This article introduces my readers to Leaky Gut Syndrome, its various signs, symptoms and pathological manifestations, and how it is viewed and treated by Greek Medicine and other traditional healing systems.
Introduction: A Topological Journey into the Human Body
Your gut, otherwise known as your gastrointestinal tract or GI tract, runs through the very core of our bodies, from mouth to anus. Yet, even though the GI tract might seem to be the most central and interior part of our bodies, it is actually part of the outside of our body, which has penetrated the very core of our body, from one end to the other. Yes, the GI tract is, topologically speaking, contiguous with the body’s exterior, since it is directly connected with the outer world, or our external environment, at both of its ends, or extremities. The food and drink that goes into it comes from the outer world or environment, and the fecal matter that comes out of the other end of it is excreted into the outer environment as well. In between these two ends or extremities, an interesting thing happens: What was originally exogenous or external to the body, namely the food and drink we consume, gets digested, absorbed and assimilated into our bodies, becoming a part of us, or our physical being.
In terms of the sheer volume or mass of that which is taken in, the gut or GI tract processes more material than any other organ tract of the body. The Gi tract absorbs vital nutrients via the GI mucosa or mucous membranes, which act as semipermeable membranes that selectively let some substances pass through them into the body’s interior while blocking or not permitting the passage of other substances. During the digestive process, which happens within the lumen or cavity of the gut, food and drink is progressively broken down into its basic constituents via the action of digestive enzymes secreted into it by the various accessory organs of digestion, such as the stomach, the liver and the pancreas. In a healthy gut or GI tract, absorption does not begin until this breakdown process is complete, and food and drink has been reduced to particles that are small enough to pass through the intestinal mucosa. Maintaining the integrity of this gut or gastrointestinal barrier is vitally important for optimum digestion as well as optimum immunity, since the immune system protects the body’s interior from potentially noxious and harmful substances from outside the body, with the intestinal or GI barrier being one of the most important immune barriers we have.
Some medical scientists postulate that as much as 80 percent of our immune systems are located in the gut or GI tract, which includes, most notably, an extremely large number of bacteria, yeasts and other microbes, many of which, like the probiotic bacteria, have the beneficial function of both optimizing and finishing off the digestive process as well as protecting our guts from the potentially harmful effects of pathogenic bacteria by holding their numbers in check. And so, up to 80 percent of our immune systems are not really “us”, but beneficial microbes that live in a symbiotic relationship with us. These beneficial probiotic bacteria are also needed for synthesizing various vitamins and other nutrients for optimum health and wellbeing. As long as we maintain a healthy gut mucosal lining with just the right level of permeability, our digestive and immune systems remain healthy, functioning at their optimum levels, and the barrier between the body’s exterior and its interior remains clear and distinct. But once these optimum permeability levels are exceeded, we start to “muddy the waters”, so to speak, confusing interior and exterior, and both digestion and immunity begin to suffer.
A Controversial Syndrome with an Obscure Pathogenesis
Leaky Gut Syndrome is the term that doctors and health professionals have come up with to describe what happens when the mucosal lining of the gut becomes too permeable, or hyper- permeable, and starts letting larger molecules and entities through into the bloodstream and the interior of the body that should not cross the intestinal or gut barrier; in other words, your gut begins to leak, blurring the all important immune boundary between the body’s interior and its exterior. When this happens, all kinds of troublesome signs and symptoms indicating both digestive and immune dysfunction can begin to occur, which can be quite distressful, even debilitating in nature. Digestively, the most common symptoms are marked or severe gas, bloating, colic and spasm, as well as bouts of constipation and diarrhea; certain intestinal disorders, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s Disease, Celiac Disease and SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth) have been associated with the phenomenon of a leaking gut. Multiple food allergies and sensitivities can start to happen, with their number and severity tending to increase over time. On a systemic and immunological level, chronic inflammation and inflammatory conditions tend to be the keynote, and this chronic inflammation can spread from the gut to virtually any part of the body, like the joints and connective tissue. It has been hypothesized that Leaky Gut Syndrome is one of the main drivers of the recent increase in autoimmune disorders, in which a deranged immune system begins to attack the body’s own organs and tissues.
