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Natural Treatment for Crohn’s and Colitis

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picture of a woman with abdominal pain and cramps from Crohn's and colitis
Crohn’s and Colitis

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are two of the most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). They are on the rise worldwide. If you, or someone you love, suffer from these, you know the disruption that these disorders cause. They wreak havoc on your life, affect your relationships, your employment and more.

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. The good news is that there is much exciting research going on. We have made a lot of progress in recent years by discovering natural ways to ease and support people with IBD. Read on to discover some natural treatment options for IBD that will help you take your life back.

What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

As the name suggests inflammatory bowel diseases, like Crohn’s and Colitis, develop when the lining of your intestines becomes inflamed. The consequences of that inflammation are debilitating. They include difficulty digesting your food, nutrient malabsorption, and abnormal waste elimination. Sufferers of IBD have problems with their bowel movements including urgency (feeling like you need to find a bathroom immediately), bowel incontinence, mucousy stools, and bloody diarrhea.

What Causes Inflammation of the Bowel?

The specific cause of inflammation in IBD is still under investigation. The following are potential triggers for gut inflammation:

  • Foods. You may be able to identify which foods irritate your gut. If not, our naturopaths can help guide you to a less inflammatory diet.
  • The microbiome or the balance of the microbial growth in your intestines. The gut microbiology of each of the forms of IBD is different. However, both are characterized by a reduced bacterial diversity and reduced richness of beneficial bacteria.
  • Environment. Environmental factors like experiencing bacterial gastroenteritis in the past, urban living surroundings, air pollution, the use of antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and oral contraceptives are likely to be the most important risk factors for both diseases.

Crohn’s Disease Vs. Ulcerative Colitis

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are two different inflammatory bowel diseases. They share some common symptoms, but there are also some differences.

How are Crohn’s and Colitis the Same?

The common symptoms of Crohn’s and colitis include:

  • Diarrhea (sometimes alternating with constipation)
  • Bloody stools
  • Nausea
  • Increased gas
  • Fatigue
  • Anemia
  • Joint pain
  • Belly pain and discomfort
  • Rectal bleeding
  • Weight loss
  • Reduced appetite

How are Crohn’s And Colitis Different?

Although they share many symptoms, it’s important to note that they’re not exactly the same. The main differences between Crohn’s and Colitis are:

  • Colitis means inflammation of the colon or large intestine. In ulcerative colitis, only the large intestine is affected. Crohn’s disease occurs in both the small and large intestines. In fact, it can affect everything from your mouth through to your rectum.
  • Crohn’s disease is more patchy. That is, healthy tissue is intermingled with inflamed tissue. In contrast, ulcerative colitis affects an entire area.
  • The inflammation of colitis affects only the inner lining of the intestines. Whereas in Crohn’s disease, it can affect deeper layers.

In real-life terms, bloody diarrhea and rectal bleeding are more common with colitis. The pain of Crohn’s is often a sharper, more intense pain than the cramping that typically accompanies colitis. Bear in mind that these are just generalized differences.

How are Crohn’s and Colitis Diagnosed?

A medical specialist, like a gastroenterologist, is the best person to diagnose any form of inflammatory bowel disease. He/she does so by performing a colonoscopy.

What Causes Crohn’s and Colitis?

Why do some people get Crohn’s and Colitis?

Doctors don’t have precise reasons yet. Most cases are considered idiopathic, which means that they are of unknown origin. Westernization of diets and environments affects your gut bacteria (microbiome) and increases the risk of IBD in genetically susceptible individuals.

Crohn’s and colitis affect people of all ages and sizes, but they occur more often in females. These diseases occur over a broad age spectrum, from early childhood to late adulthood.

The onset of Crohn’s disease in children is more severe and more extensive. Girls appear to have an overall more severe course of the disease. However, boys are at increased risk for developing growth failure as a result of Crohn’s.

IBD is generally considered to be autoimmune in nature. In autoimmunity, a number of factors come into play, including genetics and environmental triggers.

Are Crohn’s and Colitis Hereditary?

Genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors appear to play a role in inflammatory bowel diseases. Multiple genes that are related to an individual’s susceptibility to Crohn’s and colitis have been described.

