can’t see it; it is hidden from view, pain may or may not be present, and unless special tests such as gastroscope testing, or even biopsy of the gut wall is medically performed, it may remain unrecognized and continue to evade the diagnostician.
The Leaky Gut Syndrome Defined
“The official definition of the Leaky Gut is an increase in permeability of the intestinal mucosa to luminal macromolecules, antigens and toxins associated with inflammatory degenerative and/or atrophic mucosal damage.” (AIA Newsletter, 1997)
In 1995 Dr. Zoltan Rona, M.D., M.Sc, of Toronto, Canada, author of several health books, wrote a short, concise discourse on the leaky gut that I found to be right to the point in describing this medical phenomenon. I take this quotation from my book Healing Psoriasis: The Natural Alternative:
The Leaky Gut Syndrome is the name given to a very common health disorder in which the basic organic defect [lesion] is an intestinal lining which is more permeable [porous] than normal. The abnormally large spaces present between the cells of the gut wall allow the entry of toxic material into the bloodstream that would, in healthier circumstances, be repelled and eliminated. The gut becomes leaky in the sense that bacteria, fungi, parasites and their toxins, undigested protein, fat and waste normally not absorbed into the bloodstream in the healthy state, pass through a damaged, hyperpermeable, porous, or leaky gut.
I found it fascinating to read a similar description of the mechanism involved by Edgar Cayce, in his discourses made in 1944, about a woman suffering from psoriasis, in reading 3373-1:
There are disturbing conditions which prevent the better physical functioning in this body. These have to do primarily with an intestinal disorder and the lack of proper coordination in the eliminating systems. There are those conditions, then, in the duodenum and through the jejunum where there are the effects as if there were tiny thinned walls, as if the walls of the duodenum had been smoothed—rather than the folds that should exist with the gastric flow which should come through these areas at periods of digestion. The results are a disturbance in the blood supply and an irritation in the superficial circulation, so that those areas in the epidermis show eliminations that should be carried through [the] alimentary canal, for these are being eliminated through [the] perspiratory system.
When one dissects the wording of reading 3373-1 it is obvious that Cayce was describing what is now known as the leaky gut. Although not identified as such at the time of the reading, it most certainly bears all the earmarks of this now recognized disease entity. How he was able to do that is the reason the ever popular television program Unsolved Mysteries as well as the History Channel saw fit to bring it to the screen and feature Cayce’s story around the world. Nevertheless, the foremost question is: Was it true or was it false? And if it is true, how was Edgar Cayce able to tap into this knowledge and bring it into the world? Or could it be that there are, in fact, mysteries in this world that we earthlings are unaware of? (But that would be the subject of another book!)
In The Maker’s Diet, author Jordan Rubin quotes the following statement made by Dr. H.H. Boeker in 1928: “It is now universally conceded that autointoxication is the underlying cause of an exceptionally large group of symptom complexes. Recent research seems to support these earlier conclusions about intestinal toxemia. Yet, many modern medical practitioners and researchers still dismiss intestinal toxemia as a concept that is ‘old and outdated’.” (Rubin, 2004-05, p. 57)
Rubin continues the Dr. Boeker statement “. . . 90 percent of diseases are caused or complicated by toxins created in the intestinal tract by unhealthy foods that are not properly eliminated. Autointoxication occurs when, due to poor elimination, certain toxins escape from the bowel into the blood stream and poison the body, causing a silent form of self-poisoning.” (Rubin, 2004-05, p. 58)
Could there be a more perfect description of the leaky gut syndrome than that? As early as 1928 (perhaps earlier) such a disease entity has been recognized by renowned physicians, such as Dr. Boeker, but largely ignored by the “scientific” community.
Be that as it may. I had reason to prove it with my first psoriasis patient, Mr. William Culmone, in 1975 when he came into my office with a low back problem (permission to use his full name has been granted). When he disrobed for me to examine his spine it startled me to see that he had another problem as well—psoriasis! Psoriasis is but one of the many diseases which is suspected to originate from a leaky gut.
Since I was already into the study of psoriasis, not only from a medical perspective, but from the discourses of Edgar Cayce himself, it occurred to me to ask Mr. Culmone if he would be interested in experimenting with me after clearing up his back problem. His answer was “Why not? I tried everything else for fifteen years!”
Once the low back cleared up, we began our “research.” Since all the measures called for in the Cayce discourses on psoriasis fell within the scope of my chiropractic practice, I felt justified in giving it a try, especially since the patient was fully cooperative. Following the basic concept of the leaky gut as the culprit in such cases we proceeded to follow the suggestions that might possibly bring about a healing of this dermatological enigma.
It wasn’t long before Mr. Culmone showed signs of improvement. In fact, within seven days the heavy, thick lesions on his back and thighs were reduced by at least fifty percent! Within the following three months, all lesions disappeared. He remained free of all signs of psoriasis for the rest of his life.
It became very clear from the outset of the regimen that diet played the key role. Why? Because of the beneficial effect a change of diet had on the irritated walls of his small intestine. To a large degree he avoided fats (especially from red meat), inflammatory foods such as the Nightshades, too many sweets, and fried foods, among others. As stated earlier, the results were startling. He was my first case in which I approached the problem using the theory of a compromised intestinal lining. The success achieved set me on a course of therapy, at least in psoriasis and eczema, for over forty years, and continues to this day.
All other measures, i.e., oils, herb teas, spinal adjustments, steam baths, etc., played an important but relatively secondary role. Often when I lecture, I tell my audience that “I have never helped, alleviated, or improved one case of psoriasis on a patient who did not follow the diet.” Yet, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who achieved what may be called “miraculous” results by doing it on their own simply by following the suggestions in my books Healing Psoriasis: The Natural Alternative and Dr. John’s Healing Psoriasis Cookbook . . . Plus! Impartial evidence of this can be found by logging on to Amazon.com, typing in “healing psoriasis,” and reading over fifty book reviews by people who did it on their own; people I have never seen!
Further evidence of cases of psoriasis and eczema will be presented as we proceed. The point to grasp here is that if such a protocol can work on cases of psoriasis, a condition that has plagued mankind since the dawn of history and is still considered medically incurable, what can it do for other conditions that are equally devastating to suffering humanity? I submit that taking a hard look at such a possibility is indeed justified!
If, for example, as medical literature suggests, multiple sclerosis (MS) may possibly be linked to a leaky gut, then why not consider muscular dystrophy (MD) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the same vein? Other degenerative diseases such as the devastating scleroderma may or may not have a similar origin, but is it so unreasonable to at least consider the possibility? Such a condition has already been treated successfully and documented and is available in the Cayce archives. Here, in my humble opinion, is where extensive scientific research should be concentrated, on the degenerative diseases and their relation to intestinal permeability—or the leaky
