All That Is Leaky Gut- Part 2: Recovery

In the first part of All That Is Leaky Gut (which is highlighted below and you should definitely check out before reading this) we talked about what really is leaky gut, what are the symptoms you have to look for to see if this is the reason of your health problems, some tests you can do and what are the causes that conducted you to this problem or for some people the causes that are in pole-position in the health wrecking race.

Fortunately, by knowing what this causes are we can start making lifestyle adjustments that get us in pole-position during our journey of thriving in this life.

But for the people that already fell in this intestinal permeability trap, here you will find the information and the steps recommended by health researchers and physicians to start enjoying your life again.

Considering that leaky gut is a complex disease, it would be better to have a well-structured plan if you want to get maximum benefits in the shortest time possible.

This is what the 4R Program does by offering 4 steps- remove, replace, reinoculate and repair- carefully thought in order to make sure that the process is going to be as effective as possible.

Let's take the steps one by one:

1. Remove- 4 weeks

The first procedures are to identify and remove all the things that negatively affect the gastrointestinal tract or may lead to the symptoms.

This means managing stress,sleeping at least 7 hours every night, removing pro-inflammatory foods like the ones we talked in the first part (wheat/gluten, soy, dairy, refined carbohydrates), and also foods that you are allergic to. You can do this by taking allergy tests or simply starting an elimination diet in which you eliminate a certain food or food category for a given time and then reintroduce them to see if you have the same symptoms after eating them.

Alcohol is another thing you should cut out completely for one month and than, based on your experiences reintroduce it little by little but keeping a moderate consumption.

You may also remove or reduce as much as you can NSAID's (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and antibiotics.

Usually, a low FODMAP diet is best for most people in this phase.

2. Replace- 4 weeks to 3 months

The second step is to make sure that your digestion is working at its best. You do this by including digestive enzymes and Betaine Hydrochloride (HCL) in your diet.

3. Reinoculate- 4 weeks to 3 months

Now our goal is to reestablish a healthy gut microbiome by restoring beneficial bacteria. Probiotics and prebiotics are our primary friends here.

We get probiotics by eating fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, tempeh and kombucha or taking a probiotic supplement ranging between 25 and 100 billion units a day.

Prebiotics are found in foods like onions, leeks, asparagus, garlic, oats, flax seeds, nuts, strawberries or by simply taking a prebiotic supplement.

4. Repair- 4 weeks

Once you removed anything that can cause inflammation to the body, restored your gut microbiota and optimized your digestion, now you have to keep giving the nutrients your body needs in order to repair and regenerate any remaining damage and support cell development in the digestive tract.

Supplementation with fish oil, L-glutamine, aloe vera, collagen, zinc and also a multivitamin is recommended at this stage.

Since chronic stress results in chronic inflammation we have to make sure that our stress levels are balanced by having daily activities that we enjoy or are scientifically proven to reduce stress such as:

• exercise ( not high intensity)
• laughter
• massage
• playing with kids
• sex
• spending time with family and friends
• yoga
• meditation
• listening to music
• journaling
• deep breathing
• hugging (at least 20 seconds for best results)

You've seen that every phase of the 4R Program has a time frame attached to it and maybe believed that it will take you exactly the same amount of time to heal from leaky gut.

Well, it depends on a few factors such as the complexity of the disease, your body's capabilities of healing and the discipline and accountability you have in following the process.

Studies suggest that it can take between two weeks and up to two years for more severe gut imbalances so patience is an important factor here too.

One thing we know for sure...

Taking care of our gut is a life-long endeavour because as a great main said...