This is the third in a series of videos on autoimmune disease. The first video was on how toxins can trigger autoimmune diseases. The second video covered the effects infections have on autoimmune diseases. This video covers how problems in our intestines can trigger autoimmune disease.
There is some overlap here, especially with the infection category. Many of the infections that can trigger autoimmune diseases find their home in the gut. What I am focusing on in this video is what happens in the body when the gut is damaged. Infections are one thing that can damage the gut.
Diet is another common way the gut is damaged. Have you heard of the SAD diet? It stands for “The Standard American Diet”.
A 2010 report from the National Cancer Institute on the status of the American diet found that three out of four Americans don’t eat a single piece of fruit in a given day, and nearly nine out of ten don’t reach the minimum recommended daily intake of vegetables. On a weekly basis, 96 percent of Americans don’t reach the minimum for greens or beans (three servings a week for adults), 98 percent don’t reach the minimum for orange vegetables (two servings a week), and 99 percent don’t reach the minimum for whole grains (about three to four ounces a day). “In conclusion,” the researchers wrote, “nearly the entire U.S. population consumes a diet that is not on par with recommendations. These findings add another piece to the rather disturbing picture that is emerging of a nation’s diet in crisis.”
https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/standard-american-diet/
When the intestinal tract is fed a bunch of junk food damages is done. No big surprise here. Obviously the harm doesn’t just end with the intestinal damage. A body that is fed the SAD diet is not only starving for needed nutrients but also choking on toxins. Guess what, toxins can trigger autoimmune disease!
The third major cause of damage to the intestinal tract is food sensitivities. A food sensitivity happens when the immune system responds to a food as if it were a pathogen and creates antibodies to fight the food. This is not good. Food sensitivities create inflammation, divert the immune response away from real infections (helping those infections to prosper) and will deplete needed nutrients the immune system uses. The good news is that we can test and find out which foods a person is sensitive to.
When the gut is damaged it “leaks” and contents from the gut enter the bloodstream. This has a couple of names, “Leaky Gut Syndrome” or Intestinal Hyper-permeability. When the immune system in the blood comes across things from the gut it attacks them. This immune response is at the heart of many autoimmune diseases.
If you or a loved one has an autoimmune disease, let me ask you this: has anyone looked to see if the gut is working properly? If not I can help!
