“There are a lot of people who have no ‘neurological disease’ but they have functional impairment of the brain and neurodegeneration. This means that the degeneration is there, but they’re not far along enough to be diagnosed as having a disease.” — Dr. Datis Kharrazian, June 2017
We all hear about “Leaky Gut” or the scientific name for Increased Intestinal Permeability.
But did you know that you can also have a Leaky Brain and Leaky Lung?
Anywhere that you have barriers, such as the Blood Brain Barrier or the tissue in the gut (endothelial tissue, which is identical to that of the lungs).
Inflammation tends to happen simultaneously in both areas. So ‘leaky lung syndrome,’ ‘leaky brain,’ & ‘leaky gut syndrome’ go hand in hand!
“Leaky Brain happens when the tight junctions and fragility of the blood-brain barrier become compromised and leaky.” — The International Journal of Molecular Science
What Can Cause a Leaky Blood Brain Barrier?
1. Inflammation. Brain on fire = Gut on fire. Leaky gut = Leaky Brain.
2. Low antioxidants: Not having a diet high in fruits and vegetables, eating non-nourishing foods.
3. Low Glutathione levels: This is the most powerful antioxidant in your body. Glutathione has many roles in the body, such as participating in liver detoxification, helping to get rid of heavy metals in the body, protecting the blood-brain barrier, and anti-aging.
4. Eating wheat: Eating wheat/gluten destroys your brain tissue. Hundreds of documented studies have show brain MRIs of white matter lesions in people eating wheat before, and then after the healing of those lesions after being gluten-free for 4 – 6 months.
5. Eating wheat! *(I can’t stress this enough) Dr. Kharrazian conducted a study in 2013 showing that the gluten in wheat LOOKS like cerebellar tissue and through “molecular mimicry” causes antibodies to a person’s cerebellum.
The cerebellum controls coordination, balance, and movement. There is no other food protein more devastating to the brain than gluten.
A Quick Test to Show If You Have Weak/Degenerating Cerebellar Function:
- Try to balance on one foot for a few seconds. First, stand on your left foot only. Then stand on your right foot only. Are you easily able to balance? Do you fall to one side?
- Stand on each foot with your eyes closed and see if you are still able to balance.
- Walk heel to toe without wavering or falling to one side. If you cannot take 3 steps, then you have a cerebellar issue.
- Walk heel to toe with your eyes closed. If you cannot take 3 steps without falling or wavering, you have a cerebellar issue.
- Try to coordinate the exact speed and timing of the right and left hands with repeated and alternating supination and pronation.
If you had any issue with doing those tests, you have degeneration of your cerebellum. You must stop eating wheat #1.
You need to strengthen the cerebellum by doing those exercises until you no longer fall over or are imbalanced — this creates neuroplasticity.
If You’re Still Not Convinced….
You can try doing The Array 3 from Cyrex Labs, this tests the entire wheat proteome instead of just alpha gliadin (which is the most commonly tested part of wheat to determine if you have a wheat allergy. If this comes back nonreactive, you’re deemed “okay” totally neglecting all the other portions of wheat).
How to Tell if You Have a leaky Blood Brain Barrier:
You can’t exactly tell if you have a leaky brain, because you can’t FEEL it. There are no Nociceptors (pain fibers) in the brain. If you get a headache, that is a vascular issue.
We have to look at the whole picture of what is going on with the gut.
Also, some questionnaires to determine what areas of the brain are degenerating.
One hypothesis that Dr. Datis Kharrazian touched on is the GABA Challenge.
GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter within the Central Nervous System (CNS) that reduces excitability in the CNS and causes us to feel calm. It also plays a role in muscle tone.
- (Side note: Ataxia is an “idiopathic” condition that is characterized by loss of muscle control, stiffness in muscles, unable to move. Studies have found that wheat can create confusion in the process that creates GABA, and cause antibodies to the enzyme responsible for the synthesis of GABA. ‘GAD 65 antibodies’.)
GABA is a relatively large molecule and should NOT pass through the blood brain barrier. If you’ve ever taken GABA and you felt sleepy…this means you have a leaky blood-brain barrier.
The GABA Challenge:
Credit: Datis Kharrazian
- On a night when you have nothing planned, take 1000 mg of GABA
- Notice any unusual slowing down type feelings, tiredness, or lethargy.
- Although rare, this response can happen too: feeling wired, excitation, agitation. This is still an indication of a compromised BBB.
- Any sort of change is an indication of damage to the BBB.
Kindly Note: at the time of writing this in 2017, I hadn’t become a NAET practitioner, and my recommendations were different.
Since 2020, I have seen amazing improvements in my clients with gluten intolerances. That is what I would suggest in addition to an immune balance protocol specific to the person’s needs.
More Helpful Blog Articles on The Brain and Neurologic
- Lymphatic Drainage Is A New Target for Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention and Lead To Better outcomes in Disease Severity
- Resveratrol May Have Therapeutic Potential In Treatment Of Autism
- PANDAS/PANS: Is a Brain Infection Driving your Child’s OCD, Tics & Psychosis?
- Diabetes Of The Brain: Are You At Risk?
- Studies Show Fluoride To Be Neurotoxic, Lower IQ In Children, Inhibits Thyroid Function
- The Implications of Constant Stress on Your Brain
Sources:
- Aquaporins and Brain Tumors
- Immunology of stiff person syndrome and other GAD-associated neurological disorders
- GAD antibody-associated neurological illness and its relationship to gluten sensitivity
- The prevalence of antibodies against wheat and milk proteins in blood donors and their contribution to neuroimmune reactivities
- The Role of Brain Chemistry and The Physiological Impact by Datis Kharrazian