The medical profession seems to be divided between more traditional or conservative leaning physicians, who tend to view Leaky Gut Syndrome more as a theory or provisional hypothesis rather than a bona fide diagnosis, and physicians who are more progressive, as well as holistic, complementary and alternative in their orientation, who are keeping abreast with the latest developments and trends in human health and disease, who accept Leaky Gut Syndrome as a bona fide health disorder, and one that appears to be linked to the latest developments in agribusiness, like Glyphosate and GMO agriculture, the genetic engineering of foods, and the overall degradation of our natural environment. What is also controversial are the details of exactly how Leaky Gut Syndrome happens or originates; in other words, does Leaky Gut Syndrome happen first, leading to these other digestive and intestinal disorders, or do these other digestive conditions develop first, creating inflammatory ulcers and lesions in the gut, which then increases intestinal permeability, allowing these larger particles and molecules, such as bacteria and other microbes, as well as undigested or partially digested food particles, to slip through? Although you might say that the jury is still out on this question, the prevailing medical opinion, especially in more conservative, establishment medical circles, is that Leaky Gut Syndrome develops secondarily, as a result of these inflammatory digestive and intestinal conditions, which can cause ulcerative and inflammatory lesions in the gut lining. Regardless of which happens first, suffice it to say that the two are intimately inter-related.
Regardless of the particulars of pathogenesis when it comes to Leaky Gut Syndrome, the fact is that as long as the vital gut or intestinal immune barrier between the body’s exterior and its interior is kept intact and in order, there is health and optimum digestive and immune function. Once this intestinal barrier is breached and the gut begins to leak, all kinds of havoc and mayhem can happen, which can affect or target virtually any part of the body. The main pathological process that is incurred seems to be chronic or aggravated inflammation and inflammatory processes, which medical scientists are discovering is at the root of more and more chronic and degenerative health disorders. Below is a listing of the main signs and symptoms that can happen systemically when the gut barrier is breached and the gut begins to leak:
Head and Brain: Brain fog, unclear or confused thinking, anxiety, depression, insomnia, nervousness, mood swings, frequent headaches.
Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat: Excessive tearing, nasal allergies and congestion, seasonal allergies and hay fever, phlegm congestion in the throat, lungs and respiratory tract.
Bones and Joints: Joint pain and inflammation, arthritis, rheumatism, neuromuscular disorders.
Skin: Chronic skin disorders like weeping eczema and itching, flaking psoriasis; acne, pustules and skin eruptions; skin rashes.
Lymphatic system: Lymphatic congestion and toxicity; swollen or tender lymph nodes.
Liver: Liver congestion and toxicity; swollen or sluggish liver as the liver’s detoxifying function is overwhelmed.
Adrenal Glands: Lower back pain and weakness, low energy, chronic fatigue, adrenal exhaustion.
Pancreas: Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes, poor blood sugar metabolism and control; metabolic syndrome.
Kidneys and Urinary Tract: Chronic or recurring bladder or urinary tract infections, urinary weakness and dribbling, chronic prostatitis.
Leaky Gut, Intestinal Dysbiosis and the Gut Microbiome
One of the most common things that Leaky Gut Syndrome is associated with is disturbances or imbalances in the community or makeup of the bacteria and other microbes that inhabit the gut, which is known medically as Intestinal Dysbiosis. This community of intestinal microbes, which is collectively known as the gut microbiome, consists of three types of bacteria or microbes, when viewed from the perspective of the host organism:
Beneficial Probiotic Bacteria – These bacteria promote good and complete digestion, synthesize vital nutrients, and help keep the harmful or pathogenic bacteria in check.
