The 4 Stages of Gut Healing
Learn how to support your gut needs at each stage of change
A few days ago, I came across a headline that 40% of the global population struggles with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID). Those interviewed also shared that these disorders, including conditions such as irritable bowel and chronic constipation, disrupt their lives on an ongoing basis.
Five years ago, I was in this group myself. What started as a slight bloating after eating gradually grew into multiple food sensitivities, brain fog, and arthritis. What I learned very quickly is that a GI issue is very different than a broken bone which can be set back into place and healed within weeks — it requires a journey with multiple stages and iterations. When you emerge from it, you will likely want to eat and live very differently than you did before.
Today, my gut is healthy and I enjoy a diet and lifestyle that keeps my body and mind feeling clear, but it was a long journey. It was only once I became certified as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) that I began to understand why gut healing is so complex and how supporting it can be broken into approachable stages. When I discovered the “4R” approach to gut healing derived from functional medicine, a lightbulb moment went off in my head: the approach described all of the stages that I…
