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| Gut Health |
 DrLaura writes, "Most people have heard the old saying, "You are what you eat." In reality, "You are what you absorb." When our digestive system is not functioning properly, we get into a state of "dysbiosis," which can negatively impact our immune functioning, the absorption of certain vitamins, and even our body's hormonal system."
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The gastrointestinal tract can be thought of as a long tube, starting at the mouth and ending at the anus, along with accessory organs like the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. The GI tract is responsible for digestion, absorption and assimilation of food, and excretion of waste products. In addition to these processes, the gut houses a huge portion of our nervous system, makes neurotransmitters like serotonin, and is one of our first lines of defense against infection (a huge portion of our immune system is aimed at expelling and killing foreign invaders in the gut).
Because the GI tract has so many functions, it can be thought of as one of the foundational elements of health. Evaluating the function of the GI tract can be very useful when trying to understand some of the causes of other seemingly unrelated health conditions. First to evaluate, is how is the digestive process? There should be no reflux, indigestion, bloating, or gas pains. You should have a good bowel movement at least once per day that is large, well formed, and feels well evacuated. The stool should not contain undigested food (with the exception of corn and bits of nuts). There should be no blood or mucus in the stool, and stool should not smell foul. If these things are not occurring, we need to think back to the physiology of the GI tract to figure out what is going wrong. Is the person not making enough of their own digestive enzymes or stomach acid? One way to assess this is through laboratory testing, another simple way to start is by paying attention to what foods seem to trigger your symptoms.
It is also important to consider the state of the gastrointestinal microbiome. Commonly referred to as our "gut flora," the typical human GI tract contains 2-3 pounds of bacteria. There are approximately 100 trillion organisms in the human gut, comprised of "good" bacteria and yeasts that perform vital functions that help maintain our health, as well as "bad" bacteria, yeasts, and/or parasites that can cause problems both locally in the gut, as well as symptoms in the rest of the body. When the ratio of good to bad gut microbes is out of balance, we get in to a state of "dysbiosis," which can negatively impact our immune functioning, the absorption of certain vitamins, and even our body's hormonal system.
Traditional cultures regularly consumed fermented products like kefir, kombucha, yoghurt, kimchee, and sauerkraut, among others, which constantly helped repopulate the "good" gut bacteria. In our modern society, we do not regularly consume these products - so incorporating them into our diets or taking probiotic supplements can be very helpful in maintaining good GI health. When choosing a probiotic, look for one that contains billions of CFUs ("colony forming units") per dose, and multiple strains of bacteria. The most common strains are different species of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. By increasing the amount of beneficial bacteria you consume, you can rebuild the population of good bacteria that is often decreased by aspects of our modern world like stress and antibiotic use. Bringing your microbiota back into balance may help improve common gastrointestinal complaints.
Laura Glenn, ND
Treasure Valley Natural Medicine
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Posted on Jun 28, 2012 19:28pm.
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