Natural Remedies for Gut Health

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Last Updated on November 22, 2023 by Cathy

Gut health is crucial for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers discovered that people with MS have more bad gut bacteria than healthy people. Use natural remedies for more energy and better immunity.

A healthy digestive system uses acids, bacteria, bile, also enzymes to break down the food. Nutrients from the food then pass through the intestinal walls into the bloodstream.

Leaky Gut

Having MS, there’s a really good chance you have a “leaky gut.” This is where the gut lining becomes inflamed making it permeable. As a result, the lining begins to separate allowing pathogens, toxins, and waste to pass.

There are many symptoms of a leaky gut for example:

Acne, eczema, and other skin issues
Autoimmune diseases
Brain fog
Chronic fatigue
Digestive issues
Food allergies or sensitivities
Gluten sensitivity
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Nutrient deficiency
Seasonal allergies
Small intestinal overgrowth (SIBO)
Ulcers
Weight gain

A leaky gut interferes with the immune system. It then reacts by attacking the foreign invaders. This causes the immune system to become stressed. As a result, your tissues get caught in the crossfire. Eventually, this can lead to an autoimmune disease like MS.

Some common autoimmune diseases linked to a leaky gut:

Celiac Disease
Crohn’s Disease
Fibromyalgia
Hashimoto’s Disease
Lupus
Multiple Sclerosis
Psoriasis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Type 1 diabetes

5 Causes of a Leaky Gut

Many things lead to a leaky gut and everyone is different. It’s important to realize how you are living your life. If you don’t heal your leaky gut it can cause your MS to progress. Or worse, you could develop another autoimmune disease.

1. Genetics

Researchers discovered many gene mutations associated with a leaky gut. Including genes involved in methylation. Since approximately 60% of people in the United States have a methylation genetic mutation you may want to look into this. You can’t change your genes but you can change your gene expression by living a healthy lifestyle.

Genes involved in methylation:

DAO – mutation increases histamine levels which aggravate the immune system
FUT – mutation reduces the ability to have a balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut
HLA – predisposes you to MS from developing a leaky gut
MTHFR – mutation creates folate metabolism problems that lead to nutritional deficiencies

To find out if you have any of these mutated genes you need to take a DNA test. I used 23andMe Health and then ran it through a third party.

You can read about my DNA experience here – DNA Test For Multiple Sclerosis

2. Inflammatory Diet

A diet of processed foods, refined sugar, dairy, and conventional meats causes inflammation. Chronic inflammation is the cause of MS. Foods like gluten, GMOs, and processed foods are unhealthy and cause a leaky gut.

Antibiotics also cause an unhealthy balance of gut bacteria. Take a probiotic at a different time of day from when you take your antibiotic.

“MS is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system.” – PubMed

3. Dysbiosis

Dysbiosis is a microbial imbalance meaning, you have unbalanced gut bacteria. This usually happens from too many rounds of antibiotics. Antibiotics kill not only the bad bacteria but also kills the good bacteria.

This allows infections to take over like parasites, SIBO, or yeast overgrowth (Candida). Unfortunately, conventional doctors don’t see these as a problem. It wasn’t until recently that researchers realized the connection between dysbiosis and MS.

4. Environmental Toxins

Environmental toxins are everywhere. Clean up what you put on your body and what’s around your home. You can’t clean up everything but every little bit helps.

Environmental toxins you can avoid:

Air pollution (use air filters)
Chlorine and fluoride in your water (use a water filter)
Most body care products (check ewg.org for clean products)
Smoking (it’s linked to MS)
Pesticides (buy organic or grow your own)
Toxic household products (make your own)

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5. Stress

Alcohol, gluten, medications, pesticides, and emotional stress hurt the gut lining. Cortisol is our stress hormone, it sends signals throughout the body. When cortisol levels rise, digestion decreases because digesting food isn’t a priority.

If you’re constantly stressed your intestinal cells become less healthy. This leads to an immune response sending more stress signals. Stress is a toxin and damages every part of your body if you don’t learn to manage it.

For example, chronic stress is what caused my walking to get worse. It’s also what stop my body from recovering when I was on a Candida diet. Always take care of yourself so you can heal.

4 Natural Remedies to Heal a Leaky Gut

1. Anti-inflammatory Diet

Stop eating processed foods, gluten, conventional dairy, and refined carbohydrates/sugar. Instead, eat an anti-inflammatory diet to help heal your gut. Try an elimination diet to remove any foods you may be sensitive to.

Drink lots of bone broth, it is very healing to your gut. If you don’t have time to make it or you don’t like making it you can buy it. I like to buy Kettle and Fire on store shelves or Bonafide Provisions. You can find Bonafide Provisions in the freezer section of stores, I found Walmart has the best price.

2. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

Raw apple cider vinegar (ACV) is excellent for improving your digestion. It has beneficial bacteria that aid in gut health. I like to use Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar.

It not only helps with digestion, but it also helps in many other ways such as:

Aids in detox
Alkalinizes your body balancing the pH in your gut
Boosts nutrient absorption
Clearer skin
Fights bacteria and fungus
Lowers inflammation
Powerful antifungal for yeast overgrowth (Candida)
Relieves constipation

Some people drink it with water but it’s hard on your throat and it tastes awful. Instead, drizzle it over salads or vegetables, make ACV gummies, or add it to your smoothie. Add ACV to any of your recipes for replenishing your good bacteria.

Ann Boroch, the author of Healing Multiple Sclerosis, recommends people should avoid all vinegars except raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar. Her MS diet is a Candida diet.

The Medical Medium, aka Anthony William, also says to avoid all vinegars including apple cider vinegar. He says vinegar deeply dehydrates the body. Here is a quote from his website: “Apple cider vinegar, which is acetic acid, adds to the acid already in the body from unproductive bacteria in the gut, and can worsen existing symptoms and conditions.”

3. Ginger

Ginger is an ancient herbal remedy for supporting digestion. It’s very soothing to your digestive system and helps calm your gut when it’s upset. Add grated ginger to your food, drink it as tea, or breathe it as an essential oil. These are all great ways to include ginger and improve your gut health.

4. Lifestyle Changes

Another way to use natural remedies for gut health is by making lifestyle changes. Stop eating late-night snacks, and give your gut a chance to heal during the night. Learn ways to manage your stress levels.

Take probiotics and eat fermented foods like sauerkraut. In addition to prebiotic fiber like asparagus, bananas, garlic, and onions. Prebiotics feed the good bacteria in your gut. Avoid antibiotics if they aren’t necessary, they kill the good bacteria.

Exercising regularly improves:

Blood pressure
Circulation
Energy
Gut health
Heart health
Sleep

I love exercising using the online MS gym OptimalBody Personal Fitness. The owner also has MS so he knows which exercises help for mobility and strength. The exercises use tension bands such as these from Amazon. It is for any level of MS including if you are in a wheelchair.

If you smoke STOP, smoking not only hurts your lungs but it alters the intestinal microbiome. Smoking raises inflammation and it’s linked to the onset of MS. It can also make your MS worse by causing more relapses and speeding up how fast you become disabled.

Quick Links To Information In This Post:

Easy Green Cleaning Products That Work!
How To Start An Elimination Diet
Homemade Sauerkraut