Pain, Inflammation And The Gut
Leaky gut is the hidden cause of many chronic pain conditions. The normally tight junctions between intestinal cells become loose (more permeable) from a variety of reasons.
Learn more in my “Gut & Disease“ article.
Leaky gut allows toxic food particles, environmental chemicals, and bacterial waste to leak through your digestive tract and into your body. Once inside, these foreign particles travel to different areas of your body and trigger an immune response, promoting inflammation and jump-starting the development of chronic pain and disease.
LEAKY GUT SYNDROME
Grain consumption is the leading cause of leaky gut, which increases intestinal permeability. Inflammation results via an immune response against the gluten (allergen) within the grains. The immune system mistakenly interprets gluten as a component of a dangerous bacteria and unleashes an immune response similar to that triggered by bacteria, and goes into “battle” mode to get rid of it.
The body increases its production of the hormone cortisol to fight this resultant inflammation. The immune system then steals protein from muscle to fight gluten, causing muscle atrophy (shrinking) and joint compression, resulting in inflammation and pain. This pain leads to weight gain over time due to inactivity, which further potentiates the pain, in this vicious cycle.
THE PAIN CYCLE FROM GRAIN OR INJURY
Many analgesics used to mask pain or reduce inflammation interfere with long term healing and can over time actually damage the gut further, causing more pain and inflammation.
Every choice we make contributes to health or promotes disease. We can make wrong choices that create chronic inflammation, which is correlated with just about every disease known to man, in particular autoimmunity.
We need to choose how we use our immune system. Choose to eat different food. Gluten has a negative impact on everyone, and not just people who have Celiac disease or gluten-sensitivity. It is vital to turn off an autoimmune response in order to be pain free.