Why Does My Digestive Health Matter?

Diges­tive health begins in the mouth and ends in the intesti­nal tract.  In brief, the mouth secretes enzymes and the teeth are respon­si­ble for chew­ing and break­ing down food; the stom­ach churns while secret­ing hydrochlo­ric acid and enzymes to aid with food break­down; and the intestines absorb nutri­ents from food & water.The small intes­tine is an impor­tant part of the immune sys­tem 

Did you know that 70-80% of the immune sys­tem is located in the gut?  Have you ever heard of the gut-associated lym­phoid tis­sue (GALT)?  Immune cells which attack and defend against pathogens are found within this lym­phoid tis­sue.  Immune cells must defend against pathogens and tox­ins while allow­ing for tol­er­ance to food and bac­te­ria – an impor­tant bal­anc­ing act!

Bac­te­ria are present in the diges­tive tract

Did you know we have both good and bad bac­te­ria in our gut? Vari­eties of dif­fer­ent bac­te­r­ial strains are impor­tant in aid­ing diges­tive func­tion and pro­vid­ing immune sup­port.  Bac­te­ria defend against pathogens, enhance intesti­nal bar­rier func­tion, metab­o­lize tox­ins, reduce inflam­ma­tion, and help main­tain proper immune func­tion.  Changes in the rel­a­tive ratio of good to bad bac­te­ria can com­pro­mise immu­nity and cause inflam­ma­tion.  In a healthy indi­vid­ual, the intestines act as a selec­tive bar­rier and allow the trans­port of essen­tial dietary nutri­ents for absorp­tion.  How­ever, when inflam­ma­tion occurs, this bar­rier becomes impaired and no longer func­tions in a “selec­tive” man­ner; for­eign sub­stances end up pass­ing through the epithe­lial bar­rier (a con­di­tion known as intesti­nal hyper-permeability) ulti­mately result­ing in greater health prob­lems, includ­ing diges­tive upset and autoim­mune disease.

Evi­dence sug­gests that cer­tain bac­te­r­ial strains may be more effec­tive than oth­ers when it comes to treat­ing a num­ber of dif­fer­ent com­plaints con­cern­ing the diges­tive sys­tem.  It is impor­tant to note that the rel­a­tive ratio of good to bad bac­te­ria present in our gut depends on fac­tors such as: diet, stress lev­els, method of birth (Cae­sarean sec­tion vs. vagi­nal birth), and use of cer­tain medications.
Var­i­ous con­di­tions are related to poor diges­tive func­tion, includ­ing: skin con­di­tions (ie. eczema, pso­ri­a­sis, and rosacea), fatigue, poor mem­ory, aller­gies, headaches/migraines, fre­quent colds/flus, weight issues, arthri­tis, fibromyal­gia, and autoim­mune dis­eases (Crohn’s, ulcer­a­tive col­i­tis, and celiac).  Symp­toms of sub-optimal diges­tion may include: bloat­ing, cramp­ing, abdom­i­nal pain, gas, con­sti­pa­tion, and/or diarrhea.

Your Natur­o­pathic Doc­tor can help you heal your intesti­nal tract by address­ing diet and lifestyle fac­tors, as well as pro­mot­ing opti­mal diges­tion and over­all health. Natur­o­pathic Med­i­cine aims to address the under­ly­ing cause of your concern(s) with indi­vid­u­al­ized treat­ment plans.  Natur­o­pathic Doc­tors take a detailed health his­tory to address the phys­i­cal, men­tal, spir­i­tual, and emo­tional aspects of health. Book your initial appointment at Restore Chiropractic or the Hampton Wellness Centre today!