A leaky gut can cause you to feel countless unpleasant symptoms, but the condition itself seems to fly under the radar given the fact that the mainstream media does little to recognize it as a serious problem.
Alternative health practitioners have been looking at the leaky gut syndrome for years. Its symptoms can include such things as arthritis, allergies, acne and multiple sclerosis. This syndrome occurs in individuals whose digestive tract is too permeable, allowing allergens and toxins to pass through the body when the cells between the intestinal tracts are too wide. A healthy digestive system does not allow these contents to pass through into the bloodstream.
Some of the main factors that contribute to a leaky gut include excessive alcohol, antibiotic medications, food additives, allergies and stress. It can lead to inflammation due to the fact it stimulates an overactive immune response when the foreign contents and bacteria escape to the bloodstream. A leaky gut can also lead to fatigue, joint and muscle aches, nutritional deficiencies, abdominal pain and skin rashes.
Although many doctors do not test for this syndrome, there is one test that can be used to diagnose it. Patients are given a solution with two different sugars. One of the sugars is absorbed into the bloodstream and turns into urine. The other is not absorbed at all. A urine sample tests the levels of the two different sugars and the patient is said to have a leaky gut if the sugar that is not supposed to be absorbed does show up in the urine sample.
A leaky gut can be treated through various ways including probiotics, oral allergy medication, nutritional changes and a strict diet control.
– The Alternative Daily
