Understanding your "Gut" Feeling
Do you ever get that GUT feeling that something is just not right with your body? One of the first places your doctor should look is inside your gut.
What is the gut?
The mouth is the first part of the gut (gastrointestinal tract). When we eat, food passes down the esophagus, into the stomach, and then into the small intestine. The small intestine is where food is digested and absorbed into the bloodstream. The next stop is the large intestine and then into the ascending, transverse and descending colon. Then feces eventually makes it’s way into the rectum and out of the anus. Water is absorbed in the large intestine and undigested food is stored there as well.
What is going on inside the gut?
There is a little community of microorganisms living inside the gut called the gut microbiome. Trillions of bacteria live in the human gut, they account for ten times more cells than in the human body, and they play vital roles in our metabolism and health. The bacteria perform a variety of duties, including inhibiting growth of harmful microorganisms, breaking down and fermenting dietary fiber and helping to make vitamins B and K. The bacteria feed on dietary fiber, which results in a release of beneficial, short chain fatty acids that are anti-inflammatory and are a very important source of energy for our bodies. The gut microbiome also plays a very important role in the immune system, performing a barrier effect. The key to ensuring proper digestive function is a healthy and balanced gut microbiota.
What can go wrong inside the gut?
Parasites can live and feed off other organisms inside your gut. They are mostly tiny worms, that feed off of your nutrition, including tape worms, hook worms, round worms, pin worms, whip worms and more. Parasites can cause a wide variety of problems including extreme weight loss, anemia (feeding on your red blood cells), itching, irritability and even insomnia. There are a number of ways to get a parasite; contaminated water, unclean or contaminated fruits and veggies, undercooked meat, and sometimes even through the bottom of your feet.
Some other signs you may have a parasite include:
- Unexplained diarrhea, gas/bloating, or constipation
- Having trouble falling or staying asleep
- Skin irritations such as hives, rosacea, eczema, rash
- Pain or aching in your muscles or joints
- Unexplained fatigue or depression
- Diagnosis of iron-deficiency anemia
Yeast overgrowth (candida)
Candida is a fungus (yeast) that should only be found in small amounts in the gut. When it is overproduced it can breakdown the wall of your gut and get into the bloodstream causing many health problems. A diet high in carbs and sugar, too much alcohol, birth control pills, and stress are just a few ways to get candida.
Signs and symptoms of candida include:
- Chronic fatigue and/or fibromyalgia
- Bloating, diarrhea and constipation
- Brain fog, lack of focus or poor memory
- Mood swings, anxiety, depression
- Autoimmune disease like Hoshimoto’s Thyroiditis, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, and Rheumatoid Arthritis to name a few
- Seasonal allergies or itchy ears
- Strong craving for sugar or carbohydrates
What can I do to make sure my gut is healthy?
Parasites and Candida are only two of the many things that can be causing poor gut health. A doctor that is trained in Functional Medicine can do testing to find out what is going on inside your gut.
To keep a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut it is important to eat fiber-rich plant foods and plenty of good fats. Avoiding bad fats, refined sugar, processed/junk foods, and excess alcohol are key. Good forms of dietary fiber include: All veggies but especially broccoli, brussels sprouts, artichokes, peas, fruits and beans.
In addition to a diet strong in fiber, you can help support a healthy gut environment by using supplemental probiotics. These microorganisms may help with digestion and offer protection from harmful bacteria, just as the existing "good" bacteria in your body already do.
If you are suffering with any health related issues, I am currently accepting new patients. To start the testing process and discover what is driving your health issues and to get on the road to recovery call our office at +1 (866) 498-1958 to schedule your initial consultation. If it is after our normal hours of operation you can click here to leave us a message. Please only leave a message if you would like a call back to schedule a consultation.
