Many of those strange, scary and uncomfortable symptoms that come with IBS (back pain, gut pain, headaches, joint pain, itchy skin, weight gain, allergies, fatigue, brain fog, sleep problems, loss of appetite, depression) usually have one thing in common:
They are caused by inflammation.
We’ve all heard about inflammation before but how is it related to the gut? Inflammation is a function of the immune system, and about 80 percent of the immune system is located in the digestive tract.
Inflammation tends you make you more sensitive to toxins in your environment or the food you eat.
Learning all about inflammation can shed light on why you’re experiencing these symptoms, what causes them and what to do about it. Let’s dive in.
What is inflammation?
Inflammation is the immune system’s response to a perceived threat. When you get a cut the classic signs of inflammation are heat, pain, redness, and swelling. Your immune system is causing a “fire” to burn up invading viruses, bacteria or combat with toxins. Inflammation is a sign that your body and immune system is working well to protect you from threats.
The problem begins when inflammation is silent and chronic. A healthy inflammatory response should subside, but chronic inflammation persists unchecked. And often there’s no indication it’s happening unless you learn how to read the subtle signs and symptoms of your body.
For example, I know my body is inflamed when I wake up with puffy bags under my eyes and red, swollen, itchy eyes.
Chronic inflammation can lead to weight gain, obesity or inability to lose weight.
Studies have shown that depression may also be caused by inflammation of the gut and brain.
Psychiatrist Kelly Brogan maintains that the main causes of depression is actually inflammation. People are prescribed SSRIs when calming inflammation would work better.
A 2015 study in JAMA Psychiatry found that people with depression had 30 percent more brain inflammation than those who were not depressed.
When the body sends an inflammatory response to a perceived internal threat that does not require an inflammatory response, white blood cells swarm, but have nothing to do and nowhere to go. They eventually start attacking internal organs or other vital tissues and cells, like the brain. This can cause depression and other mood issues.
What are the causes inflammation?
Here are the common causes of inflammation:
INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY (LEAKY GUT)
When the small intestine is compromised by medications, stress, or bacterial overgrowth it can wear thin the intestinal mucosal lining and create tiny holes that allow undigested food to pass through into the blood stream. The immune system often tags these food particles as foreign invaders and mounts an attack. The body becomes allergic to certain foods because the immune system is on overdrive.
FOOD
The most common food allergies are to gluten or dairy, but corn, soy, peanuts, eggs and shellfish are not far behind.
Eating a food you are allergic or sensitive to will inflame the body from days to months, from just one serving.
One of the most inflammatory foods for everyone is refined sugar. Ingesting sugar triggers the release of inflammatory messengers called cytokines. The sugars found in whole fruit are usually ok in moderation, unless you have fructose sensitivity.
Processed foods and foods fried in oils like corn, safflower, sunflower, grapeseed, soy, peanut, and vegetable oil also trigger an inflammatory response.
Olive oil, avocado oil, ghee and animals fats (bacon fat, duck fat, etc.) are actually soothing to the system and don’t have the same pro inflammatory effects.
INFECTIONS
Infections are an obvious cause of inflammation. The infection can be bacterial, parasitic, viral or fungal or a combination. Fighting an infection puts the body on high alert. This stresses the nervous system and wears down the adrenals over time, leading to adrenal fatigue.
When infections are not successfully treated they can form protective shields called a biofilms to escape eradication by immune cells and antimicrobial supplements. In this case biofilms must be broken down with various herbs and enzymes to properly treat the infection.
Common bacterial infections, like SIBO, or yeast/candida overgrowth, can inflame the body and the intestines, causing to leaky gut and the gamut of common IBS symptoms.
To heal inflammation and leaky gut, the infection must be eradicated first.
ACIDITY
A highly acidic body (characterized by acidic blood) can cause inflammation. Acidosis of the blood is caused by many of the same things that cause inflammation: stress and high cortisol, a toxic diet (coffee, alcohol, cigarettes, street drugs, processed foods, industrially raised meat, sodas) as well as lifestyle factors (not enough sleep, fresh air, rest or exercise, working too much, or exposure to toxins).
GENETIC MUTATIONS
The MTHFR genetic mutation causes a reduction in enzymes needed for detoxification and proper vitamin levels. A blood or DNA test will determine if you carry this genetic mutation. I just took the Spectracell blood test and found out I have this mutation. I’m learning all about it and plan to blog about it soon. From my research, I’ve discovered that this mutation has a correlation with IBS.
EMOTIONS
This surprises most people. Strong negative emotions and stress can inflame the body as much as eating a McDonald’s cheese burger and washing it down with milkshake or shot of Tequila. Or as much as having an infection. Stress reducing practices can be very effective in reducing inflammation and it’s associated symptoms.
Everyone has their own triggers. I have a friend who gets inflamed by simply working on her computer all day. The work and electrical fields of the computer stress her body. She makes sure to balance her inflammatory work time with time outdoors, fresh, unprocessed food and moving meditation practice.
HOW TO TELL IF YOU’RE INFLAMED
If you have food or environmental allergies or symptoms like joint pain, headaches, swelling, asthma, ulcers, blood sugar problems or constipation/diarrhea there is a good chance you are inflamed.
Inflammation is most dangerous when there’s no sign or symptoms because if you don’t know it’s broken, it’s hard to fix. People spend years inflamed without knowing it and are then diagnosed with serious conditions like cancer, diabetes or heart disease.
Left unchecked, inflammation tends to attack the weakest organ first and can lead to autoimmune disease when the organ damage become irreparable.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT INFLAMMATION
If you want to know for sure what your inflammation levels are you can ask your doctor to test for C-reactive protein levels (CRP), which increase when the body is inflamed.
This information may motivate you to make crucial changes to your diet, supplements and lifestyle.
Omega-3 fatty acids found in cold water fish are extremely anti inflammatory. Salmon oil, krill oil and cod liver oil are great anti inflammatory options. They protect on a cellular level by inhibiting an enzyme that produces prostaglandins, which trigger inflammation. It’s similar to how aspirin works, but without the side effects of ulcers or liver congestion.
What not to use for inflammation
Most people use Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) like Advil, Motrin or Aleve for inflammatory pain and symptoms. While these drugs tame inflammation, they can also cause intestinal permeability. It happened to my husband. Read his story here and here.
I’ve also had many clients tell me they began suffering from IBS after using NSAIDs or other pain medications.
Nature has blessed us with many natural anti inflammatory options. Herbs like ginger, rosemary, thyme, basil, cayenne pepper, nutmeg and oregano.
But the king of all anti inflammatory herbs is tumeric. Tumeric is best taken with fat and black pepper for maximum absorption. While cooking with tumeric is a good idea, taking it in supplement form is much more powerful.
I love this brand because it has black pepper and oil inside the capsule and packs 500 mg per pill. I suggest one or two capsules twice a day, along with fish oil for inflammation-related pain relief. It also may help ease the heaviness of depression.
Some top anti-inflammatory foods are blueberries, fatty fish like salmon, tuna and sardines, olive oil, leafy greens (cooked for easier digestion) and bone broth.
I hope my crash course on inflammation helps you understand the aches, pain and symptoms you experience. I hope that knowing this will lower your anxiety and give you some tools for easing symptoms without side effects.