It’s very common for new patients to find me because they’ve been diagnosed with (or are living with symptoms of) Irritable Bowel Syndrome. In this blog, I’m going to share with you the journey that usually leads them to me, and what’s really going on.
Bloating, diarrhea, constipation, gas, acid reflux, headaches, memory issues, brain fog, and anxiety are some of the most common symptoms digestive patients deal with on a daily basis.
Many of these patients have lived with these symptoms for so long that they just ignore them - sometimes for years. Eventually, the symptoms get bad enough that they can no longer be ignored, and the first test that their doctor will typically run is a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel.
It's not Comprehensive...
While the name indicates that the testing is comprehensive, it’s actually just a fraction of information that’s needed to find out what’s really going on. Because of this, the Comprehensive Metabolic Panel typically comes back normal - or with very few findings; nothing that explains all the symptoms. Since the blood work comes back normal, the doctor may then order an endoscopy and/or colonoscopy; and most of that comes back normal too.
At this point, the patient is oftentimes diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). In the medical profession, IBS is widely accepted as a diagnosis by exclusion. This means that there is no test that can be run to confirm or deny the presence of IBS. Once the tests have been run and no cause has been found, the patient is diagnosed with IBS and treated for their symptoms.
The medications used to treat these symptoms come with a list of side effects, which are then treated with more medications. Before you know it, the patient is on 10+ medications and the sickest they’ve ever been. Patients that are diagnosed with IBS continue to get worse as time goes on, because the causes of their symptoms have never been treated.
The Real Condition
The real condition that patients are dealing with is called Leaky Gut Syndrome. Leaky Gut Syndrome is a condition in which repeated inflammation over time destroys the lining of the stomach and the lining of the small intestine.
What causes this repeated inflammation? The Standard American Diet - foods high in sugar, processed or refined carbohydrates, genetically modified foods, herbicides, pesticides, antibiotic overuse, alcohol, soda, etc.
Most Americans are ingesting these foods every single day, multiple times a day - and that repeated inflammation literally erodes the linings of the stomach and small intestine.
The Good News
The good news is that with the proper lifestyle changes, Leaky Gut Syndrome can be reversed. At Premier Health Care, we do comprehensive testing to check hormone levels, food sensitivities, and every organ system in your body to find the root cause of your illness. We then create a custom diet and treatment plan for each patient.
To learn more about Leaky Gut Syndrome, download my free Natural Approach series here.
To book a free consultation, click here or call our office at 314-647-1384.