Our Approach to Better Digestive Health
Improve Digestion And/Or Absorption
Improper digestion and/or absorption will not only cause gastrointestinal symptoms, but can also cause nutritional deficiencies like insufficient B12 or iron. These deficiencies can cause significant health issues and disease.
The most common causes for poor absorption include: low stomach acid, insufficient digestive enzymes, and a sluggish release of bile from the gallbladder. Other causes can include leaky gut and inflammation of the intestinal tract.
Reduce Gut Inflammation
Inflammation along the gastrointestinal tract can cause local and systemic pain and a weakened immune system.
Restore a Healthy Microbiome
The microbiome living within us is crucial to our lives. The microbiome is made up of beneficial and commensal bacteria which serve us in ways we are still discovering. A healthy microbiome helps us digest our food, regulates our immune system, protects against other bacteria that cause disease, and produces vitamins!
Autoimmune diseases such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, and fibromyalgia are associated with dysfunction in the microbiome along with obesity and cardiovascular disease. It is no wonder that many startups are studying the microbiome. It may well hold the key to curing many diseases.
Intestinal Permeability
The gut is supposed to be sealed off from the rest of the body. When this barrier is compromised, “leaky gut” ensues. This allows for micro-sized food particles, bacteria and yeast to enter the bloodstream. Because these things are not supposed to be in the bloodstream, the immune system can be overstimulated, resulting in inflammation and autoimmune responses.
Intestinal Pathogens
This can be parasites like worms but also pathogenic bacteria, protozoa, and yeast. These are organisms that do not belong in our gut and need to be aggressively treated to eradicate. Pathogens will disrupt a healthy microbiome and lead to a chronic gastrointestinal inflammation.
Treatment of Digestive Disorders
Individualized treatments are key to healing your gut. There is not one protocol that suits every individual.
Address the Root Cause
Once we find the root cause of your digestive complaints, we can focus on healing the digestive tract and restoring proper function.
Comprehensive Plan
Through targeted dietary changes and the addition of herbs and supplements, your gut and digestive symptoms can be healed and resolved. It’s going to take more than a couple of supplements to fix your gut and it will take concerted effort on your part to make dietary changes and follow a detailed plan of herbal and nutraceutical supplements. Oftentimes, the treatment plan will be in stages, changing the supplements used in every stage. The goal is to heal your gut so you can be supplement free and enjoy a diverse diet.
If you’d like to discuss your symptoms and testing options, give us a call at 408-357-3422 or request a complimentary phone consultation.