Leaky Gut Syndrom

Leaky Gut Syndrome is a weakening and inflammation of the intestinal wall. This can occur for several reasons, including strong laxatives, spices and too much coffee. Most importantly for Candida sufferers, the Candida yeast is often to blame. During a systemic Candidainfection, the Candidaroots can actually penetrate the intestinal walls and continue into the bloodstream. Herebye the membrane of the intestines gets permeable and Candida cells and food particles can enter your circulatory system. If food particles leak through the permeable intestinal membrane before being thoroughly broken down into hydrocarbons (amino acids, simple sugars and fatty acids), the immune system does not recognize the particle as nutrition. It 'sees' it as something that is foreign and must be broken down by specialized immune cells that clean up the blood (macrophages). Basically, it responds as it would to any foreign particle in the blood. If particles of a specific food are repeatedly leaked into the blood stream, your body will see it as a troublesome invader to contend with and will develop a memory of the food. Your immune system will now have specific antibodies ready to attack the next time it encounters the substance. Whenever the particular food is eaten, the immune system is triggered into defensive mode and we experience symptoms of intolerance or allergy. Hereby the hypersensitive state is created where your body will react to all kinds of substances and products. Even more concerning, these allergic responses put pressure on your adrenal glands and immune system, the very parts of your body that you need to fight off the Candida. So unless you get your Leaky Gut Syndrome under control, it will end up making your Candida overgrowth even more severe.

This condition can be even more common during recovery from a Candida infestation. As the anti-fungal therapy kills off the Candida, the roots (or mycelia) that hold them onto the intestinal wall shrink and are released from the intestinal membrane, leaving permeations behind.

Treating your Leaky Gut Syndrome

Food allergy can be a symptom of this relationship between Candida and Leaky Gut Syndrome, so you need to treat the underlying cause. You should follow the Candida Diet to reduce your Candida and restore the integrity of your intestinal walls. However there are a few other things you can do that will help.

First, here are a few things that you need to avoid, as they will place extra stress on your intestinal walls and increase the inflammation:

• Avoid powerful laxatives

• Avoid eating strong spices

• Avoid caffeine

Second, increasing your intake of soluble fiber will help too. This moves waste through your intestines more quickly and reduces the chances of it leaking into your bloodstream. Psyllium husks, dried beans and peas, and oats are all good examples. You can also try to eat more of your vegetables raw, as cooking tends to reduce the fiber content.

Another technique is to rotate your foods. The so-called ‘rotation diet’ simply means that you leave a gap of a few days between each time that you eat certain foods. For example you might have allergies to grains, but these may become more manageable if you commit to eating them only once every four days. This gives your immune system a break and reduces the chance of building up extra intolerances.