Non Dietary Options to Support Leaky Gut
Though leaky gut has a strong correlation with the diet, there are other non-dietary things that can be done to help support gut healing. Stress and inflammation can wreak havoc on the gut. Therefore, things such as changing daily routines and increasing our self care protocols can play a large factor in helping our bodies to recover from leaky gut.
Dr. Hayden and Dr. Horsley will dive more into this idea as well as cover several other key concepts as they continue this series, “Leaky Gut Syndrome – Your Symptoms Could be Directly Associated with Your Diet”. You will learn about what leaky gut is, what the symptoms are, how it is diagnosed, what the best treatment options are, and common conditions tied to leaky gut. These videos will be released over the next couple days on our youtube account, facebook account, and as a blog post on The Hayden Institute website.
Transcript from Video on Non-Dietary Options to Support Leaky Gut Syndrome:
Dr. Hayden: Hey there everyone, thanks for joining us at this mini-series regarding leaky gut. We hope you’ve had a chance to learn a few things about the digestive system, how inflammation works, and how your diet plays a role. Leaky gut is a big deal. It affects a lot of people and can definitely be improved through diet, through lifestyle, through supplementation and herbs, as well as working with someone who is competent in that area of health. However, there are other things that can be done from a non-dietary standpoint to help leaky gut. Dr. Horsley is really an expert at talking about and discussing what else can be done in the world that doesn’t involve putting it on your plate and changing it or just taking a supplement or a pill. So, Dr. Horsley, if you were gonna help counsel someone that has leaky gut on ways to improve their systemic life, what might you add to what we’ve talked about so far in this video series.
Dr. Horsley: A big overall concept is just reducing stress. This is because stress can play havoc on your overall gut health and so this can look very different depending on what it is that specifically uplifts and fuels you during this time. For a lot of people, that is going to be doing some different mindfulness type exercises, perhaps some journaling, or doing things to help improve their sleep, going for a walk outside, getting some fresh air, as well as doing some deep breathing exercises. All of these different things can help your body to better regulate and decrease stress. So whatever it is that you’ve found for you that tends to work the best – that can be a great option. There is a deep connection between our gut health and inflammation and stress. The two of them are interconnected. Oftentimes- fear, worry, and stress create havoc on your gut and vice versa. When there is disruption and inflammation in our gut, that can come back and increase stress in our life too. So helping on this side can play a big factor in restoring gut health.
Dr. Horsley: Another big things is just helping to decrease inflammation in general. So that can be things such as going out and going for a walk – anything that involves increasing movement. This is because movement can be a big factor in helping to decrease inflammation. I highly recommend getting out – in the sunshine- and doing some deep-breathing while walking through a park or out in nature. This incorporates several of these techniques together – helping to balance and support overall health.
Dr. Horsley: To truly achieve optimal wellness, it is best to work on all aspects of your health: chemical/nutritional, structural/neurological, and emotional. Your gut health (so the chemical/nutritional side), and chiropractic and neurologic rehabilitation (structural side) and helping to fuel and support yourself mentally. So really working on that mindfulness side is a key factor in overall health.
Dr. Hayden: You know, that reminds me of something I heard back in college where they talk about “eat well, move well, think well, be well”. They all intertwine amongst each other, so when it comes to leaky gut, even though we’re labeling it as a digestive problem – that can overflow into the brain, the lungs, the sinuses, the skin, etc… As we start to destress the body, as we start to reduce inflammation systemically, there is going to be a systemic effect. Yes, leaky gut should improve, but so should the way our brain functions, through how our skin looks, and how our joints move. There should be a lot of overlap systemically.
Dr. Hayden: So thank you all for joining us as part of this leaky gut series, we hope you’ve enjoyed it and that you’ve learned something. If we can be a resource for anyone, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us and let us know and we’ll do the best we can to help you out. Thank y’all for watching and have a great day!