Could You Have Leaky Gut

By Jeff Kucine, DO

Back To Balance

. https://www.drkucine.com/

Could You Have Leaky Gut

There are many places you may have heard about leaky gut syndrome, but there is one place where it’s not often discussed: your doctor’s office. This is because it can be difficult to diagnose, there is no definitive course of treatment, and it has a lot of different causes. But perceptions are changing, and that’s good because it may be the medical revelation of the 21st century.

What Is Leaky Gut?

The small intestine is semi-permeable, meaning it allows some very small particles – nutrients, for example – to exit into the bloodstream while blocking most everything else. Leaky gut is essentially what is sounds like: a condition in which the lining of the small intestine becomes damaged, allowing larger particles including waste products, bacteria and undigested food particles into the bloodstream. Your body recognizes that these particles do not belong and launches an attack. As your gut continues to leach foreign bodies into your bloodstream, your body triggers its autoimmune response. This often causes inflammation and allergic reactions.

How Is Leaky Gut Diagnosed?

Often leaky gut is a something of a placeholder diagnosis that might be given when no other diagnosis can be made. It can be frustrating for patients when other tests fail to uncover a definite answer, and because so little is known about leaky gut syndrome, medical doctors are often reluctant to consider it as an underlying, treatable cause. This is why it is important to recognize some of the major symptoms. Patients will often have to be their own strongest advocates when it comes to care.

Symptoms may include:

• Headaches or memory loss

• Diarrhea, constipation, gas or bloating

• Sluggish immune system

• Chronic fatigue

• Allergies

• Nutritional deficiencies

• Arthritis or joint pain

• Skin problems, including rashes, acne or eczema

It is also possible that other diagnoses are linked to leaky gut, including:

• Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or celiac disease

• Asthma

• Inflammatory bowel disease

• Fibromyalgia

• Type 1 diabetes

• Autism

Although no test can affirm with 100% certainty that you have leaky gut, it can be clinically diagnosed through an intestinal permeability test that measures how well two non-metabolized sugar molecules get through the digestive lining. It’s important to remember, however, that just as there is no 100% definitive test, there is also no 100% definitive treatment.

What Should I Do If I Think I Have Leaky Gut?

The most important action you can take if you think you might have leaky gut is to speak with a health professional whom you trust and who will listen to your concerns. This may be a general practitioner, a gastroenterologist or someone who specializes in alternative medicine. Although there is no guaranteed course of treatment, many believe there are steps you can take to either repair your gut or minimize the effects. Most believe that an anti-inflammatory diet with possible L-Glutamine supplements can have a positive effect with very little downside. However, it is important to discuss this carefully with a trusted health professional so that a personalized plan can be created to address your particular needs.