Gut Health is all the rage right now in the functional medicine and health coaching space. But what does optimal gut health mean, why is it important, and how can you identify impaired gut health?
Why do I want optimal gut health?
Your gut health has a far-reaching impact on your overall physical health, immunity, risk for chronic conditions, mental health, cardiovascular disease risk, and more. When the digestive system doesn’t operate well, we can lose the ability to absorb nutrients and increase our risk for inviting in parasites and other pathogens, upset our hormone balance, and dysregulate our metabolism. A dysregulated gut also has an impact on the nervous system, which can upset our ability to handle stress and maintain our mental health.
WHERE are our guts?
At Centered Wellness, when we talk about gut health, we are referring to the digestive system, which includes the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract), liver, pancreas, and gallbladder.
The GI tract is comprised of the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus. Along the way, there are valves that connect each of these organs, including the pyloric valve which connects the stomach and the small intestine, and the ileocecal valve which connects the small intestine to the large intestine.
The entire GI tract is lined with what’s called a mucosal barrier. The mucosal barrier is a selectively permeable barrier made of a layer of epithelial cells that protect the internal environment from the external environment. At Centered Wellness, we are primarily focused on the mucosal barrier in the small intestine. The small intestine is where the majority of nutrient breakdown and absorption occurs. This segment also houses a large percentage of the immune system and protects the body from antigens (toxins and foreign substances) and unfriendly microorganisms.
The large intestine, or colon, houses most of your gut microbiome. Your microbiome is 2-3 pounds of a vast and complex collection of microorganisms that help break down food, creates vitamins, and helps regulate the immune system. Your microbiome is unique and very specific to you!
The liver plays a significant role in the metabolization of nutrients including fat, protein, and carbohydrates. The liver is also responsible for bile production which is essential for fat breakdown and nutrient absorption.
The pancreas makes pancreatic juices called enzymes. These enzymes break down sugars, fats, and starches. With the liver, the pancreas helps maintain healthy blood glucose levels.
The gallbladder stores bile!
SO, what does impaired digestion look like?
Impaired digestion can have many different symptoms. Some of these symptoms may not even look like a digestive issue!
Impaired gut health symptoms look like:
Constipation
Food Intolerances
Bloating after eating
Sleep struggles
Fatigue combined with diarrhea and headaches
Unexplained sluggishness
Acid reflux
Depression or moodiness
Frequent illness
Back pain
While these symptoms can be caused a number of reasons, if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, we suggest taking a good look at your daily patterns for sleep quality, symptoms after eating, tolerance to stress, etc.
At Centered Wellness, we can help you with gut health! We use diagnostic lab tests to help assess your gut functionality by looking at biomarkers of the integrity of your mucosal barrier and of the composition of your microbiome. We have biomarkers to assess your liver function and nutrient metabolism. We also use a variety of hands-on techniques to assist in assessing the motility of your liver, stomach, intestines, valves, and more!
Contact us today to see how we can help you and your guts!
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