Have you seen that commercial for the pink liquid that claims to solve all your digestive problems? They’ve even got a catchy advertisement that puts all those digestive distress problems together with a sing-songy tune. 

But it’s a bandaid. It’s a temporary fix. All those over the counter and prescriptions do not address the root of the problem. In order to fix what’s wrong, we need to find what the problem is.

Sounds simple enough, but multiple factors are involved.

What do you eat? When do you eat? What genetics might be involved?  Do your genetics even matter?
Gastrointestinal disease “is a group of digestive disorders that are associated with lingering symptoms of constipation, bloating, reflux, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and cramping. These gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms can be caused by infections, food intolerances, food allergies, or autoimmune diseases.”  [Ref]

Often GI distress can be caused by SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) and/or leaky gut. When someone has a leaky gut and/or SIBO, autoimmune diseases may surface. Autoimmune diseases are genetic predispositions that can be “turned on” by diet. This means that there is a potential to turn them “off”. Autoimmune disorders have a ‘food factor’ that triggers the genetic expression. Except in very rare cases, babies are not born with autoimmunity. 

Other manifestations of GI problems:

• Allergies

• Acne

• Psoriasis

• Ezcema

• Lethargy

• Depression

• Anxiety

First, the gut-brain connection is very real. Some are even calling the gut (mostly the small intestine) the real brain or the second brain. What we absorb, don’t absorb, passes through the small intestinal wall (leaky gut), and wreaks havoc on our body. It causes alarm for our body’s immune system to ramp up.

These symptoms are early stages of the immune system ramping up and are often issues that seem unrelated. Skin problems like acne or eczema, generalized fatigue, allergies, mood/fatigue, constipation, or diarrhea are 

Medications prescribed (or over the counter) to treat any of those (and more) are just a bandaid. They are not solving the problem. Gut health = brain health  

No, it’s not black and white in all cases, but when the gut is healthy, the brain has a higher chance of being healthy. When the gut is functioning appropriately and effectively/efficiently, the incidence of anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders decreases.

References:

Gastric Distress

The Role of Epigenetics in Autoimmune/Inflammatory Disease

The Expanded Biology of Serotonin

How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs

High blood pressure: Sodium may not be the culprit