Potentially Harmful Pathogenic Bacteria – These are microbes that have the potential to cause disease and dysfunction if allowed to grow and spread unchecked. Hopefully, their numbers are held in check by the beneficial probiotic bacteria.
Comensual or Neutral Bacteria and Microbes – These are bacteria and microbes that are not particularly harmful to the host organism; neither are they particularly necessary or beneficial either. They are just hanging out, seeking a place to live and food to digest and metabolize.
Certain chronic infections can come in and really throw the balance of the gut microbiome out of whack. One of these is a kind of pathogenic yeast organism called Candida albicans; it is actually quite prevalent or common, and has become something of an epidemic in recent years. Candida yeast organisms tend to overgrow in people who eat a lot of sugar and sweets, those who have taken a lot of antibiotics, and those who have a history of smoking. Candida is one chronic infection that has the potential to erode the gut lining, leading to Leaky Gut Syndrome, as well as the proliferation of multiple food allergies; I had a professor once who called Candida the mother of all allergies. When the gut microbiome is thrown out of balance, bacteria or microbes that ordinarily play a comensual or neutral role in gut health can become harmful or pathogenic. As with politics in human society, it all depends on the balance of microbial power. An interesting thing to note here is that the exact composition and makeup of each individual’s gut microbiome is unique to him or her – kind of like a fingerprint, you might say.
Leaky Gut Syndrome and the World’s Holistic and Traditional Healing Paradigms
Does your gut leak? Whether it leaks or not, digestive and gastrointestinal health plays an important or central role in many of the world’s holistic and traditional healing systems. Perhaps nowhere is the central role of gut health portrayed so graphically and directly as it is in Iridology, a holistic diagnostic and therapeutic tool developed and perfected by the late Dr. Bernard Jensen. The central ring around the pupil of the eye corresponds to the stomach, which is the first gastrointestinal organ to begin the digestive process in a big way. In Unani Tibb, or Graeco-Arabic Medicine, they say that a whole host of health problems can begin in the stomach, and if the stomach doesn’t do its job right, nothing else that happens in the digestive process after that will be quite right either. Outside the innermost stomach ring on the iris is a secondary ring, which corresponds to the colon, or large intestine. The colon, says Iridology, is a reflex organ that is connected with every other organ and part of the body, and from this secondary colon ring radiate out the reflex zones corresponding to just about every other organ and part of the body, like spokes on a wheel. In fact, the stomach and the colon have a very important complementary reflex relationship between themselves; in Ayurvedic medicine, the stomach is called the Amashaya, with Ama- meaning “raw”, since it is the first to digest the raw food. The colon is called the Pakwashaya, with Pak- meaning “cooked” or “digested”, since it finishes off the digestive process, reabsorbing the last usable residues of the digested food and excreting the waste in the form of the stool.
Ayurvedic medicine as a whole is centered around the core concept of the three Doshas, which could be translated as “faults” – Vata, or the Air / nervous principle, which corresponds to the Melancholic humor and temperament in Greek Medicine; Pitta, which corresponds to the fiery Choleric humor and temperament in Greek Medicine; and Kapha, which corresponds to the watery Phlegmatic humor and temperament in Greek Medicine. This is the order of the Doshas in Ayurvedic medicine, from the lightest and most subtle to the heaviest and most dense. Each of these three Doshas has its home in a certain part of the GI tract, with the light to heavy order being reversed as we go down the GI tract from top to bottom: Kapha, the heaviest Dosha, has its home in the stomach, and secondarily in the lungs by means of the gastro-pulmonary reflex; Pitta has its home in the duodenum, small intestine and central GI tract, which secretes bile and other hot, caustic digestive juices that distill the vital nutrients from the food and drink we consume; and Vata, the lightest of the Doshas, has its home in the colon, at the bottom end of the GI tract. If the digestive and metabolic processes of the organism are working properly and efficiently, the three Doshas are not aggravated and remain within the GI tract in a healthy state of harmony and balance. If they get aggravated or out of balance, however, their pathogenic influence can spread to other parts of the body; for example, if Vata, which has its home in the colon, gets aggravated, it can spread to the nearby hips, loins and lower back, causing arthritis and rheumatism to develop – and it usually develops first in that part of the body.
