Digestive health concerns affect many patients who see Naturopathic Doctors. Your digestive tract begins in your mouth and continues down the esophagus, to the stomach, the small and large intestines and terminates at the rectum. An imbalance in any of these areas would impact one’s overall digestive health and would require a closer look.
In addition to this, our naturopathic doctors often see many patients who come with other health concerns that are seemingly unrelated to their digestive health. Our naturopaths are then able to properly assess and address their health concerns by correcting underlying imbalances in their digestive health.
How a naturopath can help digestive health
A naturopathic doctor can prescribe:
- necessary dietary modifications,
- specific nutritional medicines,
- botanical medicines,
- and/or homeopathic medicines
IBS
IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a common condition that affects the large intestine or colon and is characterized by symptoms of bloating, gas, cramping, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation or both.
This chronic condition can be triggered and aggravated by stress, a microbiome imbalance, digestive acid and enzyme deficiencies and dietary factors including food sensitivities and specific carbohydrates known as FODMAPs.
IBS Testing
Functional medicine testing by a naturopath can be helpful in determining the cause. Testing may include: comprehensive digestive and stool analysis, food sensitivity testing, and breath testing.
GERD
GERD or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, also known as reflux or heartburn is a common health concern for many patients.
When we digest, food travels down our esophagus and across a sphincter called the LES which allows entry into your stomach. When the LES sphincter does not close properly, food and acid from your stomach flows back up into the esophagus causing reflux or a sensation of “heartburn”. The tone of the LES sphincter can be impacted by numerous factors, commonly stress and vagus nerve imbalance, large meals, hiatal hernia, inappropriate acid secretion in the stomach, all of which require a thorough investigation.
GERD Testing
Functional medicine testing may include a comprehensive digestive analysis, in-house testing, and food sensitivity testing are available to determine any underlying disturbances.
Naturopathic Treatments For GERD
Naturopathic treatments may include dietary modification, botanical medicine, acupuncture and lifestyle counselling are highly effective in the treatment of GERD.
SIBO
SIBO also known as Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth results from an abnormally large number of bacteria that are normally present in the small intestine.
Symptoms of SIBO
Symptoms may include bloating or abdominal gas, abdominal cramping or pain, constipation and/or diarrhea, heartburn, nausea, malabsorption and in some cases headaches, rosacea, joint pain, and fatigue.
How A Naturopath Can Help You Address SIBO
Our naturopathic doctors will conduct a detailed investigation of possible SIBO triggers, which may include inadequate digestive enzyme secretion, improper ileocecal valve function and nerve-related motility concerns. In many cases the endotoxins produced by bacterial overgrowth lead to gut inflammation that may result in leaky gut syndrome and food sensitivities.
SIBO Testing
SIBO breath testing enables our naturopaths to test for bacterial overgrowth by measuring levels of hydrogen and/or methane gases present. It’s important to consider SIBO testing when you have a history of reflux, overall poor digestion, chronic constipation, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Constipation
Constipation is traditionally defined as less than 3 bowel movements per week but may also involve having dry and hard stools, bowel movements that are painful or difficult to pass and feeling like bowels are not fully cleared.
It is important to understand the underlying cause(s) of constipation and there can be many to consider; food intolerances, leaky gut syndrome, regulating the gut-brain axis, and microbiome imbalances.
Testing
Our naturopathic doctors use functional testing to help uncover the root cause of your constipation.
Food Sensitivities
You can also seek the counsel of a naturopathic doctor for food sensitivities.
There are three types of food allergy and sensitivity testing all of which focus on elevated immunoglobulins; IgE, IgG and IgA. Severe, systemic or immediate reactions to small amounts of offending foods (e.g. peanuts) are typically IgE mediated allergic reactions. These are typically diagnosed by an allergy medical specialist.
Food intolerances or sensitivities are often associated with chronic complaints such as eczema, headaches, sinusitis, digestive health conditions can be better measured through IgG testing.
Food Sensitivity Testing
Many patients seek out food sensitivity testing to uncover food reactions that are difficult to pinpoint and often present as delayed immune reactions (24-72 hr post ingestion), which means symptom presentation is not always immediate but often delayed. This testing can be very helpful for patients who demonstrate more pervasive or milder symptoms related to foods.
Leaky Gut Syndrome
A naturopath can also help address the leaky gut syndrome.
About Leaky Gut Syndrome
The lining of the small intestine is made up of cells tightly bound together and covered by a mucosal layer and enzymes that finalize the digestion of all nutrients prior to entry into the bloodstream. When there is inflammation and damage to the mucosal layer, the tight cellular connections loosen and the small intestine becomes more permeable to its contents. This “leakage” enables contents including food molecules to enter directly into the bloodstream and into the lymph of the gut which inevitably triggers an immune response.
Leaky Gut Syndrome And Its Impact On Health
This is often the starting point for the development of food sensitivities and other chronic health conditions including: eczema, asthma, allergies, arthritis, IBD, hormonal, cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Chronic intestinal inflammation also hinders nutrient absorption and often results in an imbalance of microflora.
Leaky Gut Testing
We offer specialized functional medicine testing to determine if leaky gut is playing a role in your underlying health condition.