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Understanding Leaky Gut Syndrome

December 22, 2014

Leaky Gut Syndrome

Leaky gut syndrome is a term that is used to describe an abnormally hyperpermeable intestinal walls. This is a condition in which the intestines become more porous therefore leaking the undigested food particles into the blood stream. This creates very many holes that are allowing too much of undigested food particles into the bloodstream causing myriads of problems. Apart from undigested food particles toxins, yeast and other wastes find their way into the blood stream therefore overwhelming the liver which is supposed to be sieving all the unwanted content from the blood.

The biggest problem that is presented by this condition is that the intestine should function as the first sieve as it keeps the unwanted materials from getting into the blood stream but since holes have been created on the lining of the intestines everything finds their way in the blood stream and the body may react by inflaming.

Symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome

Food Sensitivities – food sensitivities has been closely linked to leaky gut syndrome. This sis because of the high toxins that are accumulated in the blood, this will force the body to produce very many antibodies which makes them more susceptible to some kind of foods.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Researchers from Hungary have recently uncovered that elevated gut permeability is often times localized to the colon in people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis.

Thyroid Problems – leaky gut syndrome causes thyroid problems so if you are experiencing thyroid problems, the leaky gut syndrome may be the culprit.

Malabsorption – the leaky gut syndrome causes poor absorption of food, this is because it causes nutritional deficiencies especially of vitamins and minerals such as magnesium and vitamin B12 that help in digestion of food.

Leaky Gut Syndrome

Causes of Leaky Gut Syndrome

Unhealthy diet- when you eat lots of processed foods, refined sugars and preservatives, they cause high chemical amounts in the body which are considered toxins. The body will begin to fight these toxins but since you are taking more and more of these toxins the system may be overwhelmed and this may cause inflammations. Accumulation of these toxins will cause corrosion on the intestinal walls causing the leaky gut syndrome.

Medications- some medication has Aspirin or Acetaminophen as part of their content. Aspirin and Acetaminophen irritate the intestinal lining and decrease the mucosal levels .this affects the protection offered by the mucus on the walls of the intestine. It may also encourage inflammation which increases permeability of the intestinal wall.

Lack of Zinc- Zinc is a vitamin that is good in maintaining the strength of intestinal walls.  A deficiency of the vitamin can lead to the mucosal lining losing strength and becoming more permeable.  There are studies that show that supplementing with Zinc when it is deficient can dramatically improve intestinal lining integrity. Therefore eating meals that are rich in zinc such as nuts may help prevent against leaky gut syndrome.

Yeast- too much yeast causes candida that may grow roots in the intestinal lining, this results in their tentacles making holes on the lining of the stomach creating entry for non-digested food into the blood stream.

Chronic Stress-Chronic stress almost always results in a suppressed immune system.  A weakened immune system cannot handle doing it’s normal job and gets easily overwhelmed with pathogens very.  This increases overall gut inflammation leading to increased permeability of the intestinal lining.

Inflammation-Any type of inflammation in the gut can lead to leaky gut.  This can be brought on by low stomach acid. Low stomach acid passes undigested food into the small intestine which then causes myriads of digestive problems that may in turn cause the leaky gut syndrome.

Treatment for Leaky Gut Syndrome

Leaky gut syndrome is a mysterious condition that is up to now still not fully understood by the medical fraternity probably because it is not taught as a diagnosable disease. However it is a multifaceted condition that must be tackled by joining really several dots to form a line. Here are some of the approaches that can be used to treat this disease.

Watch what you eat- it is very important to keep away from foods that may lead to accumulation of toxins in your body. Foods that are over processed, high in sugar content should be avoided to alleviate inflammations that make the intestine lining more permeable. When you stop eating these kinds of foods the toxin levels will go down and the yeast will be starved and overgrowth stopped, this will enable the walls to repair and regain normal permeability.