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WIN BACK YOUR LIFE FROM TYPE II DIABETES
To treat their condition, type II diabetes patients typically follow an expensive, time-consuming regimen of drugs and insulin injections. But these treatments do not cure diabetes. Patients can spend the rest of their lives fighting both the disease and the side effects of medication. They’re trapped in a vicious cycle that perpetuates their health problems.
We take a different approach to Type II Diabetes care. We know just how urgent it is to treat the comorbid conditions – such as heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease and poor circulation – but it is also critical to fight the disease at its core.
Did you know?
High levels of insulin can be dangerous for many Type II Diabetes patients. Because Type II Diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance, not lack of insulin, further injections can overload the system and cause lasting damage, including:
- Rapid weight gain
- Increased insulin resistance
- High blood pressure
- Cardiovascular disease
- Increased cancer risk
- Kidney problems
- Poor circulation
We offer a safe, natural alternative to traditional Type II Diabetes treatments. With an innovative approach based on recent scientific advances, we can help you begin to reverse the effects of your diabetic condition. We use an integrated testing array that examines the body in great detail, yielding a sophisticated understanding of your complex physiology, including the key factors causing your diabetes. With the detailed findings from these tests, we will create a safe, personalized and effective treatment plan to help you regain your health and quality of life.
ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM TYPE II DIABETES OR HYPOTHYROIDISM?
Discover alternative, natural treatments for Type II Diabetes and Hypothyroidism. You may be able to overcome your condition and start living the happy, healthy life of your dreams! What if you could reverse Type II diabetes naturally? What if the medical establishment had it all wrong? Expensive and side-effect-laden prescription drugs and insulin injections are not the best treatments for treating Type II Diabetes long term.
In fact many if not all of the diabetic medications carry the risk of serious side effects…some causing weight gain and ultimately perpetuating the disease long term. In the end a drug for every disease or symptom is only masking the problem and not treating root causes. In addition, having high levels of insulin floating around in your body can be very dangerous to your health! You see more than likely it’s not that your body is lacking the hormone insulin. The problem for the majority of Type II Diabetics is that insulin resistance has set in … this basically means that your body has lost the ability to utilize insulin appropriately.
What sense then does it make to continue to bombard your body with something it no longer recognizes and can no longer process? Especially when that substance (insulin) may be harmful to your health and more than likely will cause your disease to progress. Did you know that insulin at high levels can shorten your life expectancy, can cause you to gain weight at an alarming rate, can cause more insulin resistance therefore perpetuating your diabetes, can cause your blood pressure to increase, can cause cardio-vascular disease and can increase your risk of developing cancer? Well, it can do all of the above. Diabetes is a nasty disease that ruins the lives of millions of people. You can lose a leg … you can lose an arm … you can lose your “zeal” for life … and in serious cases you can even lose your life.
But help is available. My unique, natural approach to treating diabetes is totally different – AND MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE – than what most doctors who are trying to reverse diabetes naturally are currently doing. You see, where most physicians test for blood sugar levels and A1C levels and not much else, I’ve designed an integrative testing approach that goes into much more depth. I then use my detailed findings to individually tailor and customize a treatment plan for each patient based on his or her own underlying causative factors.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.
Does your Type II Diabetes stress you out? Do you worry about blood sugar levels morning, noon and night? Are you tied down by insulin injections? Do you take a pile of pills for blood pressure, cholesterol and other health issues?
Is this constant barrage of treatments working for you?
If it isn’t working for you – if you feel tired and frustrated from simply managing the disease without ever getting better – you are not alone. Millions of diabetes sufferers face the same uphill battle.
But there is good news. You may be an ideal candidate for a new and natural therapy that can help you reverse your Type II Diabetes. That means potentially no more expensive drugs with costly side effects. No more insulin injections. We focus on what is causing your condition and restore the body’s normal functions.
Imagine a new life!
