DIGESTIVE HEALTH AND DISORDERS
The Digestive System: One of the “Three Pillars of Health”
The digestive system is one of the “three pillars of health", along with the liver and adrenal system, which supports your overall wellness. If one of these systems is not working properly, it can affect your health and vitality. These systems also work in harmony to promote good immune function, hormonal balance, detoxification, and absorption of nutrients.
The digestive system is undeniably important in that what we eat and absorb will affect our health. Incomplete digestion and absorption can lead to chronic disease processes. With the proper testing and treatment, symptoms and digestive disorders can heal.
Gastrointestinal Tract
Fifty to seventy percent of the immune system is found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (small and large intestines). If there is a digestive disorder (bacteria,virus, yeast, parasites, maldigestion), the immune function in the GI tract can be hampered. This can start a chain reaction: 1. the digestive disorder creates an immune weakness making the GI tract susceptible to infections, 2. due to immune weakness the body forms antigens against foods, 3. allergies can increase and can cause an autoimmune inflammatory process to begin either in the digestive tract or in other organs and tissues in the body.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT DIGESTIVE HEALTH
QUESTIONS
(scroll down for answers)
1. How will you know what causes my digestive problem?
2. I don’t have digestive problems, but I burp occasionally. Is that a cause for concern?
3. I cannot tolerate certain foods. Can you help me with that?
4. Can you do anything about intermittent or chronic constipation / diarrhea?
5. Why does my stomach hurt when I take vitamins or eat certain foods?
6. My doctor gave me something to decrease my stomach acid. Will that help my acid reflux?
7. I’ve had hundreds of dollars worth of traditional medical tests and they haven’t found the problem. How are your tests different?
8. What is the treatment for digestive problems?
9. How long will it take to get better?
10. I have a lot of intestinal gas, but the tests my doctor did came out negative. What can I do now to find the cause of the problem?
11. Can Colitis or Inflammatory Bowel Disease be helped?
12. I’ve had surgery on my digestive tract. What will treatment do for me now?
ANSWERS
1. How will you know what causes my digestive problem?
Symptoms can give us clues as to what is causing the problem, but the most effective way to detect the underlying cause is with Specialized Lab Tests. These tests are far more sensitive than traditional medical tests and address normalization of biological pathways, not just treating symptoms. Some of the things that can be tested are: bacterial overgrowth, parasites, malabsorption, maldigestion, yeast and fungus overgrowth, gut immune function, auto-immune problems, and hydrochloric acid insufficiency. With the results of the tests, your treatment can be very specific and symptom improvement can usually be seen within days.
2. I don’t have digestive problems, but I burp occasionally. Is that a cause for concern?
Any digestive symptom that you have, including burping, reveals that there is some problem with digestion. It is not normal to have any digestive symptoms, including gas, burping, gurgling, and bloating. Symptoms of digestive problems may not be apparent or may be ignored yet, over time ill health may occur. With time, pathogens such as bacteria and parasites can indirectly be involved in the underlying cause of various chronic or systemic diseases. The sooner the problem is treated, the faster the healing can take place.
3. I cannot tolerate certain foods. Can that be improved?
Yes. There may be irritation of the stomach or digestive tract lining caused by some pathogen in the gut or allergy. This may cause maldigestion and/or malabsorption. By finding and treating the cause of the problem, the symptoms can improve. Many times food allergies are related to these symptoms.
4. Can intermittent or chronic constipation / diarrhea be helped?
Yes. These symptoms are a sign that there is some imbalance in the digestive tract. There may be pathogens (bacteria, parasites, yeast overgrowth), food allergies, malabsorpton, or other problems. With Expert Lab Interpretation of the tests, the imbalances can be corrected.
5. Why does my stomach hurt when I take vitamins or eat certain foods?
Usually this is caused by an irritation of the stomach lining due to bacterial overgrowth (such as H. Pylori). Food allergies may also cause irritation of the digestive tract. When you take vitamins, they may be difficult to digest, since they are very concentrated and may cause further irriation. Some people avoid taking vitamins or eating certain foods, but a better solution is to find and treat the underlying cause of the problem before it becomes more severe.
