The Symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome

It is difficult for many health care practitioners to diagnose increased intestinal permeability, aka. leaky gut syndrome, since it can manifest itself in a variety of different ways in your system. Many clinicians dispute the validity of leaky gut syndrome. Most of the time the symptoms are treated individually instead of seeing them as the result of one problem.

The small intestine contains billions of cells, which are packed tightly together to keep bacteria, viruses, and other toxins out of the body's tissues. Many people are allergic to or have an intolerance for some of the common foods that we eat such as wheat gluten. What happens is indigestible gliaden molecules combine with the cells of the small intestine which are then attacked by our immune system causing inflammation.

This then causes an increase in a protein called zonulin which appears to be responsible for maintaining the protective barrier in the small intestine, and that high levels of this protein are associated with disruptions in the barrier that allow foreign substances into the body's tissues. The intestinal lining starts to "leak," which allows bacteria, fungi, parasites and other toxins, undigested protein, fat, and waste to escape into your bloodstream.

This usually leads to a host of gastrointestinal problems such as bloating, excess gas, and cramping. Other gastrointestinal complaints can include constipation, diarrhea, candida, indigestion, and heartburn.

Once these toxins are in the bloodstream, they can take up residence in any organ or tissue where they find room. Chronic inflammation begins and eventually degeneration of that organ could occur. One of the first organs affected by leaky gut syndrome is your liver. The more toxins enter your bloodstream, the more your liver has to work to excrete them.

If left untreated, your liver will eventually become overloaded and no longer do its job properly. As a result, the toxins are returned into the blood to re-circulate. If too many toxins accumulate within the body, your immune system exhausts itself working fighting them, which leads to a portion of the toxins inevitably entering the body. Bacteria can accumulate to unhealthy levels leaving you vulnerable to other infections.

The adrenal glands are small glands that sit on top of your kidneys and are vital in resisting infection. With the prolonged presence of leaky gut syndrome, the adrenalin supply is slowly reduced, resulting in adrenal fatigue. Symptoms of adrenal fatigue include exhaustion, sleep that doesn't refresh you, inability to cope with stress, difficulty concentrating, and poor digestion.

It is important for you to understand your body and what it is telling you. Once you have a diagnosis in hand, then leaky gut becomes far less troublesome and menacing. An accurate diagnosis can also provide you with an effective treatment. Treating your symptoms as they develop individually is not the answer. If your present health care provider is unable or unwilling to consider the possibility of leaky gut you may want to consult a holistic practitioner.

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What Are Healthy Bowels Anyway? Cut Leaky Bowels At The Source

You have probably heard before that the delicious, amazing foods we enjoy today are actually very bad for the human body. You've heard the accusations that the soil no longer has the nutrients needed to nourish the body and all of the attacks on preservatives. You have also been informed that modern processing robs our food of valuable bacteria needed for healthy bowels. You know how your stomach feels when riddled with leaky gut syndrome and you know that these attacks on the modern day diet are probably true.

This leads to one big question: what is a healthy stomach supposed to feel like? What do healthy bowels feel like?

The Digestive Process

You first have to understand how the digestive system of the human body works. It can be summed up like this:

1. You choose foods that you want to eat and ingest them.

2. The food is broken down by your teeth then pushed into the stomach. Think of the stomach as a holding tank where food waits for further processing.

3. The food is driven through the small intestine so nutrients can be pulled out and absorbed into the system. Those nutrients will then be used for a variety of purposes throughout the body.

4. The food goes through the large intestine so fluids can be drawn out and absorbed into the system. The water will also be used throughout the body, wherever it is needed.

As the food goes through this processing, bacterium accumulate throughout the digestive tract. This should ideally be a healthy mix of good and bad bacteria. The good bacteria should fight off the bad, keeping the ratio in check for healthy bowels.

It is when the bad bacteria start to take over that you really have something to worry out. That is essentially what happens with leaky gut syndrome. There is your answer to the big question: healthy bowels have a nice mix of good and bad bacteria. These bowels are comfortable and high functioning because of this mix.

Keeping the Balance

The modern world is working against your healthy bowels. If you are under a lot of stress at times, you are probably killing off some of your healthy bacteria. If you eat a diet high in sugar or consume a lot of processed foods, then you have a much higher chance of ruining the balance between good and bad bacteria. Add in all of the preservatives added into our food for long shelve lives and the artificial coloring and flavoring that we use every single day, and you see why so many people have leaky guts!

There is one other culprit for the murder of good bacteria: antibiotics. Doctors prescribe antibiotics for the purpose of killing off bacteria. The problem is these medications have no control over their guns. They simply attack any and all bacteria that come their way. This means the good bacteria goes down along with the bad.

All of these factors can lead to an imbalance that allows the bad bacteria to take over. Irritation, inflammation, and lots of digestive discomfort are the result.

What are Healthy Bowels?

Healthy bowels are bowels that function properly and are not uncomfortable. They are bowels not overrun with parasites, bacteria and other toxins from a leaky intestinal wall. That is essentially what happens with leaky gut syndrome: the intestinal walls fail to keep the toxins away from the blood stream.

Do You Want Healthy Bowels?

No matter how unhealthy your bowels may be right now, you can restore them to health in a couple ways:

1. Increase the good bacteria in your gut by taking a probiotic on a daily basis.

2. Eat foods that promote a healthy digestive system, while staying away from foods that do not sit well in your system.

It's all about increasing the good bacteria and getting rid of the bad. Do that and you too will benefit from healthy bowels.

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