Your intestines are fortified by multiple layers of protective tissue, which can repair themselves if necessary. It isn’t easy for your gut lining to be breached, but certain medical conditions, medications, and substances can make your gastrointestinal (GI) tract more permeable (“leaky”).
At Nexclin Medicine in Roswell, Georgia, trusted family medicine providers Naima Cheema, MD, and Nijah Burris, MD, can treat the root causes of a leaky gut to help you manage your overall health. They specialize in gastrointestinal care for individuals and families in Roswell, Alpharetta, Milton, Atlanta, and surrounding areas.
Though leaky gut syndrome isn’t an official diagnosis, it appears to have widespread effects on your digestion, immunity, and pain sensitivity. It can also contribute to common GI symptoms. Here’s what you should know:
Leaky gut syndrome doesn’t appear to have any direct symptoms. However, because it indicates a breached or more permeable gut lining, you may have a condition or injury causing that damage that also causes symptoms.
With increased intestinal permeability, you might experience:
There’s no test for leaky gut syndrome, and symptoms like these can have other explanations. Our providers at Nexclin Medicine might use blood or urine tests to gather more information about what’s going on in your digestive system.
Leaky gut syndrome occurs when your intestinal lining is damaged, which allows toxins to leave your gut and enter your bloodstream. Those toxins can then contribute to chronic inflammation, which can worsen a wide range of health conditions.
Your gut might become more permeable because of:
Some experts believe more common everyday factors, like stress, can also weaken the intestinal lining. Our providers can work with you to figure out which conditions or factors contribute to your leaky gut.
The most effective way to manage leaky gut syndrome is to manage the underlying causes. For example, if your intestinal lining is more permeable because of how many NSAIDs you take, you may need to find an alternative medication for mild pain or fever.
If you have an inflammatory condition causing increased gut permeability, such as IBD, you’ll need to work closely with our team to manage it.
You can also manage leaky gut syndrome by taking great care of your gut health. Taking probiotics or prebiotics, eating less sugar, and eating lots of vitamin-rich foods are all steps that can help.
To take it a step further, our team might encourage you to try a low FODMAP diet. This diet is especially beneficial for those with IBD because it excludes or limits common IBD triggers. FODMAP is an acronym for types of carbohydrates that are limited in this eating plan.
If you have chronic GI symptoms such as bloating or diarrhea, now is a great time to explore them with our trusted team. Call Nexclin Medicine to book an appointment and learn more about leaky gut syndrome.
