A Healthy Gut
A Healthy Gut
Did you know your digestive system and gut bacteria affect every area of your wellbeing? Research over the past two decades has revealed that a healthy gut is critical to overall health, as it affects among other things, your immune system, your happiness, your mental clarity, the quality of your sleep – even your longevity.
A healthy gut microbiome is like a lush garden of about 100 million neuron with many different botanical species and organisms growing in it that filter out toxins and other harmful particles from the bloodstream. But our gut lining can be damaged by alcohol consumption, medications, stress, poor diet and genetic mutations, which can cause the layer of cells that line our digestive tract to become more permeable. Commonly known as ‘leaky gut’, it’s a huge contributor to poor gut health and chronic inflammation.
That’s why an unhealthy gut can contribute to a wide range of conditions including: obesity, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune conditions, depression and chronic fatigue syndrome, to name a few. So improving the health of your gut is one of the cost effective ways to enhance your overall health and wellbeing.
The gut is also known as your second brain, for its ability to shape your mood and thoughts as the trillions of bacteria at home in your digestive tract, interact with your nervous system and your brain. It’s not surprising then that most of us experience butterflies in the stomach when we’re nervous or that special someone is near!
Close to 90 percent of serotonin, your happy hormone and 50 percent of dopamine is produced by your digestive tract. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter released by the brain that plays a number of roles in humans. Some of its key functions include movement, memory, behaviour, cognition, sleep and mood.
Your gut controls your appetite, digestion and both the creation and absorption of nutrients. It’s your first line of defence and the home of your immune system; the main passage for detoxification and elimination of toxins and waste from your body.
There are many causes of an imbalanced gut and I will assist you to take a few steps back to identify your root cause. Then we can work on a clear plan to get you back into balance and make the bacterial colonies in your gut work for you, not against you.
The good news is that our bodies are designed to recover from setbacks, provided we give it the right conditions.
Clearly, a healthy digestive system is critical to your health and happiness. I love this quote by Dr Campbell-Mcbride:
“A well-functioning gut with healthy flora hold the roots of our health. And, like a tree with sick roots is not going to thrive, the rest of the body cannot thrive without a well-functioning digestive system.”
How do you know if your gut is unhealthy? Here are 10 signs:
- You struggle to tolerate many foods
- You are affected by digestive distress; gas and/or bloating
- You have constant mood swings
- Your weight has unintentionally changed
- You have silent and foul smelling gas
- You have bad breath
- You have skin conditions such as acne or ezema
- You suffer from uncontrollable sugar cravings
- You have a suppressed immune system
- You are suffering from depression and/or fatigue
There are many more signs and symptoms of compromised gut function. These are just the most common symptoms I see in my practice. However without knowing the source of your microbiome imbalances, you can pop probiotics all day every day and not see results.
I take a holistic approach to gut healing which includes sleeping well, exercising, reducing stress response, avoiding toxins and enjoying social connections, in addition to focusing on nutrition. All these factors impact our gut microbiome as much as our diet. Being under huge stress can cause the gut microbiome to go haywire, just as if you were regularly eating heavily processed food.
We can undertake simple testing to determine the current state of your microbiome to create a personalised plan to help you feel your best.
Contact Tara today to arrange your first consultation and get to the bottom of your gut issues!
Take our quick Gut Health Quiz
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only. It is not designed to diagnose, treat or cure. We are all biologically unique, for your individual health concerns it is important to consult with an Endless Vitality Health Coach or relevant health professional.