Digestion

No one is immune from the occasional stomachache, but when reflux, bloating, gassiness, diarrhea, or constipation become the norm…it’s time to investigate! ​The promotion of pills and powders for problems like acid reflux, diarrhea, and constipation can make it seem like these problems are normal and benign parts of everyone’s life.

But make no mistake – if you experience digestive problems often – something is wrong.  The inability to digest your food properly will have a domino effect on your health. Over time you could develop a chronic condition, food allergies, autoimmunity or other serious conditions.  Getting to the root of your digestive issues as early as possible is vital for your body to heal any damage and restore normal digestion.

First, let’s look at digestion itself.

What Causes Digestive Issues?

Digestive problems can be caused by a poor, unhealthy lifestyle in terms of poor nutrition and little to no exercise, a food sensitivity or even an infection. More specifically, digestive issues may be caused by:

• Blood sugar spikes and crashes
• A high-sugar diet
• Food intolerances
• Autoimmune conditions

Digestive Symptoms: While Eating

• Trouble Swallowing
• The feeling of a ‘full’ or swollen esophagus.
• The feeling that your throat is not big enough for food
• Regurgitation
• GERD, Acid Reflux
• A feeling of dizziness after swallowing food
• Being repelled by food you usually like to eat

Digestive Symptoms: During Digestion

• Stomach Pain – sharp, stabbing pain, dull ache, a feeling that food is stuck, a feeling of something hard in your stomach
• Lots of Intestinal gurgling
• Nausea
• Rashes or Hives
• Body temperature rise

Digestive Symptoms: After Digestion

• Headaches post meal
• Nausea
• Rapid Heart Rate especially after a meal
• Changes in stool
• Feeling tired
• Feeling weak or shaky
• Weight Fluctuations
• Weight Gain or Loss
• Vertigo

Conventional Approaches to Treating Gut Issues

You may have already seen your primary care doctor about your chronic gut issues, only to be given a prescription to deal with the symptoms and told to come back in 4 weeks if things aren’t better. You may have been given a prescription for a medication such as a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) to deal with “overactive” stomach acid or some other medication to deal with the chronic ongoing gut symptoms. While these medicines may slightly ease symptoms in the short term, they do not treat the underlying root or reason why symptoms began in the first place.

Next you are referred to a gastroenterologist. Your gastroenterologist most likely did an endoscopy or other upper GI studies if your symptoms are stomach, esophagus, or gallbladder related. Perhaps they did a colonoscopy to evaluate your intestinal status. These types of tests, though important, are only aimed at looking for structural pathology in your GI tract.  They do not evaluate how your digestive system is actually functioning or how you are breaking down and absorbing your food – these factors must be assessed differently.

Getting To The Root Cause Of Symptoms

There are so many reasons why you may experience chronic digestive distress, and unless you take the time to understand the true root cause of what’s ultimately leading to the observed digestive symptoms, you won’t know how to truly resolve the issue!

Common Issues

Common digestive symptoms include: undiagnosed food sensitivities, gut dysbiosis (abnormal growth of the gut flora), and digestive abnormalities such as insufficient stomach acid or digestive enzymes.

Leaky Gut – or “Increased Intestinal Permeability”

With this condition, the intestinal wall has an increased amount of permeability due to the loosening of the junctions between the cells that line the intestines.

The gaps in the walls allow for more items to pass through from the intestines into the bloodstream including partially digested food products, bacteria, and toxins that are normally broken down in the gastrointestinal tract.  This can cause mild to severe symptoms ranging from GI disturbances, joint pain, migraines, skin conditions, and even autoimmune activation.

Autoimmune Conditions

There are many autoimmune disorders which can contribute to digestive issues. This may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative Colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation and sores (ulcers) in the digestive tract, specifically the innermost lining of the large intestine, colon, and rectum.

Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s disease is another IBD that causes inflammation of the digestive tract. It can lead to fatigue, weight loss, malnutrition, abdominal pain, and severe diarrhea.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is common and affects the large intestine. Only a small number of people have severe signs and symptoms which include bloating, pain in the abdomen, cramping, gas, and diarrhea or constipation, or both.

A Holistic Approach to Treating Gut Issues

A Holistic approach to healing the gut creates a custom-tailored, personalized protocol to restore your body’s innate healing potential so we can bring your body back into balance.

It’s far from just treating symptoms and summarizing those symptoms as a diagnosis. Instead, it’s about partnering with you to investigate what is really happening under the surface of your body. It’s about treating you, and not the symptoms.

Intestinal digestion can also be enhanced – this can be done in various ways that will be specific to your unique needs.

Sometimes it is also important to order advanced lab tests to evaluate the gastrointestinal system and possible hidden food sensitivities.