The clustering of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in families has been established for several decades. Familial susceptibility reflects shared genetic and environmental factors. Positive family history remains the strongest recognizable risk factor for the development of IBD. Crohn’s disease shows a more frequent familial pattern than ulcerative colitis. First-degree relatives of someone with IBD have a 4- to 8-fold increased risk of developing these diseases.

The Effects Of Stress & Diet

Many people do notice that their IBD tends to flare up during times of stress. Of course, the flare-up then creates even more stress. Certain foods often trigger symptoms as well. Although stress and diet don’t cause either condition, they often exacerbate the symptoms. So managing Crohn’s and Colitis often requires careful dietary monitoring and lifestyle changes.

How Do Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Influence Life Expectancy?

Children with IBD have a 3-fold increased risk of death when followed through to adulthood. The relative risk for death has not decreased with the development of new medications for the treatment of IBD. There is very little information on all-cause and cause-specific death in patients with childhood-onset IBD. Childhood-onset of these diseases does tend to cause more severe illness.

Both conditions in children and adults have a significant negative impact on their quality of life. They also mean a greater risk for a host of other associated diseases including colon cancer, blood clots, severe nutrient deficiencies, arthritis, bowel obstruction, and dehydration.

How Are Crohn’s and Colitis Treated?

Treatment focuses on two main goals: reducing inflammation and managing symptoms. A number of medications, including steroids, work to reduce inflammation. In addition, particularly with Crohn’s, surgery is sometimes necessary to remove tissue that is too deeply damaged. Many people suffering from IBD find that they can ease their symptoms enough to return to a more normal life by making some changes to their diet and lifestyle.

Is There a Cure for Inflammatory Bowel Disease(IBD)?

Given that there is a genetic component to it, IBD is a condition that patients need to continuously manage in order to remain in remission. That genetic tendency will always exist, but how much or how little it is expressed, can be influenced by environment, diet, stress, nutrition and lifestyle factors.

Natural Ways To Treat Crohn’s and Colitis Symptoms

Improving your overall health is an important first step in managing IBD symptoms. Your treatment plan should target your lifestyle holistically, from all angles. The joint goals of treating Crohn’s and Colitis include reducing inflammation and minimizing the number of flare-ups you experience. Some proven strategies include:

Reduce stress

Your nervous system is intricately connected to your digestive system. Stress, particularly chronic stress, leads to an imbalance of bacteria in your gut, also known as dysbiosis.

To relieve the physical effects of stress, a variety of mindfulness activities such as yoga, meditation or tai chi is very helpful. Seeing a psychotherapist to formulate a stress-reduction plan with some helpful strategies works.

Exercise

Working out while you’re experiencing the symptoms of IBD can be difficult. However, research has shown that exercising reduces the severity of gastrointestinal disorders. With IBD it’s especially important to listen to your body and focus on relaxing exercise such as yoga. Working out too intensely actually creates a stress response and exacerbates symptoms.

Work On An Elimination Diet

It can take a lot of trial and error to figure out which foods are triggers for you specifically. That’s why it’s a good idea to create a carefully crafted elimination diet in consultation with your Naturopath.

What Foods Trigger IBD?

Although everyone is different, some common food triggers for inflammatory bowel disease include:

  • Alcohol
  • Caffeine
  • Fried foods
  • Fatty foods
  • Dairy products
  • Chocolate
  • Artificial sweeteners
  • Large meals
  • Carbonated drinks
  • Foods with a lot of fructose, such as apples and dried fruits
  • Fermentable carbohydrates

Use probiotics

Restoring the bacterial balance in your gut with probiotic supplements eases symptoms in Colitis, but may not help Crohn’s. However, you’ll get the best results if you work with a naturopathic doctor to ensure that you’re taking the best type of probiotic. Not all probiotics are the same, so you want to make sure you select the best one for your particular condition. There is also concern that in severe disease bacteria may translocate across the wall of the gut and end up in the bloodstream, causing a life-threatening blood infection.