Leaky gut syndrome

Using nutritional supplements- leaky gut syndrome causes nutritional deficiencies therefore the body needs to be supplemented with these nutrients. Some nutrients like zinc are also important in strengthening the intestine lining and hence boost recovery.

Digestive Enzymes– eating foods that are rich in digestive enzymes can help you a great lot in fighting leaky gut syndrome. The digestive enzymes are naturally found in the foods that we eat the whole foods that are not over processed. Fruits and vegetables are rich in these digestive enzymes, they work in the intestines helping to break food into finnier particles before they are absorbed to the blood stream. They also remove toxins, bad bacteria and even worn out cells of the intestine lining creating a clean environmental for absorption of digested food particles.

Leaky gut syndrome is a complicated, debilitating condition. But you aren’t on your own: please contact Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) on 843-213-1480 and tap into her wealth of knowledge and experience.

Understanding Leaky Gut Syndrome

 

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Leaky Gut Syndrome

June 11, 2014

Leaky gut syndrome-Alcohol abuse and Drug addiction

Leaky gut syndrome

Leaky gut syndrome is term used to describe a collection of symptoms that center on damage in the lining of the large intestine.

Leaky gut syndrome is an unofficial term used to describe a collection of symptoms that center on damage in the lining of the large intestine. This damage apparently gives undigested food particles and toxins access to the bloodstream by producing minute gaps in the intestinal wall. While there is controversy regarding some of the purported effects of leaky gut syndrome, most doctors believe that unusual permeability in the large intestine can cause real health problems. People who abuse alcohol commonly experience significant changes in their intestinal function. These changes can potentially support the onset of leaky gut syndrome, or worsen its effects once it appears.

Leaky Gut Syndrome Basics

When looking at these terms medically there is great difference between syndromes and diseases. The difference is that diseases portray specific collections of symptoms with unique and distinguishable underlying causes while syndromes portrays symptoms which normally appears at the same time and have a number of potential known or unknown underlying causes. The symptoms associated with the presence of leaky gut syndrome include:

  • Diarrhea
  • Excessive flatulence
  • Unexplained fatigue
  • Unexplained fever
  • Heartburn
  • Ongoing or recurrent abdominal pain
  • Recurrent bladder infections
  • Hemorrhoids, food allergies
  • Frequent hunger
  • Joint pain
  • Muscle cramps
  • Lymph gland swelling
  • Psychological problems such as memory impairment and depression.

Normally, the bowel wall is sealed tight with the help of cell structures called desmosomes, which overlap the cells in the wall and stop them from tearing. Under certain circumstances, irritation or damage in the desmosomes can loosen their grip on the bowel wall and lead to the formation of tiny gaps that make the wall abnormally porous or permeable. The development of leaky gut syndrome begins when materials pass through these gaps and enter the bloodstream. Since these materials don’t belong in the bloodstream, immune system cells identify them as invaders and attack them. In turn, this immune response can produce increasing levels of inflammation that further damage the bowel wall, and thereby provide passage for larger molecules of undigested food and various toxins.

Leaky gut syndrome-Alcohol’s Effects

Alcohol consumption damages normal function in the intestinal tract in one of two ways:

  • The presence of alcohol appears to reduce the level of activity in key substances in the body called prostaglandins. Among their many functions, these substances help the body control the amount of inflammation that occurs at the site of any injury. Alcohol-related suppression of prostaglandins essentially allows inflammation to increase in an uncontrolled manner. While the effects of any single drinking session will produce only a temporary suppressing effect on prostaglandin levels, the type of habitual, heavy drinking commonly associated with alcohol abuse can produce ongoing prostaglandin suppression that contributes significantly to inflammation in the large intestine (and other areas of the body). In turn, this inflammation can trigger or support the development of leaky gut syndrome.
  • Heavy alcohol consumption also damages the body’s ability to pull nutrients from food and digest them in the small intestine. Ways in which this damage occurs include a reduction in the output of substances, called enzymes, required for digestion of certain types of nutrients; direct impairment of the cells in the small intestine responsible for absorbing nutrients into the bloodstream; and the creation of nutritional deficiencies that further disrupt the absorption of important nutrients. In people with preexisting cases of leaky gut syndrome, nutritional deficiencies and lack of effective nutrient processing can contribute to a worsening of the syndrome’s symptoms.

