Restoring Digestive Health

Yes, the gut is the gateway to our health and here is why:

Roughly 90% of our serotonin (happy neurotransmitter) is made in the gut
About 70-75% of our immune system is housed in the gut
Our nutrients are absorbed through our gut
Healthy digestion aids in detox- our liver dumps toxins into our bowels to be eliminated through stool

Here are some common but NOT normal digestive symptoms:

Bloating
Constipation
Diarrhea
Abdominal Pain
Heartburn
Nausea

It is important to not normalize these symptoms. Maybe you are somehow that does not have one of the symptoms above, but have you ever scored your stool on the Bristol Stool chart? I know it may seem weird to really inspect your stool but it is an important indicator of your overall health and wellness.

Here is the Bristol Stool chart

The Bristol Stool Form Scale: This scale is a useful tool to evaluate stool and can evaluate colonic transit time

Ideal bowel movements are type 4- smooth and snake-like. It is also important to have a bowel movement every day. Even if you don’t “feel” constipated, going every other or every third day is not optimal.

What are some reasons for your symptoms from Functional Medicine perspective:

Candida overgrowth (yeast)
Dysbiosis (imbalance of good and bad bacteria)
SIBO (small intestines bacterial overgrowth)
Food sensitivities (delayed immune response)
Food allergies (immediate immune response)
Increased Intestinal Permeability (AKA “Leaky Gut”)
Hormonal imbalances (specifically thyroid and adrenal imbalances)

What are some things you can do to improve your gut TODAY:

The best way to improve your gut microbiome is your DIET. Eating a diet rich in fiber and WHOLE foods helps to feed the good bacteria in your gut. Eating a diet rich in sugar and processed foods feeds the bad bugs!

Sometimes eating whole foods isn’t enough, that is when I recommend taking a deeper dive into figuring out the ROOT cause whether it is food sensitivities or dysbiosis. We assess this at STAT Wellness through blood work and comprehensive stool testing!

There are some supplements that are helpful for improving gut health. My doctoral studies focused on Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (things like IBS or irritable bowel syndrome) and the utilization of probiotics, digestive enzymes and glutamine. We found statistically significant improvements without even changing diet although I do still think your diet needs to be the primary focus. The reason I didn’t include dietary changes in my study was it is harder to track and validate that everyone in the study is adhering to the dietary recommendations. If you are interested in being bored and reading my study, you can find it here (under my maiden name Corbin).

The specific products used in my study include:

Orthobiotic 1 capsule daily
Similase GFCF 1-2 capsules before each meal
Glutagenics 1 scoop first thing in the morning

Remember to consult your healthcare provider before implementing any changes into your daily routine.

If you still aren’t seeing improvements in your digestive health, I would love to work with you! Book an appointment with me below at STAT Wellness.

In good health,

Dr. Kristin Oja, DNP, FNP-C