Consider Herbal And Nutritional Supplements

Talk to your naturopathic doctor about supplementation, as a number of natural supplements have shown promising results in treating Crohn’s and Colitis. These include:

  • Turmeric (Curcumin)
  • Berberine
  • Boswellia (also known as frankincense)
  • N-acetyl glucosamine

We’ll Help You Stay Abreast Of New IBD Treatment Options

Although much work still remains to be done, it’s a good idea to talk to your naturopathic doctor about recent medical research. Our naturopaths keep on top of the latest natural health information. IBD is an area where promising discoveries and potential new treatments are emerging often. For example, trials have been conducted on the effectiveness of fecal transplants, in which healthy stool is “transplanted” into an inflamed large intestine in hopes of restoring the balance of healthy bacteria. Other exciting findings involve stem cell research.

If you have been diagnosed with or are experiencing the symptoms of Crohn’s or Colitis, you should know that there is a reason for hope. Many natural supportive treatments prove quite effective, and new developments are on the horizon. Come into the clinic and we can work together to improve your digestive health! Call to book at 416-481-0222 or book online here.

Authored by Naturopath Dr. Pamela Frank

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Resources

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/crohns-disease/symptoms-causes

https://www.foundationalmedicinereview.com/blog/what-are-the-best-supplements-for-ibs-two-recent-studies-may-have-the-answer/#easy-footnote-bottom-2-2712

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4202343/

https://nccih.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/031912

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27646279

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4294172/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11215357

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10465666

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17590176

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24415855

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18055660

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29333063

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31603356

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28281167

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30342031

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27793607

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28777099

https://www.webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease/default.htm

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/inflammatory-bowel-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353315

Candida or Yeast Overgrowth

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Candida or Yeast Overgrowth Can Make You Really Tired

How to Get Rid of Candida Naturally

Do you have a white coating on your tongue? Circular skin rashes with a white centre? Bloating? Constipation? Vaginal irritation? You’re always craving sweets? You could be suffering from a yeast overgrowth.

What is Candida Albicans?

Candida albicans is the most common kind of yeast that co-exists with humans. It is normally harmless to people when it is present in small amounts. There are many other strains of yeast that can inhabit your gut. There are almost 200 known Candida species, although few of them are a threat to humans. The most important species are C. albicans, C. dubliniensis, C. tropicalis, C. Parapsilosis, C. glabrata, C. krusei, C. guilliermondii, and C. Lusitaniae. Other medically important species of fungi include Histoplasma capsulatum, Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus fumigatus.

However, as anyone who’s ever baked bread knows, yeast likes to grow. It is a fungus, after all. Candida is considered to be an “opportunistic pathogen”. This means that if it gets the opportunity to cause disease, it can. Under normal conditions in your gut, your healthy gut bacteria keeps intestinal yeast growth in check. This maintains a balance between bacteria and yeast.

The fragile balance between your gut bacteria and yeast

This delicate balance is, however, easily upset. For example, we can lose beneficial bacteria from taking even one round of antibiotics. We can encourage yeast growth by bingeing on sugar and refined carbs. Estrogen dominance, birth control pills and stress all allow yeast to multiply. The result? Yeast overgrowth.

Is gut Candida overgrowth the same as a yeast infection?

Most people are familiar with a couple of the different kinds of local yeast infections.

Thrush

A Candida yeast infection in your mouth is called oral thrush.

Symptoms of oral thrush include:

  • white, bumpy patches in your mouth
  • a white coating on your tongue
  • if you try to scrape the white coating off your tongue, there are pinpoint bleeding spots
  • cracks at the corners of your mouth
  • difficulty swallowing

Vaginal Yeast Infections

The symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection include:

  • vaginal redness
  • vaginal swelling
  • itchiness of the vagina and surrounding area
  • an unpleasant white, chunky discharge

These reactions are typically immediately noticeable – and very annoying.

In contrast, a gut Candida overgrowth can be much more subtle and difficult to determine. Candida overgrowth’s impact may be more troublesome and even life-threatening. When your good gut bacteria decreases and yeast multiplies, the overall effect on your body can be far-reaching.

How does Candida overgrowth work?

