Gut & Digestive Health

You know the saying “you are what you eat?”

Well, it should really be “you are what you absorb”.

Even if you only ate the highest quality, locally produced, fresh and organic fruit and vegetables, if you have ‘leaky gut’ or intestinal permeability, then your digestive tract won’t be able to absorb all of those great nutrients and you could still well be nutrient deficient.

What is leaky gut exactly?

It is when toxins, bacteria and pathogens move through the gut wall and into the blood stream. This then sets off an immune response in order for the body to target and remove these toxins from your blood stream. The immune response causes inflammatory reactions, the cumulative effect of which can contribute to illness.

Why is gut health important?

For the majority of auto-immune and many other dis-eases of the body, increased intestinal permeability is a factor. Gut health affects every aspect of our health, including our mood. 90% of the feel-good hormone, serotonin is produced in our gut. It goes without saying that it is crucial that we look for any issues that may be holding you back from achieving good gut health.

Stress, antibiotics, alcohol, birth control pills, toxins and processed foods can contribute to a leaky gut, and we are better off reducing consumption, where possible.

Candida or yeast overgrowth, parasites, bacterial overgrowth and food sensitivities can also contribute to a leaky gut. Fortunately, these can all be tested for via functional labs. Once we know your root causes, we can work to remove the toxicities or pathogens and rebalance the gut.