Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
Bagpuss

Leaky Gut

Recommended Posts

I'm in the middle of reading Liz Astor's book about her daughter Olivia, who is autistic. She has briefly mentioned "leaky gut" and ran thru a few signs and symptoms. What struck me, was that our youngest dd has many of these.

 

I don't know anything about leaky gut, and rather than go searching the net, thought I'd ask on here first. Has this been proven/disproven or is it something that is being researched currently? Is it complete nonsense or something that is widely accepted and treated?

 

Thanks :D

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I'm in the middle of reading Liz Astor's book about her daughter Olivia, who is autistic. She has briefly mentioned "leaky gut" and ran thru a few signs and symptoms. What struck me, was that our youngest dd has many of these.

 

I don't know anything about leaky gut, and rather than go searching the net, thought I'd ask on here first. Has this been proven/disproven or is it something that is being researched currently? Is it complete nonsense or something that is widely accepted and treated?

 

Thanks :D

 

 

Hi Bagpuss,

As far as I am aware, and I could be wrong, it is just one theory. Something about toxins leaking from the gut and travelling to the brain, therefore, 'causing' autistic 'symptoms'. I remember reading about some people swearing by a certain drug (can't remember the name of it offhand), which it was claimed cured the symptoms of the leaky gut condition and, therefore, the autistic characteristics, I saw a programme about it once. I tried a homeopathic version of this particular drug, but didn't see much improvement. I'm sure someone else can be a lot more help than me though! :rolleyes:

 

See ya. >:D<<'>

 

~ Mel ~

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This is where the whole glutenfree/casein free diet comes in. Have a look at the University of Sunderland website about this. They are the leading experts in this field. Briefly one of the theories is that the gut is leakier in some children meaning that opiod-like metabolites from gluten or casein get into the blood stream and then travel through a leaky blood-brain barrier and cause or exacerbate autistic symptoms. It is probably acting on a brain that is already autistic in nature but making it worse iyswim! The Sunderland Uni people have a booklet which explains it all a lot better.

 

It's not part of traditional medical practice yet as the studies so far show variable results and it doesn't seem to work for all autistic children (about 1 in 2 or 3)but it is getting closer to being accepted than it used to be. The NHS dieticians at our locla hospital have some knowledge and specific designed leaflets for autistic children on gf/cf free diets. Certainly my son's behaviour in terms of concentration and attention has improved since being off casein and he no longer has sloppy poos or anaemic any more. If he has dairy he is really high for a few days afterwards.

 

HTH :)

 

Lx

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My son we are sure has a leaky gut. He like a lot of autistic children has suffered with chronic constipation since 3months old. He has gone a whole month without a bowel movement. At the age of 23mnths he was unconscious and blue as a resultt of constipation. He had several admissions to hospital because no medication, homeopathic or conventional has worked. After a phosphate enema he would come around and was always instantly better.

He is always more autistic and less able to function when constipated. Obviously the bowel stretches as the constipation worsens and he physically must feel awful. But what concerns us is how he so quickly regresses. A lot of his developmental delays we put down to the toxins in his body and his brain. If fat cells or gluten molecules can pass through the gut then surely faecal toxins can aswell. Whenever I have said this to paediatritions or dietitians they have swept it under the carpet and not really offered any advice.

My son is now on a great medication called movicol which makes it possible to have a bowel movement but he has just gone 2 weeks with out the toilet!! Believe it or not this is an improvement!! I do worry about the effect longterm these toxins may have or the damage they have done to an already develpmentally challenged little brain.

Any info anyone has i would be fascinated to read. Does anyone have a website address for the sunderland institute?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Any info anyone has i would be fascinated to read. Does anyone have a website address for the sunderland institute?

 

Click on the link in the first line of my post on the underlined word! Also google Allergy Induced Autism as that website has a lot of info

 

Lx

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If you click on "website" in LizK's link, it will take you to the web-site.

 

They can do a test on your child's urine to see if it is likely that he will benefit from a gf or cf diet.

 

Karen

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi all -

 

Loupin - just wanted to say that in my own son's case constipation was directly linked to casein intolerance, and the problems all but disappeared within days of starting a dairy free diet. In the process of finding that out he had just about every medication you can imagine thrown at him... He still suffers VERY occassional constipation/vomiting, but usually only when something else is going on - i.e. cold/flu/viral infection. It's like his immune system can't handle everything at once, and the bowel is the first thing to 'shut down'...

Gluten has a huge impact on behaviour, but doesn't seem implicated in the bowel problems (I challenged the df diet for three months prior to going GF)... We can 'flirt' with dairy in small doses (he likes a bit of Stilton at Christmas!), but wheat/gluten is avoided at all costs!

