In our Charlotte, NC clinic we help with gut health. Your gut consists of both beneficial and harmful bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses. How do we know what’s harmful and how is it affecting your health? We test! Read on to learn more.
This could be the reason you feel unhealthy and haven’t found a treatment that works. Did you know a balanced gut or microbiome controls digestion, benefits your immune system and also helps maintain reproductive and neurological health.
The gut (enteric nervous system) and brain (central nervous system) share an important connection by communicating and keeping all systems in balance. Because imbalances in the gut can cause inflammation and inflammatory patterns cause illness and destruction in the body including the brain, the brain relies on key chemical components from the gut to function properly. Nerve signals from the digestive tract affect metabolism, Type 2 Diabetes, hormones and microbiota. Without it we can experience symptoms of brain fog, lack of motivation, anxiety, hormonal imbalances, depression and insomnia.
Common digestive issues are bloating, gas, irregular bowel movements and nausea. Most people don’t know how many other symptoms they’re experiencing can be related to poor gut health. Even emotional shifts can effect our digestion.
Other illnesses people may experience as a result are recurring sickness either cold, flu, allergies. Autoimmune disease, thyroid disorders and reproductive issues can be linked to imbalances in the gut including dysbiotic bacteria and/or parasites. Symptoms of recurring brain fog, poor memory, lack of motivation, insomnia, anxiety, depression and difficulty losing weight are all common complaints.
Can stress, prescription medicine and lifestyle play a role in disrupting gut health:
The answer is YES, this will greatly effect your bodies ability heal. Prescription medicine can cause immunosuppression or diuretics can deplete vital nutrients or destroy beneficial bacteria, weakening your digestive function. These medications may be necessary, so it’s important to work closely with your prescribing doctor and decide the best approach for you. Uncontrolled stress and poor dietary choices create an inflammatory response. Because of this, it will gradually breakdown vital functions we need to stay healthy.
Ways to minimize inflammation and harmful effects on the gut:
1) Clean up your diet, avoid processed foods and sugary snacks.
2) Eat more veggies because they provide fiber and help flourish the good bacteria in our gut.
3) Drink more water because staying hydrated benefits digestive function and the health of our cells.
4) Stress management techniques: make regular time for meditation, sit quietly to focus on your breath, read a book or start a gratitude journal.
5) Exercise or movement therapy, find something you enjoy and do it regularly. Some popular types are walking, running, Beachbody workouts and yoga.
If these suggestions are not correcting the problem, it may be time to schedule a consultation. Many of our patients appreciate our custom approach working together because we teach them the type of diet and lifestyle their body will benefit from. People often wonder what supplements they should take or what diet is the best choice. The answer is different for each person. Let us help you find out.
How Can We Help?
We start by scheduling a consultation either in-person or virtually to make sure we’re a good fit. Dr. Tracie works with patients all over the US. The consultation allows us to get to know you. It tells us your history, current struggles and answer your questions. Because we have this, we can review a starting point to get you answers to the root underlying cause of your complaints. From here we find the right functional medicine tests, review the results with you and create a plan including nutrition, lifestyle adjustments, herbs or supplements and follow-ups to help keep you on track.
Our patients learn more about themselves and their body so that they find the motivation to stay on the right path working together! It will be a life changing experience.
Share this with someone you know who is experiencing trouble with these symptoms and if you also would like help, please contact us!
