The concepts presented in this article are intended to bring your attention to the chiropractic profession’s role in recognizing the connection between the digestive system and immunity. We all are aware of the admonitions about making claims of treating patients affected with a serious immune problem. Those are the exclusive province of medicine — no argument here. However, there is a difference between offering treatment for an infectious disorder, such as COVID-19 or any of the SARS viruses, and understanding how those organisms enter the body, as well as being able to detect early deviations from a normal function that occurs when they attempt to do so.
Last month, we concluded our discussion about how stomach acid provides limited immune protection against bacteria entering the body. We discussed how a stressed digestive system produces symptoms of the resulting energy deficiencies caused by the inadequate digestion of macronutrients. We also covered the impact and frequently overlooked consequences of inadequate and blocked gastric digestion.
This month, we look back and begin with the protective mucosal lining of not only the digestive tract but also the respiratory tract, urinary tract, and uterus.
The Mucosal Lining
The function of the mucosal linings is to protect the underlying epithelium tissues. Mucus is composed of water, electrolytes, and glycoproteins, which are primarily large polysaccharide molecules combined with much smaller amounts of protein. The composition of mucous varies slightly in different areas of the gastrointestinal system, respiratory system, urinary system, and uterus, but its functions are universal. For reasons of space, I will only present mucosal protection for the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory system in this article.
The most important point to remember is that the contents of protected organs systems are not in the body! In addition to protecting tissues of the various parts of the gastrointestinal tract from digestive secretions, mucosal linings trap pathogens and attempt to destroy them before they can enter the body.
The Respiratory Mucosa
Respiratory epithelium lines most of the respiratory tract, where it serves to moisten and protect the airways. It also functions as a barrier to potential pathogens and foreign particles, preventing infection and tissue injury by the secretion of mucus and the action of mucociliary clearance, the primary innate defense mechanism of the lung. Long-term irritation of the epithelial cells can cause an overproduction of mucus, which results in chronic bronchitis.
Aggregated Lymphatic Follicles in the Gastrointestinal System
The aggregated lymphatic nodules (Peyer's patches) are at their largest and most numerous in the ileum. They are few in number in the lower part of the jejunum and are only seen occasionally in the duodenum. A group of solitary lymphatic nodules covered with mucous membrane forms each patch. They are freely supplied with blood vessels and give off fine branches permeating the lymphoid tissue in the interior of the follicle. The lymphatic plexuses are especially abundant around these patches.
While we have been led to believe that the COVID-19 virus enters lung tissue directly and attaches with its protein spikes, you can see that it must first enter through the mucosal membrane that protects the lung.
You may not know that it can and certainly does enter the body through the digestive system too, where it also must get past the mucosal membrane and its aggregated lymphatic follicles (white blood cell hotels).
I refer you to a study from the American Society for Microbiology published on January 12, 2021, in mBio, the association’s bimonthly, peer-reviewed, open-access, scientific journal. In this review, researchers examined emerging evidence suggesting that poor gut health adversely affects COVID-19 prognosis.
What follows is my summary of information extracted from the study, which began by stating, “People infected with COVID-19 experience a wide range of symptoms and severities. The most commonly reported symptoms include high fevers and respiratory problems. However, autopsy and other studies have revealed that the infection can affect the liver, kidney, heart, spleen, and even the gastrointestinal tract.”
...“These symptoms suggest that the virus does involve the GI tract as the severity of the disease increases.”
It seems that a sizeable fraction of patients hospitalized with breathing problems also have diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms suggest that the virus does involve the GI tract as the severity of the disease increases.
One of the microbiologists proposed that gut dysfunction and its associated “leaky gut” might exacerbate the severity of infection by giving the virus access to the surface of the digestive tract and internal organs. They concluded that there seems to be a clear connection between the altered gut microbiome and severe COVID-19.
In future articles in this series, we will refer extensively to the so-called “leaky gut” phenomenon. For now, it is enough to know that previous studies have demonstrated that people with underlying medical conditions (e.g., high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity) face a higher risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms. Risk also increases with age, and both factors have a well-known association with altered gut microbiota. This imbalance can affect gut barrier integrity, giving pathogens easier access to cells in the intestinal lining.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that the link between gut health and a COVID-19 prognosis has not been empirically demonstrated. However, some researchers have argued that unhealthy gut microbiomes may be an underlying reason why some people have such severe infections. Some studies do hint at a complicated relationship; apparently, a person's gut health at the time of infection may be critical for symptom development.
Many recent studies have found reduced bacterial diversity in gut samples collected from COVID-19 patients when compared to samples from healthy people. The tests reveal a depletion of beneficial bacterial species and the enrichment of pathogenic ones. A similar imbalance has been associated with the influenza A infection, although the two viruses differ in how they change the overall microbial composition.
In conclusion, I suggest that the problem with gut health goes beyond COVID-19. Once the pandemic passes, the world will still have to reckon with chronic diseases and other problems associated with poor gut health. I believe the chiropractic profession offers early recognition of problems with digestive health that are not presently well known. It’s all about maintaining health and preventing disease.
As always, I invite your comments and questions. You may email me at [email protected].
Dr. Howard F. Loomis Jr. has an extensive background in food enzyme nutrition. He is the president of the Food Enzyme Institute. The Food Enzyme Institute offers in-person and online seminars to healthcare practitioners around the country. Dr. Loomis published Enzymes: The Key to Health in 1999, The Enzyme Advantage in 2015, and The Enzyme Advantage for Women in 2016. His latest book, What Is Your Nutritional Deficiency?: Find It, Fix It, and Feel Better! was published in 2019. Contact info: 478 Commerce Dr. Suite 201, Madison, Wl 53719, [email protected], 800-662-2630.
