You may have been able to ignore digestive distress in the past, but I’m guessing that Thanksgiving made it a little more difficult. What are your digestive symptoms? Bloating, gas, indigestion, hiccups, pain, burping, or disrupted elimination? Many will simply take a medication for temporary relief, not realizing that their body is sending a cry for help. Let’s review ways to restore your gut health with the 5R approach.
While some fences are effective even when you can see through them, others are only effective when they form a full barrier. This is the case for the junction between your small intestines and your bloodstream. When this internal fence isn’t tight, you have what is called “leaky gut” and this can lead to downstream dis-ease. Do you have leaky gut?
Our gut barrier has the job of letting nutrients into the body while keeping toxins, viruses, parasites and unfriendlies out. When its integrity is impaired, harmful organisms or substances can leak into the bloodstream. Hence the term leaky gut. Read more
Are you a student of history? I have not studied medical history extensively, yet I have followed others who have done so. I have appreciated their reflections on the current pandemic in light of prior ones.
Emerging diseases take off fast, usually because the pathogens have encountered fresh territory. If the disease is bacterial in nature, it can be countered with antibiotics, but we don’t always know right away. Treatments are explored in a rush to find a cure, but rarely are foundational changes addressed. Read more
Do you ever feel like something is off with your body but can’t put your finger on it? You may have a food intolerance or sensitivity. If you are experiencing digestive discomfort, aches, pains, or headaches, you might be experiencing reactions to food you eat. The best way to confirm that is to try an elimination diet.
You’ll start by removing certain foods from your diet — the foods that are well-known for causing symptoms. Then, you’ll reintroduce the foods you eliminate one at a time and take note of any symptoms. The full process takes about six weeks, and if you have a food sensitivity or intolerance, you’ll be able to see which food is causing your body distress so that you can avoid it. Read more
Nobody wants to experience a headache, much less a migraine. This most intense form of headache is known to have other symptoms such as nausea, numbness or tingling, difficulty with speech, and light sensitivity. They can certainly be debilitating and any who suffer would want to find relief from migraines.
There are a variety of medications that are used to “treat” migraines. Unfortunately, they also can have major, long term effects on the gastrointestinal tract which can then create disease elsewhere. Read more
Are you one of the 60 million Americans who experience acid reflux? It used to be primarily an issue for those over 50, but it now is seen in every race, gender and adult age group. No matter the demographics, I’m guessing that your primary concern is to extinguish the pain.
Why does it hurt so much? That would be the digestive juices from your stomach getting into your esophagus, which lacks the mucosal lining that protects your stomach. Without that lining, juices that pop up through the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) damage the tissue in your esophagus. Read more
Do you know someone who has eliminated gluten from their diet? Have you considered exploring this approach for yourself, or do you consider it going overboard? Why should you eliminate gluten?
I’ve written about the potential issues of consuming wheat-based foods in the past. To recap, the greatest concerns are the increased concentration of gluten in our modern wheat, and the use of glyphosate on wheat fields prior to harvest. That means that each bite of wheat comes with a dose of glyphosate. Read more
Do you have a friend or family member who follows a dairy-free approach to eating? Does it seem like an odd choice – one that feels slightly un-American? Do you really need milk?
We’ve all seen the “Got Milk” commercials and print ads, and I’m sure you heard your Mom tell you to drink your milk for strong bones. But is milk truly beneficial to your body? Maybe, maybe not. Read more
I don’t know what image that question conjures in your mind, but I’m sure that you are aware that about 90% of all health issues can be traced back to the gut. If your home fence has a hole in it, you are likely to get unwanted visitors. Same with your gut.
Our guts are home to several trillion bacteria, collectively referred to as our gut microbiome. Lest you cringe and think that’s a bad thing, let me share some of the many benefits we derive from them. Our gut bacteria synthesize vitamins for us, help us absorb nutrients, control our immune system and even produce compounds that impact mental health.
This amazing microbiome is comprised of many different types of bacteria, the balance of which influences our health. What determines the variety of bacteria we carry inside us? Primarily our diet, but also our lifestyle, the medications we take and environmental exposures.
Ever have those days where you can’t seem to think straight? It can feel like your brain is actually foggy, and you can’t get to your thoughts. Fatigue often accompanies brain fog — including feeling easily irritated, forgetting things or having trouble learning new things, feeling unmotivated, anxious, lacking concentration and even insomnia. Frustrating, and the good news is you can do a lot to clear the fog in your head.
Here are a few tweaks you can start implementing: Read more