Leaky gut syndrome-More Women Affected

Women who abuse alcohol may develop more leaky gut-related problems than men. Part of this disparity stems from the fact that, compared to men, women have relatively small amounts of an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase, which is required for the breakdown and elimination of alcohol. This means that alcohol tends to stay in women’s bodies longer because of this deficiency. Women also have a reduced ability to effectively process alcohol during certain portions of the menstrual cycle.

Leaky gut syndrome may play a role in the onset or worsening of recognized gastrointestinal ailments such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and celiac disease, as well as a number of other ailments. Some alternative medical practitioners make unsubstantiated claims for the syndrome’s role in illnesses such as autism and multiple sclerosis. Since leaky gut syndrome is not a distinct, recognized medical disorder, physicians don’t diagnose the condition in their patients; instead, they usually consider its symptoms in a larger medical context as they work toward diagnosis of a recognized disorder.

Finally leaky gut syndrome has a way of making one’s life uncomfortable irrespective of gender. It is everyone’s desire to be healthy and be comfortable this is the reason why Dr. Dalal Akoury founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, is offering exclusive NER Recovery Treatment to other physicians and health care professionals through training, clinical apprenticeships, webinars and seminars.  This program is also open to any other qualified professional nonetheless individual are also not left out if you or any of your friends or colleague is suffering from any kind of addiction or you just want to get the detailed information about addiction treatment, preventions and control then this is the place to be. You will be attended to by a team of experts lead by doctor Dalal Akoury in administering treatment to your condition in a more natural way with majorly natural means to get you recovered completely and have your life back and live it to the fullest.

Leaky gut syndrome-Alcohol abuse and Drug addiction

 

 

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Leaky gut Syndrome and Inflammation will make weight loss impossible

February 19, 2014
Leaky Gut and Inflammation

With leaky gut not only is the digestive lining more porous and less selective about what can get in, but normal absorption can also be affected

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leaky gut Syndrome and Inflammation will make weight loss impossible-How?

With leaky gut not only is the digestive lining more porous and less selective about what can get in, but normal absorption can also be affected

Leaky gut Inflammation can be a difficult diagnosis to establish for a number of reasons: It’s associated with a wide range of seemingly unconnected symptoms; it has a lot of different causes; there’s no specific test to confirm it; and evidence tying it to other conditions can be murky. As a result, there’s a fair amount of skepticism in the mainstream medical community about the legitimacy of leaky gut as a diagnosis. But as the evidence that this is indeed a real and recognizable condition grows, opinions are slowly changing. That’s a good thing, because leaky gut is likely to emerge as one of the most significant medical concepts of our time.

Leaky gut Syndrome and Inflammation-How Leaky Gut Affects You

The digestive lining serves is an important barrier function. It’s like a sieve with very tiny holes allowing only small substances to go through, while keeping out larger undesirable particles. With leaky gut, also known as increased intestinal permeability, the net becomes damaged, resulting in bigger holes that allow more things to pass through that ordinarily couldn’t.

When the barrier function becomes compromised, then bacteria, viruses, undigested food particles and toxic waste products can leak from the inside of your intestines through the damaged digestive lining into your bloodstream, where they’re transported throughout your body and can trigger your immune system to react. The end result is inflammation in various parts of your body, leading to a wide variety of symptoms of Inflammation like bloating, cramps, fatigue, food sensitivities, flushing, achy joints, headache and rashes.

With leaky gut not only is the digestive lining more porous and less selective about what can get in, but normal absorption can also be affected. Nutritional deficiencies may develop as a result of damage to the villi – the finger-like projections in the small intestine that are responsible for absorbing nutrients.

