Tag Archives: ibs

Why is the gut so important?

As promised, here is the second half of the introduction to my eBook. If you missed the first half, check it out here.

Bloating, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression, pain (anywhere in body), skin rashes, hormone imbalances, and brain fog are symptoms. A symptom is an indication that something is going on in the body. A symptom is not the answer as to what is going on, it is a clue. Getting a prescription to dampen these symptoms doesn’t fix the reason why the symptoms are happening. That is like clearing smoke out of a burning room without putting out the fire.

Doesn’t putting out the fire sound like a better idea?

Well, that’s what this book is all about—resolving the problems at the root of your symptoms.

And what’s the root of most health problems? The gut.

Why is the gut so important?

We have an estimated 100 trillion microbes (microorganisms) living in our gut. Ideally, most of these microbes are beneficial, there is lots of diversity (different types of bacteria), and no overgrowth of pathogens (really bad bugs). These microbes are mostly bacteria, but yeast and viruses are present too. Some of these microbes have health benefits for the host (that’s you), some cause health problems, and some don’t do either. This ecosystem is called our microbiome, and when our microbiome is out of balance, problems will emerge. Unfortunately, most of us have too many pathogens, not enough beneficial microbes, and not enough diversity.

What’s important to realize about these microbes is that they run the show. They participate in or control all of our bodily functions, including:

nutrient digestion and absorption
protecting the interior lining of the digestive tract
how hungry or full we feel
what foods we crave
how well we utilize calories (metabolism)
how we detox
inflammation levels
how much neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) we make
our weight
our mood
our behavior
our ability to fight germs
how well we can focus
how tired we are
how our genes are expressed

The research on how these gut microbes affect illness is overwhelming. It is hard to find a medical condition for which the microbiome is NOT the underlying issue. Below is a list to illustrate this point.

Symptoms and diseases that are caused by or linked to an imbalanced microbiome: (and this is not even a complete list)

Bloating
Distension
Belching
Gas
Heartburn, reflux, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Diarrhea
Constipation
Pain and cramps
Lack of energy
Headaches and migraines
Frequent colds or illness
Memory problems
Joint pain
Bad breath
Hormone imbalances
Acne
Dizziness
Insomnia
Stuffy nose
Inability to lose weight
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
Inflammatory bowel disease: Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis
Celiac disease
Multiple sclerosis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Lupus
Parkinson’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease
Arthritis
Anxiety
Depression
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD/ADD)
Autism
Asthma
Allergies
Tantrums in toddlers
Behavior problems in older kids
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Fibromyalgia
Eczema
Psoriasis
Cancer
Diabetes (both types)
Heart disease
Hypothyroid
Hashimoto’s disease
Grave’s disease
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Endometriosis
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
Overweight
Obesity

The influence that gut microbes have cannot be overstated. They are the root cause and solution for most health troubles. They are the answer.

Take IBS as an example. Irritable bowel syndrome affects 10-20% of the population. It is a collection of symptoms, such as diarrhea, constipation, bloating, and pain. When a patient presents these symptoms, a doctor will order conventional tests for all the diseases that might cause these symptoms. If all the tests come back negative, and therefore diseases are ruled out, the patient is diagnosed with IBS. It is a diagnosis of exclusion. It is the name for the bucket of symptoms. Often patients are told there is nothing wrong with them and are sent on their merry way. Sometimes prescriptions are given to deal with diarrhea, spasms, and motility issues, but these are merely bandages. IBS is an awful thing to live with. The hopelessness that comes with the idea that there is no treatment or cure is almost too much to bear. Well, guess what’s really going on with IBS? It is the result of gut bacteria imbalance, leaky gut, a hypersensitive gut-brain axis, and food sensitivities/intolerances. These are all things I cover in great detail in this book. If these things are addressed, IBS can be resolved! I resolve my clients’ IBS every day. There is hope!

