5 Signs of Leaky Gut Syndrome

Digestive issues can really put your life on hold. They’re uncomfortable, potentially embarrassing, and can limit your activities. 

Leaky gut syndrome (LGS) is a condition that causes distressing symptoms linked to excessive intestinal permeability. To be treated successfully for LGS, you must be working with a physician who recognizes the condition and is invested in helping you.

Dr. Mandeep Walia-Bhatia is devoted to treating LGS sufferers and has years of experience helping patients who struggle with leaky gut. The Gain Medical Center team employs only the most innovative approaches in treating you and considers you an individual, not simply a set of symptoms. 

What is leaky gut syndrome, exactly?

Specifically, leaky gut syndrome is a digestive condition in which toxins and bacteria enter your bloodstream through gaps in your intestinal walls. This happens because your intestines are too permeable. In other words, your intestine is abnormally susceptible to these substances passing through them, which leads to a range of symptoms.

Amazingly, your intestinal lining covers a staggering 4,000 square feet of surface area. 

The five major symptoms of leaky gut syndrome

Dr. Walia-Bhatia notices five primary symptoms when she works with patients who are afflicted with leaky gut syndrome.

1.   Nutritional deficiencies

Because LGS often harms your villi, the long, thin projections from your intestinal wall that aid in nutrient absorption, you can suffer from insufficient nutrient absorption. It won’t take long for you to feel the deleterious effects of wanting in certain areas. 

2.   Persistent bloating, gas, and diarrhea

Intestinal permeability is linked to your body having a difficult time with digestion, and both irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease could be results of LGS. It stands to reason that LGS is also associated with general gassiness and diarrhea. Leaky gut syndrome can also trigger food sensitivities. 

3.   Immune system problems

Because LGS’s intestinal permeability means that your immune system is constantly dealing with toxins and other potential “enemies,” you can also suffer from problems associated with systemic inflammation, like multiple sclerosis and lupus. 

Systemic inflammation can also lead to hormonal imbalances, which contribute to LGS. Hormones are the messengers that determine how your body functions, and when their functioning is compromised, your overall health is too. 

4.   Mood challenges

Believe it or not, LGS not only affects your physical health, it impacts your emotional state, too. Problems focusing, confusion, and even depression and anxiety apparently go hand-in-hand with leaky gut syndrome. Stress can also play into the severity of your leaky gut symptoms.

It’s thought that your microbiota, a complex mixture of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and more that exist in your gut, must be balanced for optimal health. 

A healthy gut lining is threatened by things like stress and an unhealthy diet. When your gut becomes more permeable, it can upset your microbiota’s balance and impact you emotionally. 

5.   Skin problems

Unfortunately, the inflammation that leaky gut syndrome causes can also wreak havoc on your skin, contributing to or exacerbating problems like rosacea, rashes, and breakouts.

There are more leaky gut symptoms that Dr. Walia-Bhatia discusses with you when you come to the office for a free leaky gut consultation, but these are the major ones she asks initially about . 

Hope for leaky gut syndrome

Because we at Gain Wellness Center use a functional medicine approach when it comes to healing you, we go in-depth and work to discover the deeper, underlying causes of conditions like leaky gut syndrome. We take leaky gut seriously, even though traditional “mainstream” medicine has yet to do so. 

Bottom line? We want you to get better and don’t quibble about whether a condition like LGS exists. When we hear any patient describe the discomforts consistent with leaky gut, we have an arsenal of treatments to employ, and lifestyle recommendations for you. 

When you visit us and receive a free wellness evaluation, we talk to you about what you eat, how much you move, how you manage your stress, your hormonal health, and detoxification strategies. This way, we can get to the root of your problem, particularly if you have leaky gut syndrome. 

If you’re suffering from any of these LGS symptoms, don’t hesitate to call the Gain Wellness Center or book an initial consultation online. 

Author

Dr. Mandeep Walia-Bhatia, DC, AFMCP Dr. Mandeep Walia-Bhatia, DC, AFMCP, is the founder of Gain Wellness Center in San Diego, California. At the wellness center, one of Dr. Walia's, greatest goals, as a health care provider, is to provide her practice members with alternative, but healthy and safe choices that will enhance their health and well-being. She likes to motivate and educate her practice members to take charge of their health by providing them with evidence-based information so that they can make informed decisions regarding their own personal health and take control of their health. Dr. Walia was born in India and raised in Canada before moving to San Diego. She attended McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada for her Master of Science degree with specialties in Biology and Physiology. She had various publications in research articles during her time at McMaster University funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. She has three kids and enjoys cooking, hiking and going to the beach with her family.