Disease-causing yeasts have properties that allow them to overcome your defenses. These include the ability to stick to the gut wall and invade tissues. Also, certain strains of yeast have developed escape mechanisms, to avoid being eliminated by your immune system.

When Candida grows unchecked, it attaches to and sends roots through the lining of your intestine. This creates “leaky gut” syndrome where the barrier of your intestinal wall is weak. As the name suggests, leaky gut syndrome allows undigested food, bacteria, and toxins to “leak” from your intestine into your system.

When your immune system is faced with undigested food, bacteria and toxins, it sees them as unknown invaders. That causes it to kick into overdrive trying to neutralize these things it doesn’t recognize, things that it perceives as a potential threat. This immune system hyper-activation leads to a number of symptoms ranging from inflammation to autoimmune diseases.

Candida overgrowth is often overlooked or misdiagnosed because the symptoms vary so widely. It is also not something that conventional doctors would ever test you for. If you’re experiencing autoimmune symptoms, having a foggy brain, or dealing with digestive issues, it’s possible that a gut Candida overgrowth could be the underlying problem.

Who is most at risk for Candida overgrowth?

Certain populations are more susceptible to yeast overgrowth. These include premature infants, elderly, pregnant or menopausal women, diabetics, alcoholics, and anyone taking immunsuppressants or antibiotics.

What are the symptoms of Candida overgrowth?

So how would you know if you have a Candida overgrowth? Here are the signs and symptoms:

  1. Despite your best intentions, you have strong cravings for sugar and carbohydrates. Candida wants to keep eating and multiplying, so a taste of sugar will leave you wanting more!
  2. You feel itchy all over, especially, and certainly embarrassingly, in your anal or vaginal areas.
  3. Fungal infections. You suffer from athlete’s foot, toenail fungus or other unexplained itchy foot rashes.
  4. Irritable bowel syndrome. Your digestion feels out of whack. You experience a lot of gassiness, constipation, diarrhea and bloating.
  5. You experience mood swings and frustration for no obvious reason. Or you frequently feel anxious or depressed, even though you are doing your best to look after your emotional well-being. Did you know that depression is considered by some to be an inflammatory condition of the brain? Candida overgrowth may be the stimulous for that inflammation.
  6. Unexplained joint pain that makes it hard to keep up with your exercise routine. Sadly, that lack of exercise is only worsening your other symptoms. You want to work out and you know that you should, but it’s painful.
  7. Fatigue. If other causes of fatigue like hypothyroidism, iron deficiency and allergies have been ruled out, yeast overgrowth may be the issue. Particularly if there are other symptoms pointing to a yeast problem.
  8. Allergies. Studies show that animals whose guts are colonized with yeast develop allergic reactions.

Diagnostic testing for gut bacteria and yeast

Boxed Candida cleanse “kits” may be popular, but in reality overcoming Candida overgrowth and restoring a healthy balance of yeast and gut bacteria can be very challenging. Our naturopathic doctors can work with you to develop a program that’s tailored specifically for you. We start with a complete analysis, stool testing if necessary and then create a customized treatment plan. Stool analysis determines what exactly is growing in your gut, how much and how best to get rid of what shouldn’t be growing in there.

Once we have an accurate picture of what’s really going on in your system, we can work on a plan to restore health and balance.

Our holistic approach to managing Candida

There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Our holistic approach means taking an in-depth look at various aspects of your lifestyle.

Specialized Candida diet

In general, the first step of Candida treatment consists of dietary changes. You knew that was coming, right? Together we can work on a diet plan that works for you to starve out the yeast.

Dietary changes should be realistic and manageable for you over the long term. After all, we want to create a sustainable solution, not a quick fix that may be too difficult to stick with.

Say goodbye to sugary sweets

To get Candida under control, patients have the greatest success by limiting all processed sweets from their diet. We also recommend cutting back on starchy carbohydrates. Low-sugar fruits such as berries are the best options for a sweet treat.

Alcohol

Eliminating all fermented, yeasty or moldy foods and drinks, including alcohol, will help control yeast symptoms. This includes well-known fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kombucha. It also includes the less-obvious ones, like soy sauce or peanuts. If your immune system is sensitized to yeast, it will also react to these food sources of yeast, mold and yeast metabolites.

