Leaky Gut Symptoms List

Leaky Gut Symptoms List

You would be surprised at how many health conditions result from having leaky gut. The father of modern medicine Hippocrates said “All disease begins in the Gut” and research is now proven he was absolutely right.

Essentially, leaky gut syndrome (“intestinal hyper-permeability”) is condition that happens as a consequence of intestinal tight junction malfunction, secondarily to exposure to antibiotics, over-the-counter medications, prescription medications, alcohol, stress, food additives, food preservatives and the ingestion of refined and processed sugar.  All of this will lead to problems in your microbiota which creates the basis for Leaky Gut Syndrome.

These “tight junctions” are the gateway between your intestines and what is allowed to pass into the blood stream.  Your tight junctions keep things out like toxins, microbes and undigested food particles.

But having leaky gut is essentially like having the gates broken from your intestines to your blood stream so many of these particles that should never have been able to enter have now gotten through.  When this happens it causes inflammation throughout your body leading to a variety of diseases.

According to a study published in a Norwegian medical journal this process “is implicated in the onset of disease include several acute and chronic pediatric conditions that are likely to have their origin during infancy” and has been linked to:

• Allergies
• Asthma
• Autism
• Autoimmune disease
• Eczema and psoriasis
  
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)
• Type 1 diabetes

So how do you know if you have a leaky gut? Keep a watch out for these 7 Leaky Gut signs.

7 Signs You Have Leaky Gut Syndrome

The 7 Signs You Have Leaky Gut

1.   Food Sensitivities – People affected by food sensitivities oftentimes find that leaky gut is to blame. Because of the onslaught of toxins that enter the bloodstream, the immune systems of people with intestinal hyper-permeability are on overdrive mass-producing various antibodies, which makes their bodies more susceptible to antigens in certain foods (especially gluten and dairy).
2.   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/or ulcerative colitis.

Another study suggests that, for Crohn’s disease patients, leaky guy is prevalent in a majority cases and even up to 10% – 20% of their “clinically healthy relatives,” which suggests a potential genetic component. Zinc supplementation has been found to be quite effective at tightening up the intestinal tight junctions in these cases.

3.   Autoimmune Disease– The key to understanding how leaky gut can cause an autoimmune disease is through the research done on a protein known as “zonulin.” According to a 2011 article published in the journal Physiologic Reviews, Zonulin is the only physiological modulator of intercellular tight junctions described so far that is involved in trafficking of macromolecules and, therefore, in tolerance/immune response balance. When the finely tuned zonulin pathway is deregulated in genetically susceptible individuals, both intestinal and extraintestinal autoimmune, inflammatory, and neoplastic disorders can occur.”

Eating gluten can oftentimes trigger this dangerous cascade. University of Maryland, School of Medicine researchers have uncovered that gluten “activates zonulin signaling irrespective of the genetic expression of autoimmunity, leading to increased intestinal permeability to macromolecules.”

4.   Thyroid Problems– One of the Autoimmune diseases that leaky gut syndrome may directly affect is Hashimoto’s disease. Also known as “chronic thyroiditis,” this disorder can lead to hypothyroidism, impaired metabolism, fatigue, depression, weight gain, and a host of other concerns.
5. Malabsorption – Various nutritional deficiencies result from leaky gut include vitamin B12, magnesium and key enzymes that help digest food. It is recommended that people with leaky gut supplement with a whole foods based multi-vitamin and live probiotic to not only help digest the food that they eat, but to make sure that they get the vital nutrition that they need.
6. Inflammatory Skin Conditions – First described over 70 years ago, the gut-skin connection theory has described how intestinal hyper-permeability can cause a slew of skin conditions; particularly acne and psoriasis.  Generally, dangerous creams and drugs are prescribed for these skin disorders, yet they can oftentimes be fixed by healing the gut!
7.   Mood Issues and Autism – According to a study published in the journal Neuro Endocrinology Letters, leaky gut has been shown to cause various neurocognitive disorders. For example, the inflammatory response characteristic of intestinal hyper-permeability triggers the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and other chemicals that induce depression.

Regarding autism, a study was just published this past January in the Journal Nutritional Neuroscience describing the “vicious circle between immune system impairment and increasing dysbiosis that leads to leaky gut and neurochemical compounds and/or neurotoxic xenobiotics production and absorption.” The idea is that the “metabolic pathways impaired in autistic children can be affected by genetic alterations and/or by environment-xenobiotics interference.” 

What The Medical Profession Has To Say

What the Medical Profession Has to Say About Leaky Gut Syndrome

WebMD refers to leaky gut as “something of a medical mystery.”  No wonder, because it isn’t even taught as a diagnosis in medical school!

“From an MD’s standpoint, it’s a very gray area,” says gastroenterologist Donald Kirby, MD – Director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the Cleveland Clinic – “Physicians don’t know enough about the gut, which is our biggest immune system organ.”  And to think, this is coming from a Gastroenterologist who specializes in the digestive system.

And to make matters worse, Government agencies have also contributed to the confusion. According to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS),

There is little evidence to support this theory, and no evidence that so-called “treatments” for “leaky gut syndrome”, such as nutritional supplements and a gluten-free diet, have any beneficial effect for most of the conditions they are claimed to help.  This is in an effort to protect their brand of treatment.

Yet, not everyone agrees. In the words of Linda A. Lee, MD – gastroenterologist and Director of the Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center – “We don’t know a lot but we know that it exists.”  Nevertheless, “In the absence of evidence, we don’t know what it means or what therapies can directly address it.” 

