Friday, March 15, 2024

How Do You Diagnose Leaky Gut

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Why I Love Fish Oils Omega

How can we Diagnose and Health Leaky Gut?

For starters, omega 3s are an anti-inflammation powerhouse116 , and unsurprisingly this has been shown to extend to supporting intestinal inflammation.

In addition, studies are now showing these essential fatty acids can support gut bacteria through an increase in butyrate-producing bacteria .

And even help reverse gastrointestinal mucosal injury .

Most importantly for us though, is the earlier PLOS One study showing how the fatty acids in fish oil can support optimal intestinal permeability as they improve tight junction function which means better control of the openings in your gut lining.

So adding it to a leaky gut supplement protocol makes sense.

I Often Hear People Say L

But the minute they mention the amount they are taking, I straight away know why.

You see, when it comes to leaky gut in order to get the positive effects from L-Glutamine you cant simply take 1-2g a day. Instead, you may need to consider taking a high dosage and then a significant maintenance dosage.

Of course, it is worth saying that some peoples bodies just dont agree with L-Glutamine. And so as with everything on this site, it is worth talking about to your doctor first.

Consider These Other Ways To Eliminate Toxins From Your Life

Toxins can potentially cause leaky gut, but more likely is that they can exacerbate leaky gut and its many flow on effects, since they can get through your permeable intestinal wall and and into your bloodstream121.

Obviously the first step to eliminating toxins is not consuming them in the food, drinks and drugs you take which weve discussed in the ideas above.

But after youve done that it can be worth investing in a few products to decrease the amount of other toxins that get into your system.

In fact, you should think about this as the final missing piece in your leaky gut recovery protocol.

And thankfully unlike the earlier steps you took eg throwing out all delicious bread and milk this will be easy! You simply need to buy a few things and youre done.

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Completing Your Leaky Gut Treatment

Together, these four pillars are the recipe for overcoming chronic illness, autoimmune flares, leaky gut symptoms, and other health problems that can be helped by a leaky gut treatment plan. Once you fix leaky gut, youll see digestive issues disappear and food sensitivities go away, your mood will improve, and your energy will return.

Most importantly you will feel like yourself again and your healthy gut will be able to support your digestion, your immune system, and so much more. What are you waiting for? Theres no better time than now to fix leaky gut and achieve optimal health.

In Terms Of Practically Implementing This Idea

What Is A Leaky Gut? (And How Can It Cause So Many Health ...

well, it should not be too hard to do if you simply stick to the leaky gut diet above. And thats because everything in the leaky gut diet I recommend is whole food based.

The real struggle comes down to avoiding eating out too much. From grabbing lunch at your local food court to ordering Uber Eats, these time saving ideas have to be canned for now. After all, the food industry is driven by processed and preservative-packed foods.

IDEA #30

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Putting A Stop To Leaky Gut

Leaky gut gets blamed for everything from everyday stomach issues to pain to anxiety, yet it is one of the most mysterious ailments to diagnose and treat.

Part of the reason for this medical mystery is because the gut is such a vast and complex system. “Science continues to find new ways that the gut can influence everything from heart health to keeping our brains young,” says Dr. Alessio Fasano, director of the Center for Celiac Research and Treatment with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. “There is much we know about leaky gut in terms of how it affects peoples health, but there is still so much that is unknown.”

Do Breathing Exercises Before And After Each Meal

100% natural solutions to health problems are the best. They cost nothing and theyre always available to you. And this probably rates up there with the most effective.

The benefit to your leaky gut from this idea is that deep breathing before and after a meal will reduce stress on the body so it can focus on digestion. And as a side effect it will get you in the zone to eat mindfully, eg chew more, eat slower etc.

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Heres A List Of Popular Grains And Legumes To Temporarily Cut:

  • Rice , oats, corn
  • Beans, lentils, peas, peanuts

Make sure you avoid all the derivative products too, eg soy sauce , eg hummus etc.

Then in 30-90 days time you can consider adding them back in and seeing how you respond. My advice would be to add these back one at a time so you can see how you react to each specific type of grain or legume.

Debunking The Myth Of Leaky Gut Syndrome

Leaky Gut Causes, Symptoms And How To Overcome It

A proposed gastrointestinal disorder dubbed leaky gut syndrome is currently the topic of numerous debates throughout the medical and natural health communities. Some alternative medicine practitioners claim that leaky gut syndrome is a prevalent problem responsible for ill health in many people. However, most physicians maintain that there is not enough research to prove that it is a legitimate issue. In this article, we will answer some questions you may have about leaky gut syndrome and reveal some of the dangers of diagnosing and treating a condition for which there is no medical evidence.

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Healing Impaired Barrier Function

If you have any disease or condition, ignoring your doctor and trying to cure it with diet alone isnt a great idea. In many cases, healing your gut isnt going to actually take care of the underlying disease, so take the medicine your physician prescribes, and work with an RD who specializes in your condition.

