Leaky Gut Syndrome Diagnosis

Leaky gut syndrome is when the lining of the small intestines becomes permeable. As a result, undigested food and other foreign substances can enter the bloodstream and cause a number of problems. This condition is more highly recognized among natural medicine practitioners but is gaining more acceptance with mainstream doctors.

The Physiology of Leaky Gut

The small intestines has naturally large spaces in between the cells. Microvilli are aligned along the mucus membranes to aid in digestion along with "friendly" bacteria. Yeast overgrowth can cause the mucus membranes to flare up and produce excess mucus. This hinders the microvilli and bacteria with proper digestion. As a result, the yeast erodes and eventually punctures the delicate lining of the small intestines. This allows undigested food, toxins and even invading foreign bacteria to enter the bloodstream. These substances eventually overload the liver, recycle in the body and cause many miserable symptoms and diseases.

Symptoms

Most natural doctors and allergists start with a patient's symptoms when diagnosing a potential leaky gut problem. Symptoms can include headaches, fatigue, gastritis, recurring yeast infections, food allergies, sensitivities to chemicals, joint and muscle pain and even chronic diarrhea. Food and chemical allergies are a telltale sign that one probably has a leaky gut, as are the onset of most autoimmune diseases (e.g., fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome).

Evaluation of Diet and Environment

The alternative medicine specialist will attempt to diagnose leaky gut by evaluating a patient's lifestyle, including diet, certain medicines and the home and work environment. The specialist will try to identify key culprits, including an overuse of antibiotics, birth control pills and corticosteroids. Other culprits may be a poor diet, chronic stress, overexposure to household cleaners and chlorinated water consumption. Any number of these culprits can cause leaky gut syndrome.

Systemic Candidiasis

After studying a patient's symptoms and personal habits, the natural doctor will determine if systemic candidiasis is the underlying problem. Candidiasis is an overproduction of candida albicans in the large intestines. Candida albicans is a diploid fungus that lives naturally in one's colon. A poor diet or too many antibiotics can spur this reaction, which weakens a person's immune system. Excess candida in the colon can cause a similar reaction of candida albicans in the small intestines, which causes leaky gut to occur.

Recommended Treatment
The treatment for leaky gut usually include dietary changes and detox programs. One may need to eat foods that contain no gluten or sugar. Detox programs include juicing with vegetables, taking probiotics and digestive enzymes and even colon cleanses. The goal is to eliminate the systemic yeast so the leaky gut heals.