Digestive Health
Leaky Gut Syndrome: What You Need to Know
This week I wanted to talk about a crucial topic: intestinal permeability, a.k.a. leaky gut syndrome. You may have heard of this oddly named medical condition. It’s an incredibly common issue correlated with many other diseases. It’s important because when you heal your gut, so many other symptoms and conditions are healed.
Leaky gut has long been diagnosed and treated in naturopathic and functional medicine, and it’s finally starting to gain more recognition in the general population and even in the conventional medical system (just a little). Before the last couple of years, many conventional health care practitioners considered leaky gut “woo woo” (as I’m sure many still do), but the scientific evidence to support intestinal permeability and its role in many chronic inflammatory diseases is overwhelming.
Leaky Gut Syndrome: What You Need to Know
Heartburn is medically known as acid reflux. If it occurs chronically two or more times per week, it is medically known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Acid reflux is one of the most common gastrointestinal concerns in the US. You've likely experienced this unpleasant symptom at some point in your life or know someone who does. It’s estimated that 60 million Americans experience heartburn at least once a month and more than 15 million experience acid reflux symptoms every day (1). In 2016, Prilosec, a medication to treat GERD was the 4th most common filled prescription in the US (2).
Nicole McCarter is a naturopathic doctor located in Los Altos, CA which is conveniently located near Palo Alto and easily accessible from the Bay Area.
Holistic nutrition individualizes nutrition to your specific needs. Not everyone requires the same diet. Nicole uses food intolerance testing and looks for nutrient deficiencies to determine the right diet for you. She creates an individualized diet plan. She specializes in food allergies, elimination diets, cleanse and detox diets.
Heal Your Gut Series: 7 Foods to Improve Gut Health
Healthy digestion is the core of optimal health. Your gut is where the majority of your immune system is: affecting autoimmunity, frequent illness, and inflammation. It's where most of your serotonin, the happy neurotransmitter is made, if it’s not doing the job the result is anxiety and depression (there is a reason it’s call a gut feeling). The gut is where a large part of detoxification takes place so it affects hormones and acne. It's also where you breakdown, absorb and assimilate your nutrients that fuel every cell in your body. Unfortunately digestive issues are widely common. As many as 15% of American’s have been diagnosed with IBS and acid reflux medications are the third most prescribed of all medications. Not to mention all of the other issues mentioned above (autoimmunity, acne, depression, etc.) that can be traced back to imbalances in the digestive tract....
Heal Your Gut Series: 8 Habits to Improve Digestive Health
Last week I talked about foods to improve digestion (if you missed it, read it here). This week I wanted to discuss habits that improve digestion. Its really easy to ignore all the functions of our digestive tract and to think that the only thing that will really affect it is the food we put into it. But this simply isn’t true. I have a ton of patients with a super healthy who still experience digestive issues. This is because it’s not just about the food. The mental and physical state that you’re in while you’re eating is incredibly important and that’s where these good habits can help you improve your digestion and overall health.