If you are having any symptoms that you think are related to your gut, the first thing Id suggest is to try to protect and optimize your intestinal barrier and see if those symptoms improve, by doing the following things:

Reduce or cut out NSAIDS and alcohol to protect the gut from more damage.

Reduce highly refined and ultra-processed foods, as well as added sugars, which can cause negative changes to the microbiome.

Eat tons of vegetables, prebiotics, fermented foods, healthy fats, and fiber-rich grains, which all nourish good gut bacteria.

Cut out gluten only if none of the above has any effect on your symptoms, and speak to your doctor and an RD for support and monitoring.

Why To Not Skip Leaky Gut Testing

Testing for leaky gut is something I have actually changed my mind about over the years. Initially, I was like many other practitioners who just assumed everyone with autoimmunity of digestive issues had leaky gut, so we never tested for it.

But its not always that simple. Many digestive issues have symptoms that overlap. If you diagnose yourself based on symptoms alone, you may be treating a problem you dont have while allowing one you do to worsen.

Ive since realized that testing is essential because it not only confirms if intestinal permeability is a problem and it gives us insight into WHY it is occurring so that we can best treat it.

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How I Cook So Simple But Healthy Every Single Day

  • Breakfast is usually simply a shake. This is how I start most mornings. Its easy for the digestive system to take, helps the body rapidly absorb much needed nutrition and is so easy to make, which means youll actually do it each day. Plus I always make sure my shakes contain some good fats, eg MCT oil or coconut oil, and protein, eg high quality collagen protein powder, which brings about some remarkable improvements in morning energy .
  • Soup and bone broth make up 20-30% of meals. Alternating between these 2 liquid meals throughout the week works a treat. You can batch make and easily freeze both, making them so convenient to take out whenever needed. And if you dont like the taste then just try a scoop of collagen each day.
  • Meat/fish + vegetable + vegetable starch . Simple combinations of the 2 paired with some nice flavors especially using herbs is just perfect. These dishes sit so easily in your stomach that they are seriously addictive!

IDEA #18

What Is The Leaky Gut Syndrome

Infographic_4

The leaky gut syndrome is a rapidly growing condition that people from the world over are experiencing of late. Although problems begin with your digestive system if you have the leaky gut syndrome, it affects other aspects of your health as well.

Your gut is lined by a wall, which is similar to a net with small holes in them. These small holes act as filters and enable the passage of certain substances only. It acts as a shield to keep out the bigger, harmful substances from entering your body.

When someone has a leaky gut, it means that the gut lining is damaged and cannot optimally function as a barrier any longer. The smaller holes become larger and allow harmful substances like gluten, bad bacteria, and undigested food particles to enter your system and cause considerable damage to health.

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Fixing Leaky Gut: Avoid These 10 Mistakes

Amy Myers, MD

Amy Myers, M.D. is a functional medicine physician, trained and certified by The Institute of Functional Medicine. Dr. Myers earned her Doctor of Medicine at the LSU Health Science Center, and completed her Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Dr. Myers retired from her functional medicine clinic, Austin UltraHealth, where she served thousands of patients, to empower those who were failed by conventional medicine. Shes a 2x New York Times bestselling author, and the founder and CEO of the health & lifestyle e-commerce brand, Amy Myers MD®.

Have you been dedicated to your leaky gut treatment, only to have your digestive issues, eczema, brain fog, seasonal allergies, or other symptoms persist? Dont give up! Fixing a leaky gut can take time and there are many factors that can complicate your leaky gut treatment.

In fact, you may simply be overlooking a few key steps to fix leaky gut. Once youve made the necessary tweaks to your leaky gut treatment protocol, and continue to use essential supplements such as Leaky Gut Revive® , it should be smooth sailing. As a quick reminder, lets discuss The Myers Way® protocol to fix leaky gut.

Key Takeaways: How To Repair Leaky Gut

Leaky gut is real and a risk factor for discomfort at a minimum and autoimmune conditions and diseases at the worst.

There is no quick fix for leaky gut, but improvements in diet, including the 5-R protocol, reducing stress and a few supplements can go a long way towards cultivating your best health, including your gut health.

And if youre ready to work with a professional, give us a call.

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Once You Start Feeling Pretty Good Consider Trying Gut

Heres the ultimate list of gut-friendly dairy you can consider. But make sure to stick to organic dairy products .

The beautiful thing with the list above is most are lactose free or very low in lactose. For example, yogurt contains bacteria which eat up the lactose sugar during fermentation25. Or for example, grass fed butter is an end product with minimal inherent lactose.

Also many other above are naturally low in A1 casein.

To work out what is best for you, I recommend strongly working with a registered dietitian. They are magicians at helping us pinpoint the good from the bad.

For example, with my RDN we worked out I can tolerate goats cheese or buffalo mozzarella quite well. And also, a probiotic-rich organic unflavored yogurt works wonders for me as a dessert.