This is an important to point to keep in mind.

In the medical world, if there are no standard diagnostic criteria for a disease, there are no specific therapies or treatments. Moreover, if there are no “proven” treatment models, then most MD’s are left with no other choice than to travel along the “safe path” and prescribe drugs; which, in this case, are oftentimes Prevacid or generic ant-acids like Tums.  These contribute to the condition and it is no wonder they are confused and fail to acknowledge any connection.

Because most of the medical community denies its very existence, it’s critical that you understand what leaky gut is and what to look out for in case you or a loved-one is affected by it. This way, even though your doctor may not pick up on the clues, you’ll be armed with the knowledge that you need to make the necessary lifestyle and dietary changes.  Consider Dr. Huntoon's Advice below.

Dr. Huntoon's Alternative Medical Treatment Options

Dr. Huntoon has spent 30 plus years understanding the importance of all disease, what causes sickness to begin and what it takes to be and stay healthy. It is his passion and he can and will help you understand how to restore balance to your digestive system and your overall health.  Please appreciate that any time you are exposed to antibiotics (70 percent of them are put into our food supply), you will disrupt your microbiome.  Also of importance is understanding the Digestive System Disruptors of stress, over-the-counter medicines, prescription medicines, alcohol, refined and processed sugar, additives, preservatives, plastics etc., will contribute to having problems with your microbiome, thus leading to Leaky Gut Syndrome. 

Remember, the top foods to remove that cause leaky gut are sugar, grains, conventional meat, conventional dairy and GMO foods. The top toxic exposures to eliminate are municipal tap water, pesticides, NSAIDS and antibiotics — but remember to always consult with your physician if he or she has prescribed these for you.  Ask questions and see if they are aware of the possible side-effects of their recommending these for your care.  Most times they are not.

Finding a practitioner, like Dr. Huntoon, who can walk you through the different steps necessary to restore your microbiome becomes paramount.  Below are 3 main things you should be aware of and practice if you choose to be healthy.

How Else Can You Establish a Strong Microbiome?

1. Avoid Antibiotics as Much as Possible

Antibiotics have been commonly prescribed for over 80 years now, but the problem is that they eliminate good bacteria in addition to cleaning the body of dangerous “germs,” which means they can lower immune function and raise the risk for infections, allergies and diseases. While antibiotics can save lives when they’re truly needed, they’re often over-prescribed and their consequences are misunderstood.

Over time, dangerous bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics, making serious infections harder to fight.  Before taking antibiotics or giving them to your children, talk to your doctor about alternative options and the unintended consequences to our microbiomes that can result from taking antibiotics too often and when they aren’t needed.

2. Lower Stress and Exercise More

Stress hinders immune function because your body diverts energy away from fighting off infections and places it on primary concerns that keep your alive — which is one reason why chronic stress can kill your quality of life. When your body thinks it’s facing an immediate danger, you become more susceptible to infections and experience more severe symptoms while also developing higher levels of inflammation.

Stress causes immune compounds known as cytokines to contribute to the inflammatory response that damages healthy cells. Exercise is a natural stress reliever that can help lower inflammation, balance hormones and strengthen the Immune System.

3. Add Supplements

Begin with the source of good bacteria within your digestive system.  This requires a high quality probiotic and should be kept in your refrigerator when being stored.  If the bottle says it does not need to be refrigerated, you are probably wasting your money.  Next, you will need some type of supplement to get rid of the excess amounts of Yeast/Candidia that create the leaky gut syndrome.  This will help to restore balance to the microbiome and return the body back to health.  Other supplements that may be helpful, especially if they are gotten from whole food sources are Co-enzyme Q10, carotenoids, omega-3 fish oil, selenium and antioxidants (vitamins C, D and E).  These can help keep free radical damage from disturbing micrbiota gut health.

Your Solution

How Do You Repair Leaky Gut?

If you think that you might have leaky gut after reading this article, then I have two very important things to tell you:

1. You don’t have to suffer any more because there is hope!
2. If you follow these 4 steps to heal leaky gut, you can put your body in the position where it can very well heal itself.

With these 4 steps to heal leaky gut, we have helped countless people over years and I believe that it can help YOU as well!

Your Solution

Dr. Huntoon has spent 30 plus years understanding the importance of all disease, what causes sickness to begin and what it takes to be and stay healthy. It is his passion and he can and will help you understand how to restore balance to your digestive system and your overall health.  Please appreciate that any time you are exposed to antibiotics (70 percent of them are put into our food supply) you will disrupt your microbiome.  Also of importance is understanding the stress, over-the-counter medicines, prescription medicines, alcohol, refines and processed sugar, additives, preservatives, plastics etc., will contribute to having problems with your microbiome and lead to Leaky Gut Syndrome. 

Finding a practitioner, like Dr. Huntoon, who can walk you through the 4 Steps necessary to restore your microbiome becomes paramount. 

Begin with the source of good bacteria within your digestive system.  This requires a high quality probiotic and should be kept in your refrigerator when being stored.  If the bottle says it does not need to be refrigerated, you are probably wasting your money. 

Next, you will need some type of supplement to get rid of the excess amounts of Yeast/Candidia that create the leaky gut syndrome.  This will help to restore balance to the microbiome and return the body back to health. 

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Dr. Huntoon directly at 845-561-2225.  He looks forward to serving you.