Add extra fibre

Adding more fibre to your diet and drinking lots of water (2-3 litres per day) improves your intestinal “transit time”. This means that things move through your gut more quickly, so that nothing lingers too long in your system.

Carbs in moderation

It’s important to note that carbohydrates aren’t necessarily completely forbidden on a Candida diet. Although processed flour can contribute to to a Candida overgrowth and slower transit time, whole food carbohydrates such as rye or quinoa can add good fiber and minerals to your system. We can work together to look at your carb consumption and make any necessary adjustments.

The steps above can slow the growth of Candida which may improve some of your symptoms, but as always tackling one side of the issue isn’t enough. You also want to increase the number of good bacteria in your gut. An effective way to do this is by consuming more probiotics or “healthy bacteria”. A high quality supplement of the right kind of probiotic for you is usually recommended, as they are able to rapidly populate the gut and restore balance.

Foods that kill Candida

Research has found that many substances aid in the killing off of stubborn overgrowth. Studies have found turmeric to be effective as well as coconut oil, some essential oils and much more. In order to determine the right solution for your body, help from your naturopathic doctor is recommended. We can talk about the best treatment plan to eradicate this overgrowth and eliminate the problems Candida overgrowth can cause in your system.

The effect of stress on Candida

In addition to dietary changes, reducing your stress levels can help. When we’re stressed, our bodies produce more of the stress hormone cortisol, which over time will increase blood sugar.

Since Candida feeds off sugar, stress can make us more vulnerable to Candida overgrowth. It’s not always easy to lower stress levels – life often gets in the way. However, we can change the way we react to stress through science-backed stress reduction techniques such as meditation and yoga.

Candida overgrowth is one of the more common reasons people seek holistic care. The good news is that we are experts in treating digestive issues.

If you suspect that you may be experiencing an overgrowth of Candida, give us a call at 416-481-0222 or book an appointment online any time here.

Together we can make an effective plan to get your health back on track.

https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/candidiasis/index.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26709650

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17083732

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26723514

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17651080

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28184328

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2803610/

Do you have a Leaky Gut?

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woman suffering from leaky gut syndrome

What is Leaky Gut?  What Causes It and What Can You Do About It?

By Dr. Pamela Frank, BSc(Hons), Naturopathic Doctor

If you’ve been searching for the root of on-going health issues that just won’t go away, the kind where your doctor – and maybe even your second and third doctor – have tried everything in their arsenals but have come up with only prescriptions that ease symptoms but don’t solve the underlying problem, it’s easy to feel discouraged.

However, if you’ve been keeping up with some of our previous blog posts, you’ve started to realize just how important our digestive system and gut health are to our overall health. In fact, you might be wondering if the root cause of the ‘mysterious illnesses’ from which you or your family have been suffering could actually reside in the gut – and you could very well be right.

From hormone regulation to immunity to enzyme production that keeps the rest of our body in tip-top shape, we keep learning more about how critical gut health is to maintaining overall vitality. One condition we are starting to learn more about, and see a prevalence of, is Leaky Gut Syndrome.

What is Leaky Gut?

Leaky Gut is a condition that is linked to dozens of illnesses. Because Western medicine hasn’t yet learned enough about the gut to fully understand the immense and overarching influence it has on overall health, there are no conventionally recognized methods of diagnosing and treating Leaky Gut syndrome. Understandably, doctors try to resolve the more commonly recognized associated issues a sufferer might be experiencing (see below), without actually addressing Leaky Gut itself. Unfortunately, that often creates a ‘chicken and egg’ scenario, in which doctors treat complaints, but without knowing which illness is the root cause and which is the symptom.

Do you wonder if Leaky Gut might be affecting you? Or whether you should be concerned?

Leaky Gut is often called a ‘phenomenon’ because it covers issues that stem from immunity, gut function, and the effect of modern diets and lifestyles on both of these systems.