TCM, or Traditional Chinese Medicine, also emphasizes the central importance of the digestive system. The digestion and assimilation of nutrients derived from food and drink is the main function of the Spleen, or the Spleen / Pancreas, which has, as its visceral partner organ the Stomach, which, as we have seen, is the first internal organ to begin the digestion of food in a big way. The Spleen, or Spleen Pancreas’ job is to distill or extract the nutrient energies and essences from the food and drink we consume, and to transform and transport those energies and essences to every cell, organ and tissue of the body. The Spleen also holds things up and in, or attracts things towards the center, as the Spleen belongs to the Earth element, which is the center that all things gravitate towards. And the Spleen and its Earth element is the organ that is most damaged and affected by Leaky Gut Syndrome according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. The Spleen makes the blood and distills the nutrient Qi or energy from the food; it is also involved in body fluid metabolism, or the transformation and transportation of nutrient fluids and essences to the parts of the body where they’re needed. The Spleen’s Qi or vital energy supports the vital Qi or energy of the immune system, and the Spleen, the main organ of assimilation, holds things up and in. And all these vital functions of the Spleen are adversely affected or injured by Leaky Gut Syndrome – so above all, we must heal the Spleen.
There are four major Zang / Fu organ syndromes in TCM that are most closely associated with Leaky Gut Syndrome:
Spleen Qi Deficiency: The Spleen lacks sufficient vital energy to carry the digestive process through from start to finish, and so, symptoms of digestive disharmony or discomfort, such as colic, gas, distension and bloating, are often experienced after meals. In addition, because the Spleen is not extracting sufficient vital energy from the food we eat, we feel fatigued.
Spleen Yang Deficiency: This is a deeper and more profound level of Spleen exhaustion than mere Spleen Qi Deficiency. Signs and symptoms of edema or fluid retention begin to appear as the Spleen’s function of transforming and transporting fluids is weakened; in addition, the stools can start to get loose or watery, with pieces of undigested food in them.
Spleen Phlegm / Dampness and Damp Heat: Because the Spleen is not transforming and trans-porting fluids efficiently enough, excess fluids begin to accumulate and stagnate, often turning into phlegm. Alternatively, these stagnant fluids from inefficiently or incompletely digested food will begin to seep downwards into the colon, bladder and pelvic area, turning turbid or putrid as they stagnate over time. Marked gas, abdominal distension, bloating and soft, burning stools, as well as foul smelling diarrhea are associated with this syndrome; recurring bladder or urinary tract infections are also common.
Liver Qi Stagnation Attacking the Stomach and Spleen: The Liver is the organ that is most responsible for the free flow of Qi or vital energy in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and this includes the free flow of Qi through the stomach and gastrointestinal tract; so, if Liver Qi is stagnant or blocked, this will block or inhibit digestive functioning as well, leading to marked colic, gas, distension and bloating after meals. In addition, there will also be anorexia or poor appetite. From a Western medical perspective, the liver’s detoxification function easily gets overwhelmed if the gut is leaking, leading to congestion and stagnation in the liver.
In addition, the kidneys and adrenal glands can get very stressed by all this toxic buildup and digestive distress, leading to adrenal exhaustion, which TCM calls Kidney Yang Deficiency. In addition, the Kidney Yang supports the Spleen Yang, so the two are closely inter-related.
