The Way to Your Health is Through Your Stomach

Deal Breakers are barriers to health. One of those Deal Breakers is Gut Health.

While most do not consciously appropriately feed themselves in a timely and nutritious fashion; most certainly all who have made poor dietary or tainted dietary choices realize the true meaning of “deal breaker.”  The GI tract can make or break your day.  There is no going to work, going shopping, taking a test, getting a good night’s sleep or enjoying a walk in the park when the gut is “off.”

In the same way, there is no hope for proper hormone function, blood sugar regulation, mental focus, or digestion and absorption of nutrients when the gut is “off.”  So what can tip us off to a primary gut-related cause of illness?  The most obvious symptom is pain.  Others include: indigestion relieved by antacid use, bloating, irregular bowel habits, discolored bowel elimination or foul odor, tender abdomen to the touch, queasy or nauseous feeling, acne or skin blemishes, foggy brain, headaches, joint pain, swollen feet/ankles/hands…the list goes on. You get the idea.  That list is related primarily to gut dysfunction, hormones, emotional problems, chronic infections and many other symptoms may occur.

Prior to working on hormone regulation or joint pain, in the clinic, I will scan for gut problems.  Because they are deal breakers by nature, they will either cause or mimic other illnesses.  Treating the cause makes much more sense.  How is the gut so intertwined with the workings of the rest of the body? Science has found the gut has its own nerve centers that control many reactions that move to other body centers, acting as its own brain.    Science has also found that the gut makes not only enzymes to break down food, but also hormones that affect many other nerves to create healthy or unhealthy expressions.  Genetics play a role.  Some people are poor detoxifiers or digesters because they are missing a gene or portion of it. We have lab tests available to determine an individual’s ability to detoxify. Environmental factors play a role: toxins have been found to permanently trigger a genetic response that will forever change a person’s digestive health.  Sometimes these triggers cannot be turned off; sometimes the affect can be reduced by drugs or dietary changes.

Tools for evaluation include a symptom screening form, parasite/bacteria/fungal infection stool panel, toxic metal urinalysis, examination and complete blood panel.  Remember, searching for the cause of pain is not limited to the area of complaint.  A pain in the elbow may well be related to immune Rheumatoid Arthritis initially triggered by a bacterial infection in the gut.  In this case, treating the elbow will do little-to-no good.  After forming an appropriate cleansing protocol, antimicrobial herbal approach and restoration of normal gut function, the evaluation is performed again to follow-up.  In rare cases a referral for medication to treat a particular gut bug is warranted.  It is imperative that the steps taken to help correct an imbalance are specifically ordered to take into account underlying autoimmune disease, anemia, allergies, specific injuries and personal preference.  What’s worse is some of these bugs can be spread through the family – even the family pets might be infected.

Choosing the best bug catching test includes looking for the DNA of the invader.  A microscopic exam will often miss the identification of the bad guy.  For example: stretching out the surface of the intestinal tract would cover a gymnasium floor – if microscopically speaking, I only looked at 5 or 6 tiles on the entire floor, I could potentially miss the presence of the invader.  This is why I use DNA testing.  The DNA tells us the bug is there – or not.  Correcting these gut deal breakers is short-term.  Once the infection is gone, the person is free to move on to the next step. 

Many times the hormonal imbalance, learning disorders or blood sugar issues disappear when the gut is under control again.  Then no more steps will be needed, other than supporting a healthy lifestyle.  That is as simple as it gets.

Please do not wait to treat yourself to better health.  I have experienced in practice too many times where debilitation disease processes could likely have been averted with early intervention and treatment. 

March 2011