Gluten intolerance is a popular buzzword these days, but what does it really mean?
At its simplest, gluten intolerance refers to sensitivity or even full-blown allergy to the gluten protein found in many foods made with wheat and other grains. This sensitivity triggers systemic inflammation in the body and can lead to other serious health issues down the road.
The root of this problem, like so many of our health issues, lies in the gut. Let’s find out why you should care about gluten and what you can do to heal your gut!
What is Gluten?
Gluten is a protein, or mixture of proteins, found in grains like wheat, rye, and barley. This protein is what makes dough elastic and chewy and keeps its form as it rises. In fact, gluten’s ability to stabilize makes it a common ingredient in many other types of foods (like salad dressings, processed foods, and even beauty products).
How Does Gluten Impact Gut Health?
Whether you have food sensitivities, Celiac disease, or simply want to enhance your gut health, it’s important to take a look at gluten.
Experts believe that gluten intolerance and allergies have skyrocketed over the past 50 years. This is most likely due to the fact that modern wheat is nothing like what our ancestors ate; it has been hybridized over the years to make it more profitable. This modern wheat contains new types of gluten proteins that many people are sensitive to. As a result, many people develop issues like digestive disorders, allergies, weakened immunity, and widespread inflammation.
Gluten and Inflammation
But why does gluten have such a negative impact on some people? The answer can be found in the gut.
Leaky gut syndrome occurs when the intestinal lining becomes too permeable and toxins and bacteria that were meant to pass through the gut and leave the body as waste instead flow out of the gut and into the bloodstream.
This alerts the immune system and the body launches an inflammatory response to try to overcome the invading toxins. In occasional instances, this process is normal and protects you. But when it becomes an ongoing issue, the once helpful inflammation becomes chronic and starts to damage the body.
So, how is gluten involved?
Studies show that gluten contributes to the development of leaky gut syndrome. Modern types of gluten degrade the lining of the digestive tract, weakening it and allowing more particles to pass through. Gluten also negatively impacts the gut microbiome and increases inflammation in the gut itself, leading to issues like bloating, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, indigestion, cramping, obesity, and more.
Heal Your Gut with Colon Hydrotherapy
Great gut health is the key to a healthy life, but many people are confused about how to properly care for their gut. Along with switching to an anti-inflammatory diet, staying hydrated, and reducing stress, colon hydrotherapy helps you clear away excess inflammation in the digestive tract and restore the gut’s healthy lining.
At Coastal Colon Hydrotherapy, we help people get on the fast track to better digestion and radiant health with comfortable, natural treatments. Contact us today to learn more about how colon hydrotherapy could restore your gut health and make you feel like new!