Posts Tagged ‘digestive problems’
When I talk about belly bugs, technically known as gut microbiota, I usually talk about them in terms of digestive function and treating gut problems like IBS, IBD, constipation or bloating. But now there are new studies from Nature.com exploring the effect of the microbiota on mental health. Mind Control, science fact. The highlights are that a vaginal birth can affect a baby's tendencies toward anxiety or depression. The microbiome passed to the infant through the vaginal tract is important and if babies are born via C-section (and not receive the mother's bacteria) they are more likely to have anxious and depressive moods. And this can continue to be true for the entirety of their lives. Another study showed that the lack of the bacteria Bacteriodes fragilis in a mouse's digestive system caused autism-like symptoms. When replaced, the bacteria the mice recovered normal behavior and digestion. Furthermore - a bacterial product found in their blood was injected into normal mice who then displayed the autism-like symptoms. All this leads me to deduce that bacteria are amazing at mind control! [caption id="attachment_171" align="alignright" width="134"] Healthy Digestion and Mental Health Depends on your Microbiome[/caption] The article linked above also discusses leaky gut and its role in allowing…
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Many people come to me with very unhappy bellies. Seriously. Their bellies cause them a terrible amount of pain and severely disrupt their quality of life. Because of their bellies they are missing work, missing sleep, depressed or at just at their wits end. I see people with inflammatory bowel disease like crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and other functional bowel conditions like gastroesophageal reflux or constipation. The approach to assessment and treatment of each person is unique. It has to be! Everyone is different! After a full health history and various lab tests there are general treatment objectives and questions I ask myself: Remove Are there foods that are causing dysfunction, are there bad belly bugs that are infecting the gut or altering its ability to detoxify environmental inputs? Replace Are there nutrients or factors missing required for proper digestion? Reinoculate What happy belly bugs need to be reintroduced to help digest food, crowd out the bad belly bugs and make nutrients essential for health? Repair Is the gut lining damaged, are there food particles getting through into the blood and exposed to the immune system? Rebalance What other factors are influencing digestive and overall health? Are…
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A healthy digestive system is as important as a healthy diet. You are also made up of what you can digest and absorb. I have found that many people, like you, watch what they eat yet sill have digestive problems or signs of nutritional deficiencies like weak nails and bumpy dry skin. We can support your digestive system to improve your overall health. Here are some common remedies for digestion. Probiotics are the healthy bacteria that should inhabit your gut. They are killed off by antibiotic use, chemicals in our food and our water. They need supplementation to help your belly remain happy and keep you healthy. The quality of probiotics varies greatly. Ensure that your friendly bugs are dosed in the billions, refrigerated and third party tested to ensure a quality supplement. Digestive enzymes can be helpful when taken with a rich meal or one with your offending foods. Take them about 15 minutes before a meal so that they are active when you take that first bite. They can be a quick fix but shouldn’t be needed long term. If you do need them long term then your digestive fire could use some stoking. Try using a bitter…
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