Leaky gut syndrome is a controversial diagnosis in alternative medicine, where it is believed that weakened intestinal linings allow contents to leak into the bloodstream, causing health problems. Causes include food allergies, infections, toxins, and poor nutrition. Treatments focus on improving diet and using probiotics. Conventional medicine may be necessary for serious cases.
Leaky gut syndrome is a diagnosis that most typically appears in alternative medicine; as a general rule, most conventional doctors reject the idea. According to alternative health practitioners, this problem occurs when the lining of the intestines is weakened to the point that their contents can leak out and enter the bloodstream, causing a range of health problems, from allergies to migraines. Other professionals believe these health problems are more likely attributable to other conditions.
This condition can supposedly be caused by a variety of things. Chronic food allergies, for example, have been documented to damage the lining of the intestines, and some conditions such as Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel disease can also cause problems. Alternative healthcare practitioners also believe that the condition can be caused by a parasitic or fungal infection, especially when it is prolonged, resulting in irritation and inflammation in the intestines and stomach. It can also affect the stomach on its own, causing leaky stomach syndrome.
According to the theory, when materials that belong in the intestines leak into the bloodstream, they cause health problems. This is certainly true in the case of extreme conditions such as peritonitis, which is caused by a widespread infection in the body cavity that can be the result of intestinal perforations. In the case of leaky gut syndrome, bacteria, fungi, and other invaders can spread through the bloodstream, causing an autoimmune reaction as the body attempts to fight off these organisms.
Allergies are often cited as a cause of leaky gut syndrome, with some professionals believing the condition is a precursor to more chronic stomach conditions. Some also suspect that it could be caused by exposure to toxins, which would in turn cause the toxins to leak into the bloodstream. Poor dietary choices may also be responsible, in the eyes of some practitioners, as the intestinal lining can be irritated by chronic poor nutrition.
Because many conventional practitioners are skeptical of this diagnosis, some alternative practitioners prefer to refer to it as “increased leaky gut.” Treatments usually focus on improving diet, hopefully identifying allergens and sources of toxins in the process, and many practitioners also recommend the use of probiotic supplements to increase the population of beneficial organisms in the gut.
In some cases, conditions attributed to leaky gut syndrome may benefit from more conventional approaches, especially in the case of systemic infections. These infections can cause serious damage in a very short period of time, so anyone who is seriously ill should see a doctor promptly.
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