Optimal Digestion
Your gastrointestinal (gut) health is arguably the most critical piece of your optimal health puzzle. The digestive system spans from the first bite of food, through the breakdown and absorption of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fats, water and basically everything your body needs to survive, all the way to the elimination of waste products.
Proper digestion requires all of the following to occur:
- Smelling & chewing your food properly
- Release of saliva, the first step in chemically breaking down foods
- Adequate release of stomach acid (not too much or too little)
- Adequate release of digestive enzymes
- Proper liver and gallbladder function
- Probiotic balance
- Adequate water levels as well as nerve and muscle function for elimination of waste
Common Digestive Problems
- IBS
- Acid Relux / GERD
- Chronic diarrhea
- Constipation
- Crohn’s & Ulcerative Colitis
- Bloating, Flatulence
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
Common Symptoms or Conditions you may not have realized are related to poor digestion
- Acne
- Eczema
- Autoimmune disease
- Anxiety
- Childhood behavior disorders – hyperactivity, tantrums, poor sleep
- Asthma
- Migraines
- Joint pain
- Weight gain
Testing
As you may have already encountered in your journey, digestive concerns can be extremely frustrating and difficult to diagnose. The conventional medical system has very few (but very important) tools in diagnosis and when you are cleared of overt disease you are often left with uncomfortable symptoms and no diagnosis.
Naturopathic Doctors are highly trained in the diagnosis of gut disorders and we can both advocate for proper conventional assessment as well as offer an array of alternative testing that will help get to the root cause of your symptoms.
Testing available at Arc Integrated Medicine includes:
- Complete Digestive Stool Analysis
- Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth – Lactulose Breath Test
- Stool cultures (including C.Difficile), Ova & Parasite Testing
- Pylori Breath Test
- Celiac’s Disease Blood Testing
- Food Sensitivity & Allergy Testing
- Fecal Occult Blood & FIT Testing
Treatment
Of course there is significant variability in treatment based on your specific diagnosis, but there are some underlying principles that Naturopathic Doctors follow in gut healing.
Identify & Remove Triggers
- We will utilize our clinic knowledge, physical assessment and testing to identify what the underlying cause of your digestive concerns are. There are often food triggers or imbalances in bacteria’s that cause your symptoms, and these need to be removed while we work on the steps below.
Replace & Re-inoculate
- We have the tools to give your body what it needs to help you digest properly, as we work towards a long-term plan for gut healing. You may benefit from temporary supports such as digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid, probiotics, fibers, omega 3’s and more.
- When your gut has been compromised for some time, you are not able to absorb nutrients properly, and you may be in need of supplemental or IV nutrient repletion as your body heals and gut repairs.
Repair
- The ultimate goal is to repair the integrity of your gut so you can return to a normal diet and begin absorbing nutrients and eliminating waste properly. Removing your body’s triggers and working with supplements to repair the gut will help achieve this and alleviate symptoms.
- Repairing the gut is often the first step in the treatment of systemic conditions as well as preventing chronic disease.
Is your gut the root cause of disease?
Call us now for a complete evaluation of your gut health