Leaky gut, also known as intestinal permeability can be tested for. It's a test developed for cholic-y babies. The doc gave me something (mannitol is one test) to drink that is indigestible by humans, you collect all of your urine, and if less comes out (of whatever that stuff was) than went in, your gut leaks. Leaky gut can be caused by the NSAIDS, including COX inhibitors, and also antibiotic use, and other things. (like maybe alcohol?)
I'm not sure just what you already know or how much you want to know. And I think someone elsewhere would know more than me. But in case you or someone else is interested in what I have seen, I'll throw it up here. I am seldom brief, cuz if I find something interesting, I think someone else may. I can't claim any changes to fibromyalgia. Unlike some fibro patients I am terrible at accomplishing dietary changes long term.
I read a doctor's article about
why so many celiac patients can't heal their guts, (with serious consequences for them) and he said all grains are problematic even stuff like rice. I'm not sure if he was talking only about
healing the villi, or if it would also apply to healing the wall junctures. I've also been starting to read more about
lectins. If you're interested, another day I'll try to re-find what I have seen.
There are two kinds of bacteria. Gram negative and gram positive. Gram positive bacteria, has a substantially thicker cell wall, and gram negative bacterias is different with one layer being much thinner. There is talk that a different cell wall evolved as a defense against our use of antibiotics.
A layer of cell wall of gram negative bacteria is made with lipopolysacharides: I find words easier to remember if I know word roots. "Lipo-"comes from lipoprotein, which comes from lipid + protein. The lipid is made from cholesterol and a fatty acid. I just think of lipids as fats, to simplify it. Sacharide means it is a sugar. I can remember that cuz if someone is said to be too saccharine, it means they are too sweet (or sentimental).
The body uses something called the MAC: Membrane Attack Complex, to destroy bacteria. You can see youtube medical school student tutorials on the MAC. Each part of the complex is numbered, but numbered in the order it was discovered. The final numbered complex type arranges itself in a circle on the outside of the bacteria, and the other complexes punch a hole in the cell wall, in the center of the circle.
Punch enuf tiny holes and the tiny bacteria has spilled its guts. All of those pieces of wall are called lipopolysacharides (LPS), and they have turned up in the blood in a Chronic Fatigue Syndrome study. What are they doing in the blood? Shouldn't they be in the gut? So shall we assume leaky gut? I do.
Some ME/CFS patients take probiotics, as I have seen suggested in the paper where I read about
the LPS research. I think in part they are doing germ warfare. Some rotate their probiotics, which makes a lot of sense, since science doesn't really understand the effects of all of these bugs yet. Balance is good. This is interesting: one study showed the gut bacteria from anxious mice, when transferred into calm mice, made them anxious, too,
I decided to look to see if a fibro study may have found LPS. Well, I would have to really be in the mood, to finish that chore. Too many results turn up in a search. There are a lot--dozens--of studies looking at inflammatory cytokines in fibro, and LPS are used in the lab to find them, so it isn't going to be a quick search for an answer.
One night I was reading various kinds of studies & finding some other surprising patient groups that have inflammatory cytokines, like sleep apnea and depression patients. In fact, it's quite possible that antidepressants may work for at least some by lowering inflammatory cytokine numbers, as they have been shown to do in studies. Nobody is positive just how antidepressants work. For all we know, that may be how some fibro patients are helped by these meds, but there's no telling as of yet.
There is a researcher named Michael Maes, and it seems like he loves to poke his finger at the world and say "X" is a real physiological problem, not just in someone's head. I used to try to remember to periodically look for whatever his latest project has been. I have found studies of his about
fibro (looked at a signal transducer protein related to inflammation), CFS and depression, and other diseases.
(I read that some of his later research is into TRYCATS.(tryptophan catabolytes?) Very interesting. I read that at Health Rising's site in a blog from Cort Johnson in a section about
the kynurenine pathway in fibro, which is where tryptophan (<<building block to serotonin) can be broken down and become neuroprotecive or something damaging. I digress...kind of... but all of the above actually ties in.)
One of my Michael Maes searches turned up this leaky gut blog. I never did find his original leaky gut study, but this psychiatrist's wording is probably easier to grasp.
You can skip e first 2 paragrahs
http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.com/2011/02/depression-and-leaky-gut.html
Certain inflammatory cytokines may disregulate the kynurenine pathway. If you're interested in Cort Johnson's blog, it is here:
http://www.cortjohnson.org/blog/2013/08/26/researchers-assert-inexpensive-biomarker-fibromyalgia-found-immune-system-implicated/
Last post edit: at this linked thread titled "Glial cell activation" thread I discuss important info. LPS activate central nervous system glial cells. Activated glial cells are thought to be behind chronic pain states. Also possible contribute to MS, ALS, RA, fibro, CRPS, and more.
https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=24&m=3418910&g=3418910#m3418910
EDIT: I'm not going to bump this thread up again by responding, but later in this thread a statement is made that there isn't inflammation in fibro. I whole heartedly disagree, which most people here realize. I would venture to say that inflammation may be the topic of most of the fibro studies done lately. Today I posted a new thread on this topic, which I will link to now. My suggestion to the confused is: Do your own reading, don't trust me or anyone else on a forum. There are lots of forum inaccuracies. The thing to do is read the studies, and look at where researchers are investing the funding. And remember this word: neuroinflammation.
https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=24&m=3342044
Post Edited (Rockon) : 9/11/2015 5:25:53 AM (GMT-6)