4 Steps to Heal Your Gut Today!

Dr. Jon Repole

4 Steps to Heal Your Gut Today!

Your gut health is crucial to every aspect of wellness. It is a foundational pillar that acts as the bedrock for all other systems in the human body including your cardiovascular, detoxification, neurological, and endocrine (hormonal). A healthy gut not only ensures efficient digestion, absorption, and assimilation but also supports your mental health, immune strength, and energy levels.

As far back as 3,000+ years ago with Ayurvedic medicine and later with Hippocrates, who declared "all disease begins in the gut," both traditions acknowledged the essential role of gut health in disease prevention and overall wellbeing.

The four essential steps to healing your gastrointestinal system include Remove, Repair and Nourish, Reinoculate, and Rebalance. 

Let’s take a deep dive into each step.

Step 1: Remove

The first step to healing your gut is to remove harmful substances that contribute to gut inflammation and cellular damage. This includes biotoxins and environmental toxins. 

Additionally, it is crucial to support all the body's detoxification systems and organs of elimination. This ensures that we not only extract buried toxins from the tissues but also expel them through urine, sweat, feces, lymphatics, sinus passageways, and exhalation.

Removing Biotoxins

Biotoxins are living toxins that can wreak havoc on your digestive system. These include harmful bacteria, yeast (like Candida), fungi, mold, viruses, and parasites. To eliminate these biotoxins, you can use various antimicrobial supplements:

• Wormwood: Known for its anti-parasitic properties, wormwood can help cleanse your gut of harmful parasites.
• Berberine: An alkaloid extracted from various plants, berberine has antimicrobial properties that help in reducing harmful bacteria and yeast.
• Oregano Oil: Rich in antioxidants and antimicrobials, oregano oil can combat bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the gut.

Environmental Toxins

Environmental toxins like pesticides, heavy metals, hormone memetics, antibiotics, and food additives can damage your gut, neurological system, and endocrine system. To further support the removal of environmental toxins, consider these supplements and techniques:

• Charcoal: Activated charcoal binds to toxins in the digestive tract, aiding in their elimination.
• Volcanic Clay: Bentonite clay, a type of volcanic clay, binds to toxins (like charcoal), removing harmful toxins from the body.
• Cilantro: Known for its detoxifying properties, cilantro can help mobilize heavy metals and other toxins.
• Chelation Therapy: This involves the use of agents like EDTA to bind heavy metals in the body, facilitating their excretion. Chelation can be performed through an IV, orally, or with a suppository. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting chelation therapy.

Supporting Detoxification Systems

It's crucial to support the body's detoxification systems including the liver, kidneys, lymphatic system, respiratory system, and skin to ensure proper toxin removal from the body. Supplements and techniques include: 

• Liver: The liver is a primary detoxification organ. Supplements like milk thistle, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and alpha-lipoic acid can support liver detoxification phases.
• Kidneys: Hydration and herbs like dandelion root and cranberry are key players for overall kidney function and health. 
• Lymphatic System: The lymphatic system helps remove toxins and waste. Techniques like lymphatic self-massage, rebounding, and dry brushing can enhance lymph flow.
  • Lymphatic Self-Massage: This gentle massage technique helps stimulate lymph flow and can be done as follows:
    • Start with light pressure above the clavicle to open lymphatic drainage points.
    • Use circular motions to massage the neck are, behind the ears, under the arms, around the belly, and at the groin.
    • Always massage toward the heart to encourage lymph flow.
  • Skin Brushing: Use a natural bristle brush to stimulate the skin and lymphatic system:
    • Start at your feet and brush upward in long, gentle strokes.
    • Brush each area multiple times, always moving toward the heart.
    • Perform skin brushing before showering to remove dead skin cells and promote detoxification.
• Respiratory System: Deep breathing exercises and use of air filtration systems can support the respiratory system's detoxification role.
• Skin: Skin is our largest organ and plays a role in detoxification through sweating. Regular exercise, infrared sauna sessions, and skin brushing (see above) can enhance its role in the elimination of toxins through the pores and sweat.