In fact, in Canada alone, more than 20 million people suffer from digestive disorders – and that doesn’t cover half of the symptoms associated with Leaky Gut! Because of this, it’s important to understand the broad-reaching effects that the Standard American Diet, chronically high-stress levels, toxin overload, and even bacterial imbalances can have on gut function – and that managing these four elements are the basis of healing your gut.

What symptoms are the symptoms of Leaky Gut?

  • Consistent gastrointestinal issues like bloating, gas, cramps
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • New food sensitivities
  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Thyroid conditions
  • Inflammatory skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis

What is going on in a Leaky Gut?

While symptoms of Leaky Gut are broad and varied, they all have a common theme: that they occur from malfunctions of intestinal ‘tight junctions’ (TJs) in the small intestine.

Tight Junctions have one, very important job: to act as a barrier that selectively allows some particles – like vital nutrients – to pass through the intestines to the bloodstream and to make sure that other disease-causing particles – called xenobiotics – do not. Think about TJ’s as preventing holes in the intestine so there is no leaking of bad particles into your bloodstream!

When the TJs are in optimal condition, you and your gut can be in optimal health! When they are malfunctioning, creating intestinal hyperpermeability (holes), your body will respond with acute inflammation. If left untreated, this acute inflammation becomes chronic inflammation – the underlying cause of the majority of disease.

Diseases associated with a Leaky Gut

Diseases that have been associated with intestinal hyperpermeability are many, some of the most recognized include:

  • Bowel issues including gastric ulcers, infectious diarrhea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and diseases like Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis
  • Celiac disease and other allergies
  • Acute inflammation conditions
  • Arthritis and chronic inflammatory conditions
  • Obesity and related metabolic diseases like fatty liver, Type I and Type II diabetes, and heart disease
  • Autoimmune disease including lupus, multiple sclerosis, and Type I diabetes
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Chronic fatigue syndrome

While the concept of ‘intestinal permeability’ has been a conversation in the medical world for over 100 years, the symptoms of Leaky Gut are not unique to the syndrome and are shared with many other possible causes. So, many people’s symptoms go untreated by conventional doctors for months or even years. It’s understandably frustrating and disheartening when doctors are unable to help – both from their perspective as well as from the sufferer!

That’s why working with an integrative health team – one that partners your Western GP or gastroenterologist with naturopathic doctors – can be the most valuable step in taking the time and effort to properly investigate your symptoms.

How Can You Help a Leaky Gut?

Our naturopathic doctors can provide testing for Leaky Gut syndrome (zonulin testing) that can assist your whole health team in creating a holistic plan to get you back to optimal health.

Whether you suffer from Leaky Gut or want to protect yourself and your family from the possibility of it, you can get started by working on the four most important factors that contribute to Leaky Gut:

  1. Remove inflammatory foods and gut-damaging toxins

Common culprits of inflammation and toxins include grains, gluten, sugar, antibiotics, conventional cow milk or dairy products, GMOs, pesticides, and processed foods. Start by eliminating these from your diet and see how much relief you feel

  1. Add gut-healing foods

We’ve talked about prebiotics and probiotics before, but adding other nourishing foods like bone broth, simply steamed vegetables, fermented foods, raw cultured dairy, hormone-free and antibiotic-free animal products, and healthy fats

  1. Reduce stress

We can’t stress this enough! We live with so many competing priorities that we often don’t detect how stress is affecting us until it’s too late. Take time to turn off your brain, and tune into yourself with quiet time, sunny vitamin D filled walks, meditation, or yoga.

  1. Add gut-supporting supplements

Your naturopathic doctor is the best person to consult on the type and amount of supplements that would be best for you. Book an appointment to ask us about L-glutamine, probiotics, digestive enzymes, and plant-derived mineral supplements, all of which can contribute to establishing and maintaining a happy gut!

Yours in good health,

The Team at Forces of Nature Wellness Clinic

Sources:

Li X, Atkinson MA. The role for gut permeability in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes–a solid or leaky concept? Pediatr Diabetes. 2015 Nov;16(7):485-92. doi: 10.1111/pedi.12305. Epub 2015 Aug 13.

Migrating Motor Complex

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how to heal your gut, heal the migrating motor complex or MMC

What is the Migrating Motor Complex (MMC)?

