What We Treat

Gut Dysfunction & Leaky Gut

Did you know there are 300 trillion bacteria residing in your gut? Yep, trillion with a T. Who lives in your gut is extremely important. If the wrong gut bacteria are present, many problems can occur.

Of course, there can be obvious gut symptoms like:

• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Heartburn or GERD

But there can also be other less obvious symptoms associated with gut dysfunction. Things like:

• Skin conditions such as eczema and other rashes
• Joint pain
• Fatigue
• Autoimmune diseases

I recommend all of my patients have their guts tested. The highly specialized DNA/PCR testing shows us exactly who lives in the gut. Then we employ tactics consisting of supplements and lifestyle changes to “kill the bad guys.” This generally takes about 2 months time. Then we “optimize the good guys” and heal the gut lining (otherwise known as leaky gut repair).

The gut is supposed to be somewhat leaky. Your body absorbs the nutrients from the foods you eat by allowing the nutrients to leak through the gut wall to the bloodstream. However, most people have too much of a leaky gut. In addition to nutrients leaking across to the bloodstream, bacteria, food particles, and toxins also leak across leading to inflammation and an overactive immune response.

The risk factors for leaky gut are stress, alcohol consumption, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory use (like Aleve or Motrin), and processed foods. I think it’s safe to assume that everyone has some level of leaky gut.

After we kill the bad guys, we optimize the good guys and heal the gut lining. Bottom line: if you have gut-related symptoms or non-gut-related symptoms, it’s worth checking the gut. There is always something to optimize regarding the gut and it’s an important step on the path to the best possible health and the best possible life.

I recommend the GI Map from Diagnostic Solutions for all of my patients. Based on the results, I am able to create a personalized treatment protocol to address the elements of gut dysfunction. Instead of guessing, we test to achieve the best-personalized results.