I'm not entirely sure that the 'minute traces' some websites shout about are entirely acurate, or indeed 'sound' from a scientific POV (Given that any such claims regarding a 'new' trigger by definition imply flaws in the dietary intervention preceeding that discovery that would have profoundly effected the efficacy of said intervention! :wacko: ), but that aside my own experience very much indicates that dietary intervention can be hugely beneficial for some...

 

L&P

 

BD :D

 

PS - just seem Michelles post above... If you've a good GP who will refer you the urinary analysis can be obtained on the NHS FOC... My own feeling is that you're much more likely to have the GP on your side if you start the whole thing with a referal from themselves, but that very much depends on their willingness to look 'outside the box' from the outset... the wording on scrip provision of GF foods IS open enough to enable our kids to get it without a dx of coeliac, but interpretation of that wording is very much down to the GP signing the scrip...

Edited by baddad

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
If you've a good GP who will refer you the urinary analysis can be obtained on the NHS FOC... My own feeling is that you're much more likely to have the GP on your side if you start the whole thing with a referal from themselves, but that very much depends on their willingness to look 'outside the box' from the outset... the wording on scrip provision of GF foods IS open enough to enable our kids to get it without a dx of coeliac, but interpretation of that wording is very much down to the GP signing the scrip...

Our GP was very supportive, but was confused by Sunderland being out of our immediate area. I guess if we'd been further away (we're in Gateshead) it would have been less of a problem, but it seemed to her that we were asking to be referred for treatment to a different health authority. I couldn't get her to understand that people from all over the country get this test done at Sunderland because there's nowhere else to go, and that folk such as yourselves have had it funded by their health authorities.

 

All told it took me a year and a half of going round in circles trying to find someone in the HA who would accept responsibility for payment. All roads led back to the paediatrician who routinely ignored all correspondence or passed it on to the dietician (who routinely passed it back). In the end I gave up and paid for it done ourselves as I was so sick of waiting and making phone calls.

 

Although J's never been dxd with leaky gut by a medical professional, it was suspected a couple of months ago when I took him to see a complementary therapist. He was always complaining of minor tummy aches (though didn't have diarrhea/constipation very often) and his breath was always bad. I was advised to get him on this:

http://saferemedies.net/product_pd_gf.htm

and the bad breath and tummy aches have improved dramatically. Behaviourally he's still monstrous and getting worse frankly - but that could be Christmas and a lousy school, other factors too I expect. I take the supplement myself now too (I have ME/CFS) and it's made a huge difference to my energy levels. It's expensive but maybe worth a shot.

 

Karen

x

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

and another thing...

 

We got prescribed products with no problem when I spoke with J's dietician about starting the GF diet. She just wrote to the GP telling her that I intended to bake my own bread, cakes etc and could I have Xanthan Gum on repeat please. She also said that I may want to try other prescribed items in the future and the gp agreed to add them on the list if I went back to her.

 

It's worth asking - shy bairns get no (gluten free) cake.

 

Karen

x

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks all for the suggestions. Can't believe i didn't see the web link on Liz's post!!! Very blonde at the moment !! I asked tobe referred to a dietitian who specialised in the gf/cf diet but was told they didn't know of any and as it wasn't clinically proven no one could really recommend it. We did dairy free for 2 years and it worked initially but then the constipation returned. Will check out the website... thanks again

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone for your replies. Liz, the link looks great, will be checking out properly after Xmas and investigating it all further. My only concern is that our youngest dd's diet is already very restricted, with a small amount of foods available to choose from........did anyone else face a similar scenario before deciding to begin CF/GF free diet? She literally lives off milk, fresh orange, bread, butter, marmite, fromage frais, crisps, chocolate, banana's, the odd apple......the occasional sausage and MD's chicken nuggets......think that's about it :wacko::wacko: Oh, I forgot, pickled onions too :blink:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

There is a book I have read called "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" which I got on Amazon. Sorry, cant for the life of me find my copy to check the author, but its a doctor someone. I was recommended to read this through my local ASD support group. It explains Leaky Gut syndrome in great detail.

 

Happy reading

Daisydot

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Bagpuss,

My daughter is not on gf/cf diet but i changed her diet after her allergy to sodium benzoate was discovered and this was something i worried about i asked the doctor at the clinic if he could help me out and he was fantastic he spoke with Hayley told her everything explained it all again and repeated things if i gave him a nod (in case i thought she had not understood) he told her that it would be difficult to change what she eats and that she would slip up now and again but she would decide herself not to eat these things because of how she would feel afterwards and he gave her a 3 day time limit before she had to change her diet.

This worked a treat and she has changed things herself when she doesnt like the after effects and today she had a packet of raisins!

Good luck in your research

Nicola

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...