Help, My Gut Is Leaking!

As the integrative medical scientist here at Merge Wellness Hub “leaky’ gut is something I see a lot of with my patients. 

So what actually is “leaky” gut? In simple terms it is where the lining of the large intestine or gut is compromised resulting in larger openings between the cells lining the gut. It is usually caused by antibiotic usage, food sensitivities such as gluten or diary, gut parasites, unhealthy gut bacteria and poor digestion.

This “Leaky” Gut allows particles of undigested food, toxic waste, bacteria and bacteria “poo” into our blood stream. As the body responds to these foreign substances it can then go on to cause a range of symptoms, some more obvious like bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, gas and abdominal discomfort but some patients don’t have any obvious gut symptoms but may present with allergy, eczema, sinus issues and even mood disturbances, headaches and aches and pains.

At Merge health I offer a specialised service – Microscopic Blood Analysis which is a valuable screening tool in detecting “Leaky’ Gut. What I see under the microscope with “Leaky” Gut is what we call hypersecretory platelets or bubbling around the platelets which are the small blood cells that help our blood to clot. This is a sign of low level immune activation and is most commonly associated with “Leaky” Gut.

When we have “Leaky” Gut we will often also have malabsorption issues which means we don’t absorb all the of the nutrients from our food as well so we can become nutrient depleted which then goes on to cause a whole heap of other symptoms often seemingly unrelated. These can include fatigue, brain fog, difficulty concentrating as well as low mood and anxiety.

With the Microscopic Blood Analysis we can also see if you are becoming low in iron, Vitamin B12 and Folate which are essential nutrients for the brain biochemistry. With malabsorption due to “Leaky” Gut people are often low in many essential nutrients across the board including Zinc and Magnesium. 

From your routine pathology tests results I can also gather a great deal of information as part of the Pathology Review service I also offer. For example are you not absorbing enough protein, minerals and vitamins from your food? Are you dehydrated? We can do extra calculations with those results and see if your body is acidic and prone to chronic inflammation. I compare your routine pathology results to those of a healthy person because we are aiming for you to be in the best possible health.  

Did you know leaky gut can impact your skin health? Acne, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis – can have the same root cause, poor gut health!

So if you would like to know where your gut health as well as your overall health is at then you can make an appointment with me, no referral is needed.  With the detailed report that comes with your microscopic blood analysis we can work with your practitioner to put a suitable treatment plan in place to get your gut happy again and you back in excellent health! If you aren’t absorbing your nutrients effectively your skin, hair and nails can be the first to feel the effects of poor nutrient uptake. Healing a leaky gut is often the key to glowing, healthy skin!