#17. How Gut Damage Makes You Sick, Fat & Anxious + How to Fix it
How gut damage causes poor mental health, bloating, IBS, sickness & brain fog—plus science-backed tools to fix it.
The ‘Science-based Health Tools’, ‘Lead to Win’ & the ‘Le Monde Élégant’ social skills sections are companions for The Stoic Manual to enhance your overall health, vitality, stress resilience, discipline, focus, motivation, and refine your people skills, relationships & leadership skills for a distinguished life—by Dr. Antonius Veritas.
I didn’t know what a leaky gut was. I just knew something was wrong with me.
At first, it was just loose stools here and there. Then it turned into a pattern. I’d eat something normal—rice, eggs, a sandwich—and within minutes, I’d be speed-walking to the bathroom, hoping no one stopped me to talk. Some days it was a sprint. Other days I’d sit there with this dull, twisting pain that felt like a rope tightening behind my belly button.
The bloating made it worse. I’d wake up well, eat one small meal, and my stomach would puff out like I’d swallowed a balloon. I looked like I had a potbelly even though I was fit. Sometimes it hurt to stand up straight. And always, always, the gas came. In meetings, elevators, Ubers. Once I farted during a group prayer. Everyone kept their eyes closed. I kept mine shut longer than I needed to.
I started reacting to foods that used to be fine. Carbs made me sluggish. Onions made me cramp. Coffee gave me heartburn. Spices I’d loved for years turned my gut into a battlefield.
I also got sick constantly. Sore throats and flu that lasted for weeks. Stomach bugs that ruined my hangouts with friends. Random flare-ups and constant annoying allergies. My facial skin broke out in weird patches. I’d feel tired all day even after sleeping eight hours. Some days I’d wake up sad for no reason.
Still, I told myself I was just “sensitive.” Maybe a bit run down.
But deep down, I knew it wasn’t normal.
This wasn’t about one bad meal. It was something deeper—something systemic—and I had to find out what I’d been doing to my body that made it feel like it was breaking apart. Besides, I wanted a normal, healthy and fun life again. Diarrhea wasn’t fun.
That’s what led me to the science of gut health.
And that’s the theme of today’s entry.
Previously,
I. What Is the Gut Microbiome and What Does It Do?
You’ve been taught to think of the gut as a tube. An assembly line. You chew, swallow, digest, absorb, excrete. A series of pipes. But that view is obsolete. The gut is a…
Join 43,500 other subscribers,