Embracing functional medicine has helped me look for the root cause of the many medical problems my patients present with in my office. One of the first rules of functional medicine is to "fix the gut." Lately, I have found myself explaining leaky gut over and over to patients in my office. Most people have heard of leaky gut but have no idea how it works and why it is so bad for their health and longevity. I genuinely believe that it is the root of many chronic medical problems seen today and I want to help my patients have a clear understanding of leaky gut. I have found that pictures help people understand this phenomenon. I have been drawing this diagram repeatedly over the last six months, sometimes two or three times a day, and I love it when I am sitting across the desk from my patients, draw this diagram for them and see the lightbulb go off over their heads. The more I learn, and the more I see patients with multiple, unrelated medical problems, the first thing I tell them is "You gotta go Paleo." The paleo diet is designed to eliminate leaky gut and decrease inflammation and auto-immune disease (with the added bonus of weight loss). I will discuss paleo in-depth in another blog.
This blog is the first installment in my leaky gut series. There is so much to cover here that I wanted first to have you get a clear understanding of leaky gut so you can think about it and consider if it is causing any maladies you may have.
I hope the lightbulb goes off over your head.