The immune system is complex and sophisticated. Without getting into many details, I want to draw attention to the first line of defense in protecting our bodies from invaders. Pathogens, to be successful, must get past this first barrier. The skin is one of the obvious components of this barrier, holding together tightly to protect the "inside" of the body from the dangers of the external environment. But the "external environment" is much more than what is around us. Humans (like all bilaterians) are essentially thick tubes of tissue with an anterior hole (the mouth) that opens the tube which stretches all the way to the posterior hole (the anus). The utility of this tube is the assimilation of nutrients from the external environment that can take place in this specialized external space (the gut). The first line of defense is clearly important in this area, just as it is at the skin. One of the major roles of the cells lining this tube/gut is to prevent environmental insults like toxins and bacteria from entering the body.
When the gut defense system becomes compromised, nutrients are more poorly absorbed and various components can breach the barrier, leading to an inappropriate activation of the second and third lines of defense (the innate and adaptive immune systems). "Leaky gut" is a convenient way to refer to this abnormally elevated intestinal permeability. It allows undigested food products, toxins, bacteria, yeast and viruses to reach these secondary defense mechanisms and results in a complex cascade of responses that wreak havoc on the body. Essentially, the second and third lines of defense are seeing enemies they were never meant to encounter if the first line worked properly. This leads to multiple disease processes from depression and anxiety to autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto's, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Multiple Sclerosis.
Leaky gut happens when the gut lining is assaulted. Common instigators are stress, fatty meals (especially saturated fats—interestingly, omega-3 fatty acids are protective rather than detrimental to this process), glyphosate, low stomach acid (think antacids), infections, and overgrowth of "bad" bacterial populations.
I deal with patients on a daily basis who are experiencing serious consequences of leaky gut. Until now, I have only taken a peripheral role in trying to help them work through this, suggesting various products scattered in different places in town or on the internet, trying to piece together a plan that would replenish the correct balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut (the microbiome) and provide the building blocks to restore the gut lining to its healthy, protective state.
I'm excited to say that I have found a source (Microbiome Labs) to make treating my patients easier. I have used MegaSporeBiotic™ with some success in some of my patients for awhile now. The same company has now come out with products to accompany MegaSporeBiotic™ to make a complete gut-healing protocol. MegaSporeBiotic™ replenishes the gut microbiome using a trademarked combination of anaerobic bacterial spores that actually survive transit through the tube and populate the colon (unlike other commercial probiotics). MegaPrebiotic™ provides the nutrition necessary for beneficial bacteria to thrive—unlike other prebiotics on the market, this one is selective, meaning these nutrients do not allow harmful bacteria to grow. MegaMucosa™ provides the building blocks to restore the damaged mucosal barrier.
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