Multiple food sensitivities are another hallmark of leaky gut, because partially digested particles of protein and fat may leak through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream and cause an allergic response as a result of inflammation. Increased intestinal permeability may potentially cause or worsen a number of other conditions, including Celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), arthritis, psoriasis, eczema and asthma.

Leaky gut Syndrome and Inflammation –Causes

So what causes increased intestinal permeability? There’s still much to be learned, but diet, chronic stress, certain medications and bacterial imbalance seem to play important roles. Eating a diet high in refined sugar can lead to overgrowth of yeast species, which has been associated with leaky gut. Preservatives and chemicals in processed foods can damage the lining, and so can consumption of gluten – a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.

Chronic stress can lead to a weakened immune system, affecting your ability to fight off invading bacteria and viruses and worsening the symptoms of leaky gut. Medications like aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) that can damage the lining of your gut, as well as antibiotics that kill off your essential good bacteria are also associated with increased intestinal permeability. In fact, an imbalance between beneficial and harmful species in your gut called dysbiosis is one of the leading theories about what causes increased intestinal permeability. Excessive alcohol consumption, infection with parasites, radiation and chemotherapy can damage the lining of the intestine and are also risk factors.

In addition to bloating and digestive distress, a lot of the patients I see with leaky gut have a combination of other symptoms like food allergies, chronic sinus infections, achy joints, fatigue, brain fog or unexplained rashes. Typically they’ve been to multiple doctors trying to make sense of their symptoms, and conventional tests and imaging studies have been unrevealing. There can be a feeling of hopelessness and despair, because the symptoms seem so unrelated. With all these infections cropping in it becomes clear that the body becomes sick and as a result weight loss becomes practically impossible.

When you think of leaky gut not so much as a disease, but as a mechanism by which a number of different conditions can develop, it starts to make sense. A leaky gut is the pathway for how toxins enter the body through the GI tract and create all kinds of mayhem once they’re in, sort of like party crashers who slip through security and proceed to make a mess of the venue.

Leaky gut Syndrome and Inflammation-Solutions?

There’s no miracle cure for treating leaky gut, but there are things you can do if you’re suffering from it that can help heal inflammation and restore the integrity of your gut lining.

An anti-inflammatory diet that eliminates refined sugars, dairy, gluten, alcohol and artificial sweeteners – some of the biggest offenders when it comes to inflammation – can be very helpful. Consuming lots of anti-inflammatory essential fatty acids in fish and nuts, and filling up on green leafy vegetables, high-fiber and fermented foods that help to promote the growth of good bacteria is also crucial.

A robust probiotic that contains large amounts of good bacteria can help heal a damaged intestinal lining by restoring balance in the gut flora.

Supplements like glutamine have been shown in some studies to help with intestinal injury after chemotherapy and radiation and may be beneficial in leaky gut.

Most people will notice improvement within 6 weeks, although it may take several months and even years to heal a damaged intestinal lining in extreme cases of leaky gut. Because we’re still learning about leaky gut, many of the treatment guidelines are drawn more from anecdotal observation than from rigorous scientific studies. But they’re sensible recommendations that can lead to improvements in your overall health, whether or not you have increased intestinal permeability.

Leaky gut is one of those diagnoses that bridges the gap between conventional and alternative medicine, between what we can see and touch and what we can feel in our bodies. I refuse to believe that the hundreds of patients I see in my office with unusual and seemingly unrelated complaints are crazy, or just stressed out.

I believe them when they say they feel like they’re being poisoned, or that they think there’s a connection between all their symptoms, even though they don’t know what it is. My hunch is that as our knowledge grows, the theories behind leaky gut will become the foundation for lots of diseases that are widely prevalent in our society, and millions of people will be in a better position to find relief from their suffering.

Leaky gut Syndrome and Inflammation will make weight loss impossible-How?

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