12 Apr 3 Ways You Can Recover from Leaky Gut Syndrome
Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS), also referred to as increased intestinal permeability, is a condition where the junction between the cells of intestinal wall lining becomes loose. This allows substances from the digestive tract penetrate through the intestinal wall into the blood, therefore bypassing the normal pathway, which is going through the cell. That would not be a problem, except, the substances that end up in the blood stream, like microbes, undigested food particles and even toxins, should never be there. As a result, the intestinal wall gets inflamed and cannot perform it’s important function which is nutrients absorption. Therefore, one can start suffering from malabsorption and malnutrition. We often see it as low levels of common vitamins and minerals in the blood test.
Most commonly LGS may present with symptoms of bloating, gas, stomach aches and food intolerance or sensitivity. The substances that end up in the blood may also set off the beginning of the autoimmune diseases like celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid diseases, like Hashimoto or Graves disease, multiple sclerosis and many others.There is an established link between LGS and some mental symptoms (brain fog, poor memory, intellectual sluggishness) and even psychiatric diseases (attention deficit disorder, depression, anxiety). We often refer to it as “leaky gut = leaky brain”.
Interestingly, Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS) is not a diagnosis necessarily taught in traditional medical school programs so strictly conventional doctors may not acknowledge the existence of this condition. Therefore, they don’t always suspect it in their patients or don’t know how to treat it.However, more and more research data confirm the link between this condition and development of multiple chronic medical conditions, especially related to gastrointestinal diseases such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) like Ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.
My continued studies after traditional medical education, in alternative science-based medical practice and recent certification in functional medicine have taught me the tremendous effects of a leaky gut on people’s overall health.
The factors contributing to LGS are: stress, alcohol, toxins, some pharmaceuticals meds, poor diet, gut bacterial imbalance (dysbiosis).
Three ways you can recover from Leaky Gut Syndrome are:
Find out if you actually have LGS
Change the way you eat
Learn to deal with stress
Find out if you actually have Leaky Gut Syndrome
First, determine whether you actually have LGS. Find a functional medicine physician in your area who can help you (go to www.functionalmedicine.org). As a result of extensive training in alternative and functional medicine I go beyond traditional methods and take a full health history. I use special laboratory testing to get to the very root of medical problems rather than simply charting symptoms and writing prescriptions to suppress them.
Change the way you eat
During the process of investigating your illness, I can help you establish a new customized diet, which is likely to improve your health, regardless of the final diagnosis. A diet in this sense is not meant to restrict your caloric intake but refers to the types of foods you are eating. Natural and unprocessed foods should be eaten in variety with lots of green leafy vegetables and lean protein as main parts of your food intake. Certain supplements might be recommended that will help to heal the intestinal lining and make the cell junctions tight again.
Learn to deal with stress
Leading a high stress lifestyle will result in greater risk for developing chronic diseases and LGS is one of them. Learning how to deal with stress and identifying stressors in your life will be a part of any treatment plan that will re-balance and heal your body long term.
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