Let’s look at another example: Celiac disease, a condition where the intestines are completely damaged from eating gluten. For this condition doctors will indeed say that food matters. They tell their patients to stop eating gluten and send them on their merry way. Now, giving up gluten is an absolutely necessary first step, but it isn’t the end of the story. We now know, due to research, that gut bacteria cause celiac in the first place, and these need to be killed and replaced with beneficial microbes. Also, the damage to the lining of the gut needs to be healed (no small feat) and nutrients need to be replenished.

My eBook is intended to give you hope and a new perspective on your health. It is full of crucial information to guide you in healing your gut, and thus healing every condition on the list above.

Fix the root problem or dampen symptoms?

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We are approaching the one year anniversary of the release of my eBook: Health Takes Guts® Your Comprehensive Guide to Eliminating Digestive Issues, Anxiety, and Fatigue. In honor of that, I am going to publish the introduction of the eBook over two blog posts. Here is the first half of the introduction to my book. Enjoy!

So many people have unwanted unpleasant symptoms. Are you one of them? Do you want to stop feeling like crap? Of course, you do, but how? The way to do this is to fix the underlying cause of your problem. Treating symptoms while not searching for and treating the source of the problem is like using a bandage. Which makes more sense: taking a pain killer for a shard of glass in your thigh, or removing the shard of glass?

Conventional medicine is really good at some things. Personally, I can say that doctors have saved my life on more than one occasion. However, conventional medicine is not always useful for getting to the bottom of why certain illnesses are happening. Many conventional treatments are aimed at helping to ease symptoms and they fail to address the root causes.

Enter functional medicine and functional nutrition, which are focused on uncovering the underlying causes of symptoms in order to address and resolve the problem at its source.

When clients come to me, they tend to say the same types of things:

Their doctors don’t believe that diet matters
- How can food, that stuff you put INTO your body all day every day, not matter? In fact, there is a ton of evidence that it does matter and can hurt or heal.
Their doctors don’t address their suffering because there’s nothing ‘wrong’ with them (this happens with: IBS, anxiety, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and so on) according to test results
Their doctors say there is no treatment for their problem, this illness is something to just live with, this isn’t something that can be fixed
Their doctors give them five different prescriptions—one for each symptom—with no attempt to address what is CAUSING the symptoms, and, of course, these prescriptions cause their own side effects.

Doesn’t putting out the fire sound like a better idea?

Well, that’s what this book is all about—resolving the problems at the root of your symptoms.

And what’s the root of most health problems? The gut.

Stay tuned for the second half of the introduction!

This is the next big thing, and it has arrived

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CBD oil is one of the components of cannabis (marijuana). Cannabis has a long history of being used in medicine (I am talking centuries of use).

THC and CBD are two of the phytocannabinoids in marijuana. THC has been found to have many health benefits and medical uses and is also the substance that causes the “high”. CBD has many benefits and uses as well but does not cause a high. For this reason, it can be used by people without dangers of impaired judgment or other consequences of getting high.

This CBD can be extracted from the plant and packaged into oil for human consumption. Research has been done on CBD oil, and there are many demonstrated benefits.

Analgesic (reduces pain)
Antioxidant (reduces free radicals that cause cellular damage that can lead to cancer)
Anticonvulsant (anti-seizure)
Anti-nausea
Anti-anxiety
Anti-inflammatory
Muscle relaxant

Anxiety and insomnia

CBD oil has been researched extensively in regard to anxiety. CBD oil relaxes people, improves sleep, and reduces stress. On theory is that CBD oil changes the way the brain responds to serotonin (the feel-good neurotransmitter). This promotes sleep and positive mood.

In one study 600mg CBD given to participants with Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder before taking a public speaking simulation test. CBD significantly reduced anxiety, cognitive impairment and discomfort in performance and significantly decreased alert in their anticipatory speech.

