Why your gut matters so much
Evaluating the impact and health of your gut
One core value of naturopathic medicine is “Tolle Totum” —translated to “treat the whole person”. As doctors, we look to investigate underlying cause of disease and treat the body as an integrated system as opposed to a more narrow set of symptoms.
Surprisingly, over 70% of the entire immune system of your body is located in your gut. In my view, gut health is a key element to overall health. Your gut functions as a site of absorption of water and nutrients, surely. Although it does so much more! Synthesis of certain vitamins takes place in the gut, hormone detoxification (and therefore balance) is mediated in the gut, and up to 80% of your immune system is located, you guessed it, in the gut. Your gut is also the production site for the majority of the serotonin in your body, so your gut and your brain are best friends!
How do you know if your gut needs love? It’s easy to associate gut issues with bloating, changes in bowel habits, gas, etc., but there are many other things that could be signaling an issue with your gut health that you may not realize. Common symptoms of an imbalanced gut could be as varied as brain fog, depression, anxiety, issues with food sensitivities or a weak immune response. Skin issues like eczema and acne have also a strong connection to the level of inflammation or balance of the microbiome (the types and number of bacteria) in your gut.
The good news is, there’s so much that you can do to evaluate the health of your gut, and even more you can do to help repair and rebalance this vital part of your health.
Evaluation may include food sensitivity testing or evaluation of gut function and microbiome balance with stool tests. Sounds off-putting, but it’s oh so valuable! This can empower you to have a better handle on your diet and how it is affecting your overall health, as well as help you and your doctor identify underlying causes of disease in your whole body.
Treatments may include removal of inflammatory triggers in the diet, repairing inflamed or “leaky” gut lining, rebalancing of the gut microbiome if any unwanted friends are taking residence, and re-inoculating the gut with healthy bacteria moving forward!
So, maybe it’s time for you to reassess the state or your gut health. If you’ve got anything that feels out of balance, your gut might be a consideration at the root of your health. If not, think about what an amazing job your gut is doing for you every day, and give yourself a little hug.
