Uncovering The Facts of Leaky Gut Syndrome and Natural Treatment Options
The internal parts of our body are well protected from the outside world. But the gastrointestinal tract encounters different foreign items every day. The food we take partially digests in the stomach and moves on to the intestines, where the real work of extracting the nutrients and energy happens. The inner ecology is well balanced but for some individuals, it doesn’t and leads to a condition called leaky gut.
It is a condition in which the lining of the intestines becomes inflamed, or damaged allowing microbial toxins and undigested food particles to push into the bloodstream. The tight juncture between the cells that line the intestines weaken and become more permeable allowing undigested food particles and the enzymes outside the gut, where they don’t belong to.
This leaking of matter from the gut into the bloodstream can cause infections and widespread inflammation, and it may even increase the risk of certain autoimmune disorders. Plus, it can have implications for nutrition. It’s a double whammy, since you aren’t absorbing important vitamins and nutrients, and harmful substances that pass through are disrupting your hormones and immune system.
Symptoms:
A Leaky Gut Syndrome often shows symptoms like bloating, nausea, and cramping, but because the gut impacts our entire body, it can also cause headaches, rashes, fatigue, joint pain, etc. A wide variety of other symptoms, including mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, chronic fatigue, and allergies may result from increased intestinal permeability.
Such broad symptoms can make pinpointing the problem challenging. There’s no one particular symptom that defines leaky gut: “Some will have diarrhea or constipation, abdominal bloating, or they could feel tired. Sometimes they have nutritional deficiencies.
Who gets a leaky gut?
Anyone can develop increased intestinal permeability, though “there are some people whose genetics may predispose them to a more sensitive digestive tract. People with first-degree relatives who have IBD, gluten sensitivity, celiac disease, frequent GI infections, or IBS may be at higher risk of increased intestinal permeability. However, genetics isn’t the main factor; rather the food that we eat and how we live in the world around us is likely the main driver for our intestinal-barrier dysfunction.
The standard American diet is high in saturated fat, sugar, and processed foods, while low in fiber. Increasingly, studies are showing that this type of eating is a big driver in our impaired intestinal function. Heavy alcohol use, stress, and poor sleep also disrupt the delicate makeup of the gut.
The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen sodium, are known to cause damage to the intestinal lining and are implicated in causing a leaky gut. Minimizing the use of NSAIDs may help heal the leaky barrier.
People who already have a health issue related to the gastrointestinal tract, such as irritable bowel symptoms, Crohn’s disease, or colitis, are more likely to develop leaky gut.
Exactly why this happens isn’t completely understood, but the normal bacteria that reside in the gut and help support a healthy immune system, and proper digestion tend to get replaced or lost, which causes inflammation. Inflammation leads to symptoms or signs of the leaky gut syndrome because where there’s inflammation, that will cause increased permeability.
Coping with the leaky gut syndrome
If your doctor suspects leaky gut syndrome, or if you’re at risk of developing it, you’ll likely be advised to make a number of lifestyle changes to help alleviate symptoms and better manage the ailment. There is no allopathic medication that we can use. It’s basically lifestyle changes such as changing your diet and avoiding stress.
Some patients find that working with a functional medicine practitioner can help guide the way. The concept of functional medicine is to create balance within our bodily systems, and this all begins in the gut. A functional medicine practitioner will typically follow a 5 Phase approach for gut restoration.
5 Phase Approach:
- Alkalize: Sleep, exercise, and stress all affect the GI tract. Balancing all of these is crucial for gut health while staying physically active is a good idea for overall health.
The PH miracle acid-alkaline balance along with some diet support and some supplements could be a good start in the healing process.
2. Replace: Replace those items with higher-quality foods that can promote proper digestion. A high-fiber plant-based diet is a great place to start. The diversity of plants in your diet is one of the biggest contributors to a healthy gut.
3. Reinoculate: Reinoculate the gut by helping beneficial bacteria flourish through increased intake of prebiotic, probiotic, and postbiotic foods.
4. Repair: Repair the damaged gut lining through foods and supplements. Eating foods with Vitamin and mineral supplements such as vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, L-glutamine, and aloe can help support the body’s efforts to repair the gut lining.
5. Remove: Remove the things that are negatively affecting the GI tract, such as medications that might be damaging the intestines, foods you’re allergic to, toxins, and stressors.
Staying well-hydrated is a good way to support gut health and overall wellness. Every day, drink a minimum of half your body weight in ounces of water. But stay away from alcoholic drinks; the sugars in alcohol can exacerbate symptoms of leaky gut.
Have good knowledge of your health and take care of what you eat. If you still see any such symptoms then go for a natural treatment as the first option to treat your conditions. National Candida Center is one of the leading holistic centers in Florida treating conditions like dysbiosis, candida, leaky gut, IBS, and related problems since 1994. Contact NCC at 407-321-1377 or email office@nationalcandidacenter.com and get the best available support and treatment.
