While seeking the treatment of Hashimoto’s, your gut health should also be taken into consideration as it plays an important role in all autoimmune disorders. 

People who have autoimmune disorders often suffer from intestinal permeability which is known as Leaky Gut which has symptoms like bloating, stomach pains, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and acid reflux. 

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What is a Leaky Gut?

A leaky Gut refers to the condition where the gut barrier can no longer keep the bacteria, viruses, parasites and toxins out. 

Hence, these harmful organisms can leak into the body by escaping through the digestive system and enter into the bloodstream. This disturbs the immune system and keeps it active in the continuous attack mode which contradicts healing. 

Therefore, having a healthy gut is very important to treat Autoimmune disorders. Probiotics and Fermented Foods play a major role in bringing back the gut health balance. 

Probiotics and Gut Health

People with autoimmunity generally have lower amounts of the probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and higher amounts of opportunistic. 

This creates an imbalance in the microbiome hence it is necessary to bring back the balance and introduce more probiotics into your diet. Probiotics are extremely effective as they have a broader range of helpful bacteria and some of them also contain antioxidants and other micronutrients. 

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Here are some of the probiotics that you should add to your diet for balancing gut health: 

* Yogurt

* Chicory

* Kimchi

* Sauerkraut

* Kefir

* Kombucha

* Pickles

* Miso

* Tempeh

* Sourdough bread

Probiotic supplements to improve gut health

Along with this, there are certain types of probiotic supplements available in the market that are evidently helping to improve gut health. These are: 

Beneficial Yeast Probiotics

To clear out dysbioses such as pathogenic bacteria, Candida, mould, and some parasites (including Blastocystis Hominis), Saccharomyces Boulardii is a beneficial yeast. People suffering from Hashimoto’s have low secretory IgA, S. Boulardii causes an increase in secretory IgA and helps the body’s own natural defence to fight against infections and opportunistic gut bacteria. Hence it helps create a balance in the gut microbiome to ensure a healthy gut. 

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Lactobacillus-Based High Dose Multi-Strain Probiotics

Our gut consists of one trillion bacteria, hence to make a balance, probiotic supplements play a major role. One strain of probiotic supplements consists of 10 billion colony forming units (CFU) that help people to maintain an already healthy gut. To bring back the balance in the microbiome, it is suggested to go for multi-strain probiotics. Probiotic Blends are also available in the market to endure greater health and improved gut function. Probiotic blends generally contain various strains of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacteria, and in some cases, beneficial Streptococcus bacteria. Taking higher doses of probiotic blends helps to bring significant improvement in gut health. 

Soil Based Probiotics

Naturally occurring, spore-based probiotics that have a unique mechanism of action help in directly modulating gut health. It has shown excellent results in treating autoimmune diseases and reducing allergies and asthma. The most interesting feature is that it also helps in rebuilding Lactobacillus colonies and boosts other beneficial flora to attain the optimum microbiome balance. People who are suffering from Hashimoto’s have seen visible results after taking this probiotic. Their thyroid antibodies have reduced, their mood is uplifted, and they have more energy and better bowel movements. It also helps in reducing food sensitivities by strengthening gut health. 

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One thing that you should keep in mind while having Probiotics supplements is to start with a lower dose of probiotics if you haven’t taken them yet and gradually increase the dose. Also, to increase the effects of probiotic supplements, one should make sure to include enough prebiotics in their diet so that healthy gut bacterias grow and flourish. Some of the prebiotics which is a good option to boost probiotics are chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, dandelion, garlic, leek, onion, bananas, apples, konjac root, cocoa, burdock root, flax seeds, yacon root, jicama, and asparagus. 

Although Probiotics are of great help, people suffering from SIBO should be careful while taking probiotics as generally only soil-based probiotics have been seen to be beneficial in SIBO. 

Also, it may happen that you notice some digestive discomfort, changes in bowel movements, muscle aches, headaches, and skin sensitivity when you initially start the intake of probiotics. This happens because once the good bacteria enter your gut, they swipe up the bad bacterias which release the toxins to which your body gives an immune response that causes such symptoms. 

Hence, these symptoms are also considered an indicator that your body is responding to the probiotics and it is attacking the bad bacteria to ensure good gut health. That is why it is recommended to start with the lower doses of probiotics so that you can minimize the unpleasant symptoms. 

Improving gut health is a long journey that involves an individualised approach depending on the food sensitivities and deficiencies. Hence, be patient with the process and try out different diets and probiotics to see which one is performing better for you! Maintaining a balanced microbiome will definitely improve your gut health and help you fight against Hashimoto’s.

Suffering from a chronic disease like thyroid, gut problem, weight issues, autoimmune issues, etc... is not easy. Dr. Gupta is a certified Functional Medicine Physician and his personalized plans have helped thousands of people to reclaim their health back.

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