Leaky Gut (LG), Empaths and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

A leaky gut means an overworked brain and a weakened immune system.
But you can do something about it!

⚠️ Important Notice

The information on this page is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Lumhis® is a homeopathic preparation and does not claim to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns.

  1. What is Leaky Gut

Leaky gut is a defect in the intestinal barrier, linked to a dysregulation of the gut flora, itself the result of multiple causes, ranging from dietary abuse to pesticides.

Under normal circumstances, the GAP junctions weld the intestinal cells together, and food passes THROUGH the cell into the bloodstream.

The consequence of a wall defect is simple: not only toxic substances but also several foods (often in the same order) pass BETWEEN the enterocytes, are no longer metabolised and end up in the bloodstream in their entirety.

2.Food intolerance and not food allergy

We are talking about food intolerances and not allergies, because there is no rapid reaction by the body as in a classic IgE allergy (hay fever, angioedema, etc.).

Ask your doctor for advice!

3. It is an immune reaction with memory antibodies (IgG) that we develop against these circulating foods.

IgG antibodies are “memory” antibodies, such as those we develop following illnesses or vaccines, so that the response is ready the next time the body encounters the pathogen.

The main culprits that pass through the intestinal barrier without pre-treatment in the enterocytes are mostly :

GLUTEN, followed by milk, eggs (especially the yolks) and bananas.

Next come mustard (and therefore mayonnaise!), tomatoes, apples, additives (dextrose, gum arabic), lemon, dextrose, etc.

Generally speaking, it’s often what we eat too much of (like an addiction) or what we already feel we shouldn’t eat. Children know…)Let’s trust them a little more, especially as it’s not uncommon for a child who has had gluten removed – when it’s objectively proven, of course – to start eating more vegetables again!

In LG, the pathogen arrives at every meal! So the immune activation cascade is incessant.

It’s like a path in the woods trying to grow grass again:everytime you walk, it hinders the growing, yet not cancelling it all either. LG is dose-dependent. Be sensible regardings to life events that ought to be celebrated,

You do need to limit the foods your immune system reacts against as much as possible to stop poisoning yourself at every meal, and to avoid the listen to lenghten…

anchor on grass shore during day

The other consequence is disruption of the Governing Vessel (Chinese medicine) and hence you faculty to stay grounded and coherent.

Being attacked at every meal means being shaken up every time. It’s hard to stay on course, it’s hard to have a stable base, it’s hard to be coherent and therefore hard to attract a coherent and simplified life…

4. Why is it little known in allergology, gastroenterology or neuro-psychiatry?

It’s a global pathology, bringing us back to general medicine…

5. In adults: immunity, fatigue and depression

white and brown bottle beside white tissue box

The consequence of LG is firstly a deficient immunity, since it is in fact over-stimulated, and therefore no longer has any reserves to defend itself against ‘real’ pathogens.

a man holds his head while sitting on a sofa

In adults, it is common to find at best brain fog, at worst a direct impact on morale, sometimes severe, with an inability to find the right limits with others, an inability to respect oneself and to be respected, an inability to anchor oneself and above all to stay anchored (with the consequences that this can have), etc.

Disruption of the microbiota can also be accompanied by bacterial hyperproliferation in the small intestine (SIBO for Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth), which only makes matters worse.

6. In children: immunity, failure to thrive, hypersensibility and the hidden autism spectrum disorders

When LG develops in a developing child, it takes a much more serious turn :

  • repeated infections linked to deficient immunity can have an impact on growth
  • mouth breathing linked to a constantly blocked nose
  • the impact on the mood affects all psychological, emotionnal and relational development.

When you spend your time being invaded every time you eat…
how can we still pay attention to the world around us?
And how can we trust it?

The brain’s capacity to learn lasts throughout life, but the plasticity of synapses (neuronal connections) is optimal before the age of 6.

While Empaths are almost the new normal, Autism is still a very taboo disease, but it’s on the rise too! We often find excuses to explain behaviour in children that we question (“they don’t like it, they’re tired, they’re shy, it’s age-related”, etc.) in order to reassure ourselves.

