Gut Health
By Naturopath Kim Minos.
In natural medicine the gut is the area where most effect can be had on the health of the body.
Through the gut we digest food and absorb nutrients from our food to keep us strong and healthy.
The gut is where we take nutrition in and is also the way we excrete most of our wastes. Waste removal is essential for our health. Approximately 80% of our immune system sits around the lining of our digestive tract. If we want to improve our immunity one of the easiest ways we can do this is to take care of our gut.
In the gut we manufacture approximately 90% of our serotonin levels . This is the neurotransmitter that enhances our moods, to feel more relaxed, happier and at ease with ourselves and life. If our gut is not working well we do not effectively manufacture these chemicals and so our moods can change.
In naturopathy, the prevention and treatment of many illnesses begins by treating the gut. Some of these can include allergies, eczema, psoriasis, depleted immunity, fatigue, headaches, bloating, indigestion, inflammatory bowel disorders, arthritis, as examples. The process of inflammation in the body can be addressed through lifestyle choices and the gut. Inflammation is the beginnings of all chronic degenerative disorders such as diabetes, arthritis and auto immune conditions, cardiovascular disease and cancer. By taking care of our gut we can reduce inflammation and reduce the progression of diseases.
Through the gut we have a balance of bacteria which help to digest and process our food, to improve immune function, manufacture some nutrients and repair the wall of our digestive tract. These bacteria are essential to most areas of our health and a healthy environment in our digestive tract is necessary for the correct balance of these friendly essential bacteria.
When we have an unhealthy lifestyle , do not eliminate wastes effectively or had antibiotics we can change the balance of these bacteria which over the course of years, can adversely affect our health.
The lining of our gut is the barrier between our intestines and our blood supply and the internal workings of our body. It is essential that the gut lining is in good condition otherwise many health problems can arise, such as allergies, fatigue , bloating, mood swings and poor sleep. When we have poor gut integrity we have what is known as leaky gut syndrome, which pretty much describes what it is. Our gut becomes leaky and substances from our intestine leak into the tissues and blood supply around the gut lining. Some of what may leak into the body from the gut may include wastes which were going to be excreted through the bowel . When this happens we become internally toxic and detoxification processes in the liver becomes overloaded and we generally feel unwell.
Keeping our gut healthy is a key to ongoing health and wellbeing. The good news is that most of this is lifestyle related and is therefore treatable with diet and lifestyle choices along with some nutrients and friendly bacteria.
So it makes sense that to stay healthy we need to look after the health of our gut.
