GUT STUFF?

Do you have “gut stuff”?

Things are never consistent - or consistently “bad”? Maybe you have chronic diarrhea, constipation or an oscillation between the two? Pain or discomfort in your abdomen that’s better after having a bowel movement? With structural or biochemical abnormalities ruled out, many people are diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome - a functional gastrointestinal (GI) condition.  

It’s super prevalent - especially in women who experience this 2:1 compared to men. There are a plethora of explanations for IBS and likely the cause is an overlapping combination of a few of them. Often, at least part of the issue is related to the interplay between our GI system and central nervous system (our brain and spinal cord!). For many people, a time of psychosocial stress precedes symptoms (or atleast exacerbates them). 

Other factors that might precede the onset of symptoms are those that disrupt the motility or sensory function of our guts - food poisoning or other infections, irritants you consume, changes in our gut microbes, immune activation, food intolerances etc. Genetics can also play a role. 

Changes in gut motility (how fast or slow food moves through our system), visceral sensitivity (how intensely we feel changes in pressure in our GI tract), inflammation (there tends to be increased pro-inflammatory markers and immune cells in people with IBS), and microbial changes may be involved. 

“Gut stuff” can have a major impact on your quality of life! Worrying about when you will have to go to the bathroom or feeling stressed about what foods will make it worse can be really bothersome. Usually, when we take a really deep look at your whole case, we can come up with a plan that will work for you to feel better. You might even notice changes in other areas of your health as well - as mentioned above, the gut can be connected with many different systems!

Book a consultation with one of our naturopathic doctors to start working on your gut stuff!