Digestive Health

CBD oil has been studied in regard to IBS and IBD. The strongest data is with Crohn’s Disease. The molecules involved in processing cannabis control and prevent intestinal inflammation. Studies have shown the following benefits:

Less abdominal pain
Less cramps (anti-spasmodic and muscle relaxant)
Less diarrhea (same reason as above)
Less nausea and vomiting
Improved appetite

Thus CBD oil has become my newest favorite supplement to use in treating my clients (and myself!). The company I like best is VivaOil. Use the coupon vivadianne for 10% off.

Fantastic Information and Resources for SIBO and Candida

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There are two online summits happening right now (free through this weekend, then available for purchase). They are free to attend and learn!

If you have SIBO or IBS, then you know how frustrating it can be.

The bloating that doesn’t go away…
The fear of eating something that makes you feel worse…
The embarrassing bathroom symptoms that you don’t even want to talk about…

Even more frustrating – most doctors don’t know a thing about how to actually treat SIBO, IBS, and other chronic digestive issues.

But SIBO isn’t really a mystery anymore – there are experts and researchers who are successfully treating SIBO every day.

And right now, you have a chance to meet them, learn from them, and have them answer YOUR questions.

Announcing The SIBO SOS™
Masterclass and Live Q&A Virtual Conference

Click Here to See the Lineup.

It’s 10 live Masterclasses taught by 10 different practitioners who have helped hundreds of thousands of people with SIBO and other digestive disorders.

and…

Candida is a naturally occurring, yet “opportunistic” fungus.

With the right conditions, there’s no limit to where it will spread and, when rampant, it can cause intense sugar cravings, brain fog, bloating, depression, anxiety, digestive issues, low energy or worse…

…chronic diseases.

—>>Learn to overcome candida and reclaim your health at The Candida Summit. Click here for more information.

IBS vs IBD

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It is a confusing topic. One that comes up a LOT in my world. People don’t know what IBS is or what IBD is or what the difference is. Why would you? I get it. Even health professionals say it wrong. (I have heard trained colleagues call it irritable bowel disease. Not it). So, let’s clear it up!

IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Irritable bowel describes the syndrome of symptoms; bloating, diarrhea, constipation, pain. This is a syndrome not a disease because there is nothing ‘wrong’ with the digestive tract. On all medical tests, people with IBS come up ‘normal’. They don’t have another diagnosis so the doctors call it IBS and send them on their way. Why? Because in conventional medicine, IBS is a group of symptoms for which there is no cause or treatment. (This couldn’t be more wrong. Those of us in the functional medicine world know that there are several causes of IBS, all treatable.) These symptoms might be happening because of an imbalance in the microbiome, damage to the intestinal wall (leaky gut), food sensitivities or intolerances, or a sensitive gut-brain connection (stress and emotions cause the symptoms).

IBD stands for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. These diseases include Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis. Crohn’s can affect any part of the digestive tract, but usually the latter part of the small intestine. Colitis is only ever in the colon. People with IBD have visible inflammation and ulcers on the inside of their GI tract. These diseases are auto-immune, where the person’s own immune system is attacking the intestine. The symptoms include pain, bloating, diarrhea, weight loss, fever, and fatigue. The disease shows up on the conventional medicine tests. And the primary conventional treatment is anti-inflammatories and immune suppressants. But the patients all have the same underlying problems as stated above (imbalance in microbiome and leaky gut, etc) in addition to the self-driven inflammation.

Both conditions can be miserable to live with. But both are very treatable and manageable with diet, supplements, and other lifestyle interventions. For more information about how to treat these issues, check out my eBook!

Fibromyalgia and the Gut

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And yet another connection between the gut and a seemingly unrelated condition: Fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia describes a condition where a person experiences widespread musculoskeletal pain. Similar to IBS, a total work up is done, and if Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus or other diagnoses are ruled out, and there is nothing tangibly ‘wrong’, then a diagnosis of exclusion is given to explain the symptoms. There are 18 tender points, and if 11 or more hurt for 3 months or more, that’s fibromyalgia. The symptoms of fibromyalgia don’t stop at musculoskeletal pain. They also include fatigue, brain fog, and memory issues. Fibromyalgia can begin suddenly after a trauma, surgery, infection or psychological stress, or it can come on slowly with no triggering event. There is usually a genetic predisposition.