Astrological Correspondences for Leaky Gut Syndrome
Of all the twelve signs of the zodiac, the intestinal sign of Virgo, which is a Mutable Earth sign, is the sign whose pathological terrain and vulnerabilities most align with those of Leaky Gut Syndrome, and if there are many planets in Virgo in the natal astrology chart, or many planets in the Sixth House of Diet and Hygiene, which corresponds to the sixth sign of Virgo, a tendency towards leaky gut related signs and symptoms is quite likely. Diet, and purifying and refining one’s diet, is the main therapeutic path for those with Virgo strong in their natal astrology charts, since they are more likely to suffer from food allergies and sensitivities. Of course, just having a lot of planets in the Sixth House or Virgo is not enough to solidify a clinical assessment of Leaky Gut Syndrome, or a working hypothesis of it, so the advice and counsel of a Medical Astrologer is necessary.
A pathological vulnerability towards Leaky Gut Syndrome is heightened or made even more likely if those planets in Virgo or the Sixth House should be tightly or precisely opposing planets in Pisces, or the Twelfth House of chronic health disorders. The Virgo / Pisces Axis is also called the Digestive / Immune Axis, and the Sixth House / Twelfth House Axis is the corresponding house axis associated with this pair of opposing signs. Virgo rules the duodenum and the small intestine, where the nutritive essences of food juice, or chyle, are absorbed into the body; Virgo is ruled by the planet Mercury, which likes to keep the Yin and Yang of proper health and digestion in balance. The opposing sign of Pisces is traditionally ruled by Jupiter, which rules the liver, the principal organ of the Natural Faculty that governs digestion and metabolism in Greek Medicine; its modern ruler is Neptune, a planet that has a more direct connection with Leaky Gut Syndrome. Neptune rules the lymphatic system, and fats and lipids are absorbed from the gut by means of patches of lymphoid tissue; Neptune also has an affinity for the hepatic portal veins, which absorb other nutrients from the gut and send them to the liver for concoction into the Four Humors, which in turn feed the whole body. Neptune is also associated with vagueness, confusion, and a blurring of boundaries, as well as weaknesses and vulnerabilities to the immune system, and when you put everything together, this paints quite a picture of Leaky Gut Syndrome. The overall pathological terrain of the Virgo / Pisces Digestive / Immune Axis includes food allergies and sensitivities, poor intestinal immunity, and disturbances or deficiencies in the intestinal flora as well as Leaky Gut Syndrome and its associated intestinal disorders.
Natural and Herbal First Aid for Leaky Gut Syndrome
Because Virgo is the intestinal sign whose pathological terrain most closely aligns with the common signs and symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome, and diet is the main healing path for Virgos, we must begin with diet in the healing and management of Leaky Gut Syndrome. When we are suffering from multiple food allergies and/or intolerances, we must try to isolate and identify trigger foods that may be problematic for us. Foods that trigger blatant or obvious adverse reactions are easy to identify and eliminate from one’s diet, but many food allergies and sensitivities can be latent or hidden, or subtle in their symptomatic manifestations. The general or basic strategy is to go on an elimination diet by “wiping the slate clean” of all foods that you think might be causing problems or adverse reactions for at least a couple of weeks, to one month or so, to give the body time to cleanse and detoxify from the residues of these potentially harmful foods. Then, with your body purified, you begin to introduce the foods that you suspect might be problematic trigger foods one at a time, observing how your body reacts to them, and what kinds of symptoms are produced. The reaction might be immediate, but often it might be delayed for one or two days or more – introduce the foods, and then track and observe the symptoms they cause.
The most common offenders for most people seem to be wheat and gluten, eggs and dairy products. To this list can be added soy and various kinds of nuts, like peanuts, as well as shellfish. It is helpful to take an Ig-G blood serum screening test to check for latent or hidden food allergies and sensitivities – and then to scrupulously avoid the foods that you test positive for. In my own personal experience with food allergies and sensitivities that I have acquired during the aging process, some of them are so subtle and equivocated that it seems to be simply a matter of weighing the pros and cons, or the benefits versus the problems and drawbacks of the food in question. And of course, hopefully, after you have eliminated all the problematic trigger foods, you will be left with a diet that is sufficiently rich, varied and nutritious. Many food sensitivities, which are adverse reactions to problem foods that are digestive or humoral in origin, can be treated, or at least ameliorated by identifying the digestive enzymes that might be deficient, and then supplementing them. Since Leaky Gut Syndrome and all its attendant signs, symptoms and disorders can be quite a complex and tricky thing to unravel, I would highly recommend that you enlist the help and guidance of a holistic healing professional to sort things out.
