At Blum Center we see many people who have one, two, three, even as many as five autoimmune conditions at once. The biggest risk factor for developing an autoimmune disease is already having one—they tend to just keep coming, if you don’t address the root cause. And one of the biggest root causes is a condition called leaky gut syndrome, or increased intestinal permeability.

Along with increasing autoimmunity, some of the hallmarks for leaky gut are symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, frequent diarrhea, gas and bloating, nutritional deficiencies or inflammation in the body that starts in the gut. When the lining of the intestines becomes inflamed even at a microscopic level by food, gut bacteria imbalances, toxicants, or stress, the intestinal lining cells start to lose their protective integrity.

Instead of just letting micronutrients into the body through small “gates” that can open and close between the cells, the gates get stuck in the open position and larger and larger molecules can come into the body. These large molecules weren’t meant to have access to the body, so the immune system sounds the alarm. The good news: we can usually fix leaky gut and along with it, improve autoimmune symptoms and markers. When we can decrease the burden on the immune system, it often begins to heal.

Come find out more about what causes leaky gut, how we diagnose it, and how you can fix it!  Although this is a free community talk, registration is required to reserve your seat.

• Hazelnut Romanesco Dip with Vegetables

• Spring Green Samosa's with Mango Lime Sauce

• Asparagus and Wild Mushroom Risotto

• Over the Rainbow Shaved Salad with Herb Mustard Vinaigrette