Fibromyalgia seems to affect the way the brain processes pain. This is yet another similarity to IBS, where there are overactive pain signals, an overactive immune system and a hypersensitivity to pain.

But here is the third and most astonishing similarity: nearly all fibromyalgia patients have IBS and Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth! In the case of these patients, the bacteria release toxins that get into the blood stream (b/c of damage to the GI track) and this causes the pain and sensitivity to pain.

If you have fibromyalgia, get to the root of the problem: your gut.

SIBO

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SIBO (pronounced see-bo) is an acronym for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. Your colon has 100 billion bacteria per milliliter but your small intestine should have less than 100,000/ml. When too many bacteria migrate or colonize in the small intestine, SIBO develops and all hell breaks loose.

SIBO is responsible for all sorts of uncomfortable symptoms, such as gas, bloating, and diarrhea. More importantly, it causes damage to the small intestine leading to a ton of non-digestive problems as well. It is estimated that 84% of people with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) also have SIBO. Similarly, people with Crohn’s Disease and Celiac are likely to have SIBO as well.

When bacteria are in your colon (large intestine), they eat what’s left over (mostly fiber) after you have absorbed all the nutrients that your body needs. But when the bacteria in your small intestine (before your body has absorbed all that it needs), they get VIP access to your food (carbohydrates are their favorite). As described in the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle: “The presence of undigested and unabsorbed carbohydrates in the small intestine can encourage microbes to take up residence and multiply. This, in turn, may lead to the formation of products, in addition to gas, which injure the small intestine…. bacterial growth in the small intestine appears to destroy the enzymes on the intestinal cell surface preventing carbohydrate digestion and absorption and making carbohydrates available for bacteria” This is the cycle. Injury to the intestine–>impaired digestion and absorption–>bacterial overgrowth–>damage to the intestine–>impaired digestion…and so on. When the bacteria injure the intestines and impair digestion, the small intestines become less able to digest carbohydrates, leaving more for the bacteria to digest, and allowing for more bacterial multiplication. They are preventing you from digesting the very thing they need to eat.

Symptoms:

Abdominal bloating and distention
Gas
Abdominal pain and discomfort
Diarrhea, constipation, or a mix of the two
Heartburn or GERD

Systemic symptoms and associated conditions:

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
Leaky Gut (where your intestinal wall let’s things into your blood that aren’t supposed to be let in)
Fatigue, brain fog
Food sensitivities
Headaches/migraines
Mental Disorders (Autism, Depression)
Obesity
Skin problems
Autoimmune disorders

How does this start?

Insufficient stomach acid (acid kills bacteria)
Impaired cleansing waves (a wave of muscle contractions that sweeps the debris out of the small intestine and into the colon in between meals and at night)
Anatomical issue (such as having no ileocecal valve, the valve at the end of the small intestine, that keeps colon bacteria from migrating up)
GI infections or disease (Crohn’s or Celiac)

There are a few treatments for SIBO, antibiotics being the best. But the underlying cause might still be a problem and the SIBO will likely reoccur. There are a few diet options as treatment: The Specific Carbohydrate Diet, GAPS diet, Elemental Diet or a low FODMAP diet. Each of these manipulates the type and amount of carbohydrates in your diet to starve the bacteria.

Nutrition therapy with a Registered Dietitian (who specializes in digestive disorders) is essential. Besides being necessary to attempt one of the therapeutic diets mentioned above, nutrition is critical for:

Preventing the SIBO from returning
Correcting vitamin and mineral deficiencies
Healing the gut lining
Increasing stomach acid
Encouraging cleansing waves. (There are a few ways to do this, but my favorite is with lemon water)

Talk to your doctor if you suspect you have SIBO. And get a qualified Dietitian.

