Nutrition Digestion

IBS Treatment: symptoms and what to expect

Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhoea and constipation. Here we will explore IBS causes and IBS treatments.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects almost 20% of Australians and is known to cause significant distress in its victims.

These distressing symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation.

IBS used to be thought of as a purely psychosomatic emotional disorder. This is no longer the case and it is now recognised as being caused by a combination of your genetics, food triggers, environmental factors and gut microbiome health.

Do you have any of these IBS symptoms?

My patients describe lots of different symptoms.

Imagine what life would be like if you experienced extreme bloating lasting all day, sharp abdominal pains, flatulence and diarrhoea for months on end?

Perhaps you have identified milk and lactose as obvious dietary triggers, however do you know if you are also reactive to other foods?

Is there a connection between your stress levels and worsening digestive function?

What causes people to suffer from IBS?

Research shows multiple factors. These include disturbances in the intestinal bacterial balance (microbiota), inflammation and impaired gut lining, visceral hypersensitivity, stress and dietary sensitivities – all of which represent key therapeutic targets for the management of IBS.

The aim is to address as many of these factors as possible and help patients avoid a lifelong sentence of IBS.

Visceral Hypersensitivity

One of the reasons IBS sufferers struggle to tolerate FODMAP containing foods is due to a phenomenon known as visceral hypersensitivity whereby they experience a lower threshold for pain onset and a greater pain level, even in response to processes that occur as a normal part of digestion.

In a healthy gut, there is a lot of information that is successfully processed at an unconscious level in the central nervous system.

In IBS, it is thought that the nervous system is overloaded with too much information and that this results in a vicious cycle of chronic pain.

Psychological therapies have been shown to help a number of people with this condition.

An IBS Treatment: Low FODMAP Diet

The low FODMAP diet eliminates Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyol-containing foods that are poorly absorbed by the small intestine leading to fermentation.

The key word is fermentable.

Sugars and small carbohydrates that cannot be easily absorbed stay in your intestines where they are fermented by bacteria. This results in a build-up of uncomfortable gas, bloating and fluid retention.

Getting to the Guts of It

An integrative medical and naturopathic approach should ‘first do no harm’.  The first step is removal of potential dietary triggers using a low FODMAP approach.

The second step is introducing herbs and nutrients to repair gastrointestinal inflammation and rebalance microbiota disturbances. For example, glutamine, Vitamin D, anti-inflammatory herbs and probiotics are included in most integrative medical protocols.

Related: Love Your Guts  for Good Health

Most people find that their symptoms start improving within two to three weeks of commencing treatment.

After six to eight weeks of being on the low FODMAP diet, each of the FODMAP Groups are reintroduced individually to work out the specifics of what can be tolerated.

Your goal is increased dietary flexibility and an increased quality of life in future.

Related: How to relieve bloating

Parrots thrive by eating clay. This blog discusses how people can also benefit from clay. Click below to read more.

The parrot clay licks are a striking and colourful sight in the Amazon Jungle. These parrots are able to eat and thrive on poisonous berries because the clay binds the poisons.

Macaws in clay lick in the peruvian Amazon jungle at Madre de Dios Peru

When you think about clay, most people start picturing walking outside in the mud or children with sticky hands after a clay pottery class.

Though we often think of this sticky, gluggy clay as a dirty inconvenience, these properties can actually make them fantastic for your health! When it is ingested, this stickiness helps the clay going through your digestive system to stick to and bind toxins, heavy metals and bad bacteria so they are eliminated instead of  being absorbed into your body.

So just how does the clay help and why should you consider drinking it?

1. Supports Healthy Detoxification

Bentonite clay is fantastic for detoxification because it absorbs the heavy metals that you don’t want stored in your body. It absorbs environmental pollutants plus different types of bad bacteria, parasites and chemicals.

2. Works as an Anti-Inflammatory

The second benefit of bentonite clay is that it’s anti-inflammatory. Think about the last time you got a clay mask. These are marketed as an anti-ageing skin treatment, as well as helping eczema, dermatitis and acne. So if it does all of this when put on your face, imagine what it can do when inside your body!

3. Supports the Digestive System

The third main benefit of clay is how it supports the digestive system and digestive health. Diarrhoea,, bloating and leaky gut symptoms may all benefit from taking the Clay. This is because if you have bad bacteria, or different types of metals or toxins within the body, the clay will absorb and help your body eliminate any of this junk.

