Digestive Health
Many ancient healing traditions assert that all disease begins in the gut. This makes sense when you consider that your digestive system plays a vital role in your overall health. It’s not just responsible for breaking down food and absorbing nutrients to fuel your body’s functions, but also for defending against harmful pathogens, producing essential vitamins and neurotransmitters (such as serotonin, the “feel-good” hormone), regulating immune response, and eliminating waste and toxins.
Common Symptoms of Digestive Dysfunction:
- Bloating and gas
- Constipation and/or diarrhea
- Heartburn, reflux, and indigestion
- Food 'sensitivities' or intolerances
- Fatigue after eating
- Mood swings, skin issues, brain fog, insomnia, and more
Diagnostic Tools for Gut Health:
- Stool testing and Comprehensive stool analysis
- SIBO breath test
- H. pylori breath test
- Blood testing: celiac testing, gut specific inflammatory markers, pancreatic function
Key causes of Digestive Health Issues
- Overuse or inappropriate use of medications like antibiotics, NSAIDs, and acid blockers
- Chronic infections
- Diets low in fiber and high in processed foods
- Lack of food diversity
- Chronic stress
- Overconsumption of alcohol and other inflammatory substances
- Abdominal surgeries, injuries, or concussions
Digestive Conditions Commonly Addressed with Naturopathic Medicine:
- IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome): Symptoms like bloating, gas, constipation, and diarrhea
- Disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI): can include irritable bowel syndrome, reflux hypersensitivity, or functional dyspepsia.
- IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease): Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
- GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease): Heartburn and reflux
- SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth): a rare cause of bloating, gas, and stool changes
Steps you may take with a Naturopathic Doctor to Restore Digestive Health:
- Investigate diet: short term elimination of dietary triggers, evidenced backed treatment like the FODMAP diet, increasing food diversity, increasing fibre etc
- Consider the Gut Brain Interaction: the complex, bidirectional communication between the gastrointestinal (GI) system and the brain, and implicated in many digestive disorders like IBS, reflux, and dyspepsia.
- Restore balance: support the gut microbiome with targeted probiotics tailored to your specific needs as well as specific fibre to help your microbiome thrive
- Repair: support the digestive tract with herbs and nutrients that promote gut lining integrity and reduce inflammationBy focusing on gut health, you’re not only improving digestion but also enhancing overall wellness, as the health of your gut is directly linked to many aspects of your physical and mental well-being.
Interested in more information?
Dr. Liz Dalglish, ND focuses her practice on IBS, gut health, chronic constipation, heartburn, travels diarrhea.
Dr. Liam LaTouche, ND sees the more complex SIBO patients and complex parasite disorders.