Common gut health issues that can be helped with a natural approach include:
- Acid reflux
- Heartburn
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Excessive wind (both ends)
- Constipation
- Diahorrea
- Food intolerance / sensitivities
- Leaky gut
Why our digestive system is so important
In some natural health circles there is a rule when it comes it helping patients which is “fix the digestive system first” . It’s that important that you can just start here most of the time. The 100 trillion or so bacteria that live in your gut, commonly referred to as the ‘gut microbiome’, are now considered to be almost an organ in their own right and perhaps as important to your health and happiness as your genes. Everything from obesity, diabetes, heart disease, neurological diseases and even mental health have been found linked to the gut microbiome.
The basics of the gastro-intestinal system
Digestion
Digestion occurs in the stomach. The stomach is highly acidic to kill off any pathogens we may swallow and also contains enzymes to break down our food before passing tot he small intestine. Problems with the stomach most commonly present as acid reflux or heartburn and excessive belching. An interesting issue to note is that reflux is most commonly treated by antacids in conventional medicine. These medications are known to trigger nutritional deficiencies and food allergies. From a naturopathic point of view, we help this situation by ASSISTING the stomach to digest food correctly rather than suppressing it.
Absorption
The small intestine is responsible for absorbing the nutrients out of our food. At the same time, it is a filter to stop the unwanted parts of foods entering into our bloodstream too. If this delicate balance is damage then it is possible to have unwanted food particles being absorbed. In modern naturopathic terms, we call this a “leaky gut”. When unwanted particles get absorbed that aren’t fully digested our bodies can set up an unwanted immune response to these particles. Unfortunately, this excessive reaction can spill over into the whole body giving other 'autoimmune' type symptoms. Even arthritic joint pain issues can be due to this immune system attack. An absolute classic trigger for this is gluten.
One of the most damaging medications to the small intestine are antibiotics. Although it may have been extremely necessary to have antibiotics, it is also vital to top yourself back up with good bacteria which is also killed off at the same time as the bad. This imbalance created by antibiotics can be a main source of many issues after their use.
Elimination
After the small intestine follows the large intestine. This classically is described the part of the gut that absorbs water from our food and therefore its function plays a role in constipation or diarrhoea symptoms. The large intestine contains much of the good bacteria we have in us too. Having regular elimination is vital to keep toxins moving out of us. Constipation causes more toxins to build up in us as the slower transit time allows increased toxin absorption. Fibre is an excellent way of clearing toxins as it binds to them and carries them out safely. Good bacteria has a similar effect and too much bad bacteria has the opposite, allowing toxins to re-circulate. This is especially true with hormone-type toxins, meaning the gut plays a vital role in hormone balancing too.
Stress shuts the digestion down
Stress, or “fight or flight” is an extremely common factor in the dysfunction of the digestive system. This is because stress SHUTS DIGESTION DOWN. The body prioritises escaping from danger, or fighting it, as more important than digesting food. This is great if it’s a real life-threatening danger but not great for your health if it’s a low level, continuous, daily stress. Stress will decrease your digestion so you don’t extract the nutrients from your food, it can also stop the digestion of bugs and other pathogens so these can get more of a hold in your system too. See our specific stress handout for more stress help.
Toxins and pathogens
The digestive system is very prone to getting out of balance with pathogens, such as bacteria, candida or parasites. We cannot totally avoid these and wouldn’t want to actually, but we don’t want them becoming too abundant as they can cause unpleasant symptoms; diarrhoea for example. We have natural supplements that are effective at cleaning the bowel to bring them back to a manageable level to reach an equilibrium that the body can then manage by itself.
Factors that damage the gut
- Antibiotics
- Poor diet
- Stress
- Viruses
- Bacteria
- Candida
- Pesticides
- Food additives
- Environmental chemicals
- Food Preservatives
- Some medications
- Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
A supportive protocol to repair the gut is called the 4R program.
- Remove (kill off harmful pathogens)
- Replace (add enzymes to help food digestion)
- Reinoculate (replace good gut bacteria)
- Repair (use nutrients to fix leaky gut)
The correct supplements can be chosen at an Avatar scan with Christian Bates
How we can help?
At The Perrymount Clinic we have a number of ways to help if you suffer gut issues. We have Naturopathy and the “Avatar scan” with Christian Bates, and food intolerance scanning on the Bioscan SRT device plus healthy recipes to support digestion with Carolyn. Please see the website for more details www.theperrymount.com or call 01444 410944 to speak to one of our professionals.
Introductory offer on Naturopathy & Avatar scan with Christian Bates
Christian Bates uses an “EAV” device called the Avatar to help him locate better the CAUSE of bowel issues which allows a targeted nutritional and supplement approach. For example, is the weakened organ the stomach, small intestine, large intestine, is it due to decreased stomach acid, stress from the adrenals or nervous system? Or many other factors that can be involved? The Avatar can highlight this. See this page for more information: http://www.theperrymount.com/avatar.html