Dietary Detox Plan

To support your body's detoxification process, consider a 2-3-day detox or reset program consisting of vegetable broths and/or low glycemic green juices. This plan can help reduce inflammation, support liver function, and provide essential nutrients for gut healing.

Vegetable Broths

Vegetable broths are rich in minerals and vitamins that support detoxification. Here are some recipes:

• Basic Vegetable Broth

  • Ingredients:
    • 4 carrots, chopped
    • 2 celery stalks, chopped
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 1 garlic clove, minced
    • 1 bunch of parsley
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • 8 cups of water
  • Make it Happen:
    1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot.
    2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
    3. Strain and store the broth in the refrigerator.

• Green Detox Broth

  • Ingredients:
    • 1 bunch of kale, chopped
    • 1 bunch of spinach
    • 2 zucchinis, chopped
    • 1 leek, chopped
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt
    • 8 cups of water
  • Make it Happen:
    1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot.
    2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
    3. Strain and store the broth in the refrigerator.

Low Glycemic Green Juices

Green juices provide concentrated nutrients and enzymes that support detoxification and gut health. Here are some recipes:

• Cucumber and Celery Juice

  • Ingredients:
    • 2 cucumbers
    • 4 celery stalks
    • 1 green apple (optional for sweetness)
    • 1 lemon, peeled
    • 1-inch piece of ginger
  • Make it Happen:
    1. Wash all ingredients thoroughly.
    2. Pass through a juicer and serve immediately.

• Spinach and Kale Juice

  • Ingredients:
    • 2 cups spinach
    • 2 cups kale
    • 1 cucumber
    • 1 green apple (optional)
    • 1 lemon, peeled
    • 1-inch piece of ginger
  • Make it Happen:
    1. Wash all ingredients thoroughly.
    2. Pass through a juicer and serve immediately.

Step 2: Repair and Nourish

After removing harmful substances, the next step is to repair your gut lining and nourish the entire gastrointestinal system and body. This step is crucial for healing conditions like leaky gut, where the intestinal lining becomes permeable, allowing toxins to enter the bloodstream.

Leaky Gut Syndrome

Leaky gut syndrome, or intestinal permeability, occurs when the tight junctions in the gut lining loosen, leading to inflammation and other health issues (most notably autoimmunity). To repair this, focus on the following supplements:

• L-Glutamine: An amino acid that helps rebuild the gut lining by supporting cellular repair.
• Aloe Vera: Known for its soothing properties, aloe vera can reduce inflammation in the gut.
• Zinc Carnosine: This compound can help protect and heal the gut lining.
• Marshmallow Root: This herb forms a protective layer on the gut lining, reducing irritation and aiding in repair.
• Slippery Elm Bark: Rich in mucilage, slippery elm bark soothes and protects the gut lining, promoting healing.

Nourishing Your Gut

Nourishing your gut involves consuming whole plant-based foods and specific supplements that support digestion and nutrient absorption. Key components include:

• Vegetable Broths: These broths are rich in minerals and vitamins, supporting gut health and overall hydration.
• Green Juices: Fresh juices from cucumbers, greens, and celery provide concentrated nutrients and enzymes that support digestion and gut health.
• Digestive Enzymes and HCL (if needed): These supplements aid in breaking down food, improving nutrient absorption, and reducing digestive discomfort.
• Whole Plant-Based Foods: Incorporate a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, intact whole grains, and seeds. The benefits of this dietary approach include: 
  • Reduced Inflammation: Processed foods and factory farmed animal products are nutrient poor, high in environmental toxins (pesticides, antibiotics, etc.), difficult to digest (the human body is not designed to drink milk as an adult, especially the milk from another species), and promotes systemic silent inflammation which is linked to every major degenerative disease including heart disease, cancer, autoimmunity, and diabetes.   
  • Improved Digestion: Plant-based diets are high in fiber, which aids in digestion and regular bowel movements.
  • Enhanced Nutrient Intake: Whole foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support overall health.
  • Balanced Microbiome: A diet rich in plant-based foods fosters a diverse and healthy gut microbiome.

