Have you ever noticed a sign at an employee entrance that reads, “No Tailgating Allowed?” There’s a subtle difference between that sign and when you see a bumper sticker with the same wording. That difference is that the security in the building wants to prevent curious people from sneaking in behind an actual employee as they enter to do their shift.
So there’s a Door Person – let’s say their nickname is “Z.” And Z’s job is to open the door every time the security guard, nicknamed “Siggy”, spots a Tailgater has entered the building and needs to usher them out. It was a well designed work-flow at it’s outset, but the street the building was housed at became extremely busy. As a side-effect, more “characters” started to appear at the door without invitation – sneaking in every time Z would open the door. The door itself was getting worn down, the hinges were starting to loosen, and it didn’t latch properly. Eventually, the door wouldn’t shut.
Siggy was extremely upset and despite a display of frustration, Z was of no help. Eventually, Z just kept the door wide open while Siggy floundered under the masses bum-rushing the door. Eventually, the Employees were getting struck over the head with a baton and booted onto the sidewalk. I hope someone relieves the security guard soon!
In your gastrointestinal tract, there’s a barrier that protects you from the outside world. It’s called the “Mucosal Barrier.” Much like the above story, there are doors that open so that the security guard, who’s proper name is Secretory Iga (or SIgA), can do their job and keep all those “characters” from entering uninvited. Those doors are between the epithelial cells in the graphic below. In a Healthy Gut, they’re much like the offensive line on a football team – protecting the quarterback from getting sacked. But in Siggy’s case, Z has had to open the door way too often and now all kinds of unwanted guests are getting in the door. Z’s proper name is Zonulin and their job is as a signalling molecule to open these “tight junctions”. Zonulin’s job is to open the door, and SIgA is the security guard clobbering bad actors and giving them the boot.
Obviously, the cascade of events that drive the inflammation are much more complex. As FDN’s, we look to a number of lab markers to provide clues as to the degree this dysfunction has occurred. Clinical correlations are made with symptoms and lab markers on these tests and our clients receive feedback and recommendations for opt-in self-treatment. There are also times when an unwanted Pathogen, which we may see on the GI MAP test, warrants us to refer a client to a Medical Doctor for treatment. Clients can always opt-in to natural protocols – but as FDN’s we don’t outwardly recommend self-treating in the more pathogenic strains like Campylobacter, C difficile, E. coli, Shiga, Salmonella, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, etc.
As the Diagram above shows, there are many Stressors that can trigger the breakdown and immune dysfunction. Some of them are internal; like infections, heavy metals, molds, herbicides and pesticides. Some of them are external like job stress, relationship stress, trauma, etc. A prolonged exposure to all these areas of HIDDEN stressors really causes burnout for SIgA and eventually, we may see signs of a hyper-vigilant response/Auto-immunity or an insufficient response leading to frequent unresolved infections or viruses.
Ultimately, we’re reaching what my job is as an FDN. I don’t diagnose or treat disease. I’m not a Doctor. I’m more like a detective that helps my clients to find as many sources of HIDDEN stress and provide support with recommendations where we may see opportunities for healing. The areas of stress we look for specifically are Hormone, Immune, Digestive, Detoxification, Environmental, Nervous System and Oxidative.
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