Listen to Your Gut
An unhealthy gut can be the epicenter for a multitude of ailments from mental
health to digestive complaints. Healing starts in your digestive system, and
there are natural and effective ways to identify, heal and prevent common gut
disorders, leading to significantly improved health and resilience.
Gut & Digestive Health
Did you know a healthy gut can lead to a healthy brain and body? Your gut serves as a central hub for many of your body’s critical functions affecting everything from your nervous and immune systems to your mental and digestive health. Home to trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, your gut houses a living, breathing ecosystem full of bacteria, called the microbiome. Maintaining a diverse, healthy microbiome can help predict and protect against a number of diseases from cancer and arthritis to diabetes and heart disease while providing relief to ailments such as chronic pain, migraines, and depression anxiety.
The 5 Rs: The Gateway to Better Health
The 5R framework (developed by the Institute for Functional Medicine) utilizes functional medicine to treat a wide variety of gastrointestinal symptoms and conditions by supporting and healing the digestive tract.
Remove
Irritants caused by food sensitivities, chemicals, medications, and chronic daily stress could be a major factor affecting your gut health. Modifications in lifestyle and nutrition can remove these triggers that are underlying causes of gut inflammation.
Replace
Once irritants are identified and removed, they will be replaced with nutrients and key elements to increase digestive factors specific to the patient to promote digestive enzyme processes, a foundational piece of overall gut health.
Repopulate
Good bacteria must be introduced to create balance and stability within your microbiome. Prebiotic and probiotic foods, as well as supplements, can be used to restore immune and digestive health.
Repair
An unhealthy gut can ultimately lead to inflammation
and a damaged gut lining. With the reintroduction of health-promoting foods and beneficial bacteria, it’s essential to restore the integrity of the gut lining to improve nutrient absorption and lower inflammation.
and a damaged gut lining. With the reintroduction of health-promoting foods and beneficial bacteria, it’s essential to restore the integrity of the gut lining to improve nutrient absorption and lower inflammation.
Rebalance
Anchoring your lifestyle will build your resilience. By optimizing sleep, balancing blood sugar, improving nutrition, and restoring your stress adaptation, you will prevent disruption of the other 4R’s. This is the foundation to prevent pulling the trigger of chronic diseases.
The most common Gut-Related Conditions include:
Leaky Gut Syndrome
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Heartburn
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Crohn’s Disease
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
Diarrhea
Gallstones
Celiac Disease
Gas, bloating, indigestion, acid reflux
Food sensitivities and intolerances
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Constipation
Lactose Intolerance
Can functional medicine provide the relief I need?
Absolutely. It’s about time we are open and comfortable talking about our guts! It’s time to end the era of conflicting information, ongoing embarrassment, and perpetual silence regarding gut issues. Instead, let’s face gut issues head-on and display the critical relationship between the gut and the brain and its role in preventing you from living your dream life. By identifying and treating underlying problems (such as food sensitivities), we
can help eliminate irritants and introduce healthy nutrients to ultimately repair your gut for long-lasting relief.
