Last Updated on December 11, 2023 by Cathy
The cause of multiple sclerosis (MS) is due to environmental factors. Leaky gut, a condition where the intestinal lining becomes more permeable, allowing unwanted substances to pass through, can impact overall health and is often associated with autoimmune diseases.
There are many success stories on the internet of people who are putting their MS into remission. They are doing so by removing processed foods, and toxins, and healing their “leaky gut.” Due to this, researchers are now conducting studies to see if a healthy diet is a possible cause.
What is A leaky gut?
Your gut is your digestive system which consists of two important parts. The gut lining (intestinal lining) and the gut flora. The gut lining controls what gets into your body and bloodstream like nutrients. It is where all your friendly bacteria live.
A healthy gut lining has cells that are knit closely together. As your gut lining begins to break down it creates openings (leaks) between the cells. This allows larger undigested food particles and toxins to enter your bloodstream.
It then leads to inflammation throughout the body causing an imbalance called Dysbiosis. If not corrected it can eventually lead to autoimmune diseases like MS.
The gut flora is home to trillions of healthy organisms. They live together in harmony, these are our friendly bacteria also called probiotics. They play a number of vital roles including fighting off fungi, parasites, and viruses.
When the gut flora’s damaged toxins are able to leak through the wall. It can cause the immune system to become less efficient. Your body sees this as an alarm and becomes hyperactive. It starts creating allergies to dust, animals, food, asthma, etc. This is the root cause of many autoimmune diseases such as MS.
Common leaky gut symptoms:
- Autoimmune diseases (multiple sclerosis, colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes)
- Bloating
- Digestive problems
- Fatigue
- Food sensitivities
- Headaches
- Joint pain
- Seasonal allergies
- Skin issues (acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea)
- Weight gain
What causes a leaky gut?
Reasons for a leaky gut include a poor diet, stress, toxins, antibiotics, and infections. Infections can include bacteria imbalances, yeast overgrowth, parasites, and bacterial overgrowth.
It’s important to heal your leaky gut and to get a proper balance of bacteria back to normal levels. For many people, it’s caused by overuse of antibiotics which kill the good bacteria. Allowing the harmful species that aren’t affected by antibiotics to grow and get out of control.
Researchers discovered that a healthy gut will boost your immune system. Normal levels increase the effectiveness of helping your body fight off pathogens. Pathogens are bacteria, viruses, or other microorganisms that can cause disease. By fixing your gut flora you’re rebuilding your immune system. It increases your body’s natural defenses against infections, bacteria, and yeast overgrowths.
Causes for a leaky gut
- Chemicals
- Chronic Stress
- Contraception pill
- Environmental toxins (BPA from plastics, mercury, pesticides)
- Infections (parasites, yeast overgrowth, SIBO)
- Inflammatory foods (gluten, dairy, sugar)
- Medications (Advil, antibiotics, acid-reducing drugs, Motrin)
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Poor diet (processed foods, high sugar, low fiber)
Probiotics
You need to fill your gut with ‘good’ bacteria to help bring the balance back to normal. Choose a good quality probiotic to rebalance your gut flora.
If you do need to go on a course of antibiotics, continue to take the probiotic but take it at a different time of day. For example: if you take your antibiotic in the morning then take your probiotic in the evening.
When purchasing a probiotic look for ones from a reputable brand. Avoid ones with gluten, dairy or eggs look for strains that help restore the gut flora. Probiotics range from 1 billion to 100 billion.
If you are just starting to take probiotics it is best to start with a lower quantity of bacteria per capsule. 15 billion is a good number to start with and make sure that it also has at least 10 individual strains.
Probiotic foods to include:
- Kefir
- Kimchi
- Kombucha
- Lemon juice
- Miso
- Sauerkraut
- Yogurt
Store-bought fermented foods are full of unwanted ingredients. It’s very easy to make your own like kombucha or my Homemade Sauerkraut plus it will save you a lot of money!
“All Disease Begins In The Gut”
– Hippocrates
(He said this over 2,000 years ago and we are just starting to discover how right he was.)
How to Heal
More than 80% of the immune system resides in our gut. Along with trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other organisms to make up the gut’s environment. It’s important to get your gut back into balance. Remove yeast and bacterial overgrowth, so you can get your MS into remission.
Start by removing the bad such as toxic foods and chemicals. Then start to replace the good bacteria with healthy foods and probiotics. It’s essential to provide the nutrients necessary for your body to start healing your gut.
Toxic foods include:
– Gluten/Grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats, brown rice)
– Dairy has a protein (casein) and sugar (lactose)
– Legumes (beans, peanuts, peas, soybeans)
– Vegetable seed oils (canola oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, vegetable oil)
– Refined sugar (cakes, candies, fruit juices, sodas)
– Alcohol can worsen a leaky gut
Healthy foods include:
– Organic fruits and vegetables
– Grass-fed and finished meat
– Pasture-raised chicken
– Wild fish (especially fatty fish like mackerel, salmon, and sardines)
– Nitrate/nitrite-free bacon
– Healthy fats (avocado, coconut oil/milk, olive oil, nut oils, not peanuts)
– Nuts and seeds (nuts can be problematic for some)
Important foods to include:
– Apple cider vinegar
– Coconut milk
– Coconut oil
– Garlic
– Ginger
– Ground flaxseed
– Lemon juice
– Turmeric
– Water, drink 1/2 your weight in ounces daily
Conclusion
Eat a vast array of nutrient-rich vegetables. This should be your main course including leafy greens, colored, and sulfur vegetables. Try to eat as many vegetables as possible each day. Drink plenty of water, flavored water, or herbal tea.
My functional medicine doctor had me take antifungals and probiotics every day. Including other supplements to knock out Candida, and SIBO, and to heal my myelin.
I strongly recommend working with a functional medicine provider. You can find one in your area by going to their website – The Institute for Functional Medicine.
Gut Health Tracker
Subscribe for free and I’ll send you the password to my wellness library filled with many printables including the Gut Health Tracker.
Want to remember this health tip? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board!
