Digestive Health

The major causes of gastrointestinal problems are:

  • Use of antibiotics at anytime in your life.
  • Lack of digestive enzymes including stomach acid and pancreatic enzymes.
  • Medications, especially NSAID's such as Motrin, Ibuprofen, Aleve, etc.
  • Poor food choices, highly processed foods, low fiber diet.
  • Abnormal bacteria, parasites or yeast (fungus) in your gastrointestinal system.
  • Chronic stress.
  • Excessive alcohol consumption.
  • Oral steroids such as prednisone.
  • Food allergies including dairy allergy, gluten intolerance/Celiac's Disease, and more.

The above causes weaken your intestinal lining, lower your immune system and result in Intestinal Permeability (also known as "Leaky Gut Syndrome.")

Functions of Intestinal Mucous Layer (Mucosal Layer):

The mucous layer is a very thin one cell thick wet area that lines the intestinal walls, lungs, eyes, nasal cavities and vaginal wall. It serves the following functions:

1.Protects and covers mast cells that contain histamine

2.Activates enzymes

3.Secretes antibodies made from the intestinal wall to support your immune defenses

4.Prevents yeast and parasites from adhering to the intestinal wall

Causes of "Leaky Gut Syndrome"

The mucous layer becomes damaged due to the above causes and triggers mast cells lining the intestinal wall to release histamine and other inflammatory cells leading to inflammation. This causes the inflamed intestinal wall to become "leaky" or permeable and large molecules that normally would require further digestion are absorbed through the intestinal wall into the blood stream. This leads to your body's immune system attacking these large molecules and causing allergic reactions to food. Depending on your genetic make-up, this can increase the risk of developing asthma, hypothyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, psoriasis, and other immune disorders and cortisol/adrenal issues due to the massive inflammation of the intestinal wall.

I. Use of antibiotics
Healthy adults have over 300 trillion bacteria in their intestinal tract. That is 10 times more bacteria than you have cells in your body! Antibiotics destroy the normal types and numbers of intestinal bacteria. Designed to kill infections caused by bacteria, they do a great job with infections like sore throats, ear infections, bronchitis or urinary tract infections, but also unfortunately destroy a large percentange of the optimal bacteria living in your gastrointestinal system. It doesn't matter if you have taken just two or as many as two hundred courses of antibiotics in your life, whether you took them before you were 5 years old or throughout your lifetime. Each time you take antibiotics, you destroy part of the precious bacterial balance that is vital for gastrointestinal health.

This helps the bad bacteria overgrow their normal levels and makes it easier for you to pick up abnormal bacteria from the environment. The good news is that we can re-establish proper bacterial balance and restore chemistry in every person with IBS using a simple process.

II. Lack of digestive enzymes
If you have gas, bloating, indigestion, heartburn, reflux, GERD, pain or cramps, 90% of the time itis due to foods you are unable to tolerate, coupled with a lack of digestive enzymes. These deficiencies include hydrochloric acid (stomach acid) and pancreatic enzymes such as amylase, protease and lipase. The inability to properly digest the foods you eat also contributes to vitamin and nutrient deficiencies.

III. Prescription and self-medication, especially NSAIDS
NSAIDs or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naprosyn (Advil, Motrin, and Aleve) reduce the protective anti-inflammatory hormones in your GI tract that protect your gut from inflammation. Chronic use of NSAIDs is associated with gastric ulcers and kidney failure. I have seen both maladies in the hospital numerous times from such "harmless" medications. Oral steroids such as prednisone have the same effect on the GI lining.

IV. Poor food choices
Almost everyone who suffers from any digestive illness or any other chronic illness will develop either food sensitivities or food allergies. Couple this with consuming highly processed foods low in nutritional content and a low fiber diet and you have the basis for creating fatigue, hormonal imbalances, and mood disorders, all as a result of this mal-digestion.

V. Abnormal bacteria, parasites or yeast
We are unable to know for sure if there are abnormal levels of bacteria, parasites or yeast in your gastrointestinal system without sending stool samples to specialized labs such as Bio-Health, Doctor's Data, or Metametrix. Your doctor may have already had you submit a stool sample and told you that you have no problems. However, I have found that many of my patients that were found to be negative at the local lab, in fact do have abnormal bacteria, yeasts, or parasites, when the samples are analyzed properly by a lab that specializes in this area. Most hospital labs use outdated technology and even worse, their technicians have little or no training in stool analysis. I send over 200 stool samples from my patients to quality labs each year to test for parasites and I have found that over 75% of all of those patients had one or more of the following:

  • Low levels of "good" bacteria
  • High levels of "bad" bacteria
  • Yeast overgrowth
  • Microscopic parasites such as amoebas, protozoans, etc.
  • Large parasites such as hookworms, tapeworms, etc.

When the beneficial bacterial fall below normal levels, the bad bacteria start to overgrow and that's when the problems begin. You may also have been exposed to bacteria from having lived on a farm and your exposure to animals and manure. Anyone who has traveled in third world countries has been exposed and should be tested immediately. You can also come into contact with bacteria and parasites simply by eating common fruits and vegetables.

VI. Chronic stress
The hormonal changes from chronic stress act on your intestinal wall to create:

  • Decreased functioning of the immune system.
  • Increased permeability of the intestinal wall.
  • Increased inflammation in the body.

VII. Food allergies
The consumption of foods that you are allergic or sensitive may lead to increased intestinal permeability, a weakened immune system, inflammation, weight gain, increased blood pressure, and fatigue. The most common allergies are to:

  • Gluten.
  • Dairy.
  • Eggs.
  • Peanuts.
  • Soy.

Our Treatment Model for GI Illnesses

Our five step treatment model for GI illnesses has repeatedly proven highly effective for solving GI problems with our patients:

1. Identify and remove all potentially dangerous bacteria, yeasts, or parasites. This requires:

a. Laboratory Stool Analysis from a Specialty lab such as Bio Health or Metametrix. A normal stool analysis from the local lab does not rule out the possibility of infection.
b. Prescription or herbal treatment based on lab results. A general parasitic cleanse will not suffice here as each type of infection often requires a very specific type of treatment.

2. Balance the natural flora of the GI tract by re-inoculating it with probiotics. It is important to use the highest quality probiotic available as there are many on the market with almost no viable bacteria in them.

3. Replace the following:

a. Stomach Acid
b.Pancreatic Enzymes

4. Identify and remove from your diet all potential food allergies or food sensitivities. We use Alcat testing for food sensitivities.

5. Heal the intestinal lining with:

a. Anti-inflammatory herbs and/or prescriptions
b. Nutrients to support the immune system and induce cellular repair in the GI tract.
c. Fiber