DIGESTIVE HEALTH
YOU’VE BEEN FEELING SOME DISCOMFORT WITH YOUR DIGESTION
and you’re ready to figure out why you can’t eat certain foods without looking five months pregnant or immediately rushing to the bathroom after a meal.
We’ve been here. Digestion issues are more common than you think, and there are a variety of simple, but effective, ways we can begin healing your gut and getting you back to being bloat free and confident in your body!
Let’s start to identify some of your symptoms so we can begin to heal your digestion and bring comfort back to your gut!
DO ANY OF THESE GUT SYMPTOMS FEEL FAMILIAR?
*Allergies and Sensitivities can be a results of imbalances in these 4 problem areas.
01
INTAKE & MECHANICAL DIGESTION
Believe it or not digestion actually starts in your brain! Try this out. When you close your eyes and think about your favourite food, do you start to salivate?
Pretty wild, right?
When we merely think about food or smell food, our senses trigger the production of enzymes to prepare us for digestion. But think of your life for a moment here…
How often do you actually sit down and truly enjoy a meal?
How often do you take the time to smell your food before diving in?
How intentional are you with the way you begin each meal?
Distracted eating is a big proponent for causing digestive issues, as without paying attention to our food, we can’t produce the required enzymes to properly break it down. If we can’t break our food down, we certainly can’t digest it!
The other contributing factor here is Mechanical Digestion. Sounds kind of fancy, but it’s another term for chewing. Chewing physically breaks down our food to put less of a burden on our enzymes – if we simply swallow without chewing we may see that piece of food come out the other side without absorbing any of the nutritional benefits and putting added stress on our digestive systems.
In a world where it has become normal to eat a meal and send an email at the same time, or be chauffeuring our kids around while we inhale a power bar one handed…it’s no surprise that many of us experience digestive issues.
02
LOW STOMACH ACID & INFECTIONS
Let’s get into the nitty gritties of your stomach for a moment, shall we?
Stomach acid is the first barrier of defense that your body uses to kill off incoming pathogens. This is critical information, because when your stomach acid is low, it allows undesirable microbes to enter your digestive tract.
Why does this matter? Because undesirable microbes can cause infections in your digestive tract that lead to longterm digestive issues and fly under the radar.
But don’t worry! Here at Aumakua, we know exactly where to look for the digestive culprits. Learn more about GI-MAP testing here.
Low stomach acid can also result in heartburn (ouch!), or acid reflux (no thanks!) which happens because the sphincter at the top of your stomach requires a certain amount of stomach acid to close. If your stomach can’t properly close, then it remains open and acid can splash up through this open gate and result in reflux or heartburn.
03
Intestinal Dysbiosis, Imbalance in your Gut Flora, or IBS (SIBO)
Let’s do some exploring of your digestive system, to see where your discomfort might be originating from! Once we know the root cause, we can start properly healing your digestion! This is going to give us clues. Learn more about GI-MAP testing here.
Are you ready?
This can come from a variety of sources: dysbiosis (imbalance in your good and bad gut bugs), improper breakdown and absorption of carbohydrates, fungal infections (think yeast), parasites, inability to make enough enzymes to break down your food, or issues with histamine.
Are you experiencing any of these symptoms?
Bloating
Gas
Diarrhea or loose stools
Constipation
Burping
Food sensitivities
Skin reactions: rashes, hives, eczema, rosacea
Acid reflux or heartburn
Here are some potential causes: food poisoning, traveler’s diarrhea, low stomach acid or history of PPI (acid blocker use), substantial antibiotic use, hypothyroid or hashimoto’s, extensive stress, extensive stress.
04
LARGE INTESTINE ISSUES
You know those ‘good’ probiotics you’re always hearing about? This is where they live – in the large intestine! Probiotics and probiotic foods are targeted toward supporting our beneficial bacteria which can have an impact on every system in the body!
We always need the right balance between good bacteria and bad bacteria in our gut to make sure that our digestive system runs smoothly. You know the saying ‘too much of a good thing’? That applies to beneficial bacteria too! Not enough is also a problem that requires attention.
So before you rush out and start taking probiotics to solve your digestive problems…let’s start by recognizing what the real cause might be. Learn more about GI-MAP testing here.
05
FOOD ALLERGIES & SENSITIVITES
We offer food sensitivity testing to our new and existing patients when necessary. All new patients to the clinic need to book an initial visit before we can administer any sensitivity testing.
There is a distinction between food allergies and food sensitivities. Allergies are immediate anaphylactic reactions mediated by a branch of the immune system called IgE. Food allergies must be diagnosed by a scratch test performed by an allergist. Whereas, food sensitivities are a delayed reaction that can take up to 3 days to appear and produce a wide range of symptoms.
Are you experiencing any of these symptoms?
Digestive upset
Skin rashes
Headaches
Fatigue
It is important for patients to realize that sensitivities are a symptom and it is essential to understand and treat all potential causes of sensitivities so that there can be some resolution. There may be other layers of digestion that need to be addressed before food sensitivity testing. The test results are simply one piece of the puzzle in understanding your whole health picture.
**All preparation, testing, shipping instructions will all be provided in either written or video format once the right test has been identified for you**
