What Is Digestive Health?
Digestive Health is vitally important as the digestive system is designed to absorb nutrients and block out toxins.
Nutrients are converted into:
- proteins
- hormones
- neurotransmitters
- growth factors and
- other naturally occurring chemicals that support and direct all body systems.
Toxins can interfere with or block these biochemical pathways. In the words of Hippocrates
“All diseases begin in the gut”
If the digestive system is not working due to Gastro Intestinal Permeability (Leaky Gut), Dysbiosis and/or inflammation then the brain and body are adversely affected in many ways.
How to Restore Digestive Health
A well-trained Integrative or Functional Medicine practitioner can address your digestive health in several ways including:
- removing offending foods
- introducing healing foods
- treating bacterial, viral and fungal infections
- recolonising beneficial microbes (bacteria and fungi)
The Gastro-Intestinal tract is also considered our “2nd brain” as 70% of the neurotransmitters in our brain are made in the GI tract. So digestive health is directly linked to brain health.
Who Is It For?
Digestive Health can optimise cellular health and, therefore, works to both treat and prevent a range of conditions including but not exclusive to:
ADHD, Allergies, Anxiety, Asthma, Autism, Behaviour, Cancer, Celiac, Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Diabetes, Digestive Disorders, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Eating Disorder, Eczema, Food Intolerances, Heart Disease, Infections, Learning Delay, Obesity, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Pyroluria, Schizophrenia, Sensory Integration, Speech-Language Delay.
What Are the Benefits?
According to the Functional Medicine Model, Digestive Health supports cellular health by increasing the absorption of nutrients while blocking out toxins. The benefits may include improved metabolic, immunologic, neurologic and digestive function.
Digestive Health may also reduce oxidative stress and inflammation which in turn could reduce symptoms of allergies, arthritis, asthma, ADHD, Autism and a wide range of disease.
Digestive Health may also help to reduce infections which tend to thrive when the body is in a weakened state.
Given that 70% of the neurotransmitters in the brain are also in the gastrointestinal tract, Digestive Health supports brain function and mental health.
What Are The Costs?
Costs of treating Digestive Health vary and are best assessed by a skilled Integrative/Functional Medicine practitioner. They would likely include consulting fees, lab tests, supplements, some books (with recipes), special foods and consulting from an allied professional (e.g. nutritionist).
