The digestive system is a key player to our overall health.  Our Beverly Hills colonoscopy doctor finds that if your gut is in poor working order, it can lead to all sorts of potential ailments, infections, and diseases.

The intestinal tract is designed to be somewhat permeable, allowing essential nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream. But when this intestinal lining becomes too porous, we call this having a leaky gut.

Possible Causes

Having a leaky gut means that the spongy lining in the digestive tract is weakened so much that it cannot guard against unwanted bacteria. Toxins, bacteria, and undigested food can slip through the intestinal walls and seep into the bloodstream.   This condition can be caused by several things, including infections, prescription medications, and even the foods that we eat. Our Beverly Hills colonoscopy doctor has found these possible causes of leaky gut.

• High levels of gluten in your daily diet.
• Excessive intake of alcohol, sugar, or dairy products.
• Infections such as intestinal parasites, candida overgrowth, and SIBO (small intestine bacteria overgrowth).
• Toxins found in both prescription and over-the-counter medications such as steroids, antibiotics, acid-reducing drugs, and NSAIDs found in Advil and Motrin can also lead to leaky gut.
• Toxic substances ingested through normal daily life, such as mercury, pesticides, and the BPA found in many plastic containers.

Possible Signs

Perhaps the most common symptoms of leaky gut are consistent diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, or bloating. While these are the most obvious physical signs that something is wrong, there can be several others.

1. Increase in allergic reactions, including food allergies and asthma attacks
2. Chronic fatigue and Fibromyalgia
3. Candida overgrowth
4. Hormonal imbalances, such as PCOS or PMS
5. Mood disorders, including ADHD, ADD, severe anxiety, and chronic depression.
6. Skin disorders, including eczema, rosacea, and acne outbreaks
7. Diagnoses of autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, or even psoriasis.

The Cure

“The Myers Way” is a very common method of curing leaky gut syndrome used by many leading physicians. It consists of four steps:

1. Excess levels of harmful toxins and bacteria located in the GI tract are removed.
2. Digestive enzymes such as hydrochloric acids and bile acids are introduced back into the digestive system to help the GI tract operate more efficiently.
3. After removing the “bad” bacteria, we replenish the GI tract with more “good” bacteria that was previously lacking.
4. Take certain dietary supplements such as L-glutamine that help the body repair itself and heal the intestinal lining.

About Gi Doctor

If you believe that you might suffer from leaky gut, make an appointment with our Beverly Hills colonoscopy doctor here. You can follow Dr. Berookim on Facebook and Twitter.