How The Gut Works 101

Okay, I have to start by telling you about how most people understand the gut and how it works, and this may be your understanding as well.

The Gut consists of the large and small intestine. The Small intestine can vary from around 10 to over 16 feet long, and the large intestine, or the colon, is about 5 feet long. The small intestine is covered in villi, which increase the surface area and help absorb nutrients. There are enzymes, acids, and bile, among other things that help to break down food that we eat. We also are now becoming more and more familiar with the gut microbiome, which is often considered a ‘second brain’. The majority of these bacteria that make up the gut biome are located in the large intestine.

The basic way that we understand a healthy gut biome is that healthy or beneficial bacteria help to digest our food. What a lot of people do not quite realize is that these bacteria produce vitamins and nutrients. And when ‘bad’ bacteria build up in our gut they can produce toxins and hormones and chemicals that are terrible for our bodies. And even beneficial bacteria, when exposed to the wrong compounds, chemicals, and substances, can produce toxic chemicals that cause inflammation and problems in the body.

We hear a lot about “leaky Gut”, and the way that it is understood, is that the lining of the gut gets porous and undigested food escapes into the blood. Our immune system then gets ramped up to take care of the “invader”. You must understand though, if the gut is “leaky” then that means that it is so inflamed and damaged that the contents are “leaking” through! This not just some term and an “Oh I think its leaky gut!”, and then you take another supplement that is supposed to help.

You actually need drastic action if your gut is “leaking” and a lot of IBS issues are basically the same thing. The Gut is so irritated and inflamed that it is evacuating everything inside.

So what gives? Drastic action? Yes, drastic action. But that doesn’t even mean that you have to change your life radically, spend 4 weeks in a program, spend a lot of money, or work with some specialist and take pills and powders, etc. Actually, you just have to switch the things going into your gut from things causing damage to things that will heal it! Now there are 2 reasons why this can be difficult.

1.) Lack of knowledge on what to eat and how to eat enough.

2.) Not willing to change.

#1 is actually an easy fix, because it is entirely possible to adjust your diet and eat good food, be filled up, and be happy. Sometimes its even easier than you think, because it might be one thing or an easy adjustment. #2 is a little bit more difficult because some people are just not willing to give up their packaged donuts, or chips, or cheese-its, or whatever other thing.

Often times, and more like usually/every time, the food or the thing that we crave the most is the one causing most of the problems. And believe it or not, caffeine can be a big trigger.

But why? Why are these foods causing problems all of a sudden? Or maybe they have been for a long time, but they didn’t always.

This goes back to the gut microbiota. The gut is delicate, but it is also easy to take care of, and keep healthy. And it is not so delicate that you have to be afraid of accidentally eating something that will mess it up. It comes down to a very simple concept: the gut needs to be tended and treated properly, just like any living thing, or it will get worn down and damaged. And your whole body will follow your gut, so if your gut is not healthy your body will suffer. If you are continually pouring garbage, like processed grains, with dyes, and preservatives, and loads of added sugars, which can be inflammatory on their own, down your throat and not giving your gut anything that heals it and provides balance, then you are going to have TROUBLE! Bad chemicals and processed foods make an ideal environment for bad bacteria to thrive, and the good bacteria are not producing healthy compounds, but even could be producing toxins. When the bad bacteria builds up, it overpowers the good bacteria, and makes it hospitable for more different kinds of bad bacteria. And then it moves into the small intestine, which is not supposed to be filled with any bacteria. There are also yeasts, beneficial and pathogenic, or bad. When these things overpopulate the small intestine, it is called SIBO or SIFO(often a candida overgrowth). SIBO “Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth” and SIFO “Small Intestinal Fungal Overgrowth”. This is easier to fix than a lot of people think. The small intestine needs to be kept in a good balance of chemicals and PH and have the proper nutrients to produce the right enzymes etc. Once again, it comes down to putting the right things in and keeping the wrong things out. The Liver also plays a MASSIVE role in keeping the small intestine healthy, but really the whole Gut in general.

The liver produces bile, which breaks up fats so they can be absorbed and used by the body. This bile also helps to extract nutrients from the rest of our food, like leafy greens, which is why it is very beneficial to put an oil, such as olive oil on our salads, because we get more nutrients out of that meal. The liver and especially the gall bladder, which acts as a storage container for bile, can get congested and filled up with concentrations of Cholesterol and sometimes other compounds and not produce the proper amount of bile. These stones can get so big under the right conditions that they can block the bile duct, which is why the decision is made many times by the medical institutions to remove someone’s gall bladder.

There is also a build up of mucous, that can grow and increase called mucoid plaque. I have personal experience with this as I did a cleanse after an 8 day juice fast, where I passed all this mucoid plaque. This mucoid plaque can be a host for different bacteria, and can often be a problem when trying to get healthy. It can be eliminated, and there are certain probiotics that can potentially eat away at this plaque. There are cleanses that will remove it, the one I did was a 3 day cleanse. It is important to make sure you are regular before attempting the cleanse that I did. There is also an oxygen powder cleanse that supposedly will remove the plaque. I have heard more positivity than skepticism regarding this product, and I know that Oxy-Powder is very effective for constipation.

With the gut balanced and healthy the whole body can heal.

The final puzzle piece when it comes to the Gut is parasites, which effect many, many people in the U.S., even though most people think parasites are relegated to the 3rd world.

The reality is that it’s not usually a giant tapeworm, but smaller often time microscopic parasites. And the reason they are usually there is because of heavy metals. Heavy metals can accumulate in the body very easily these days. The heavy metal topic opens an other “can of worms" -sorry, kind of an accidental parasite joke. Most people, when they learn about parasites think it’s a huge deal, but it’s really part and parcel with the body and gut being out of balance. Eliminate the heavy metals and the parasites go away too.

When it comes to heavy metals, there is a LOT to understand. Please stay tuned for the next article, where we will discuss heavy metals. And in the mean time: like, share, let me know how interested you are in heavy metals, and comment with any questions you have regarding this article.

About the author: I am a mechanical engineer, and I struggled badly with health for a long time. Through my healing journey I spent years studying natural healing methods for 2-3+ hours every day. And as an engineer, I know how to analyze data, and find good data and throw out bad data.