Leaky Gut Syndrome


What Is a Leaky Gut?

Monday, April 23, 2012 No Comments by Donna Gunter

acutepaininstomachsmall What Is a Leaky Gut?If you’ve been diagnosed with Leaky Gut Syndrome, you may be wondering, “What is a Leaky Gut, and how can I have one?”

There is much debate in the traditional medical community about the causes for Leaky Gut Syndrome.  However, there is one thing can’t be denied — our digestive systems no longer work the way that nature intended them to work.  Why?  Because our diets and our lifestyles have merged in a way that’s not healthy.  The result?   A diagnosis of Leaky Gut Syndrome or one of many other bowel disorders like colitis, Irritable Bowel Disease, diverticulitis, or Crohn’s Disease.

But what exactly is Leaky Gut Syndrome and what’s the best way to treat it?

The small intestine, the largest organ in your body, is where two-thirds of your immune system lies. The small intestine is continuously activated when it samples molecules passing through the intestinal lining.  Leaky Gut Syndrome refers to “holes” that have developed in the intestinal lining. These holes make the intestine more permeable than it should be.  Consequently, toxins, waste materials, and other substances can “leak” out into the rest of the body.

This breakdown of the mucosal lining is caused by taking certain medications, like antibiotics, that destroy the lining.  Once the lining is destroyed, that leaves the tender skin, fat and muscle that comprise the intestinal wall exposed to digestive acids.  These digestive acids cause inflammation and create “holes” in the intestines.  This will then trigger gastrointestinal and other problems that present with symptoms like abdominal bloating, fatigue, skin rashes, excessive gas and cramps, joint pain, and food sensitivities.

Once it has started, the “eating” of your GI tract does not stop, nor does it go away on its own. If left untreated, the acids will eventually destroy the whole colon, and then you will then have Crohn’s Disease, where you essentially have no remaining colon.  If you seek traditional medical treatment at this stage, your physician will more than likely recommend surgery to remove your colon.

Fortunately, Leaky Gut Syndrome and related irritable bowel diseases can all be reversed and fixed without drugs or surgery. A Naturopath experienced in treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease will use natural medicines to “patch up” those “holes” and rebuild the mucosal lining.  Once you’re cured, you will have no ongoing maintenance such as drugs, therapy, nutritional supplements, or dietary or lifestyle restrictions.

Don’t let Leaky Gut Syndrome destroy your colon and your life.  No longer ask, “What is a Leaky Gut?” but instead ask, “How can I cure Leaky Gut?”, and you’ll discover the answer in naturopathy.

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Cure

Sunday, April 22, 2012 No Comments by Dr. Albert Snow

Cure— now there’s a word that stirs up a lot of controversy- emotions- anger – debate. That’s a good thing-gets people talking. When it comes to Inflammatory Bowel “Disease”-people sometimes get furious with me when I say I CAN CURE IBD. Some people are just cut and dry- with their heels dug in- entrenched-”There is no cure for IBS-Colitis-UC-Crohns-ect!” Others are not so closed minded- they say “Tell me more- maybe-just maybe – what do I have to lose-tell me more.” The 1st group has developed a lock tight belief system that will filter out any inkling that there just may be a remedy-a cure- a way out- “THERE IS NO CURE FOR IBD -There is no scientific evidence!-There is no hope!” They are doomed— to keep having the same experience over and over. These people are- #1- the true believers who never question “authority”- their doctor-who is someone who offers you only drugs or surgery and no hope & #2-who get hung up on words-”the definition of CURE is—- blah – blah – blah- so therefore there is no cure!”

