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Digestive Problems

The Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract houses the majority of our immune cells. It is also a major organ system involved with neutralizing hormones and eliminating the toxins we encounter on a daily basis. Therefore, it is important to appreciate the tremendous impact digestive imbalances can have on the entire body. It’s no wonder that people with digestive disorders tend to have multiple health problems.

Have you been suffering with any of the following?

  • Gas/Bloating
  • Indigestion/Nausea
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea
  • Rectal Itching
  • Food sensitivities

Less Obvious Conditions that can be associated:

  • Fibromyalgia
  • Autoimmune Disease
  • Arthritis/Joint and Muscle Pain and Stiffness
  • Migraines
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Hormonal Imbalances (PMS and (Peri)Menopausal symptoms)
  • Anemia

Have you undergone extensive testing, and given a diagnosis such as:

  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  • Reflux
  • Sensitive stomach
  • Chronic constipation
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Crohn’s or Colitis
  • Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance
  • Osteoporosis-give links to each of these in relation to GI
  • Diabetes
  • Arthritis
  • Autoimmune Disease
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Migraines

What good is a diagnosis if you don’t feel much better and don’t know how to manage it effectively?

Our focus is on creating a unique program designed to fit your individual needs, instead of a one-size-fits-all tear-off sheet loaded with foods you can’t eat. Simply receiving a diagnosis like IBS or reflux doesn’t account for your underlying contributing factors. Therefore, we evaluate for many commonly overlooked causes of GI distress, and our comprehensive testing can enable us to identify and focus on treating the underlying sources of your problem instead of simply suppressing these warning symptoms with laxatives, stool softeners, or antacids. We’ve found that most patients have tried these short-term fixes with minimal success, while our whole body approach leads to a more permanent resolution of symptoms as well as the prevention of further health complications.

Do you still have questions such as:

  • How can I learn which foods I should eat and which I need to avoid?
  • Am I having problems digesting food and absorbing my nutrients?
  • Do I need probiotics (ie good bacteria such as acidophilus) and if so, how much and what types would be best for me?
  • Do I have imbalanced bacteria or yeast overgrowth and if so, what are my best treatment options?

Related Testing that can help us to work together to answer these questions:

Blood panels from labs such as Quest, Bioreference or Labcorp:

  • These assess for specific vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well as hormonal or even genetic imbalances that can be contributing factors. These are not normally included in your yearly physical, yet are often covered by insurance.
  • Studies show that more than half of Americans do not consume enough magnesium, and low magnesium is commonly related to constipation…it’s a simple blood test. Zinc is critical for healing the tissue lining the GI system and is also necessary for producing stomach acid, again, a simple blood analysis that is covered by most insurance.

Have you had a series of tests only to be told there is nothing wrong, or have you received a diagnosis and medication, yet still are suffering with chronic symptoms?

Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis:

This advanced analysis provides an invaluable tool for navigating your path to GI restoration. It evaluates the following:

  • Capacity to digest and absorb food and other nutrients
  • Immune markers relating to inflammation which can occur in response to allergy and infection.
  • Levels of healthy vs. unhealthy bacterial and fungal organisms as well as advanced analysis involving sensitivity testing to see which agents would be most beneficial for managing these imbalances. These infectious agents may create a chronic smoldering inflammatory response that can lead to multiple GI symptoms and an imbalanced immune system (autoimmune disorders, weak immune function-getting sick more often).
  • Levels of Short Chain Fatty Acids which help to ward off undesirable pathogens and are also proven to help in the prevention of colon cancer.

Wearing blinders and treating just one aspect of this evaluation will not help restore optimal GI function. For example, we see many patients with yeast overgrowth who have been treated with antifungals only to find that the yeast has returned multiple times. With our advanced analyses we can identify the possible contributing factors such as deficiencies of the beneficial bacteria or short chain fatty acids, or poor absorption of the nutrients needed to support immune function. This is a truly science-based comprehensive approach.