WHY do I care so much about gut health?! Because I see so many people struggle their way through fad diet after fad diet and arbitrary supplement intake in order to address a personal issue and that approach just. Does’t. Work. PLUS, fad diets are (most of the time) MISERABLE. And, truthfully, supplements won’t work well if your gut isn’t digesting like it should. So, in this case, the person is likely not seeing results and just wasting money. I’ve made it my mission to help others understand why gut health matters and why intentionally addressing it could fix a majority of health issues. Here’s how.
Do you experience:
- bloating
- chronic fatigue
- skin irritations
- hormone imbalances
- constipation, diarrhea, IBS
- abdominal pain or cramping
- PMS
- food sensitivities
- autoimmune disease
- and more…
If you suffer from any of the above (or otherwise), the first place we always want to look at is the health of the gut microbiome and whether or not you are optimally digesting. God gave us one body to live in on earth and he gave us one thing to fuel it with––food. If we can’t digest that food, then we also cannot properly absorb nutrients and/or eliminate toxins. If this is the case, a natural build-up of gunk occurs, blocking the natural process of digestion and bodily function as it should.
What causes less-than-optimal digestion? Lots of things. Let’s look!
- chronic stress
- overconsumption of sugar, processed foods, alcohol, caffeine
- environmental toxins
- toxins in beauty/home products
- diet
- eating foods your gut is sensitive too
- etc…
Every gut microbiome is made up of good and bad bacteria. We’ll call them gut bugs. Everything that goes into your body is made up of either good or bad bacteria. The question is whether or not your body is strong enough to absorb and use the good bacteria while also eliminating the bad. We want the ratio to be in enough balance so that your body can optimally digest and actually use the nutrients you’re consuming from food and/or supplements. Imbalances occur when the above-mentioned things become out of control. As a result of participating in things on this list for any period of time, the bad gut bugs tend to make a cozy living space inside your GI tract. Unfortunately, this can block the major functioning parts of the GI tract so in order to bring the gut back into alignment, things need to be addressed. The good gut bugs need to be replenished after getting wiped out, and the bad gut bugs need to be kicked out. This is where gut testing can play a major role.
When testing for gut health, I always run the GI Map and the MRT test together. So, what do these gut labs tell me?
The GI Map will tell us what’s going on in the microbiome and will give us specific results about the presence of good and opportunistic bacteria. It will let us know of any unknown pathogens that need to be taken care of: parasites, fungal overgrowth, candida, H. pylori, yeast overgrowth, worms, viruses, etc. It also looks for your reaction to gluten, your immune response, any inflammation, and the health of supportive digestive organs like the pancreas.
The MRT test is a food sensitivity test that will give us an entire list of foods that are contributing to any inflammation and problematic symptoms that present themselves on the GI Map.
TESTING ELIMINATES THE GUESSING AND HELPS GET US TO THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM. WE CAN ADDRESS WHY THE BODY IS MALFUNCTIONING AND USHER IN HEALING FROM THE GROUND UP.
Benefits of Testing:
- you get a complete individualized protocol to address any/all issues you may be facing
- no more guessing
- you get the information you need to support optimal digestive function
- pathogen eradication
- gut healing
- microbiome strengthening
- you get specific dietary needs information
- food freedom
- eating without pain/confusion
- eliminating the shame of trying so hard and constantly seeing “nothing work”
What does a Protocol look like?
Through the use of targeted supplements and specific food guidelines that meet the needs of each person, you are given a (minimum) 12-week roadmap to your gut healing process. (Each person is different so the exact timeline may vary.) But we look at the bacteria that present themselves on the GI Map and target specifically balancing them through eradicating supplements that help to drain out the bad bacteria and toxins so that your digestion is brought back to center.
After intentional, hard work, the lining of the gut is in greater health for better function, reducing and even eliminating the many symptoms listed above. While we are using the supplements and specific food guidelines to invite health back into the gut, we will also use the MRT results and pull out any foods that are causing inflammation for the duration of the healing protocol.
Once we feel like the gut has gotten stronger and is in a stable place of functioning optimally, we work closely together to slowly bring the MRT foods back into the diet in hopes that there are little to no flare-ups now that the gut has undergone intense targeted healing.
The point of this entire process is to bring freedom in many different ways. There’s no sense in continuing to struggle and try things that sound trendy which don’t actually work if you can help it. If you’ve lived with certain ailments long enough, then you know how great the desire is to just have relief and feel better. Testing, when appropriate, allows us to stop guessing and have answers. Sometimes testing and individual protocols relieve symptoms for good and sometimes it’s the most helpful starting place to unlock the rest of your body’s potential. Each journey length varies, as everyone is uniquely different, but for the most part, 12 weeks is a great place to start.
If this process sounds like something you could benefit from, I would love to chat. Shoot me an email and let’s get started on working to heal your gut!
