That’s what we hear over and over again – and it’s true.
From our mental health to our immune system, the health of our gut is paramount. We know now that the gut health is essential to our general health, and when our digestive system is not working properly, health problems arise elsewhere.
A healthy gut enables optimal uptake and absorption of nutrients, and elimination of waste. However, the digestive system is complex, and is sensitive to external as well as internal factors. Factors that impact digestion include our diet, dental health, enzymes and digestive secretions, nerve supply, circulation, our hormones, exposure to toxins and microbes, stress and our nervous system and the state and composition of our microbiome.
Many people are concerned that their digestive problems are an allergy response to foods. Sometimes this can be the case. There are varying levels of immune responses to food, from anaphylactic allergy which can be life threatening, to food intolerance and sensitivity that can manifest after eating and up to 3 days later! Trying to identify food sensitivities can be challenging and getting some professional help can guide you.
Everyone is different. We need to fully investigate your concerns and work out why you are experiencing these symptoms. We will look at your diet, check your digestive function, and assess your general health for any contributing factors or consequences resulting from poor digestion. For example, you may have stomach pain, bloating, windiness and diarrhoea.
This could be due to your food choices, eating without chewing properly, poor stomach acid, lack of pancreatic enzymes, food intolerance, a gut infection that you picked up overseas or a result of the antibiotics you just finished. My job is to take a thorough case history and examine you to find out why you have these symptoms and make the necessary changes.
You may need to keep a food diary for a while or have further tests including food allergy testing. You may need to make some dietary changes, with the support of specific nutritional supplements or herbal medicines to reduce your symptoms and restore digestive function.