Is leaky gut a real thing?

Intestinal permeability is real and measurable, and it's well described in coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and after some infections. What isn't established is the popular version, where a permeable gut is presented as the cause of most chronic illness. Your naturopath works with the first, not the second.

Should I take a probiotic?

Sometimes, and which one matters more than whether. Strains have been studied for specific presentations and are not interchangeable, so a general product bought off a shelf may do nothing for what you're dealing with.

Can a stool test tell me what to do?

It can add to the picture. Microbiome testing is far better at describing what's there than at telling anyone what to change, so it's worth doing when it answers a specific question and not worth it as a starting point.

Gut Health Naturopath Melbourne | Microbiome Support

Your gut carries a large population of bacteria that ferment the fibre you can’t digest, produce short-chain fatty acids that feed the cells lining your colon, help regulate immune function and are involved in how you make and use certain vitamins.

Diversity is the thing most consistently associated with a resilient gut — a wide range of species rather than a large number of one.

What changes it

Antibiotics, which are sometimes necessary and always disruptive. A long stretch of low-fibre eating. Illness, particularly gastroenteritis. Alcohol. Chronic stress, which changes transit time and secretions. And age.

Intestinal permeability, in plain terms

The gut lining is a single cell layer with junctions between the cells that control what crosses into the bloodstream. When those junctions loosen, larger molecules cross that normally wouldn’t. That’s what “leaky gut” describes.

It’s genuinely documented in coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, heavy alcohol use and after some infections. The version circulating online — where it’s the cause of nearly everything — runs a long way ahead of the evidence, and your naturopath won’t tell you otherwise.

What your naturopath works on

Fibre, and range. Different plants feed different species, so the count of plant foods across a week does more than the quantity of any one.

Fermented foods, introduced slowly enough to be tolerated.

Targeted probiotics where a strain has been studied for what you’re dealing with, rather than a general product.

Nutrients the gut lining uses, including zinc, vitamin A and glutamine, where your assessment suggests they’re short.

What’s irritating it — alcohol, some medications, and eating patterns that never give the gut a break.

Stress and sleep, because the gut is directly wired to the nervous system and this part is not optional.

⚠ What needs investigation rather than support

Blood in your stool, unexplained weight loss, persistent pain, fever, or a sudden and lasting change in bowel habit need medical assessment now. Coeliac disease should be excluded before gluten comes out of your diet.

Where investigation is the right next step, we’ll refer you with a letter setting out what was found.

Gut microbiome and leaky gut