Masters of Health Magazine September 2020 | Page 15

The breaks in the lining of the digestive tract that occurs with leaky gut also provides pathogens direct access to the bloodstream. As they slip through these “cracks in the armor,” they are able to spread throughout the body rapidly.

5. Hormone Production

Hormones trigger and catalyze almost every function within the body. As gut health begins to deteriorate, hormone production becomes imbalanced. This leads to a cascade of imbalances throughout the rest of the body, including the immune system. Without sufficient hormones to catalyze reactions within the body, our immune response becomes sluggish and uncoordinated.

6. Poor Detoxification

As detox pathways become inefficient due to poor gastrointestinal health, toxic overload creates systemic inflammation. Furthermore, excessive toxins within the body draw the attention of the immune system away from other, more pressing concerns. Reducing the toxins we breathe, absorb, or consume, along with ensuring our detox pathways are functioning optimally, will allow our immune system to attack pathogens at full force.

What Causes Poor

Gut Health?

Unfortunately, in today’s modern world, our bodies are under an almost constant barrage of toxic attacks. I call these offenders “fuels to the fire,” and they include:

● Environmental toxins.

● Toxic chemicals.

● Intentional or unintentional antibiotic consumption.

Figure 3. Number of deaths attributable to air pollution in US from 1990 -2017