Heal Gut Issues

Gut health issues are often the common denominator involved in many other health conditions. Sometimes they are a primary complaint and other times they are the hidden, underlying cause for other chronic conditions. So we always check for issues with the gut and heal them as needed.

There are many common gut issues we routinely treat:

•  If the gut lining becomes permeable, it can leak undigested proteins and other toxins into the bloodstream, setting the stage for numerous health conditions (skin conditions, fatigue, brain fog, autoimmunity, and many other health conditions and symptoms).
• If the muscles of the gut are working too quickly, diarrhea can occur and if they move too slowly then constipation may result.
• If the muscles go into any kind of spasm pain will occur, often in the form of cramps.

For almost 30 years we’ve offered all-natural treatment for all the common ailments of the gut and digestive tract. We take a different approach, by locating and treating the underlying causes as opposed to merely masking the symptoms.

The Cause of Gut Issues

The Gastrointestinal (or GI) tract actually begins in the mouth and travels all the way down through the body to the anus, running between 25 – 32 feet in length in adults. The GI tract includes the oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus. From the point at which food is swallowed, it is helped on its passage by a series of muscles that continuously contract, helping the food pass to the stomach and then into the colon.

Gastrointestinal disorders are particularly common in the western world and can, in part, be attributed to the poor diet which millions of people follow eg., heavy in meat, dairy, wheat, starch, sugar, preservatives and additives, and low in fiber. A poor diet can lead to irritation and inflammation which are precursors to gastrointestinal disorders.

Overuse of antibiotics can allow bad bacteria to grow in the intestine which can lead to dysfunction, as can toxins in foods, heavy metals or a heavy reliance on laxatives, which taken over time, can cause the bowel muscles to weaken.

Autoimmune disease has been show to directly contribute to Crohn’s disease and Colitisand any kind of immune system dysfunction can leave the GI tract vulnerable to parasites, toxins and antigens which can disrupt its normal functioning.

Diagnosing Gut Issues

Most conventional methods of gastrointestinal diagnoses are invasive and can be somewhat traumatic for the patient as they may involve a lighted scope being inserted into either the patient’s rectum or down their throat. Other gastrointestinal diagnosis procedures may involve a fine needle aspiration or biopsy needle being inserted into the patient. These procedures include colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, upper GI endoscopy, ERCP, endoscopic ultrasound and liver biopsy.

At LifeWorks Wellness Center, the gastrointestinal diagnosis approach is different. Firstly, the symptoms that the patient is presenting with will be evaluated, and not just the obvious ones such as  bloating, constipation, diarrhea and cramps but also the less obvious signs of gastrointestinal disorders such as fatigue, allergies, candida and so on.

Then a functional evaluation will be performed to assess the functioning of each organ that may be potentially contributing to the symptoms. This is important since the dysfunction of an organ can be as symptomatic as a disease of one. The patient will then be evaluated to see what kind of nutritional supplementation will be required to bring the organ function back into alignment. A functional stool test may also be ordered to evaluate the physiology of the gastrointestinal tract, eg. Is there inflammation in gut, what is the enzyme activity in the pancreas, is bacterial overgrowth or parasites present and what is the immune status in the gut?

Every person’s situation is slightly different and gut issues tend to be multifactorial, setting off a “chain reaction” throughout the body, not only disrupting the gut but impacting other systems and organs of the body. For this reason it is important to handle all factors contibuting to the condition to ensure the body begins to heal properly.

Treatment options vary and could include one or more of the following: dietary interventions, addressing any food allergies, killing off any microbial or yeast overgrowths, healing the gut lining, boosting mitochondrial function, calming the immune system, detoxifying the body, nutritional supplementation and other measures needed to restore the gut biome and rebalance the gastrointestinal tract.

Before a gastrointestinal treatment program is recommended, a doctor will review with you the symptoms you have been having, your medical history and will perform any tests needed. Below you will find many of the common conditions and their associated symptoms.