Believe it or not-there are lots of people out there who you don’t know- who don’t hang out at gastro-enterologist’s offices-who you never hear about-who just travel in a different crowd. It is arrogant & self limiting to say there is no cure for inflammatory bowel conditions. It’s a big world out there!
The people who hang out with me– who “knocked on my door”-who have a healthy-open mind-who asked questions-who are humble- not self defeatedly arrogant-who said- “I don’t care what others say- I am going to explore every possible avenue- I want out of this suffering!”-Have had a different experience. Instead of sitting on the couch insisting “there is no cure-there is no cure-ect- ect.” Ok—— do your thing. I always say-in this blog– ask questions of your doctor- be a pain in the ass- drill em-drill me-drain them of everything they know-then do the same to the next guy–everybody you can find-be an advocate for yourself-be on a mission – get off your butt.
Let’s get to the gist of this post— CURED- HEALED in REMISSION – whatever “hot” terms you want to use— I could care less- the people who come to me-with every kind of inflammatory bowel condition & symptom-diarrhea-bleeding-mucus-pain-bloating- you name it- don’t have that suffering after being treated by me-it’s gone. After 3-4-5 months they have no symptoms-no drugs no surgery & no dietary or lifestyle restrictions. Now-here come all of the aspersions- the negative remarks– “They are NOT- cannot be healed- cured- there is no cure for IBD!” Dude-why don’t you even ask me how I do it before trashing me-THEN trash me- but I bet you won’t when I tell you how.
Ok- what WORD do you want to use when people go 3-5-10-20 years with no symptoms- no restrictions- no maintenance? Well- maybe they aren’t CURED but these people DON’T CARE about words-they have moved on. There are hundreds & likely 1000′s who have gotten on with their life-they are called the “early adopters”-the ones who said-”what the hell-I’ll give it a shot.” Here’s a good word for you-they are HAPPY. What group are you in?
THERE IS A ____ FOR IBD! Fill in the space with YOUR favorite WORD.

The Benefits of Probiotics and Colostrum

Monday, June 20, 2011 1 Comment by Dr. Albert Snow

Commonly people don’t realize that there is a very real connection between probiotics and colostrum.  In this article, we will take a look at why probiotics and colostrum work well together and why you should consider using them in conjunction.  Through using probiotics and colostrums, it is possible to find relief from issues like chronic diarrhea, a bleeding rectum or colitis pain.

Exactly what is colostrum anyway?  This is a very common question.  In short, colostrum is a substance that is derived from the breast milk of a nursing mother.  This milk is powerful source of probiotics, and the combination of both colostrum and probiotics together can be used to build a stronger and more robust immune system.

Many people are surprised to learn that probiotics are essentially useless without using colostrum as well.  Essentially probiotics can exist in your system without doing any real good.  Oftentimes people don’t realize that probiotics without colostrum is a losing proposition both for your health and your wallet.  The reason for this is that colostrum is vital for allowing probiotics to cling to the inner surface of the GI tissue.  When used in conjunction with colostrum, the probiotics will remain in your gut permanently.

Taking antibiotics during your lifetime is another issue altogether.  Antibiotics will kill off the friendly bacteria whether you have taken colostrum or not.  If you have taken antibiotics, then you will need to start all over again from scratch with a new round of probiotics with colostrum.

If you were breastfed, then you have developed a mucosal lining in your body.  In fact, this mucosal lining is so powerful that it can last for an entire lifetime.  However, that is only the case if you are able to steer clear of antibiotics.  Those who were not breastfed will need to take colostrum and probiotics in conjunction.  All of this leads up to the fact that individuals who were fed soy formulas and other formulas, for example, were put at significant health disadvantage.

No doubt colostrum is good for you.  Colostrum works to repair a variety of different gastrointestinal issues.  It is common for individuals who take probiotics for issues such as colitis or chronic diarrhea to find that these probiotics are not achieving their desired results.  If this is the case, the answer is often to use colostrum in addition to probiotics.  This is an ideal treatment for ulcerative colitis, and other gastrointestinal ailments.

The good news is that you can find colostrum readily available at your local health food stores as well as reputable online retailers.  Through doing so, you will get rid of issues like chronic diarrhea, and a stronger, healthier digestive system will emerge.

The Role of Fiber in Digestive Health

Friday, June 17, 2011 No Comments by Dr. Albert Snow

Fiber and digestive health is a very interesting subject.

Contrary to conventional (mis) understanding its role in assisting constipation is perhaps it’s least important. It’s most important benefit is as a source of nutrition for the bacterial culture that makes up the mucosal lining–maintaining it. Subsequently the mucosal lining protects the gastrointestinal wall–preventing inflammatory diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome–colitis–Crohn’s disease.

The most common cause of constipation is a magnesium deficiency. If you do not address that 1st- the fiber is likely to just back up on you. * Rule #1- if you have any kind of inflammatory bowel disease such as IBS- Colitis- Leaky Gut ect- DO NOT TAKE ANY KIND OF BOWEL CLEANSER OF FIBER SUPPLEMENT-YOU WILL DEFINITELY MAKE YOU PROBLEM WORSE.