But everyone is different. And I implore you to first do 30 days completely dairy free, so you can then introduce one dairy product at a time and see how your body responds to it.

IDEA #6

So Is Microbiome Testing Really Worth It

How To Diagnose Leaky Gut?

I would say it is NOT worth getting if you are feeling pretty good these days thanks to eating the leaky gut diet and living the clean lifestyle. i.e. if it aint broke, theres nothing to fix!

So if youre one of my many readers who has managed to turn things around, then forget about it.

  • Have done the leaky gut diet for 30 days, but still arent feeling better. i.e. the test could help you pinpoint some specific-to-you food sensitivities that may be holding you back.
  • Dont have the time to do a 3-month elimination-reintroduction diet.
  • Want to find out what foods you can eat more of and which ones to hold off on. e.g. maybe legumes are fine for you.
  • Are interested to find out whether you have a specific bacteria or yeast overgrowth issue.
  • Already have a condition and want more info / data points to help you and your doctor manage it better.

If any of those points sound about right, then try this microbiome test by Viome. It is not cheap, but by far the best consumer test you can do.

And, theyre always updating their research to ensure youre always on top of things when it comes to the health of your gut and microbiome.

Even the microbiome-obsessed Dr Hyman recently said

Viome uncovered information I wasnt aware of about my microbiome, providing me with ways to optimize my gut health and pave the path to healing.

The robots sure are taking over!

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Test #1 The Lactulose & Mannitol Test For Leaky Gut

The lactulose and mannitol test acts as a very direct test for leaky gut by looking solely at how permeable/leaky the intestinal wall is.

Studies like this one have confirmed its efficacy, as they conclude Evaluation of intestinal permeability in this way provides an objective means of diagnosing food allergy . In other words, this test can act as a diagnostic for leaky gut, which can therefore identify food allergies.

What The Medical Community Has To Say About Leaky Gut Syndrome

Do most conventional doctors support the idea that leaky gut is real?

WebMD refers to leaky gut as something of a medical mystery. This isnt surprising, since its not a diagnosis that most doctors have been taught in medical school. From an MDs standpoint, its a very gray area, says gastroenterologist Donald Kirby, MD Director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the Cleveland Clinic. In his opinion, Physicians dont know enough about the gut, which is our biggest immune system organ.

To make matters worse, government agencies have also contributed to the confusion. According to the United Kingdoms National Health Service , There is currently little evidence to support the theory that a porous bowel is the direct cause of any significant, widespread problems.

Yet, not everyone agrees. A roundtable review quotes the researchers at seven different European universities in 2014 agreeing upon the following:

Alteration of the gut barrier seems to have multiple consequences facilitating the onset of a variety of diseases depending on other hits and on genetic or epigenetic constellations, respectively. The growing significance of the gut barrier and bacterial translocation raises the questions of how we can improve gut barrier functions and gut microbiota.

So while its encouraging that science is coming around to leaky gut syndrome being a real problem, we are by no means at a point where there are standard diagnostic tools for testing and treating leaky gut.

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How To Test Blood For Leaky Gut

The easiest way to test for leaky gut is through a urine test , but there are a few ways you can investigate leaky gut through taking a blood sample. These include:

Serum zonulinThis is one of the proteins that regulates tight junctions in the intestines. If zonulin levels are high in the blood , it suggests that your gut is more permeable than it should be.

There are a couple of issues with this test. Firstly, zonulin levels naturally fluctuate, so one reading may not be reliable.28 Secondly, the specificity of the testing method is variable, which means you can get false positives.

Zonulin antibodiesWhen zonulin is released into your blood, your immune system responds by making antibodies. Measuring these antibodies can therefore indicate the level of zonulin. This test is considered to be more accurate than serum zonulin, but its also more expensive.

Other antibody markersIf your gut is leaky, other substances such as LPS , occludin and actomyosin can find their way into the bloodstream.29 Again, your immune system produces antibodies, which can then be detected in a blood sample. Like zonulin antibodies, this is a pricey way to test for leaky gut.

But Things Are Changing Tests Are Becoming 10x More Useful

Leaky Gut

Some companies are actually starting to deliver plain English results and most of all, tell you what you should do with the results they find!

I mean, imagine receiving a letter in a language you couldnt speak or understand and now, finally having a translator convert it to plain English!

i.e. instead of just sending you a complex and bewildering list of strains in your gut, they are now sending you individualized recommendations and lifestyle tips to improve your gut health and thus intestinal permeability.

This changes everything.

Unfortunately, there are dozens of companies out there offering what they say are the most advanced tests. But most are delivering nothing of the kind.

Ubiome and Biohm are 2 interesting testing companies Im keeping my eye on, because the data they produce is solid. However, the actionable takeaways they offer in the results they send back are still quite limited.

Thryve is doing interesting work too, but I feel their testing service is a loss leader for their follow up products. So Im not totally sold on them.

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