Increased intestinal permeability, also known as leaky gut is a major cause of autism. Leaky gut is caused by an insult that occurs to the gut that damages it. A healthy gut lining has tight gap junctions, which only allow certain sized particles to pass through it. This helps protect the body from poorly digested food or pathogens from entering the blood stream. When the gut becomes damaged by antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, steroids, acid blocking drugs, certain vaccines and poor diet the gap junctions are widened and allow particles to pass through the gut lining and get into the blood stream. This causes an imbalance of many systems in the body.
An important system that is affected is the immune system. When the poorly digested food particles are absorbed into the blood stream they are seen as foreign to the immune cells. The immune cells begin attacking these poorly digested food particles every time you eat. This leads to the immune system becoming overly hypervigilant. This leads to immune cells attacking normal tissues in the body. It also leads to many food sensitivities, which is common in autistic children. The brain can be attacked in autistic children by these immune cells and this can lead to many of their peculiar behaviors. Identification and treatment of leaky gut can improve autistic children’s behavior greatly.
For more detailed explanation about Autism and Leaky Gut and the integrative treatments available, as well as other conditions; a consultation with the author Dr. Jacob Schmutz, a specialist in natural and alternative medicine, can be made by visiting our appointment page.
