In case you haven’t noticed, I am dedicated to helping people achieve better health in natural ways.

But that doesn’t mean I’ve always been the picture of health myself.

Quite the opposite, actually!

But I consider my own ill health of the past to be “serendipitous” because it prepped me VERY well to be able to help YOU!

Here’s what I mean—let me walk you through my “sickness puzzle” from my early 20s because I discovered the one little-known underlying cause of ALL my health issues…and it may be affecting you too!

It started with acne

As a teen, I felt lucky because I rarely got pimples.

That changed when I hit my 20s and I started breaking out left and right.  So I saw a dermatologist who prescribed an antibiotic facial lotion (Cleocin T) for me to use daily.

Well, my acne cleared right up!  But to prevent a recurrence, I had to keep using the lotion. 

Next…allergies

I developed bronchitis one winter and my doctor gave me amoxicillin.  I got somewhat better, but still had a nagging residual cough that went beyond a couple months.

I went back to the doctor and he diagnosed me with seasonal allergies.  Here comes another medication—Beconase steroid nasal spray.

Migraine headaches ahoy![[end]

Then I started getting headaches more and more frequently.  I used to sometimes have one with my period, but these were getting much more frequent and severe.

Back to the doctor I went, and out I walked with a prescription for medication number three—Fioricet—to be used as needed for headaches.   

My world came crashing down--IBS and a hospitalization

The final straw was when I developed what I thought was a stomach bug.  But then it quickly turned into severe abdominal pain, diarrhea and rectal bleeding. 

Off to the ER I went.

I was quickly admitted and after undergoing a lower GI series, colonoscopy and barium enema (a procedure which I would not wish on my worst enemy), I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

The solution?  MORE medication.  This time Donnatal (an anti-spasmodic that I was instructed to take with every meal).

I’m DONE!

Upon being discharged from the hospital, I spent a short time living my life dutifully taking my 4 medications, but never really feeling good. 

Plus, I started suffering side effects, the most obvious being even MORE headaches plus tiredness from the Donnatal. 

And that is when I decided I’m DONE!

I knew there had to be something going on inside of me that all my doctors and all their drugs weren’t touching.

And after consulting with an integrative physician, I found my answer.

LEAKY GUT.

Here is the scoop on this little-known health wrecker that affects untold numbers of people—maybe even you.

The gut wall—your inner cheesecloth

When it is healthy and working properly, your intestinal wall functions like a piece of cheesecloth. 

It has tiny spaces between the cells in its lining that are just big enough to let your food nutrients through, so they can get into your bloodstream to nourish you.

But it has also woven tightly enough to securely “restrain” foods that are NOT properly broken down into their respective nutrients, as well as toxins, dangerous bacteria and viruses. 

These "invaders" are "jailed" in your cheesecloth gut until they can be eliminated with your bowel movements.

This is a perfect system designed by Nature to keep you nourished and at the same time protect you from sickness and dangerous pathogens.

But the problem arises when your gut wall instead becomes leaky like…

A spaghetti strainer!

When the spaces between your intestinal cells instead start to resemble a spaghetti strainer, viruses, toxins, and bacteria have a green light to enter your bloodstream and make you sick.

In addition, food particles that are too big to be used for nourishment can also seep into circulation.

When this happens, the immune cells in your bloodstream launch an attack and stir up inflammation because these too-large food particles are seen as a harmful invader.

At the same time your immune system produces antibodies against this new "enemy" so it can recognize it in the future.

So, for example, if some poorly broken down egg molecules get into your bloodstream, you may eventually find yourself getting sick from eggs—this is how a food sensitivity is created. 

This is also one way that autoimmune diseases can be triggered, because your immune system gets mixed up and becomes hypersensitive…and eventually begins attacking your healthy cells too! 

The many faces of a leaky gut

Here is complete listing of health issues that are commonly associated with leaky gut:

• Acne
• Allergies
• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Autism
• Autoimmune hepatitis
• Celiac disease
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Cirrhosis
• Crohn's disease
• Cystic fibrosis
• Eczema
• Graves’ disease (overactive thyroid)
• Hashimoto’s disease (underactive thyroid)
• Headaches
• Hives
• Intestinal infections
• IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
• Malnutrition
• Multiple sclerosis
• Pancreatic insufficiency
• Psoriasis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Schizophrenia
• Scleroderma
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Ulcerative colitis

As you can see, all four of my health challenges of the past (acne, allergies, headaches and IBS) are manifestations of leaky gut!

And one of the mysteries I had to unravel was…

How did I get leaky gut to begin with?

Some of the common causes of a leaky gut wall include:

• Chronic stress (I was under quite a bit of stress in my insurance career at the time)
• Harmful bacteria overgrowth, parasites and yeast (this applied to me too, but I didn’t know it at the time)
• Use of NSAIDs, steroids, birth control pills, acid reducers or antibiotics (this certainly applied to me!)

But arguably the biggest cause of leaky gut is DIET.

The role of diet in the development of leaky gut is threefold: 

#1- Destruction of protective gut flora

The refined carbs and soda that are so prevalent in our diets today cause an influx of sugar which nourishes the harmful bacteria in your gut, and eventually they "eat away" at your intestinal lining.

#2- Poor digestion

Inadequate digestion leads to poorly broken-down food molecules that can bump up against the intestinal wall, eventually bullying their way through.

#3- Low fibe

The standard low-fiber American diet causes constipation and a lengthy bowel transit time.  With wastes remaining in your intestines longer that they should, harmful bacteria in your feces can irritate the gut wall. 

A leaky gut healing protocol

A smart healing protocol for leaky gut includes:

1. Avoiding refined carbs and sugars, and concentrating on nourishing whole foods
2. Promoting better digestion and more regular BMs
3. Helping curb inflammation
4. Restoring a healthier bacterial balance in the gut

This is how my doctor helped bring me back to health and eliminated the need for ALL of my medications, after which I became a nutrition coach so I could help YOU do the same!

The best place to start is with a healthy diet!  My Great Taste No Pain system can show you how to create tasty meals from wholesome real foods that are much less taxing on your system and easier to digest. Plus, you’ll get a collection of delicious recipes that you’ll love!

Digestizol Max enzyme formula can also help promote better digestion by supporting your body’s own digestive enzymes and easing the burden on your GI tract.  This is especially important if you are elderly, use acid reducers, or have had gastric or gallbladder surgery, as all of these factors can cause an enzyme deficiency.

Turmeric (as found in our Optimal Turmeric Blend) is fast emerging as a superstar anti-inflammatory and can help curb inflammation throughout your body.

And a multi-strain, full-spectrum probiotic blend like Super Shield is a must!  The friendly bacteria in your system help to keep your gut wall strong and non-porous, as well as assist with digestion and keep harmful bacteria under control…so it’s crucial to support your body’s army of friendly microbes with a quality probiotic.

In addition, if you suspect that you’ve got some harmful yeast and bacterial overgrowth going on already, our Optimal Yeast Support Blend can help counteract those microbes and encourage a healthier gut balance.

Let me help you on your journey back to better health! 

You’ll never regret it. 

To your health,

Sherry Brescia