Naperville Integrated Wellness
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Health Problem? Why you start with the gut…
If you want to restore your health…start with your gut. Health starts in the gut. You have probably heard that that if you want to improve your health, then fixing your digestive system is the place to start. This is generally good advice, but why? What if you don’t have digestion gut problems? What if you have migraines, insomnia, depression, brain fog or you just can’t lose weight? Do these have to do with your gut? Do you still begin with the gut?
“But I don’t have any digestion problems”
There are many symptoms of gastrointestinal problems that many people think are ‘normal.’ In other words, you may not even know you have GI issues. For example, many people think it is normal to experience frequent belching or gas. Other people have constant bloating and distension that to them is a normal experience. Still others experience a bowel movement every 3-4 days and to them, this is normal. You may be familiar with Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease or GERD. But did you know that you can have this condition and not even know that you have it? This is called silent reflux, and this may present with chronic cough or excessive throat clearing, hoarseness or a sensation of a lump in throat, to name a few symptoms. You likely would not think of these symptoms as a digestive system problem. Another example would be a person who experiences abdominal pain and may or may not realize it is associated with a GI problem. Gallbladder, stomach, pancreas, and small intestine pain may be experienced locally, or it may be perceived in the mid-back and scapular regions. In the latter case, this is a case of referred pain. And this pain is related to a gastrointestinal issue. But what if you still don’t think you have a digestive system problem? Consider a previous blog when I explained the Functional Medicine Pyramid. This is an educational tool I developed for my patients. This visual model explains which body systems you should begin to work with when restoring health. The pyramid moves you through the key systems of the body in what I call a “physio-logical” fashion. I also explained that we have 3 major regulating systems of the body. These regulating systems monitor, adjust, and correct our bodily function. These 3 systems are: Since the endocrine/hormone system is a messenger system that carries out the directives of the nervous system, I could really narrow this list down to 2 groups…the nervous system and the immune system. This is because your endocrine system is ultimately regulated by the nervous system. I include the immune system, because if it is not functioning properly, it can destroy or significantly reduce the function of the endocrine system and will also impact the nervous system. The question we want to answer is: how do we support the health and function of these 3 key systems? Let’s look at this in terms of access points or areas of influence. The most significant access point to the body (and the other 2 systems listed above) is the digestive system, or your gut. Let’s take each of these 3 “function regulating” systems and see how they are related to your digestive system health. You may have heard of the “gut-brain” connection. This means if we have problems in the gut, we will have some degree of dysfunction in the brain and vice versa. We target the health of the gut because we can change its health more directly and specifically than that of the brain. You have a direct connection from your gut to your brain via the vagus nerve. Your gut also has its own nervous system; called the enteric nervous system. Maybe you have heard of “leaky gut?” This refers to a selective barrier found in your small intestine that when working properly only lets health promoting things pass from the gut into your blood stream. “A major task of the intestine is to form a defensive barrier to prevent absorption of damaging substances from the external environment. This protective function of the intestinal mucosa is called permeability.” (2) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11894-999-0023-5 Research indicates that if the gut barrier is “leaky” then there is a higher likelihood that your brain barrier (blood brain barrier or BBB) is also “leaky.” If this happens, then harmful chemicals and toxins in your blood can enter your brain and cause dysfunction. “The BBB consists of several barriers in parallel, with the two that are best described being the vascular BBB, consisting primarily of the capillary bed, and the blood-cerebrospinal fluid (blood-CSF) barrier… at both sites, the BBB is formed by a monolayer of cells that are cemented together by tight junctions…” (1) https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc2697631 This single layer of cells (“monolayer of cells”) is very much like the same barrier in the gut. So leaky gut and leaky BBB often occur together. By healing the gut we can have a significant impact on the health of the nervous system, one of the key regulating system of your body. This is a key reason why we start by working with the gut. Let’s consider the immune system of the gut. Most of the entire immune system is found in your digestive system. So, it makes sense that if we want to improve the way our immune system is functioning, we need to address the gut. “The importance of immune