6. My doctor gave me something to decrease my stomach acid. Will that help my acid reflux and/or stomach ulcers?
When there is too much or not enough stomach acid, there may be a related problem with bacterial overgrowth of “H. Pylori” in the stomach. This is a bacterium that can cause irritation of the stomach lining and effect digestion, acid reflux, stomach ulcers and esophageal irritation. In research, H. Pylori also was found to be related to stomach cancer. By decreasing the acid, it will help the symptoms by relieving the irritation of the stomach lining. On the other hand, to correct the problem, Specialized Lab Testing, interpretation and treatment is necessary to find the underlying cause, rather than treating the symptom only.
(see Web Link at bottom of page for more information on H. Pylori and Peptic Ulcer)
7. I’ve had hundreds of dollars worth of traditional medical tests and they haven’t found the problem. How are your tests different?
Traditional testing may be useful, but their relationship to treatment is to decrease the symptoms, rather than resolving the underlying cause of the problem. Abnormal lab values on a traditional medical test may be a clue that there is deeper problem that needs to be tested with a Specialized Lab Test. On the other hand, a traditional lab test may appear normal when there is a hidden problem.
Specialized Lab Testing is different in that its emphasis is not on naming and treating diseases, but rather on finding the underlying cause of the problem and supporting the organs and glands with natural supplements, and medication when necessary.
8. What is the natural treatment for digestive problems?
Treatment of the digestive tract is very specific for an individual’s needs depending on the underlying cause of the problem, sensitivity of the digestive tract, and food allergies. Natural supplements (herbs, homeopathics, nutrition) along with diet changes are used for treatment with a structured program for healing. This is the most important part of the process so that the problem can be treated effectively without reocurrences. For certain conditions, a referral for medication may be recommended.
9. How long will it take to get better?
Digestive problems heal over time with an individualized treatment program. A minimum of 3 months is necessary to heal the lining of the intestines and more severe problems may take many months to heal. The treatment is done in phases: 1. removal of the pathogen, 2. introduction of good bacteria in the digestive system, and 3. repair of the damaged digestive lining and tissue. With the added support of a healthy diet and lifestyle, the digestive system can normalize so the problem won’t return
10. I have a lot of intestinal gas, but the tests my doctor did found nothing wrong. What can I do now to find the cause of the problem?
Your doctor may have done stool tests to detect parasites and/or for bacteria in the intestines. Stool tests may fail to detect parasites if the gut lining is very inflamed and irritated. You may not know your intestines are inflamed since you may not have a lot of symptoms. A Specialized Lab Test using the blood can detect the parasites and with the proper interpretation, treatment program will help remove the pathogens and heal the intestines.
11. Can Colitis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease be helped?
Yes. These are caused by inflammation of the colon. The cause may be from a weakness in the immune function of the digestive tract, pathogens (bacteria, virus, parasites, food allergies, and/or yeast overgrowth), and genetic predisposition with food allergies and immune weakness. An anti-inflammatory or antibiotic can help the symptoms, but best results are found with the Specialized Lab Testing and natural treatment for your individual needs.
12. I’ve had part of my intestines surgically removed. What will treatment do for me now?
It’s never too late to test the digestive tract for underlying problems. Even after surgery, the underlying cause of a problem may not have been eliminated. In order to keep your digestion healthy and to prevent the problem from reoccurring, Specialized Lab Testing would be recommended to rule out pathogens or food allergies. For example, if you had your appendix removed, there may be bacterial overgrowth in your intestines or inflammation of the gut lining which was the underlying cause of the appendicitis. The bacterial overgrowth may still exist, even though your appendix was removed. The Specialized Lab Tests can detect the problem and treatment can help prevent reoccurrences.
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