Leaky Gut Syndrome & Gilbert's

[Bonnie]

Hi everyone,

Been gluten-free for 10 months now. I cannot believe how it has become second nature. I don't even have any "accidents"!

My bloating, gas, constipation etc. was getting bad again even on the gluten-free diet. I EVENTUALLY (hallelujah!) found someone to take me seriously - a Homeopath. He did a whole lot of tests - blood, platelets, liver function, all sorts of others.

I have Gilbert's Syndrome and Leaky Gut Syndrome. I'm sure most of us have leaky gut. Anyway he put me on homeopathic medicine etc.

I am taking daily :-

A good multivitamin

L-Glutamine

Digestive Enzymes

Magnesium

Flaxseed Oil

Milk Thistle

Vitamin B Co.

Herbal Constipation Remedy

I changed my diet again 4 weeks ago - limited dairy, fruit on its own, salad/vegetables and protein or salad/vegetables and carbs. No protein and carbs together. Problem is I am rice intolerant and the only carbs I can eat are fruit/veg & potatoes.

I also started exercising again 4 weeks ago.

Soooo - I am really starting to feel better. However if I eat any processed foods at all or a bit of chocolate - the bloating comes back and the constipation gets worse.

My energy levels are improving a bit too.

What I wanted to know is - am I doing everything right? Should I just carry on as I am and things will gradually improve? I know the leaky gut can take a long time to heal. Is there any other supplement I should be taking to speed things up?

The Gilbert's diagnosis was interesting. Explains the bad nausea and the yellow eyes! Perhaps also why I can't tolerate alcohol anymore. It also affects my energy levels and why I feel physically ill when under stress.

Any advice, as always, will be greatly appreciated!

Yvonne

[megsylvan2]

Hi Yvonne,

I, too, was told I had Leaky Gut Syndrome by a holistic MD, and so far, I'm not sure how I feel about it, or how accepting I am of that as a diagnosis, especially since no testing was done (by this doctor) to arrive at that conclusion. So, I'm taking that with a grain of salt, and trying to find out if there is such a condition recognized by the medical community.

I was given a few things - Robert's formula (liquid herb formula to aid digestion), a probiotic, a very good Vitamin B, and was recommended to do a toxic cleanse by following a specific diet, which included a 1 week powdered food formula substitute from Metagenics.

I really couldn't take any of them because of the intestinal problems I was having, so I will never know if they would have done anything worthwhile. I do think the Vitamin B helped, and will continue to try to work that in.

What I've been able to discover on my own, and thanks to the Metagenics diet (which was gluten free and free of most common allergenic food), was that my problems seems to stem from food intolerances to (so far) wheat, gluten, egg, dairy, honey, and chocolate. If I eat these foods, I feel very sick and have a lot of pain. If I don't eat these foods, I can feel normal again.

I have no advice or answers, as I am also new to this whole arena. Like you, I just have a whole bunch of questions. I, too, wonder if my intestinal tract will heal, and if so, how long it will take if I stay on this path.

I feel the better route for me is to pursue testing for food allergies/intolerances (non- iGe-related allergies), and to make sure I don’t yet have Celiacs. Then, I guess I have to learn how to adapt and to live with this lifestyle.

I haven’t yet reconciled the whole holistic/homeopathic vs. allopathic medicine thing. Obviously, I’m open to holistic/homeopathic, but it seems to me that both routes go to opposite extremes, and I’m looking for something of each that would meet in the middle. That is why I chose a holistic doctor who was also an MD, but I’m afraid I have not yet found what I was seeking.

Good luck to you!

[Claire]

Hi Yvonne,

I, too, was told I had Leaky Gut Syndrome by a holistic MD, and so far, I'm not sure how I feel about it, or how accepting I am of that as a diagnosis, especially since no testing was done (by this doctor) to arrive at that conclusion. So, I'm taking that with a grain of salt, and trying to find out if there is such a condition recognized by the medical community.

I was given a few things - Robert's formula (liquid herb formula to aid digestion), a probiotic, a very good Vitamin B, and was recommended to do a toxic cleanse by following a specific diet, which included a 1 week powdered food formula substitute from Metagenics.

I really couldn't take any of them because of the intestinal problems I was having, so I will never know if they would have done anything worthwhile. I do think the Vitamin B helped, and will continue to try to work that in.

What I've been able to discover on my own, and thanks to the Metagenics diet (which was gluten free and free of most common allergenic food), was that my problems seems to stem from food intolerances to (so far) wheat, gluten, egg, dairy, honey, and chocolate. If I eat these foods, I feel very sick and have a lot of pain. If I don't eat these foods, I can feel normal again.

I have no advice or answers, as I am also new to this whole arena. Like you, I just have a whole bunch of questions. I, too, wonder if my intestinal tract will heal, and if so, how long it will take if I stay on this path.

I feel the better route for me is to pursue testing for food allergies/intolerances (non- iGe-related allergies), and to make sure I don’t yet have Celiacs. Then, I guess I have to learn how to adapt and to live with this lifestyle.

I haven’t yet reconciled the whole holistic/homeopathic vs. allopathic medicine thing. Obviously, I’m open to holistic/homeopathic, but it seems to me that both routes go to opposite extremes, and I’m looking for something of each that would meet in the middle. That is why I chose a holistic doctor who was also an MD, but I’m afraid I have not yet found what I was seeking.

Good luck to you!

Believe me, there is such a thing as Leaky Gut Syndrome - though it is rarely recognized by the 'medical community'. There are many techncial articles on the subject online. One clear sign of it is delayed food 'allerg' response to one or many foods. This occurs because tiny particles are able to pass through the permeable wall (otherwise called 'leaky'). If the wall wasn't leaky that could not happen.

I have been there - for far too many years.

Healing takes a couple of years - and is frequently slowed down because new reactive foods emerge.

As the diet is limited, we tend to eat too much of foods that aren't a problem Then that food becomes a problem and the options are further narrowed down. It's tough for sure. cCaire

[Bonnie]

Hi Claire,

Yes I am coming to terms with the fact that this is going to take a long long time to come right. I am just being too impatient.

I've been a bit worried about what you mentioned about our diets being so limited we tend to eat the same things over and over, and then will probably being intolerant to those foods. Its a vicious cycle.

I think I'm on the right track though so I'll just need to learn a little patience and persevere!

Yvonne