- Imagine how life would be if you no longer had to worry about your blood sugar…
- Imagine how life would be if you no longer needed the drugs…
- Imagine how life would be if you no longer had to inject yourself with insulin…
- Imagine if you had the energy to exercise and lose the diabetic weight…
- Imagine what life would be like without having to get up constantly throughout the night to use the restroom…
- Imagine what life would be like without living in constant fear of the devastating effects of this disease…
- Imagine that once and for all you finally understood why you had diabetes instead of just being told it was genetic and the best you can do is to choke down the drugs and inject yourself with insulin…
If you are suffering with any health related issues, I am currently accepting new patients. To start the testing process and discover what is driving your health issues and to get on the road to recovery call our office at +1 (866) 498-1958 to schedule your initial consultation. If it is after our normal hours of operation you can click here to leave us a message. Please only leave a message if you would like a call back to schedule a consultation.
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Weight Loss
Do you ever wonder why you have so much trouble losing weight? Have you ever done a diet or “a cleanse” with a friend and they lose weight so easily but you barely lose a pound? This is one of the biggest complaints I get from my patients when we first meet.
Weight Loss
I meet so many people that have tried every diet out there with little to no results. If they have had great results, it usually ends with them gaining the weight back plus a few extra pounds.
The problem with diets
There are so many different types of diets out there. The problem is that most of them are not designed with HEALTHY weight loss in mind. You find yourself eating packaged food that contains harmful chemicals or a 100 calorie snack packs that are full of sugar! One of the worst things I hear people say is “a calorie is a calorie”. One hundred calories of highly processed cookies or even pretzels is not even close in nutritional value to 100 calories of almonds. These highly processed foods send your body into a terrible cascade of events that leaves you feeling tired, moody and STARVING!
3 Reasons diets don’t work..
Don’t you notice that when you diet all you think about is food?? When you put yourself on these strict diets it makes your brain notice food more and makes food look more appetizing and harder to resist.
When you restrict calories it causes hormonal shifts that increase hunger hormones and decrease satiety hormones. This leaves you feeling less full on the same amount of food.
The reason why you can gain more weight after each diet is because restricting your calories slows down your metabolism, which makes you more efficient at storing fat and less efficient at burning it.
Could there be something deeper going on that is keeping you from losing weight?
Of course the type of food you eat plays a major role in what we look like inside and out, however, there is more to it than that. Here are just a few of the other things that could be going on in your body that is causing the excess weight:
- Gut infections like parasites, bacterial overgrowth and candida
- Low thyroid function
- Blood sugar imbalances
- Food intolerances
- Adrenal gland dysfunction
- Sleep deprivation
In the functional medicine approach to weight loss we look to find the deeper problem and address the underlying cause of your weight gain and health issues. Excess weight is usually a warning sign from you body that something deeper is going on.
How thin should I be?:
Each person has a healthy weight range for his or her body that is different from everyone else. It is important to understand that not everyone is meant to be super skinny. One of the worst things people do is compare themselves to other people. When you focus on health as your number one priority, a healthy weight will follow.
So what should I eat?
Food can vary for each person based on food sensitivities. With that being said:
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- Focus on real food that is not man made
- Try not to eat anything that comes in a box or a bag
- Eat Lean grass fed meat
- Eat fruit that is low on the glycemic index like berries
- Eat Vegetables that are low in starch (there are certain conditions that require elimination of other types of veggies)
- Eat raw nuts and seeds
- Eat healthy oils such as coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil
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Putting it all together
The key to being successful in getting healthy and losing weight is to find out if there are any underlying issues that can be inhibiting your weight loss in addition to eating the right foods for your body. Functional medicine doctors can do thorough and specialized testing to help you figure out what is going on with your body and customize a treatment plan to get you on the right path to a healthy future.
If you are suffering with any health related issues, I am currently accepting new patients. To start the testing process and discover what is driving your health issues and to get on the road to recovery call our office at +1 (866) 498-1958 to schedule your initial consultation. If it is after our normal hours of operation you can click here to leave us a message. Please only leave a message if you would like a call back to schedule a consultation.
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