modulation at the gastrointestinal level can be understood easily, considering that approximately 70% of the entire immune system is found in this site” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515351/# The biggest challenges for your immune system in the gut are food and microorganisms. Food allergies and food sensitivities can place a tremendous burden on your immune system. Another major strain on the immune system can be an imbalance of good and harmful bacteria, yeast overgrowth/candida, viruses and parasites. “The gastrointestinal system plays a central role in immune system homeostasis. It is the main route of contact with the external environment and is overloaded every day with external stimuli, sometimes dangerous as pathogens (bacteria, protozoa, fungi, viruses) or toxic substances. The crucial position of the gastrointestinal system is testified by the huge amount of immune cells that reside within it.” (3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515351/ As a functional medicine doctor, I make it a common practice to test for food allergies, sensitivities and the presence of microorganism imbalances and infections. If you have an autoimmune disease, it is essential that your gut be in good working order and that the immune system located there is not under the stress of harmful foods or microorganisms. Inflammation problems, weight gain, fatigue and a host of other health issues can be resolved by starting with the gut. If you have hormone problems, then you need to start with the gut again. Inflammation originating in the gut can interfere with hormone production and function. Immune system problems destroy endocrine glands; diabetes Type1, Hashimoto’s disease, Graves’ and Addison’s disease (adrenal gland destruction) are just a few examples. Many people (including many doctors) believe that the pituitary gland; referred to as the “master gland” regulates our hormone production. This is only partially true; it receives a great deal of regulation and “orders” from the hypothalamus. This is part of your brain, so we are right back to the nervous system again. If you have gut dysfunction, then your nervous system will be affected, your immune system will be affected and your hormones will be affected. I don’t often talk about men’s hormones…i.e. testosterone; but most common cause of “low T” or low testosterone is inflammation. This inflammation originates from the immune system. “Inflammation doesn’t only cause a lack of testosterone; it will also turn on an enzyme called aromatase, which turns testosterone into estrogen. Therefore, men with inflammation who are on testosterone therapy may see an increase in estrogen levels.” Why do you start with your gut? It is your access point to all the other regulatory systems of your body; they are what determine if your body is going to function well or not, if you will live with health or disease. In my office we place a great deal of importance on gut health and it is why I have placed it the bottom (the starting point) of my functional medicine pyramid. How do you know if you have a gut problem, especially if you don’t have any digestion problems? You need to run specific laboratory tests to accurately assess what problems might be present and then develop and treatment plan correct them. This is the essence of functional medicine. Discover the dysfunction and then correct it. This is what I do. This is how you begin the process of restoring your health and experiencing and excellent quality of life. Start with your gut. Then work up the functional medicine pyramid…from disease and dysfunction to health and well being. The purpose of functional medicine is: Understanding how the body works, knowing how and where to investigate health issues, knowing what to look for, understanding the significance of what is found and creating a plan of action to reverse and correct the root cause the health problems. My wish for you…health, happiness and a better quality of life! If you would like more information about functional medicine and integrative medicine or Dr. Sexton go to napervilleintegratedwellness.com Do your own research, inform yourself and ask lots of questions. When collecting information, you MUST consider the source. There is no shortage of false, misleading, outdated, profit-driven and utterly biased information in healthcare today; even from the most respected sources and organizations. This approach to healthcare is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent any disease. This article is for information purposes and is not a substitute professional healthcare services. Contact our office for more information. Bibliography Banks, W. A. (2009). Characteristics of compounds that cross the blood-brain barrier. BMC Neurology, 9(1), 1-5. Retrieved 7 17, 2020, from https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc2697631 Hollander, D. (1999). Intestinal permeability, leaky gut, and intestinal disorders. Current Gastroenterology Reports, 1(5), 410-416. Retrieved 7 17, 2020, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11894-999-0023-5 Vighi, G., Marcucci, F., Sensi, L., Cara, G. D., & Frati, F. (2008). Allergy and the gastrointestinal system. Clinical and Experimental Immunology, 153, 3-6. Retrieved 7 17, 2020, from https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc2515351
GUT — NERVOUS SYSTEM
GUT — IMMUNE SYSTEM
GUT — HORMONES/ENCOCRINE SYSTEM
Summary