Traumatic Brain Injury & the Leaky Gut Connection
- posted: Jul. 23, 2020
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a concerning topic that affects many of us inadvertently or directly. A TBI can occur in any number of ways: sports, motor vehicle collisions, even falls. Only ten percent of the time does someone actually lose consciousness, the other 90% of the time the person who suffered the TBI, stayed awake2.
As far as sports go, football is usually the first that comes to mind, but hockey, soccer and baseball also have their share of TBIs in the form of concussions.
Those in a Motor Vehicle Collision usually sustain a TBI due to the acceleration and deceleration forces being put on the neck and head2.
Falls are another example of the acceleration and deceleration on the neck and head, this is seen more in the elderly, but toddlers also experience this frequently as they learn to walk.
Any injury to the brain is a BAD thing. One of the many surprising effects that can occur after a TBI is a “Leaky Gut”1. A leaky gut is a condition that happens as a consequence of intestinal tight junction malfunction. These “tight junctions” are the gateway between your intestines and what is allowed to pass into your bloodstream3.
After a TBI there is an increase in gut permeability which leads to a proinflammatory immune activation in the peripheral bloodstream. This leads to a systemic inflammatory response1. What this means is that after a trauma to the head your gut walls become weakened and this can lead to a Leaky Gut. The brain and gut connection is disturbed after a TBI.
Diet and nutrition can help maintain a healthier gut. Eating organic, non-GMO food is important as is staying away from pro-inflammatory foods, especially sugar, alcohol and grains.
Specific Structural Chiropractic correction is also important. One of the reasons for this is that it helps improve the brain body connection. Structural Chiropractic is a way to evaluate how well the Central Nervous System is functioning in one’s body. If the nerves going from the brain to the body and vice versa are not working correctly there will be dis-ease. However if there are misalignments in the vertebral column specifically in the upper neck, closest to the area of the brain and brainstem that directly connect and affect the gut functioning, then adjusting those misaligned vertebra back to where they should be will help the brain and body to begin to communicate and heal and restore the body back to a more natural and healthy state.
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