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What Should You Do If You Have Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Friday, June 10, 2011 No Comments by Dr. Albert Snow

If you have inflammatory bowel disease, the good news is that your condition is curable.  This means that regardless of whether you have colitis, leaky gut syndrome, or Crohn’s disease, there is definitely hope that you will get better.  It is important to note that these issues were caused by injury to you gastrointestinal tract.  In fact, your own digestive acids caused this injury.  If you have been thinking that you inherited your inflammatory bowel disease or that it is some sort of auto-immune disease, it is time to change your thinking and realize that your condition can indeed be treated and cured.

The amount of suffering that you are experiencing is directly related to the amount of damage that has been caused by your stomach’s digestive acids.  You can compare the various gastrointestinal issues with first, second and third degree burns.  So how do you treat this damage?

The first thing to realize is that drugs are not going to help you recover.  Many doctors prescribe drugs like steroids to fix inflammatory bowel disease.  However, these drugs will never heal your issues.  They may temporarily cover up the problem, but often, prolonged use of medication just leads to surgery.

The fact of the matter is that medication is part of what caused your problems in the first place!  Medicines breach the protective lining of the GI tract.  Once this important mucosal lining is no longer protecting your intestinal tissue, digestive acids can penetrate and cause harm.  As soon as the intestinal wall has been eroded by acid, you will start experiencing the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease.  You will see disturbing things like blood in the toilet, diarrhea and mucus in your stool.  Over time, the acid will continue to harm your tissue.

It is crucial to receive the proper treatment to heal your body.  This is done through reversing the problem and rebuilding the gastrointestinal tract.  The mucosal lining must be replaced.  At this point, your stomach acid will no longer be able to damage your tissue.  Also your intestinal wall must be rebuilt.  Drugs are not necessary to achieve this goal.  Instead, you can rebuild through the use of nutritional supplements that contain organic compounds that are the same as what is naturally in the body.   A naturopathic doctor can help you to achieve this goal.  The end result will be a permanent drug-free solution.

When Should You See a Holistic Gastroenterologist?

Thursday, June 9, 2011 No Comments by Dr. Albert Snow

If you are suffering from inflammatory bowel disease, it makes sense to see a holistic gastroenterologist as soon as possible.  These professionals can assist you in ways and offer solutions that are beyond what traditional medical doctors can offer.

If you are wondering whether or not you have inflammatory bowel disease, it is important to note that this term covers a wide array of conditions like colitis, leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis and Crohn’s disease.  While medical doctors may prescribe various medications to treat these issues, the fact is that these drugs will not fix the problem.  In fact, your condition will likely continue to get worse even while you take these drugs.  While you might find that some of your symptoms temporarily abate, the fact is that your gastrointestinal problems will continue to get worse.

So what is a holistic gastroenterologist exactly?  This type of professional is a naturopathic doctor.  Naturopathic doctors focus on using natural remedies whenever possible, as opposed to conventional medication.  While the paths recommended by traditional MDs often result in surgery, a holistic gastroenterologist will seek to heal your issues without medication.  In most cases, surgery can be avoided altogether.

There are subtle differences that a naturopathic doctor will focus on to see exactly what is wrong with your digestive system.  While issues like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are both types of inflammatory bowel disease, they can be treated differently.   Based on your unique situation, a holistic gastroenterologist will put together a treatment plan that will suit your particular issues.

You will even find that there are differences in recommended foods depending on whether you see a naturopathic doctor or a traditional medical doctor.  For example, a holistic gastroenterologist will recommend a low fiber diet without produce, nuts or seeds for those that are currently experiencing issues.  If patients eat roughage, it can aggravate the condition and cause extreme issues like blood in toilet.  However, once a patient is thoroughly healed, he or she can proceed to eat any type of food that he or she wishes.  If you are seeking to permanently end your inflammatory bowel condition, it only makes sense to seek the help of a holistic gastroenterologist.