For more information about SIBO and how to get rid of it, check out my eBook!

Transform your IBS with FODMAPs

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a pain in the ass! It affects approximately 15% of the population. The good news is: there is a new treatment in town.

IBS symptoms include:

bloating
gas
abdominal pain
diarrhea
constipation
alternating diarrhea and constipation.

These symptoms can also be indicative of more serious conditions such as Crohn’s Disease and Celiac Disease (autoimmune disorders that cause damage to the intestine), so a doctor needs to rule these out before a diagnosis of IBS can be concluded. If your intestines are otherwise healthy, but you routinely experience the symptoms above, then you would be diagnosed with IBS.

Some of the possible causes of IBS:

A current gastrointestinal infection
A past gastrointestinal infection (post-infectious IBS)
Antibiotic use
One or more food sensitivities
Gut dysbiosis—imbalance in your gut bacteria

Each of those causes can be the result of unhealthy gut bacteria (or flora).

Not surprisingly, then, the solution to IBS is to try to change your gut flora. (Also not surprising, Crohn’s and Celiac patients have gut dysbiosis too, and therefore can also benefit from the following protocol).

FODMAPs

FODMAPs are a group of naturally occurring sugars that are fermentable. In a healthy gut, foods with FODMAPs wouldn’t cause any symptoms. But for some people, these sugars are big trouble. They travel through your small intestine, unabsorbed, and are therefore available for your gut flora to eat. When bacteria eat FODMAPs, they release gas, which in turn leads to all those symptoms listed above.

FODMAP is an acronym that stands for:

F: Fermentable
O: Oligosaccharides (Fructans and Galactans)
D: Disaccharides (Lactose)
M: Monosaccharides (Fructose)
A: and
P: Polyols (sugar alcohols)

The list of foods that contain one or more of these FODMAPs is very long. Which means of course, that following a low FODMAP diet is pretty restrictive. But it works for 75% of people with IBS. Imagine that!

The restrictive part is only for a few weeks, and is called the elimination phase. After getting your symptoms under control and resetting your gut, you reintroduce these foods, one at a time, to see if they still produce symptoms. Some will and some won’t.

But then you’ll know what bothers your tummy. And the idea is to eat the most varied diet you can, without experiencing problems. Since there are so many foods involved and you want things to get this right the first time, this diet works best with the guidance of dietitian.

photo credit freedigitalphotos.net

Are Your Bacteria Working for You or Against You?

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I wrote recently about our 100 trillion bacteria living in our gut. If all circumstances are ideal, these bacteria are good and diverse. And keep us in good health

Good healthful gut bacteria are very delicate. And harmful ones are hearty. Here are the things that change your gut bacteria for the WORSE:

The foods you eat
C-section birth
- A woman’s body actually pours tons of protective good bacteria into the birth canal during labor so that the baby is covered during birth. These protective bacteria are the baby’s first exposure to any microbes.
Antibiotics
- Even one course of antibiotics can alter the ratio. Some species are killed off completely
- Most of the antibiotics used are in the animal industry and we are consuming them in the meat we eat.
GI infections
Chronic stress
Environmental Toxins
Low stomach acid
Excessive hygiene

The term for having a poor ratio of good bacteria and low diversity of microbes is gut dysbiosis.

Gut Dysbiosis is associated with:

IBS
Bloating and distention
Celiac
Crohn’s and Colitis
GERD
Some cancers
Obesity
Allergies and food sensitivities
Heart disease
Mental disorders: autism, Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression

It’s important to get your gut health back! Book an appointment today to get your gut flora in shape!

You Have Only One Body

Take care of it!

Tag Archives: ibs

Why is the gut so important?

Fix the root problem or dampen symptoms?

This is the next big thing, and it has arrived

Fantastic Information and Resources for SIBO and Candida

IBS vs IBD

Fibromyalgia and the Gut

SIBO

Transform your IBS with FODMAPs

Are Your Bacteria Working for You or Against You?