Leaky Gut
Restore your gut barrier and calm the inflammation behind your symptoms
Leaky gut, or gut hyperpermeability, is a dysfunction of the filtering system in the small intestine. As the name suggests, the gut "leaks" undigested particles into the bloodstream.
In a normally functioning gut, only a small number of particles pass through the gut wall. When the gut wall becomes inflamed, that filtering barrier is compromised and the leaks become larger — allowing bacteria, viruses, fungi and undigested proteins through into the bloodstream, where the immune system mounts an inflammatory response because they are seen as foreign.
Book a Free Discovery Call
What we look for behind leaky gut
This can lead to a host of symptoms across different body systems that seem unrelated to the digestive tract where the problem began — in other words, you may or may not experience digestive symptoms with leaky gut. In clinical practice, we investigate causes including:
How we help
Treatment of leaky gut involves a detailed case history and review of your symptoms to look at the root cause of what is causing the distress. In some clients we find an underlying yeast infection; in others, high stress levels alongside an inflammatory diet.
Integrative nutrition approach
Our team of integrative nutritionists will look at the root cause and tailor an integrative approach incorporating nutrient-dense foods, taking into account your personal needs, health challenges and biochemistry.
Specialised leaky gut testing
There are specific leaky gut tests that can establish the permeability of the gut. Alongside your symptoms, we can carry out in-depth testing to look at what is driving your digestive issues — including SIBO breath testing, comprehensive stool testing and food sensitivity/allergy testing.
Targeted gut repair
To heal a leaky gut we need to look at what is causing it in the first place. Once we establish this, we use very specific nutrients to restore the integrity of the gut wall.
Stress management
Continued stress has a negative impact on the permeability of the gut. In addition to diet and supplements, we recommend lifestyle changes and advise on strategies to manage stress.
How leaky gut drives immune reactions
When the intestinal barrier is compromised, food particles, pathogens and toxins enter the bloodstream and cause an immune reaction characterised by an inflammatory response — because the immune system recognises them as foreign.
Some proteins in food resemble proteins from our own tissues. Gluten, for example, is similar in structure to the thyroid gland. When an undigested protein like gluten passes through the intestinal barrier, the immune system attacks it — and in doing so can also attack the thyroid. Repeated over time, this process can contribute to organ and tissue damage in areas such as the thyroid (Hashimoto's), joints (rheumatoid arthritis) and brain (multiple sclerosis).
Our repair approach
The approach we take to any gut issue includes a "repair" mechanism — diet to reduce the foods causing inflammation, some lifestyle changes, and targeted supplements to heal the gut. Often we find that foods eliminated for one to two months can be reintroduced once the gut has healed.
Once the gut is healed, we see a vast improvement in many of our clients. Symptoms such as food intolerances that had been a problem for a long period often dissipate and no longer cause issues.
We can help you optimise your health so you can feel your best again
Our approach is designed to find and address what's really driving your gut permeability. This care may be right for you if you:
Have multiple food sensitivities or reactions that are hard to pinpoint
Have digestive symptoms alongside skin, joint or mood issues
Have an autoimmune condition or a family history of one
Want to get to the root cause and repair the gut barrier
Feel more comfortable and confident in your body
Ongoing gut and immune symptoms can affect how you feel day to day. We work with you to calm inflammation, address the underlying contributors and restore your gut barrier over time.
Explore care optionsSee what our clients have to say
Real stories from people we've helped.
I can't put into words how grateful I am to Rob for the support and help I received to fix my digestive issues. After 10 years of going to traditional doctors, he is the only professional to help me recover my life back. Before seeing Rob, I had struggled with periods of inflammation, major fatigue, and weight gain. Rob ran some tests on me, which apparently are not available through the NHS, and found a pathogenic yeast. No doctor, dietician or gastro even mentioned a stool test. I was put on a relatively strict treatment plan and within 2 weeks started to feel better. I actually feel like myself again and doing activities that I just couldn't do for years. I have recommended The Integrative Nutrition Clinic to all my friends and family. He is the best out there when it comes to digestive health!
I have had a fantastic experience with Rob. He is unbelievably knowledgeable, open, warm and easy to get on with. His knowledge of the GI tract is incredible and was able to give me a completely different perspective on what has been causing my issues. I had a GI issue that my conventional GP was treating but it simply wasn't getting any better after 9 months. After working with Rob for 3 weeks, my issues started to resolve by making subtle changes to my morning routine. Not only that, he is working with me to optimise my overall health and vitality to make sure it doesn't happen again.
I have been working with Mr Staunton for a number of months. He works diligently to understand the root cause of what caused the issue in the first place and conducts comprehensive testing to methodically go over all possible causes. He is results-driven and is able to turn the complex into easily digestible information. Results came after 4 weeks and since then, I have kept on improving. The difference between how I was feeling before and today is simply incredible.