All posts tagged: wellness

Our Guts, Our Selves

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When people talk about “gut feelings”- something they can’t really rationalize, but feel as though the emotion is “coming from the heart” or “I feel it in my guts”, are those feelings actually coming from the heart or gut? Well no. But this doesn’t mean that the heart and gut do not influence our moods, decisions, and behavior. They do, especially the gut. How could the gut possibly influence our minds, and why? First let’s address the question of why. Although we often tend to treat our bodies as just something to walk our minds around, our bodies are important parts of who we are (for an account of what it is like to lose a sense of your body, see “The Disembodied Lady”, by Oliver Sacks, in The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat). But the gut is special! That is, if you are any kind of a complex animal, you have to have one. Even tardigrades, the super tough little animals that can survive extreme conditions, like being frozen to -300 …

Is “Leaky Gut” Really A Thing?

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There is no shortage of information on the internet about “Leaky Gut” and “Leaky Gut Syndrome”. For instance:   “4 steps to heal Leaky Gut” “9 signs you have a leaky gut” “Leaky Gut foods to avoid” “Could Leaky Gut be what is troubling you?” “Leaky Gut: Can this be destroying your health? “How to live with and identify Leaky Gut Syndrome” Is this really a thing? It seems there are as many skeptics about “Leaky Gut” as there are people promoting it. When I ask audiences at my seminars “Who has heard of leaky gut syndrome?”, everyone, EVERYONE, raises their hand. When I ask “Who thinks the medical establishment takes it seriously?”, no one raises their hand, ever. Which is unfortunate, because Leaky Gut is a thing, and can cause serious problems for some people. It may also contribute to other conditions not normally thought of as being related to gut problems. In the basic science world, “leaky gut” is called “increased intestinal permeability”, and it is a big thing. Increased intestinal permeability is …