In terms of supplements, perhaps the most basic and foundational would be taking a good, high potency probiotic supplement; a colostrum supplement also often works well to improve intestinal immunity, provided that you don’t have a strong allergy or intolerance to dairy. A good digestive enzyme supplement is also good to take if your digestive enzymes are weak; Hydrochloric Acid and Pepsin or Pancreatin after meals often helps. If Candida should be an issue, taking capsules of powdered Pau d’Arco is often good; another thing that is really good for Candida and disturbances in the gut microbiome is Mastic Gum (Pistachia lentiscus), which is available at Middle Eastern supermarkets. Put a few pieces into your mouth, let them soften up a bit, and start chewing them like chewing gum, swallowing the juice. After a while, the gum will start to disintegrate – the pieces can then be swallowed.
In the Chinese herbal tradition, the medicinal mushroom Ling Zhih (Reishi in Japanese), or Ganoderma lucidum, is a wonderful healer of the Spleen, and the digestive, assimilative and nutritive powers of the organism, improving overall immunity while reducing allergic and autoimmune reactions to various foods. You can take Ling Zhih / Reishi either in capsule form, or you can get the thinly sliced whole mushroom and chew on pieces of it, swallowing the juice; A tea or decoction of it also works very well. I prefer the black Ganoderma to the brown. One of the best traditional Chinese herbal formulas to take for healing and balancing the Spleen is Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang, also available in patent medicine pill form as Bu Zhong Yi Qi Wan. Translated as “The Decoction / Pills to Tonify the Middle Burner and Raise the Qi”, Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang / Wan was formulated by one of China’s great herbalists, Li Dong Yuan, whose main thesis when it came to herbal healing was the central importance of healing the Spleen.
In the Ayurvedic herbal tradition, there is a medicinal fruit that has, as one of its healing functions, the ability to heal leaks in the gut. That fruit is Bael or Bilwa fruit, or Aegle marmelos. Another common Ayurvedic herbal formula to heal and cleanse the gut, as well as to improve its tone and movement, is Triphala powder, or the Powder of the Three Medicinal Fruits. There are many ways to take this formula, but the way I prefer is to take anywhere from a few pinches to a quarter teaspoon of the powder and steep it in a cup of hot water for about five to ten minutes; drink it, grounds and all, on an empty stomach, either before retiring at night or first thing in the morning when you wake up. Another formula that features Triphala is Triphala Guggulu, which basically combines Triphala powder with a medicinal tree resin called Guggulu, or Commiphora mukul, which is a botanical relative of Myrrh. By the way, Myrrh can act as a bitter tonic to stimulate digestion and improve intestinal peristalsis as well. Frankincense, or Boswellia resin has also been used to treat inflammatory bowel disorders. Neem leaves are an Ayurvedic remedy for chronic intestinal dysbiosis, or a disturbance / imbalance of gut bacteria.
These are some of the best natural first aid remedies for Leaky Gut Syndrome and its various symptomatic manifestations that I can think of; they are all gentle yet effective, and work quite well. But as I said previously, Leaky Gut Syndrome can get quite complex, and unraveling it all and really getting to the bottom of it can be quite a challenge. Therefore, if you feel like you need further help and guidance in this quest, it is best to enlist the services of a holistic healing professional.
A Final Disclaimer
The information in this article is for educational purposes only, for general health maintenance and prevention, and is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease or medical disorder. The reader assumes all personal responsibility and liability for the application of the information contained in this article, and is advised to consult with a physician or licensed healthcare professional should his or her condition or symptoms persist or worsen.