These are waves of electrical activity that pass through your gut between meals.

What does it do?

The MMC help to move food, waste and fiber from your stomach through to your colon.

Why is it important?

The MMC is important because it also keeps sweeping bacteria out of the small intestine and prevents backwash of bacteria from the large intestine up into the small intestine.

What happens if my MMC isn’t working?

The result of poor MMC function is constipation and/or SIBO, also called small intestinal bacteria overgrowth. This can cause lots of digestion problems (bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, food allergies or sensitivities).

How can I help my Migrating Motor Complex work better?

Part of what stimulates your MMC is fasting.  So take breaks between meals. A hormone produced by your stomach called motilin also helps regulate the MMC. Motilin release is regulated by your vagus nerve.  This is a big nerve that comes from your brain and goes to all of the organs of your chest and abdomen. Deep breathing exercises and gargling are two ways of trying to stimulate your vagus nerve. A high cholesterol diet inhibits your MMC, so keep your cholesterol intake low to moderate. Antidepressant medications or SSRIs also inhibit movement in your gut.

Our naturopathic doctors have other means of correcting poor function of your MMC, SBIO and many other gut issues.  Migrating Motor Complex related supplements include 5HTP, ginger and pyridoxal-5- phosphate. Rikkunshito is a Japanese kampo medicine that has been shown to improve gut motility. Book a consultation with one of our ND’s for more information tailored to you.

Authored By Dr Pamela Frank, BSc(Hons), ND

References:

1. Chen CY, Tsai CY. Ghrelin and motilin in the gastrointestinal system. Curr Pharm Des. 2012;18(31):4755-65.

2. Zhang XM, Dong L, Liu LN. Changes of gastrointestinal myoelectric activity and bile acid pool during cholesterol gallstone formation in guinea pigs. Di Yi Jun Yi Da Xue Xue Bao. 2005 Oct;25(10):1251-5, 1260.

3. Fujitsuka N1, Asakawa A, Hayashi M, Sameshima M, Amitani H, Kojima S, Fujimiya M, Inui A. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors modify physiological gastrointestinal motor activities via 5-HT2c receptor and acyl ghrelin. Biol Psychiatry. 2009 May 1;65(9):748-59. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.10.031. Epub 2008 Dec 5.

Non-drug Treatment for Abdominal Pain

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treatment for child with abdominal pain

How to Treat Abdominal Pain in a Child

Guided imagery may offer a relatively simple way to soothe children’s [and perhaps adult’s] chronic abdominal pain, research suggests. The study tested CD-based guided imagery for treating what doctors refer to as functional abdominal pain — that is, abdominal pain that is related to poor function of the digestive tract and can’t be attributed to any disease or physical abnormality. Right now, treatment includes medications — such as drugs to relieve constipation, diarrhea or acid reflux if they are present, or, in some cases, low-dose antidepressants.

Guided imagery is a behavioral technique sometimes referred to as self-hypnosis. The therapy helps people create relaxing images in their minds to deal with symptoms like stress, anxiety and pain. In one study, 34 children aged 6 to 15 were randomly assigned to either stay with standard care for their functional abdominal pain, or to add home-based guided imagery sessions.

In the latter group, parents and children watched a DVD on guided imagery, and the children were instructed to listen to their CDs at least five days per week over eight weeks. The sessions guided the children in forming simple, relaxing images. One session, for example, had the children imagine themselves floating on a cloud while a “special object” melted onto one of their hands, making it shiny and warm. They were then told to place that hand on their stomachs and visualize the light and warmth spreading inside their bellies, providing a protective shield.

After eight weeks, the study found, nearly three-quarters of the children in the guided-imagery group said their pain had decreased by at least half. That compared with 29 percent of children on standard care alone.

When children in the latter group were then offered guided imagery, about 62 percent saw their pain decrease by at least half. It’s not clear why guided imagery helps some children. One theory is that functional abdominal pain stems, at least in some cases, from hypersensitivity in the rich nerve supply of the gut; guided imagery may help reduce that sensitivity.

By Dr Pamela Frank, BSc(Hons), Naturopath

SOURCE: Pediatrics, November 2009.