Healing Leaky Gut Syndrome – Open The Door To Good Health

It is not uncommon in my practice to have women come in with new physical complaints after major life events like having a baby. Ellen is a perfect example of one of these cases. She was diagnosed at a young age with lactose intolerance, and managed her symptoms quite well. She even went through not one, but two pregnancies without any issues and was able to digest dairy-products. She thought she had overcome the condition, until symptoms presented again at a particularly stressful time in her life. She was a young mother of two, her newborn had difficulty nursing, she was working full time, and had many uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms every time she ate – gas, bloating, even diarrhea. She was exhausted, irritable, and it all impacted her daily life.

As Ellen told me her story, I thought it sounded more like leaky gut, a digestive disorder that is not always at the top of many clinicians’ diagnosis list, but more common than you think.

Our digestive system influences everything. From controlling digestion and protecting us from hostile bacteria, to communicating with the brain – sending physical signals such as gas or hunger, and emotional feelings such as anxiety, stress, and even love. This complex union moving through the gut is often referred to as our body’s second brain, affecting our health physically and psychologically.

Not a “thinking” brain, our digestive tract actually has its own reflexes and senses, working hard to move things through our body, absorbing nutrients, and removing waste. Because of this complicated system of nerves and chemicals, sometimes these exchanges of information can veer off track.

It isn’t hard to notice when our gastrointestinal tract is off, changes in digestion can impact our daily lives. Whether it’s gas and bloating, cramps and diarrhea, fatigue, or even joint pain or skin rashes, symptoms can be uncomfortable, embarrassing, even debilitating.

More than half of my patients come in with complaints relating to a digestive imbalance, and many times I can attribute it to leaky gut syndrome.