FEATURE

By Dr. Kelly Gilthorpe Burkenstock

Part 1 Leaky Gut Leaky Gut

Have you ever begun a diet plan with a friend and they lost weight and you didn't? The answer is probably in your genes! As a woman physician who struggles with this very issue it has been my life crusade to share my knowledge and personal experience of the often overlooked successful Multistep Approach to Optimal

Weight. Your specific DNA makeup affects and is affected by the quality and percentage balance macronutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) that you are genetically built to metabolize efficiently. This DNA information on your personal food and exercise recipe combined with your thyroid function, sugar ingestion, gut health, food allergies/sensitivities, hormone levels and vitamin/amino acid balance determine your success. It is an interconnected wheel and each component should be addressed in order to achieve lifetime optimal weight balance. LEAKY GUT

If your car engine were leaking oil eventually it would break down, same with your gut. When the gut gets irritated and inflamed it is as if tiny perforations occur and toxins enter the body that weren't meant to be there.

When this occurs, the healthy bacteria in your intestines have decreased ability to protect and stabilize the gut environment and abnormal bacteria and yeast overgrow. Then vitamins are poorly absorbed which may lead to bloating & increased weight gain. These symptoms can cause many to decrease activity, feel moody and thus add to the weight issue. Leaky gut inflammation is created by the body's response to any of a myriad of issues such as a poor diet -preservatives, pesticides, fried foods, fast foods, trans fats, gluten, wheat and low fiber, sugar and high fructose corn syrup; physical, emotional and chemical stress; stomach antacids; antibiotics; NSAIDs; alcohol; xenoestrogens and steroids; and vitamin and amino acid deficiencies. Repairing and improving the leaky gut begins with initiating live refrigerated medical grade probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotics are good bacteria and yeast to keep the gut healthy, while prebiotics are nondigestible carbohydrates that act as food for the probiotics. Decrease the intake of soda, caffeine and alcohol while increasing filtered water. Many plastics leach xenoestrogen chemicals so use glass or steel containers.

Stay tuned for Part 2: Thyroid and Optimal Weight.

Improve your diet by eating organic, NON-GMO, gluten free foods with plenty of cruciferous vegetables, fresh fruit, lean meats (grass fed, no antibiotics, no hormones), fish, high quality grains, such as quinoa, steel cut oats and yams. Avoid deli meats, cookies, crackers and chips. It is highly important to add fermented foods to your diet like Kefir, Sauerkraut, Kombucha, Pickles, Kimchi and Natto.

Kelly Gilthorpe Burkenstock, M.D., M.B.A. is the founder of Skin Body Health-The South’s Age Gracefully Institute. As an Internal Medicine specialist, with a fellowship in Anti-aging and Regenerative Medicine, Dr. B. Is the perfect blend of a Western and Eastern Clinician. She has trained with International luminaries in the fields of Skin Rejuvenation, Natural Hormones, Hair Restoration and Weight Loss. Her passion is to empower clients to feel phenomenal and look fabulous at any age.