Leaky gut is a result of inflammation in the gut. When the membranes of the intestines get inflamed, they lose their shape. This lets irritants and partially digested food into the bloodstream.

Think for a moment about what would happen if your sewer or septic system started to back up into your kitchen. It's not a nice thing to think about, is it? But because of this extra intestinal permeability, many people have a similar problem going on inside their own bodies.

This leakage in the intestines has been linked to a number of physical and "mental" health problems, such as ADHD, autism, depression, allergies, asthma, and skin diseases like eczema and psoriasis. Autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto's thyroiditis, arthritis, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia may also be linked to leaky gut syndrome.

Leaky gut is caused by inflammation in the intestines, which is caused by a combination of things. Drugs (like antibiotics, birth control pills, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), chemotherapy drugs, etc.), infections, parasites, food allergies, and chemicals are all examples. A lack of enzymes and a diet high in carbohydrates are also factors.

When the intestines are inflamed, they don't absorb nutrients as well, which can make you feel tired and bloated. Leaking toxins also make the liver work harder. The liver acts as a second line of defense by getting rid of substances absorbed by the intestines that the body doesn't want in the bloodstream.

When large, undigested food particles are taken in because the membranes are too porous, they cause the immune system to react. This can make the immune system more sensitive, which can lead to allergic or autoimmune reactions. The inflammation also hurts the proteins that help the body absorb nutrients. This can cause nutritional deficiencies. Lastly, intestinal membrane damage makes it easier for bacteria, viruses, and yeast to get into the body and hurt other organs and systems.

Getting rid of intestinal inflammation and repairing damaged intestinal membranes to stop gut leakage can help with many health problems. Here are seven things you can do to reduce inflammation in your gut, help it heal, and stop it from leaking.

Step 1
Stay away from things like food allergens, food additives, drugs, and chemicals that can irritate the gut. A GAPS, Paleo, or Specific Carbohydrate Diet is a great way to do this.

Step 2
Take PDA to help digestion and make more stomach acid (and possibly Food Enzymes). You could also start a meal with a little raw apple cider vinegar to make your stomach produce more acid.

Step 3
Harmful organisms must be removed from the digestive tract. If parasites or too many bacteria are part of the problem, they need to be gotten rid of as part of the process. See also Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and Parasites (SIBO). There are also times when fungal infections can be a problem.

Step 4
Need to bind toxins in the gut and speed up the time it takes for waste to move through the colon. If small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) isn't a problem, you might want to take a Fiber Blend Formula first thing in the morning before breakfast. Make sure to drink a lot of water with it. Fiber will not help if SIBO is a problem.

The length of time it takes for food to move from one end of the digestive tract to the other is called colon transit time. This should take between 18 and 24 hours in a healthy colon. To find out how fast your colon moves, eat something that "stains" your stool, like beets or liquid chlorophyll, and wait to see how long it takes for the color to show up in your stool. If it takes longer than a day, your colon is moving too slowly.

Most of the time, all you need to do to speed up colon transit time is drink a lot of water and take a Fiber Blend formula. However, you may also need magnesium, vitamin C, or a herbal laxative. Try taking a Stimulant Laxative Formula (LBS II or LB-X) for a short time (while still taking the fiber) until your colon moves more quickly. Then, for maintenance, switch to Gentle Move. Laxatives that make you go should not be used for a long time. If you have trouble going to the bathroom without stimulant laxatives and Gentle Move isn't strong enough, try taking high doses of vitamin C (3–5,000 mg per day) and magnesium (800-1200 mg per day). Vitamin C also strengthens the lining of the gut and helps it heal.

Step 5
Need to reduce inflammation in the gut. Up until now, our main goal has been to help "clean out" the intestines. It's also important to reduce inflammation in the gut to help tissues heal and grow back. Aloe vera, cat's claw, chamomile, licorice, wild yam, and St. John's wort are some of the best herbs for reducing intestinal inflammation because they all help reduce inflammation and speed up healing. This can be done with Intestinal Soothe and Build or Ua De Gato.

Step 6
Need to stop the "leaks," which means to make the intestinal membranes whole again. This is the main goal of the whole process, but in this step, we focus on treatments that fix and rebuild the tissues. Intestinal Toners like Kudzu/St. John's Wort or Ua de Gato help us do this. Vitamin C and the amino acid l-glutamine can help the body repair itself. There is a lot of evidence that taking l-glutamine can help the gut protect against viruses, bacteria, and antigens that come from food.

Step 7
Need to put good bacteria, or probiotics, back into the colon. To get good bacteria back into the colon, you can eat fermented foods with live cultures, like yoghurt or raw sauerkraut. Probiotic supplements are another way.

People are often surprised by how many health problems go away and how much better their overall health and energy is when they heal their intestinal tract by reducing inflammation and stopping gut leakage.