Probiotics and Colostrum

Tuesday, May 10, 2011 9 Comments by Dr. Albert Snow

Many people take probiotics without realizing that it is essential to also take colostrum along with it.  Probiotics and colostrum truly go hand it hand.  This article will explain why it is so essential to take the two together.  If you are looking to relieve issues like colitis or chronic diarrhea, don’t skimp on taking the two together. The key to taking these is in knowing which ones to take for the individual & their unique needs. Taking the wrong ones can at best do nothing & at worst- make you sick. Just one example is if the person taking either one of these is lactose intolerant. Also there is often times the need to take different ones at different stages of the treatment. It can get complicated.

So what is colostrum?  This is a substance that comes directly from a mother’s breast when she is nursing her child.  This milk is also a rich source of probiotics.  The combination of the colostrum and probiotics together build a strong immune system in the baby.

The fact is that probiotics are useless without colostrum.  They will just go “in one door and out the other.”  Why spend your money on probiotics if they will just be immediately leaving your system?  The reason why colostrum is so essential is that it allows the probiotics to stick to the inner surface of the GI tissue.  This process enables the probiotics to remain permanently in your gut, instead of quickly just leaving your body.

Of course, if you take antibiotics at any point during your life, this will kill off the friendly bacteria regardless of whether you have taken it with colostrum or not.  In this case, you will need to repeat the cycle over again from the start and begin a new course of probiotics with colostrum. Different antibiotics require different probiotics to replace the specific strains that were killed off.

When you were first breastfed, this developed the mucosal lining in your body.  This lining is so powerful that it can last a person’s whole life if he or she doesn’t take antibiotics.  Of course, if you were never breastfed, you will need to take colostrum and probiotics to get this necessary ingredient into your system.  When people are fed soy formulas, they are put at a major disadvantage as far as their health is concerned.

The fact is that colostrum helps to repair a wide variety of gastrointestinal issues.   Oftentimes people take probiotics for issues like chronic diarrhea treatment or colitis cures and then are disappointed that this supplementation doesn’t work.  When that is the case, the sufferer needs to remember how essential it is to take the correct colostrum-with the correct probiotic.

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Why Colostrum is the Ultimate Superfood

Sunday, May 8, 2011 3 Comments by Dr. Albert Snow

Unfortunately, a great many people virtually throw away their money on probiotics, because they don’t take them with colostrum.  Whether you have colitis, diverticulitis, or leaky gut syndrome, you won’t be able to truly heal until you add this essential ingredient to your supplement regime.  Colostrum will heal these issues extremely quickly.

Many people don’t give any consideration to colostrum.  However, when you think about it, colostrum truly is an amazing substance.  All mammals produce colostrum during pregnancy.  Right after being born, baby mammals go directly to the nipple to get a dose of colostrum.  Antibodies to every disease a mother has been exposed to are in the colostrum.  Of course, friendly bacteria like acidophilus are also contained in this essential fluid.  When humans don’t get colostrum at birth, they are at a major disadvantage as their immune systems will be very weak.

So where does the colostrum that you can buy come from?  Most supplements you buy will be bovine colostrum.   You can buy this product in a powdered form and add it to nutritional shakes.  It is also available in capsule form.

Colostrum heals the gastrointestinal tract, as it has skin growth hormones in it.  Today, way too many people have gastrointestinal permeability problems, which can lead not only to digestive issues like colitis, diverticulitis, or leaky gut syndrome, but also allergies and conditions like diabetes.  There are no other substances on earth that can heal gastrointestinal permeability like colostrum can.  Therefore, it should be added to the leaky gut syndrome diet or supplement regime for gastrointestinal ailments.

The colostrum will also remove diseased bacteria from the gut.  It keeps viruses from entering our cells in the first place.  There are actually a long list of diseases that colostrum has shown to heal.  Further, it has even been shown to build up lean muscle mass as well.  As a result, many world-class athletes take colostrum supplements.

Once you start thinking about colostrum, it is clear that it is the most important food in the world.  It is also the most complete food on earth.  After all, it is the first food that most people have been given.  You can rebuild your digestive system rapidly and effectively when you take colostrum and probiotics together.

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How to Take Probiotics

Tuesday, May 3, 2011 No Comments by Dr. Albert Snow

The word is spreading quickly amongst those “in the know” that it is essential to take probiotics.  If you have had to take antibiotics recently, this fact is even truer.  Whether you are seeking to correct GI issues like bloating and indigestion or looking for leaky gut syndrome and Crohn’s disease treatments, probiotics are essential.   In fact, if you have any kind of inflammatory bowel disease issues, be sure to start taking probiotics immediately.  This article will discuss some basic guidelines concerning how to take probiotics.

