Digestive Health, the Microbiome, and its connection to all things
autoimmune gut health inflammation Dec 17, 2014
For decades naturopathic doctors have known about the link between gut flora and health. Harvard and other institutions are now in the process of mapping the microbiome so as to determine links between health and gut flora balance. Fantastic news that Harvard is finally catching up to the naturopaths with their research! We are also finding that GI tract health is also related to inflammatory responses in the body, neurotransmitter balance, detoxification, and immune system balance.
So for this reason, naturopathic doctors take a very nuanced approach to treating digestive disorders. Identifying and eliminating food allergies and intolerances is an important step towards healing the gut and eliminating inflammation and intestinal permeability, or “leaky gut”. Our protocols have helped conditions such as IBS, IBD, Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease, Ulcerative Colitis, SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth), Chronic constipation or diarrhea, GERD, candidiasis, and other bowel disorders.
And I often find in my practice, that by correcting problems in the GI tract I also improve other autoimmune conditions such as Lupus and MS, inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, many immune issues as well. This is really what naturopaths mean when we say we “treat the whole person”.
Functional Medicine Testing often gives our first clues as to how to approach a complex case. And many if not most of the cases I see are quite complex, with patients coming to me having already worked with multiple practitioners.
Categories
All Categories #constipation a2 cows abdominal adhesions abdominal pain abnormal hair growth or loss aches acne adiposity adrenal adrenal glands adrenals aging agriculture air pollution alcohol alcohol restrictions with ibs alcohol restrictions with sibo alcoholic drinks allergic reaction allergies anti-aging antibiotics antimicrobials antioxidants anxiety apnea arthritis autoimmune autoimmune disease bacterioides beets betaglucaronidase biotoxin illness biphasic diet blackheads bladder bloat bloating blood pressure blood sugar bone density bone fracture risk brain fog brain health bread breast cancer breathing bristol stool chart brush border enzymes burnt plastics butyrate cancer carbohydrates carbs cardio cardiovascular risk carnivore diet carnivore diet celebrations celiac cellular protection chest pain children's health chronic disease chronic fatigue syndrome chronic pain cognition colon cancer commensal connective tissue disorder connective tissue disorders constipation cortisol cpap cramping cravings crohns crohns disease cytokines dairy dairy intolerance dehydration depression detoxification diabetes diarrhea diet digestion digestive health digestive problems disruptor distention dopamine dysmenorrhea eating disorder eczema ehlers danlos hypermobility syndrome ehlers danlos syndrome endocrine disruptors endometriosis environmental illness environmental pollution environmental toxins erythritol esophageal cancer esophageal reflux estrogen dominance estrogen metabolism estrogen metabolites exercise fat digestion fatigue fermentable carbohydrates fermentation ferritin fibrocystic breasts fibroids fibromyalgia fire damage firmicutes fodmaps food food allergies food plans food poisoning food storage fruits gall bladder gallbladder pain gallstones gas gastritis gastroparesis gerd glp-1 glp-1 drugs glucagon-like-peptide-1-agonists glutathione gluten gluten intolerance gluten-free glyphosate gmo graves disease grocery shopping gut health gut hormone connection gut pain guthealth h. pylori habits happiness hashimotos headaches health heart disease heartburn heavy menstrual bleeding herbicides hiit hirsutism histamine holidays hormonal hormonal disruptorss hormonal imbalance hormone balance hormone balancing hpa axis hypermobility hypochlorhydria hypothyroid ibd ibs ibs-c immune support immune system immunity imo incomplete bowel movements infection infections infertility inflammation inflammatory bowel disease insomnia insulin intestinal permeability intuitive eating iron deficiency anemia iron stores irregular periods irritable bowel syndrome joint pain ketogenic leaky gut leftovers libido liver pain longevity low carb low stomach acid lower esophageal sphincter lung health lungs lyme magnesium malabsorption marfans marshall fire mast cell activation syndrome mcas meal spacing meal timing mealtime medication melatonin menopause menorrhagia mental illness metabolic syndrome metabolism methanogen methanogen overgrowth methanogens microbiome microtears microvilli health migrating motor complex mind/body mindfulness mitochondria mmc mold money monk fruit mood mood disorder mood support motility mthfr multiple sclerosis muscle wasting mycotoxins nausea nervous stomach neurotransmitters nutrition obesity omeprazole organ pain osmotic laxative osteopenia osteoporosis oxidative stress oxygen ozempic pain pancreas pancreatic enzymes pancreatic insufficiency pcos peptic ulcer disease peptides perimenopause pesticides pimples plastics pmdd pms polycystic ovarian sydrome post-menopausal power ppi ppi use prediabetes prevention processed foods procrastination prokinetics protection proton pump inhibitor rash rebellion recipes red blood cells reflux relationships relaxation resilience resistance restrictive diets rifaximin right upper quadrant pain root cause root causes rybelsus scd scd diet scfa seasonal affective disorder selflessness semaglutide seratonin sex showing up sibo sibo diets sibo meal plan sibo recurrence sibo specific sibo specific diet sifo skin skin health sleep sleep hygiene small chain fatty acids small intestinal bacterial overgrowth small intestine smoke snoring sorbitol specific carbohydrate diet stevia stomach cancer stool strength strength training stress sugar supplements sylitol tbi test testosterone therapeutic food plans thyroid thyroiditis toxic air toxic mold trauma trulicity ulcerative colitis uterine cancer villi vitamins weed killer wegovy weight loss wellness wheat winter women's health xenoestrogens zits