One of the difficulties many doctors face in diagnosing leaky gut syndrome is the variety of leaky gut symptoms a patient can exhibit. These leaky gut symptoms often appear unrelated and they can manifest in a wide range of health conditions. Leaky gut symptoms can range from chronic stomach pain and bloating to shortness of breath, insomnia, poor memory, anxiety, depression, rashes, joint pain, headaches and many, many more. Leaky gut syndrome can lead to conditions such as Celiac disease, Fibromylagia, Crohn’s disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Eczema, food allergies and a growing list of other health concerns.
As more information becomes available about Leaky Gut Syndrome, more doctors are recognizing it as the condition behind a range of other conditions. This makes sense when you think about what happens in the body with Leaky Gut Syndrome. Basically it is a problem in the intestinal system. The lining of the intestines acts like a filter. It is only supposed to allow very small particles that have been properly digested through into the blood stream to be carried to other body organs to feed them. When this filter starts letting bigger undigested particles, bacteria, viruses, and waste through to the bloodstream, it causes the immune system to go into action, resulting in inflammation and leaky gut symptoms. Such a variety of symptoms and resulting conditions exists because there are so many different places these particles can be carried to in the body. Which leaky gut symptoms an individual person displays depends on what parts of the body or body organs end up being affected.
What To Do About Leaky Gut Symptoms
While more is being learned about Leaky Gut Syndrome all the time, there is some information indicating that leaky gut symptoms can be caused by poor diet, chronic stress, some medications and an imbalance in the intestinal bacteria. There are no tests that can tell you absolutely if you have Leaky Gut Syndrome, but an Intestinal Permeability Test can help indicate if there are problems with your intestinal lining. Two non-metabolized sugar molecules are used and measured in their ability to cross the lining. Information from this test can indicate what problems with the digestive lining are contributing to leaky gut symptoms.
If you are suffering with leaky gut symptoms, there is no magic cure, but there are things you can do to restore the intestinal lining and help with inflammation. Solutions that involve diet are the first to consider. Avoiding refined sugar, gluten, artificial sweeteners and dairy products can stop the support of inflammation. Then eating a diet full of green leafy veggies, essential fatty acids such as found in coldwater fish, flax and olive oils, AFA bluegreen alage, and nuts, lots of food high in fiber and fermented foods can help with preventing further inflammation and supporting the friendly bacteria in the gut.
Supplementing Your Diet For Relief From Leaky Gut Symptoms
There are several supplements that can also help with leaky gut symptoms. Here’s a few and how they can help.
1. Probiotics – Supporting a balance of “good” bacteria versus “bad” bacteria in the gut is a key to maintaining a healthy digestive system. Taking supplements of acidophilus and bifidus can help in the healing process of the intestinal lining, help in the absorption of nutrients, and the normal movement of food through the intestines. Eating yogurt with live active cultures can help, but to fully replenish your supply of healthy intestinal bacteria, oral supplements are your best bet. Yogurt tends to not have enough density of probiotics to truly replenish.
2. Enzymes – Digestive enzymes can help in breaking down food into smaller particles and they go through the intestinal system removing toxins, bacteria and damaged cells.
3. Glutamine – This amino acid can be helpful in the repair of damage to the gut including the intestinal lining as well as reduce cravings for sugar.
4. Slippery Elm – Supplementing your diet with slippery elm adds antioxidant protection against inflammation and supports the intestinal tract and stomach lining.
5. Marshmallow Root – Is used to relieve inflammation in stomach lining and to protect the digestive lining. It is helpful in treating diarrhea and constipation.
You now have several natural solutions presented to help you deal with leaky gut symptoms. A convenient solution that combines two kinds of bluegreen algae, acidophilus, bifidus and enzymes is found in these daily packets that give you all these without the hassle of several bottles. Whether or not you can get an actual diagnosis of Leaky Gut Syndrome, you know your leaky gut symptoms can make your life miserable. These natural solutions to support your gut health and ease inflammation can go a long way towards giving you relief from leaky gut symptoms and a healthier lifestyle.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Also, check out the free health resources or order blue-green algae products on our website. Sign up for our twice monthly email newsletter for even more health and nutrition related articles.
Sources:
http://www.leakygut.co.uk/symptoms.htm
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/could-leaky-gut-be-troubling-you
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-9336/8-supplements-to-heal-a-leaky-gut.html