GUT HEALTH
Gut health isn’t limited to relieving uncomfortable symptoms such as bloating, gas, constipation, IBS etc.
The first step in any treatment program is assessing and addressing any gut health issues. I find the majority of patients that book into my clinic have some kind of gut disturbance (many relating to chronic stress & inflammation).
My consultations have a major focus on gut health and function, and you will find I will ask some very in depth and personal questions about your bowel movements,
All gut issues are addressed through diet, lifestyle, herbal and nutritional supplementation.
Food intolerance & microbiome testing may be done to determine anything that may be exacerbating your symptoms and hindering your health journey.
If you have ever taken antibiotics, painkillers, or had frequent consumption of alcohol, chronic stress and a highly processed food diet, you will have some disruptions in your gut health.
Some of the most common conditions that develop as a result of poor digestive health include:
- Â Skin conditions: Eczema, Acne, Dermatitis, Psoriasis
- Â Headaches
- Â Fatigue & Lethargy
- Â Poor immune system
- Â Poor mood
- Â Brain Fog
- Â Poor concentration and forgetfulness
- Â Reflux & Indigestion
- Â Undigested food particles in stool
- Â Mucous in stool
- Â Bloating
Lets talk about some of the factors that influence not only gut health but also general health.
The microbiome (which isn’t isolated to our gut, but the majority of it does live there), is made up of all the microbes that live inside us. Don’t be freaked out, we need and actually rely on these microbes to influence many of our bodily processes.
Did you know that the microbiome has 200 time more genes than in our human genome and can way as much as 5 pounds.
For every one of our own cells, there is 10 microbial cells living on or inside our body, meaning we are more microbe then we are human!
The micro-biome not only influences our immune system, but it also has a direct link to our brain function, in particular our neurotransmitters. Infact upto 80% if our serotonin (happy hormone) is made in the gut influenced by these microbes.
This is why it is essential we have a healthy microbiome.
We support the health of the micro-biome by providing it with foods so it can proliferate thus enhancing our health. Foods that the micro-biome love include probiotics such as raw garlic and onion and resistant starches such as inulin and green banana flour.
We can even use our microbiome to burn fat for us, particularly the most dangerous visceral fat.
The next thing that needs to be addressed for gut health is a healthy intestinal permeability.
Intestinal permeability is a term that described the control of substances passing from inside the gastrointestinal tract, through the cells lining the gut wall, the gap junctions, into the rest of the body. When this is disrupted it allows substances that shouldn’t be allowed into the blood, pass through.
Things like bacteria, bacteria waste products, food particles, toxins and a range of other things that are detrimental to our health when passed straight into the blood stream.
Long term poor intestinal permeability has a massive impact on healthy ageing, with it leading to chronic inflammation and oxidative stress that can actually cause cardiovascular disease, arthritis and alzheimers.
Stomach Acid & Digestive enzymes are another thing that needs to be addressed for good gut health.
Ensuring you are not only breaking down but metabolising and assimilating all your nutrients is essential.
Because if you are unable to absorb nutrients effectively you will have some sort of nutrient deficiency, and nutrient deficiencies are the biggest players when it comes to poor health, chronic disease and ageing.
I design treatment plans based around diet, nutritional supplementation, herbal medicine and lifestyle interventions to ensure we cover all bases, that is flexible and evolves with your ever changing health goals, so that you can have a happy health gut for life.