Gut Restoration includes the following 5 R’s:

1. Remove (e.g. stress, food allergens, food causing constipation or feeding undesirable microbes)
2. Replace(e.g. digestive enzymes, stomach acid support, bile acids, remedies to boost immune system insufficiency, adrenal and/or thyroid support)
3. Reinoculate(e.g. probiotics, prebiotics, cultured foods, dietary fiber)
4. Repair (e.g. intestinal lining regeneration, nurturing mucosal layer)
5. Rebalance (e.g. stress relief, long-term diet changes, attitude/mindset/beliefs)

Treating the Root Cause of Digestive Problems

Liver Support

A compromised liver can cause a wide range of digestive symptoms – ensure your diet is rich in soluble fiber to carry out toxins from the body.  Advanced Functional testing can assess liver function and target any impediments it may have.

Optimize Stomach Function

Remove processed foods, low-quality fat, and refined sugars.

​Add organic fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and plenty of dietary fiber.  Drink a glass of water with lemon juice before every meal to facilitate digestion.

Remove Food Sensitivities

Food sensitivities can cause severe and unusual symptoms and are rarely diagnosed properly. The most common symptoms are digestive problems.

In addition to addressing the possible causes of compromised stomach digestion, we also look at intestinal digestion and gut-specific inflammation.

When there is a massive imbalance, it is rare for only one thing to be going on – an imbalance between good and bad bacteria can be caused by a viral infection that got its foothold because of a bacterial infection that strengthened because of the inflammation caused by a hidden food allergy.

Since the problem is often multilayered, the solution must also be.  With digestive problems, people will usually also have symptoms elsewhere in the body as the gastrointestinal system is intimately related to the function of the brain, immune system, and nervous system.

Anxiety, depression, mood swings, temperature fluctuations and blood sugar regulation issues are common accompanying symptoms.

There is a lot of information out there talking about how the gut is the ‘second brain’ and how important it is for the rest of the body to function well.  It is less known just how much the rest of the body can contribute to the function of the gut.

An overactive nervous system is just one way the body can cause dysfunction in the digestive system, it can ignite a cascade of digestive problems and symptoms.

A systemic infection can also seriously debilitate food absorption and a relatively straightforward food sensitivity can cause debilitating anxiety.

As you can see, the depth of a Holistic Assessment is ideal for getting to the root of a complex issue that could transcend the simple functioning of the gut.

How Can I Heal My Gut Naturally?

• ​Eat Real Food — Avoid processed foods or anything you might look at and think “Why is the good stuff always the worst for you?” Odds are, anything like that isn’t really good for you to begin with, and it’s especially not good for your digestion. Take care to eat a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, proteins, and even sugars to do what’s best for your body!
• Add Healthy Fats to Your Diet — That’s right! Some fats are in fact healthy for you. They’re important for your body’s balance and can help with any issues you may be experiencing like digestion troubles. Some foods with healthy fats are cheese, eggs, fatty fish, nuts, olive oil, and dark chocolate. Take some time to do your research or consult your physician about which healthy fats may be right for your diet.
• Plenty of Fiber — It’s common knowledge that fiber is beneficial for good digestion. Fiber rich foods can make all the difference if you are experiencing digestion problems and want a more natural approach first. Foods with plenty of fiber include, but are not limited to: avocados, pears, broccoli, bananas, prunes, artichokes, pistachios, and even popcorn! Minus the heavy butter of course. These foods can be worked into your daily diet to help your digestion easily.
• Stay Hydrated — Water is everything! We humans need water to help support so many of our body’s important functions. Water helps keep you cool and replenish fluids after a sweaty workout. It keeps your skin clear and your organs running smoothly. And it most definitely helps with digestion and keeping things moving!
• Manage Your Stress — The relationship between your head and your gut affects your body’s health more than you may realize. It’s true that when you are experiencing larger bouts of stress and anxiety, you can give yourself an upset stomach. If you are experiencing digestion issues and feel like what you are eating is not causing the problem, take a look holistically at what is going on in your life right now, and consider other factors which may be causing your body to be in distress. If you are feeling particularly stressed or have been for some time, your upset stomach may be a sign you need to reduce and or manage the amount of stress you are experiencing instead.
• Digestive Enzymes — ​The use of digestive enzymes is a popular remedy for compromised stomach digestion and can really help in some cases. however, any good plan helps you restore normal stomach/intestinal digestion and function of the affected tissues without the use of long-term digestive aid. Behind almost every digestive problem is an underlying microbiome imbalance or a bacterial, fungal, or viral infection. Most of these are misdiagnosed or undiagnosed and leaving them untreated perpetuates symptoms.
• Probiotics — ​Another supplement used frequently in cases of digestive upset is probiotics. There are typically three reactions to probiotics – those who notice a positive change, those who have a very negative reaction (experiencing additional pain and discomfort), and those who notice no difference at all. Most people do not notice the benefit from taking probiotics for a few reasons.  It is not that having an appropriate balance of probiotics in your intestinal tract is not important – it is only that the probiotics are either not the right strain, or it is not the right time for the body to utilize them, or the ‘bad’ bacteria need to be brought into balance in a different way. Having the right probiotic makes all the difference.
• Food Sensitivities — ​Another common cause of digestive problems is ‘hidden’ food sensitivities.  They can cause a wide range of additional symptoms (such as anxiety, fatigue, brain fog, memory problems, and headaches) and are usually never diagnosed. More About Food Allergies and Sensitivities