The Four Most Common Gut Health Conditions_Final

>> Hi, in this lecture, we'll be talking about the different ways a person's gut may stop working properly and the symptoms associated with the four most common GI tract conditions. Do you know what they are? The four most common conditions of gut malfunction are leaky gut, small intestine bacterial overgrowth or SIBO, yeast overgrowth, and fatty liver disease. Unbelievably, over 50 million people a year in the United States seek medical attention for digestive diseases with a price tag of over $32 billion. Imagine how much time and money could be saved by addressing the underlying causes of these conditions rather than just treating the symptoms? It can be confusing to try to figure out what's going on when your client appears to have a condition of gut malfunction because these four syndromes are all interrelated and it's unclear which starts first. It does seem that fatty liver disease is a result of the first three as it's usually last to appear, and they're all related to inflammation and changes in the gut flora. It's even possible that all four of these malfunctions can be present at once. People with one or more of these conditions might complain of a number of seemingly unrelated health concerns and symptoms. A client with all four gut conditions might have bad breath, brain fog, anxiety or depression, PMS, fatigue or low energy, gas or bloating, cramping or urgency, mucous -y bowel movements, loose stool, diarrhea, constipation or a combination, food sensitivities, and carbohydrate intolerance, particularly after eating fiber and/or beans. First, let's discuss leaky gut. To maintain good general health, the wall of the GI tract must be intact. And it's especially critical for good gut health. Yet unbelievably, the lining of the gut is actually only one cell layer thick. Underneath this ultra thin lining are barrier cells that keep the gut protected from toxins and keep waste products from entering the bloodstream. Interestingly, the gut is designed to be a little leaky to allow nutrients and water to pass through. But when the system breaks down and it becomes too leaky, everything from bacteria to food particles to toxins can get through. And as you can imagine, this is bad news. What's good to have inside the walls of the gut is not so good in the bloodstream. Those same bacteria that do all that good work in the GI tract can cause severe problems when they escape their well-guarded prison. So you are likely wondering what makes the gut lining break down. The initial hit is believed to be hereditary. Some people are just more susceptible to having a leaky gut barrier. This is particularly true for people with celiac disease, meaning that their body produces antibodies against gluten, and those with inflammatory bowel disease such ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. It's actually bacteria that protect the intestinal wall especially in the colon. As long as the beneficial bacteria are healthy and numerous, they help to maintain the barrier. But when the balance of the gut flora shifts toward inflammatory and toxic bacteria, the barrier breaks down. In addition, inflammation due to grains, sugars, dairy, inflammatory fats, commercial meats, and alcohol can also weaken and contribute to the breaking down of the gut barrier. Chronic release of the stress hormone cortisol can break down the gut wall which increases intestinal permeability. This is one more valuable reason why your clients can benefit from incorporating stress reduction practices into their lives, especially if they're experiencing GI symptoms because their stress really is making them sick. Zinc deficiency appears to have an effect on leaky gut as well because zinc helps maintain proper cell division and can make strong cell membranes. Often, the first symptom your clients will complain of when they have leaky gut is food sensitivities. They suddenly can't eat wheat products or dairy without feeling bloated and gassy, their sugar cravings are usually off the wall and fiber makes them miserable. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, is very big, so normally it can't fit through the little spaces between the cells in the intestine. But when the barrier has broken down, these big proteins can get into the bloodstream and wreak havoc within the system. Next, we have a small intestine bacterial overgrowth. Normally, the small intestine has very little bacteria, but if it gets out of balance, the bacteria population gets out of hand and it grows like crazy where it isn't supposed to. When the beneficial bacteria in the gut are decreased, the inflammatory bacteria can inhabit the small bowel. The result is gas, bloating, and poor digestion. The cells of the small intestine can't do their job of absorbing nutrients and liquids. And this result in diarrhea, uncontrollable gas, and discomfort. High carbohydrate, low fiber intake is associated with SIBO. Also, low stomach acid can contribute to SIBO because normally the stomach acid kills the bacteria before they make it to the small bowel. There's a gate between the small intestine and the colon called the ileocecal valve. For some patients with SIBO, the valve doesn't stay closed and allows the colon contents to wash up into the small bowel. This may be one cause for SIBO. People with leaky gut or SIBO are more likely to have sensitivity to histamines in their food. Histamine is a chemical that is involved in both nerve transmission and the immune system. You might be familiar with antihistamines which are used for both allergy medicine and to block stomach acid. These are medications that block histamines as well. Some people react to certain foods that release