Your stomach tells a lot about your health. Doctor suggests that if your gut is healthy then you are healthy. If that is not the case, then you need to take measures to bring your digestive system back in order. A medical condition known as leaky gut syndrome will hamper all your efforts to improve the functioning of your digestive system.
What is Leaky Gut?
Your stomach is a permeable bag made up of small molecules. This construction of the stomach makes it easy for you to absorb vital nutrients. Maintaining this permeability is crucial to perform fundamental functions of your stomach. Zonulin, a protein that can wreak havoc on the tight areas of intestinal lining is released by stomach cells. Gluten forces the gut cells to release this protein.
This is not the only factor that can lead to a leaky gut. Factors such as infections, toxins and age also play their part in the damage to internal lining of your stomach. When these tight areas of your stomach are torn apart, you suffer from a leaky gut. Due to a leaky gut, undigested food particles, microbes and toxins can get out of your intestine and enters your blood stream.
They continue their journey throughout your body until your immune system identifies them. Your immune system will treat these agents as pathogens and start attacking them, which would disrupt your healthy balance. The immune response will be strong and visible in the form of signs and symptoms of a leaky gut.
Causes of Leaky Gut
Before we move on to the signs and symptoms of leaky gut, it is better to understand the main causes of leaky gut syndrome. Foods, toxins and infection are mainly responsible for this condition. Consuming too much dairy products, sugar and alcohol will lead to inflammation and damage to the internal lining of the stomach.
If you are using medications such as antibiotics, steroids, acid minimizing drugs and advil, you are more vulnerable to leaky gut syndrome due to toxins present in these medications. Even toxins from the environment can make your condition worse. Excessive exposure to mercury, lead and pesticides and will have the same effect. Candida overgrowth and number of bacteria and parasites in your small intestine will give rise to infections, which will later take the form of leaky gut syndrome.
Signs and Symptoms
Here are some of the signs and symptoms of leaky gut syndrome that you should keep an eye on:
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Diarrhea
- Lupus and celiac disease
- Food allergy and food intolerance
- Hormonal imbalances
- Seasonal allergies such as asthma
- Skin problems such as acne, rosacea and eczema
- Candida overgrowth
- Mind problems
Contact your doctor quickly if any of the above mentioned symptoms are causing problems for you. It all starts with digestive problems such as diarrhea and irritable bevel syndrome and starts to show its effects on different parts of the body such as your brain and skin. Seasonal allergies and food allergies will become a serious pain in the neck.
Treatment
After discussing the causes and symptoms of leaky gut, let’s take a look at step by step treatment.
Remove
The treatment of leaky gut starts from removing the foods that cause inflammation from your diet. This will help you to prevent intestinal infections.
Add
Rely on foods that supports digestive system to conduct a smooth digestive process. Your diet should include foods rich in fiber and vitamins. A proper diet will ensure healthy levels of hydrochloric acids, bile acid and enzymes.
Establish
The next step focuses on providing a suitable platform to beneficial bacteria for their regeneration. On the other hand, harmful bacteria production should be discouraged. The right number of healthy bacteria in your stomach will work in your favor.
Repair
Last and final step that is very important for full recovery of the patient of leaky gut is repairing the damage done. Your stomach needs some nutrients to do the repairing job itself and all you have to do is to provide the stomach with those nutrients. L-glutamine supplements are a good option because it breathes new life into the lining and wall of your stomach.