Step 3: Reinoculate

The third step is to reinoculate your gut with beneficial bacteria. The gut microbiome acts as the soil for epigenetic expression. Depending on the patient, we typically begin with a one-week high-dose probiotic blitz, followed by a maintenance level of probiotics.

Understanding the Gut Microbiome

The gut microbiome consists of trillions of microorganisms that live in your digestive tract. A balanced microbiome is crucial for:

• Digestive Health: Aids in the breakdown of food and nutrient absorption.
• Immune Function: Supports the immune system in fighting off pathogens.
• Mental Health: The gut-brain axis links the gut microbiome to mood and cognitive function.

Supplementation

To support a healthy microbiome, consider the following supplements:

• Prebiotics: Non-digestible fibers that feed beneficial bacteria. Sources include garlic, onions, asparagus, and bananas.
• Probiotics: Live beneficial bacteria found in fermented foods like plant-based yogurt and kefir, sauerkraut, and supplements.
• Postbiotics: Metabolic byproducts of probiotics that have health benefits, including improved gut barrier function and immune modulation. Examples include short-chain fatty acids such as butyric acid. 

Step 4: Rebalance

The final step in healing your gut is to rebalance the entire body as an integrated whole. This includes the harmonious communication between the gut-brain-heart axis, endocrine system (hormones), and nervous system.  

The gut-brain connection is facilitated by the enteric nervous system (ENS), often referred to as the "second brain." The ENS consists of a network of neurons embedded in the gut wall, which communicate with the central nervous system (CNS). This bidirectional communication means that gut health can significantly impact brain health and vice versa.

Meditation and Coherence Exercises

Stress negatively impacts gut health. Practices that promote relaxation and coherence within the gut-brain-heart axis include: 

• Meditation: Regular practice can reduce stress, which in turn supports a healthy gut.
• Heart Coherence Exercises: Techniques from the HeartMath Institute, such as focused breathing and positive emotion cultivation, can improve heart rate variability and reduce stress, benefiting overall health and gut function. These exercises involve:
  • Heart-Focused Breathing: Slow, deep breaths while focusing attention on the heart area.
  • Positive Emotion Generation: Consciously generating feelings of appreciation, gratitude, care, or love to enhance emotional coherence.

Sleep

Adequate sleep is crucial for gut health. Poor sleep can disrupt the gut microbiome and increase inflammation. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night by:

• Maintaining a Regular Sleep Schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
• Creating a Relaxing Bedtime Routine: Engage in calming activities like reading or taking a warm bath before bed.
• Optimizing Sleep Environment: Ensure your bedroom is cool, dark, and quiet.
• Blocking Blue Light: Taking a digital sunset from electronics, dimming the lights, and using blue-blocking glasses, if needed. 

Supporting the Adrenal Glands

The adrenal glands play a significant role in the stress response. Chronic low-grade stress can keep you in a sympathetic dominant state (fight or flight) blocking digestive enzyme production, absorption, assimilation, and gastrointestinal motility. You can support the stress response and adrenal glands by: 

• Adaptogenic Herbs: Herbs like ashwagandha, rhodiola, and holy basil can help balance cortisol levels and support adrenal health.
• Stress Management: Incorporate meditation and coherence exercises (see above) as well as stress-reducing activities like yoga, tai chi, or spending time with Mother Nature. 

Exercise

Regular physical activity supports gut health by:

• Enhancing Gut Motility: Helps in the regular movement of food through the digestive tract.
• Reducing Inflammation: Physical activity can reduce inflammation, benefiting the gut lining.

By following these four steps—Remove, Repair and Nourish, Reinoculate, and Rebalance—you can take significant strides towards healing your gut and enhancing your overall health.