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Leaky Gut Test To Determine Appropriate Eczema Treatment

Filed Under Eczema Treatment, Food Allergy, Natural Eczema Treatment 





















What had been suggested by Dr Sebastian Liew was that I take a leaky gut test to check for intestinal permeability. He said that if the gut is found to be leaky, then an appropriate eczema treatment plan can then be taken to help repair its lining.

In case you are wondering what a leaky gut syndrome is, here is an explanation:

What Is A Leaky Gut Syndrome

A leaky gut syndrome refers to the increased permeability of the intestinal lining which has become “leaky” due to damages to the lining of the gut. Factors that can cause increased permeability of the gut include an overuse of antibiotics, a constant onslaught of ingestion of food allergy triggers, toxins, or infection.

When you have a leaky gut, you are not able to absorb nutrients selectively, but materials such as toxins, undigested food, waste, etc can leak through the wall and into the bloodstream. Inflammation results, causing eczema symptoms as well as other allergy symptoms.

Leaky Gut Test Overview
The small intestine has to successfully balance two seeming contradictory tasks, i.e. to faciliate digestion and absorption of nutrients while simultaneously preventing the absorption of microorganisms, bacterial antigens, large molecules and antigenic food components.

Intestinal permeability is assessed non-invasively by measuring the urinary excretion of orally administered test substances. See above picture of how a kit for the urine collection looks like. A test dose of two non-metabolizable sugars – Lactulose and Mannitol – is used.

Steps for Leaky Gut Test

The night before collecting the urine sample, start fasting from 11pm. No food is allowed. But water can be consumed.

1. After rising, but before breakfast, empty bladder into the toilet.

2. Add warm water to the syrup in the brown plastic bottle until it is 3/4 full. Replace the lid firmly and shake the container vigorously to dissolve the white powder.

3. Drink the solution completely. If any residue remains, add more warm water and drink it also. A solution containing Mannitol, Lactulose, Glycerol.

4. Write the time you drank the mixture on the Request slop and on the label of the urine specimen tube (10ml). For the following 6 hours, all urine must be collected into the 4 litre urine collection bag. After taking the drink, you may eat your normal breakfast.

5. To collect the urine in the bag, expand the collection bag and pass all urine in your bladder into the bag, replace the cap and mix it thoroughly. Read the total urine volume from the graduated scale on the side of the bag by holding the bag up the corner.

6. Write the 6 hour urine volume on the Request Slip and on the label of the 10ml urine specimen tube.

7. Using the plastic dropper, transfer 10ml of well-mixed urine from the bag into the 10ml specimen tube. Screw the cap tightly and label the tube with your name, the date and time.

8. Place the tube in the sealable side of the Biohazard bag.

9. Put the completed Request slip, including your payment details into the unseal section of the specimen bag.

10. Place the Biohazard bag into the prepaid padded envelope and seal it. Forward it to the laboratory.

11. Dispose of the remaining urine and the collection bag.

I’ve already followed the above steps and sent the sample to the laboratory for an analysis since two days ago. It seems that the results will be only coming up after a couple of weeks. In the meantime, Dr Liew is due to be off for a long trip to Europe. I hope that the results will be back before he goes off; otherwise, it’s going to be a loooooong wait! Do stay tuned to more updates on the outcome of my test and eczema treatment.

Comments

3 Responses to “Leaky Gut Test To Determine Appropriate Eczema Treatment”

  1. ann neo on April 8th, 2008 1:58 am

    I’ve checked out his website before but am undecided whether to see him, as I’m currently trying to tackle my digestion and eczema problem with TCM. But progress has kinda stagnented. So, I’m reading this with interest. Are his charges expensive? How often is consultation required?

  2. admin on May 16th, 2008 2:04 pm

    I’ve never compared rates so I can’t exactly say if he is expensive relatively or not. I’m of the thinking that if it helps in my healing, I will pay for it. After all, this is natural medicine rather than steroids. I would also think that consultation depends on a case by case basis.

    The good thing is that Dr Liew is himself an ex-eczema sufferer. I prefer to have a doctor who knows exactly what I’m going through.

  3. Sean on July 14th, 2008 7:46 am

    I’m curious as to whether the leaky gut test will also apply to psoriasis sufferers. Does leaky gut help cause psoriasis?

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