Nobody likes being sick. Nobody likes having frequent headaches or a bad case of constipation. Nobody likes skin breakouts or feeling exhausted. Nobody likes brain fog and riding a roller coaster of mood swings.
When we feel these things, we just want them to go away. Fast.
Most of us can’t afford to lay on the couch for days. We have jobs, lives, kids, and social gatherings. We need to be in the game. So we pop in a pain reliever. We down a glass of MiraLax. We drink another double espresso. And hope for the best. But here’s the thing. All those unwanted symptoms like joint pain, fatigue, brain fog, digestive disturbances, headaches, mood swings, and skin breakouts are your body’s way of sending you a message.
Think about it like this: How do you know not to sear your hand on a heated stove? Your body gives you a pain signal that says, stop doing that. Feelings of pain and discomfort, while not pleasant, are your body’s way of communicating with you and protecting you. You vomit when you eat something harmful. You pull your hand away when something penetrates the boundaries of your skin and you begin to bleed. Without pain and discomfort, we would harm our bodies without knowing it. We’d chop our fingers along with the carrots and never notice. We’d burn our hands, we’d smash our toes, we’d cause all kinds of damage to ourselves.
So why do we ignore hundreds of signals that the body is trying to give us?
Far too many people live with throbbing headaches, skin breakouts, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, brain fog, and constant sickness and never stop to ask why. They never stop to ask “What am I doing or eating that is making my body say, stop doing that?” Maybe we’ve become so accustomed to living with pain, sickness, and discomfort that we forget what it feels like to live without it. Maybe we've started to beleive that brain fog, forgetfulness, and difficulty concentrating is just a part of getting older. But just like pain tells us not to hold our hand on a hot stove, symptoms and signals like constant fatigue, digestive disturbances, and skin breakouts are trying to send a message that something isn’t right.
Unfortunately, most of us have become very disconnected from our bodies. We aren’t in tune with the way our diet and lifestyle impact our bodies. We’ve lost the communication channel. We look for band aids to stop the bleeding without asking why we keep getting cut.
That’s why I am so passionate about helping people get to the root of the problem. When you understand the source of your pain, sickness, and discomfort, you can actually address the problem. That’s when you’ll see long term change.
On the flip side, if you choose to ignore the symptoms and signals that your body is using as a cry for help, you will likely face much bigger problems down the road. Ignoring the problem and masking symptoms will only lead to prolonged sickness and damage in the body. Maybe you’re dealing with fatigue, bloating, constipation, unwanted weight gain, skin breakouts, and constant fatigue. Where do you look to address the problem?
The first place I go to is the gut. Why?
First of all, your gut is your second brain. Your gut has a direct line of communication with the brain. Neurons are cells found in your brain and central nervous system that tell your body how to behave. There are approximately 100 billion neurons in the human brain. Your gut actually contains 500 million neurons, which are connected to your brain through nerves in your nervous system The vagus nerve is one of the biggest nerves connecting your gut and brain. It sends signals in both directions. Your gut and brain are also connected through chemicals called neurotransmitters which actually control feelings and emotions.
Take the neurotransmitter serotonin, for example. This contributes to feelings of happiness and helps control your body clock. Your gut produces a large amount, up to 95%, of serotonin, or your “happy” neurotransmitter. Many of these neurotransmitters are also produced by your gut cells and the trillions of microbes living there. Your gut microbes also produce a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid, which helps control feelings of fear and anxiety. If you're dealing with brain fog, difficutly concentrating, forgetfulness, and constant mood swings, the root of the problem could be in your gut.
Your gut is the center of your immune system: Your gut makes up 70-80% of your immune system. Your immune system is your defense. It’s the team of bodyguards that stands outside your door and refuse to let in sickness or diseases that could steal your quality of life. So if you want to be strong and able to kick illness in the ass, you have to take care of your gut. If you find yourself constantly sick, there may be underlying problems that need to be adressed.
Your gut is where your body receives nourishment: The stomach and small intestine are responsible for most nutrient digestion and absorption in your body. In a healthy individual, about 85% of carbohydrates, 66%–95% of proteins, and all fats are absorbed before entering the large intestine. The indigestible carbohydrates and proteins that the colon receives represent 10%–30% of the total ingested energy are generally eliminated via stool. Good gut health means you are getting a lot out of your food. Poor gut health means that you are probably not properly absorbing the nutrients your body needs. An unhealthy gut, fed by a standard, processed-food American diet is why many people are overfed and undernourished. A healthy gut means properly absorbing nutrients from the food that you eat which, in turn, translates to more energy, stronger muscles, bones, and immune system.
A Leaky Gut Can Lead to Inflammation: Your gut lining is your body’s shield to filter out the bigger, harmful substances from entering your body. When your gut lining is damaged and cannot optimally function as a barrier any longer, the smaller holes become larger and allow harmful substances like gluten, bad bacteria, and undigested food particles to enter your system and cause considerable damage to health. In functional medicine, Leaky Gut Syndrome is often considered a precondition for autoimmune diseases and many other health problems. What are the symptoms of Leaky Gut? chronic diarrhea, constipation, or bloating, nutritional deficiencies, fatigue, headaches, difficulty concentrating, skin problems, such as acne, rashes, or eczema
So maybe you’re starting to listen to your body. You understand that something is wrong but aren't exactly sure about the source of the problem. What are the next steps?
First and foremost, look at what you’re eating. Avoid trigger foods, nourish the body through wholesome ingredients, and weed out foods that add to inflammation. Exercise. Get plenty of quality sleep. These are powerful ways to improve gut microbiome health.
When you think you've tried everything… test, don't guess. The GI Map stool testing can help clearly show underlying chronic infections that are keeping you sick and unwell. This test analyzes the stool via DNA analysis and paints a very clear and accurate picture of underlying microbial imbalances that contribute to GI inflammation and issues. The GI MAP stool test shows a well trained practitioner more about microbial imbalances and the overall environment of the GI.
If you’re ready to get to the root of the problems you’re facing, I’m here to help. We’ll schedule a free discovery call first and discuss your needs, health concerns, what tests might be necessary to get conclusive answers and a strategic plan for moving forward based upon what we find.
Click here to schedule!
