Follow Your Gut

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By reading this post, you agree to the following: this information is for educational purposes only; any and all changes to your health care regimen should be discussed with your medical doctor; this information is not intended to diagnose or treat any illness, disease, or condition; this information should not, and is not, intended to take the place of conventional medical care.

I have taught oodles of patients over the years to listen to what their belly was telling them.

The trick is that the messages of the belly can range from food cravings, food aversions, to anxiety, sinusitis, yeast infections, and constipation.

The lining of the digestive system, specifically the small intestines, has to be able to perform at a high level. To say that it's functionality is indispensable to human health would be an understatement.

The integrity of the lining of the small intestine will have a hand in the amount and ability of the information in our food to make its way to the cells of the body. It is the sight of 95% of our serotonin production and 50% of our dopamine and GABA.

The small intestines is where most of our digestion actually occurs and, to date, it is an area of the body that the bio-medical model of health has a hard time assessing.

We can do some testing methods, but if we follow the map and walk the train tracks of the body, we can get farther.

There is a trail that seems to have had a briar patch surrounding its value until recently. This pathway is the gut-brain axis and it connects the nervous control of the digestive system, called the Enteric Nervous System, to the Central Nervous via the Vagus Nerve.

The Vagus Nerve is a mixed cranial nerve responsible for taking information to the brain and having the brain tell many organs what to do.

The tone and responsiveness of the Vagus Nerve has a hand in things like digestion, blood pressure, purifying our blood, reproduction, and fighting infections.

Because we have disrupted the balance of the ecosystem of our gut, the gut-brain axis will transmit the message of derailment and confusion to other body systems. Antibiotic usage, antinutrients, chemically grown and processed foods, and treated water, have all played a role in this derangement.

How can we help reset the tone of the Vagus Nerve and repair the gut?

From craniosacral therapy, to meditation techniques, to exercise, to diet, we can heal the gut and all things it touches.

The best and simplest place to start is with probiotics and prebiotics. One is the bug and the other is the bug's food. (humor)

There are around 30 strains of gut bacteria that we could or should have in the tract at any one time. These bacteria help us break down food and produce many nutrients. Without their help, we become deficient and cannot replenish, repair, or nourish the body.

Reinstating certain strains are known to aid in core correction of many imbalance. For example, to reduce stress and increase vagal tone, Lactobacillus helevticus and Bifibacterium longum have been shown to help with anxiety, anger, hostility, depression and a reduction in cortisol levels.

The Bi07 strain (Bifidobacterium lactis) helps with immune system improvement, BL04 can help with allergies, HN019 (Bifidobacterium lactis) helps with repair of tissue of the intestines, and LA5 (lactobacillus acidophilus) can help with lactose intolerance and yeast infections.

Can you just eat the foods and fix the problem?

You should definitely incorporate strain-containing foods into the diet, but to undo the damage that long-standing depletion and lifestyles have created, supplementation is required.

Two of my favorite products to balance gut biology are Floragen 3 and resistant starch. They help reinstate the flora and heal the lining of the intestines all while calming down the Vagus Nerve.

Through VRA testing, lab results, and symptom questionnaire results, functional Improvement has been demonstrated in myself, my children, and my patients for decades.

For more individualized testing and recommendations, please visit studio88wellness.com for your This Delicious Life Functional Nutrition consultation.

Stay Well Today

Dr. T