Gut Health
In Functional Medicine everything starts in the Gut and that is often where we start any treatment plan
There are trillions of gut microbes inhabiting our GI tract. Our gut microbiome is unique to us and is developed in the first few years of our life. There are multiple factors that influence the shifts in these microbes like our diet, medications, environment, stress, blood sugar, hormonal changes, and infections. When these gut microbes become unbalanced we develop dysbiosis. Dysbiosis is an imbalance between the types of organisms present, the pathogenic bacteria increase and the beneficial bacteria decrease in number.
"My digestion and nutrition was severely compromised, Kathy tested me for SIBO and together we made changes that allowed me to move past this struggle." 32 year old female
What Triggers Dysbiosis?
There are numerous health conditions that are triggered by dysbiosis which include: autoimmune disease, mental health disorders, poor immune health, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and diabetes, skin conditions (acne psoriasis and eczema), weight gain, cancer, reflux, constipation, diarrhea, and migraines.
Treatments To Improve Your Gut Health
The good news is there are things we can do to restore our gut microbiome and heal our gut lining. This can include a short term elimination diet to remove foods that are triggering the gut. Adding in probiotics and fermented foods to reinoculate healthy gut microbes. We may need to incorporate supplements that aid in digestion and heal the gut lining. Finally, we want to learn to manage our perception of stress better, as stress has an impact on proper digestion and absorption.
Additional testing and treatment with advanced stool kits (complete stool analysis with parasitology or GI-mapping) and breath tests for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth may also be required. This type of testing is available with an additional fee.
We do not want to be on a restrictive diet long term, so working with someone to add foods back in is an important final step.
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