histamine into the system causing a variety of reactions including flushing, sneezing, itching, anxiety, hives, headaches, fever, difficulty sleeping, diarrhea, wheezing, and swelling. People with leaky gut or small intestine bacterial overgrowth are more prone to histamine sensitivity. While there are other causes such as food allergies and genetic defects that prevent the breakdown of histamine, gut dysbiosis makes the problem much worse. Histamine-releasing foods to avoid include fermented, cured, or sour foods such as yogurt, lunch meat, pickles, and sour cream, aged cheeses such as cheddar and goat cheese, citrus, dried fruits such as apricots and raisins, alcoholic beverages, especially wine and beer, nuts including walnuts, peanuts, and cashews, avocados, eggplants, spinach and tomatoes, smoked fish, chocolate, and dairy. Before considering histamine sensitivity, it's important to rule out any genuine food allergies. We highly recommend referring your client to a healthcare practitioner for further testing to conclude a food allergy doesn't exist. Once a food allergy is ruled out, you can start your clients on a gut healing protocol. You'll also want to help your clients identify foods that are low in histamine. The keyword for people with histamine sensitivity is fresh. They should avoid any foods that are preserved, aged, cultured, fermented, soured, or smoked. This includes canned foods. Frozen foods are usually tolerated. Low histamine foods include freshly cooked meat or poultry, freshly caught fish, eggs, fresh fruits including apple, watermelon, mango, and pear, fresh vegetables, except tomatoes, spinach, avocado, and eggplant, dairy substitutes like coconut, rice, hemp, or almond milk, gluten-free grains such as rice and quinoa, pure peanut butter with no added oils or sugars, healthy cooking oils including olive oil and coconut oil, leafy herbs like basil and parsley, and herbal teas. The third gut malfunction is yeast overgrowth. Simply put, when yeast takes over, the GI tract runs amok. The most common yeast found in the body is Candida albicans. This is a normal part of the gut flora and doesn't usually cause any symptoms, however, stress, gut flora imbalance, high blood sugar, and impaired immunity can lead to overgrowth. When it over grows, it produces something called a biofilm. A biofilm is a large group of yeast buds surrounded by a thick covering that makes it resistant to treatment. This biofilm can coat the GI tract. When the gut barrier cells are intact, the yeast stays in the GI tract where it causes gas, bloating, and diarrhea. However, when there's a case of leaky gut, the yeast can spread to other parts of the body and cause more serious consequences. Symptoms of yeast overgrowth outside of the GI tract include fatigue, brain fog, irritability, strong sugar cravings, vaginal yeast infections, eczema, and itchy ears. A combination of yeast overgrowth, leaky gut, and a compromised immune system can allow Candida to infect the blood, which can be fatal. Treatment seeks to reverse the imbalance in the gut flora and address the leaky gut. You'll learn more about that later on when we lay out a basic gut protocol to help your clients heal their GI tract and get on their way to happier, healthier lives. Finally, we have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This actually appears to be a manifestation of metabolic syndrome. The liver is an essential part of the GI tract. It's where protein and fat complete their transition into energy and bacteria and toxins are broken down. The liver also produces bile, a thick greenish liquid that breaks down fat in the upper digestive system. So as you can imagine, when the liver stops functioning properly, the whole system gets out of whack. When we overeat, especially too many carbohydrates, energy is stored in the liver. Initially, this is stored as glycogen which is a sugar complex. But as more and more energy accumulates, the liver begins to store fat. Leaky gut allows bacterial toxins to reach the liver causing inflammatory cells to gather around the fat, this is called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Mostly, this is worrisome because it's a part of metabolic syndrome. This means that the person is at risk for heart disease, vascular disease, and stroke. The good news is that the process is reversible by correcting the diet and blood sugar abnormalities. However, over time, if it's not corrected, the inflammation can cause scarring which makes the liver function poorly. Once this happens, it's irreversible and can be quite serious. Okay, so now let's recap. In this lecture, you learned about the four most common conditions of gut malfunction. These are leaky gut, small intestine bacterial overgrowth or SIBO, yeast overgrowth and fatty liver disease which can result from the first three conditions. The major takeaway point for you to remember is that all disease begins in the gut. Therefore, it's crucial that you look at your client's diet and digestive symptoms when trying to determine the cause of their hormonal imbalances. Luckily, with the right dietary changes, your clients will likely see a major improvement in their gut health and ultimately their overall quality of life. Be sure to take the quiz and review the handout for this module, then hop on over to the Facebook group and let us know what you learned. Do you now have a better understanding of the four most common gut health conditions? What's something that stood out to you? Discussing what you learn in this course is so important to applying it to your practice as a Health Coach, so we encourage you to take the time to connect and share with one another. Thanks so much for watching, and I'll see you soon.