Intestinal hyperpermeability is found in around 2/3 of Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

There’s a whole spectrum of intolerances, autisms and colours!

multicolored illustration
Number
of food intolerances
Symptoms% ASD
30mutism and/or repetition of words or phrases (echolalia)80%
significant intellectual deficit, except in certain areas,
autonomy impossible
70%
5-10narrow and specific interests and activities60%
gluten and mustard in 2/3does not respond to his name, loss of visual contact, tendency towards isolation50%
gluten in 2/3, and moreunusual and inappropriate reactions to sensory stimuli,
rituals that are difficult to break, resistance to pain
40%
1-5unusual and inappropriate reactions to sensory stimuli,
rituals that are difficult to break, resistance to pain
30%
lack of connection, lack of empathy
lack of understanding of social codes
20%
parfoisempaths15%
0we are ALL psychorigid about certain things, it’s normal!7%
0no one!0%

multicolored illustration

7. Diagnosis: in 2 very different ways

Assess the foods to which the person reacts:

  • either in the blood test: measure food IgG (not “normal” allergy IgE)
    • start with the most common: gluten, egg, banana, milk, etc. as these can be costly
  • or kinesiology testing… Whether our brain can hear it or not, it’s still much less invasive, especially in children, and especially in children who are already suffering…
man in black long sleeve shirt holding white ceramic mug

Early detection of food intolerances means that it allows to :

  • do something about it
  • answer many of the questions that often leave parents at a loss
  • draw attention to the need for appropriate ASD treatment AS SOON AS POSSIBLE (which is still on average after the age of 3, i.e. late).

Physically: small patches of rosacea on the cheeks could be linked (as if you could see the blood vessels, see the picture).

This could actually be pathognomonic for Leaky Gut.

8. Triad of care for LG (in addition to specific care for ASD)

  • avoidance of foods to which the immune system reacts, for as long as it takes…
    • On its own, this can take a very long time, until the diet is abandoned and the problem is never really solved…
    • Sometimes there are so many things a person reacts to that it’s almost impossible logistically speaking (especially when there’s a general mistrust of food and it’s already very complicated).
    • In terms of prevention, varying your diet as much as possible (“varying your poisons”) and following your intuition is the best way to prevent illness!
  • healing of the intestinal barrier: avoidance of pesticides, chicken broth for collagen, prebiotics, etc.
  • homeopathy: theoretically, changing someone’s vibration will cause them to change their microbiota, thereby healing the barrier and getting everything back on track… The main problem lies in the fact that LG is an obstacle to grounding, and hence a genuine obstacle to homeopathic cure, which thereby needs to be tackled differently than many other diseases. It is complex and needs to be individualised.
  • avoid any further unecessary immune disruption

The most effective remedy is certainly a combination of everything that exists…

Bibliography

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  3. Fiorentino M, Sapone A, Senger S, Camhi SS, Kadzielski SM, Buie TM, et al. Blood‑brain barrier and intestinal epithelial barrier alterations in autism spectrum disorders. Mol Autism. 2016;7:49.[pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih]​
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  7. Quan L, Xu H, Guo Y, Ma L, Yu P. Efficacy of a gluten‑free and casein‑free diet for children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta‑analysis. Nutr Rev. 2022;80(5):1237‑49.[academic.oup]​
  8. Piwowarczyk A, Horvath A, Łukasik J, Pisula E, Szajewska H. Gluten‑ and casein‑free diet and autism spectrum disorders in children: a systematic review. Eur J Nutr. 2018;57(2):433‑40.[pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih]​
  9. de Magistris L, Familiari V, Pascotto A, Sapone A, Frolli A, Iardino P, et al. Alterations of the intestinal barrier in patients with autism spectrum disorders and in their first‑degree relatives. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2010;51(4):418‑24.[pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih]​
  10. Luna RA, Oezguen N, Balderas M, Venkatachalam A, Runge JK, Versalovic J, et al. Distinct microbiome‑neuroimmune signatures correlate with functional abdominal pain in children with autism spectrum disorder. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017;3(2):218‑30.[pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih]​
  11. Yildirim A, Yildirim S, Köklü E, Akyol M. Gluten‑free casein‑free diet for autism spectrum disorders: mechanisms, evidence and limitations. Nutr Neurosci. 2020;23(10):751‑63.[pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih]​