focus on the negative but to focus on the positive. Granted you can’t always stay positive but you can control the way you react by changing your mindset. Instead of saying “I can’t” say “I’ll try.”

Ways to lower your stress:

• Change your mindset
• Deep breathing
• Exercise
• Get your finances under control
• Go for a walk 
• Listen to claiming music 
• Set boundaries for negative people 
• Soak in a warm bath
• Spend time in nature (even if it’s your backyard)
• Stop watching the news
• Unclutter your home
• Use essential oils like Stress Relief or Tranquil 
• Yoga
• Watch a funny movie
• Write down your feelings

Try an Elimination Diet

If you continue to eat a certain food item that your body is sensitive to you’re body puts up a defense. You may not even realize that this food, even healthy foods, is creating inflammation. The symptoms can range from small to severe.

Symptoms from food sensitivities:

• Burping
• Constipation 
• Diarrhea 
• Gas
• Headache
• Heartburn
• Indigestion 
• Nausea
• Skin issues (e.g., acne, flushing, rashes)
• Stomach pains
• Vomiting 

An elimination diet removes the most common foods for at least one month. Then you reintroduce one food item at a time to see if your body reacts to it. Reintroduce one food at a time, and wait a few days before trying again or with a new food item.

To start a food elimination diet you may like to read: How to Start an Elimination Diet.

Common food intolerances:

• Dairy
• Eggs
• Gluten
• FODMAPs (e.g., apples, artichokes, honey)
• Nightshades (e.g., eggplants, peppers, tomatoes)
• Nuts

Starting to Notice a Difference

Again, everyone is different so it will depend on your circumstance on how long it will take. If you were newly diagnosed with MS it may only take a few months. However, if you’ve been living with MS for years it could take longer.

You may see positive changes so you will know your gut is healing such as:

• Dreaming again (some people with MS don’t dream)
• Less bloating and stomach pains
• More energy 
• Sleeping better
• Sweating again (some people with MS don’t sweat)
• The white coating on your tongue disappearing

Don’t get discouraged if it takes 2 or more years for your body to heal, this is very common. You are trying to heal your nervous system. Unfortunately, the nervous system is one of the slowest systems in our body to heal.

Two or more years sounds like a long time but look at all the damage your gut has been through. For me, it was antibiotics, fungi (mold and yeast), poor diet, and stress. I not only had to remove the infections but I needed to practice mindfulness.

Two years wasn’t going to fix something that took decades to damage. Don’t set unrealistic goals, you didn’t get sick overnight so you won’t heal overnight either. Plus, life tends to get in the way too which causes a setback.

After I started a candida diet I saw many of my symptoms reverse like my heat intolerance. Then I started going through stress from my job and my son, he was in the hospital three times within nine months. That was the end of my MS symptoms reversing. Fortunately, none of the symptoms that disappeared came back. Since then, I’ve learned more and understood what my body needs to thrive.

How long does it take to heal a leaky gut?

We live in a toxic world. We’re surrounded by toxins in the air, our food and water, and our personal care products. It takes a lot of detection work and a lot of commitment. So, how long does it take to heal your leaky gut? It depends on many factors.

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How long does it take to heal a leaky gut?