First of all, make sure that the probiotics that you choose require refrigeration.  Otherwise, they will not have the potency that your body requires.  Secondly, always take probiotics in conjunction with colostrum.  Many people do not realize that this step is crucial. The absolute most important factor in recovery from any inflammatory bowel disease is to take the correct probiotic in the correct dosage & ratio with the correct colostrum. It is NOT one size fits all. A chronic diarrhea treatment is different from a treatment for diverticulitis. If fact the treatment for  urgent diarrhea may require a completely different type of probiotic – a friendly yeast!

Also it is imperative to be sure that you take enough probiotics if you are seeking a truly reliable leaky gut syndrome treatment or Crohn’s disease treatment.  People commonly make this mistake and don’t end up effectively healing from inflammatory bowel disease, because they aren’t taking a large enough dose of probiotics. Another tip – never take the amount of capsules or powder suggested on the bottle. Those are just general instructions that in fact are not geared to anyone. The fact is that you are not likely to improve your condition without the guidance of a naturopath experienced with Holistic Gastro-enterology.

Some people skip taking probiotics and opt instead for eating yogurt.  While yogurt is definitely good for you, it cannot actually reverse inflammatory bowel diseases like probiotics can-it is just too weak & does not have the variety of bacterial strains knocked out by today’s  powerful & wide spectrum antibiotics. Another interesting fact about probiotics that many people fail to note is that they can also be used to benefit children and even animals.  So if you find that any other creatures in your home (human or non-human) have digestive issues, be sure to start them on a probiotics regimen as soon as possible.

Of course, it almost goes without saying that anytime you take antibiotics, you absolutely must follow your medication regimen by immediately taking the specific probiotics- to replace the specific good bacterial strains killed off by the specific kind of antibiotic taken. Otherwise, the effects of the antibiotic will start to wreak serious havoc on your GI. system and lead to inflammatory bowel disease.

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How to Find a Quality Probiotic

Tuesday, May 3, 2011 No Comments by Dr. Albert Snow

Many people today have heard good things about probiotics and are considering taking them to improve their health.  When you go to the supermarket or drugstore these days, you will see various types of probiotics for sale.  But how do you know how to find a quality probiotic supplement?  This article will discuss some of the things you should be looking for when you decide to start taking probiotics to either just improve your digestion in general or actually to repair inflammatory bowel disease symptoms.

The truth is that all probiotics are not the same.  If you are seeking an inflammatory bowel disease treatment for issues such as irritable bowel disorder, colitis, leaky gut syndrome or Crohn’s disease, there are some major considerations that you should definitely keep in mind. YOU NEED TO TAKE A PROBIOTIC THAT IS SPECIFICALLY MADE FOR GASTRO-NTESTINAL ISSUES. To do otherwise you will be doomed to failure in your efforts to heal your problem.

All, good probiotics for gastro-inteatinal symptoms must be refrigerated. The capsules will need to stay cool in order for the microorganisms to stay viable.  If you see non-refrigerated probiotics for sale, you can be sure that they don’t have much potency.  Secondly, quality probiotics must contain numerous- specific strains of bacteria that are  relevant to different parts of the the GI system. For instance GERD/Acid Reflux/Heartburn requires a different probiotic- in liquid form- than gastritis or Colitis. Each of the bacterial strains also must have a population in the billions in each capsule.  They must also be in the proper ratio to one another.

You might notice that some probiotics contain FOS or Fructo-oligosaccharides.  Many people wonder what these are.  FOS performs very much like a fertilizer for the bacteria. Not all FOS is the same- you need different “fertilizer” for different “plants”-bacteria. It helps them grow rapidly and stick to the  esophagus/stomach or intestinal wall.  Some probiotic formulas also contain other beneficial ingredients such as herbs or amino acids that help with the strength of your GI membrane wall.

As we have discussed in previous articles, taking antibiotics causes gastrointestinal woes including irritable bowel disease.  Therefore, it is important that the probiotics  you take are resistant to antibiotics – these are difficult to find.  While most probiotics can’t promise this ability, if you get your supplements from a qualified naturopathic physician, you will find that you can indeed find supplements of the highest quality that are relevant to your particular problem.

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