Poor gut health may be the underlying reason for fatigue, anxiety, depression, back pain or skin problems. Find out about assessment, testing and treatment possibilities…

Suffering from bloating, pain, constipation, diarrhoea or reflux?

The underlying health issue for many of my patients, whether it is fatigue, anxiety, depression, back pain, skin problems or classical gut symptoms such asked in the above question is often connected with diet and gut health.

Uncomfortable gut symptoms indicate an imbalance in your digestive system. Gut health can affect your whole body, with digestive imbalances related to allergy, autoimmunity and even cardiovascular disease. So don’t ignore your symptoms – read on to find out how loving your guts leads to good health.

Nourishing Your Body

Your digestive system is highly efficient at breaking down food to obtain the nutrients it needs to nourish your body. In a similar way, you might think of food scraps in a compost bin that break down into nutrient rich compost to nourish your garden.

However, to function optimally, care must be given to all key aspects of your digestive system – from the foods you eat, to how well they are digested, the health of your gut lining, and the beneficial bacteria in your gut (the gastrointestinal microbiome).

If one aspect is out of balance, the whole system is put under pressure. Over time, this can lead to uncomfortable gut symptoms and compromise your overall health.

Breaking It Down

Your body produces digestive enzymes to help break food into smaller particles, so they can be absorbed. If you are stressed, tend to eat on the run, or have a digestive disorder of some kind, you may not produce sufficient enzymes.

This can lead to symptoms of bloating and fullness after meals due to slow or incomplete digestion. Supporting enzyme production can provide relief from these symptoms.

Holding It All In

Just as a well-sealed compost bin contains the compost until it is ready to nourish your garden; a healthy gut lining contains digested foods until their nutrients are ready to be absorbed.

Providing a robust barrier, your gut lining also keeps harmful substances (e.g. waste products) within your digestive tract, allowing only beneficial nutrients to enter your bloodstream.

If the integrity of your gut lining is weakened (known as ‘leaky gut’) due to stress, alcohol, poor diet, or a digestive disorder; this may allow incompletely digested food particles and/or waste products to leak into your bloodstream. This is associated with symptoms including bloating and gas, but also fatigue, ‘brain fog’, allergy, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

A Natural Solution

The good news is that certain herbs and nutrients can improve digestive enzyme function and help heal a leaky gut:

Gentian and dandelion root: these naturally bitter herbs stimulate your body’s production of enzymes to strengthen your overall digestive capacity.

Digestive enzymes can boost your body’s own supply, improving nutrient absorption and reducing bloating.

Glutamine: a component of protein that improves the integrity of your gut lining, therefore can help reduce gut symptoms.

Zinc and vitamin A: nutrients essential for keeping the cells in your gut lining tightly packed together, reducing the gaps that result in a ‘leaky’ gut.

Love Your Guts

Implement these key suggestions to improve your gut health:

Increase your intake of fruit, vegetables and fibre-rich foods such as legumes and wholegrains, which promote beneficial gut bacteria and overall digestive health.

Reduce your intake of alcohol and processed, sugary and fatty foods which can harm your gut lining.

Focus on underlying emotions and stress management. Stress reduces digestive enzyme production and increases leaky gut.

Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and don’t eat on the run. Eating slowly signals to your gut that food is coming, stimulating enzymes and improving digestion.

See Me To Optimise Your Gut Health

From a holistic perspective, the treatment of all diseases must start with healing the gut. Most people who present to the clinic have gut issues. They may have other problems as well, which may seem unrelated to the gut.

Some people get better quickly with some fine tuning of their food timing and choices. A food and symptom diary is a great way to begin this “detective” work.

Many people will need specialised gut tests for gut health and function. These may include the latest microbiological and genetic DNA stool tests to assess both “good” and “bad” bacteria, yeasts and parasites. Breath Testing for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is another useful test.

Sorting out general health issues including uncomfortable gut symptoms is best done with a tailored treatment plan to address all the key aspects of your health, so you can feel your best!

Adequate Zinc levels are vital to keep you healthy…

Zinc- can’t live without it.

Practitioners trained in functional and nutritional medicine have been prescribing zinc to help prevent and / or treat viral infections for many years. They have also found that most people with a poor sense of taste or smell recover with zinc supplementation.

Coronavirus symptoms

Common Covid-19 symptoms include:

Fever

Tiredness

Dry cough.

Shortness of breath

Aches and pains

Sore throat

What about loss of smell and taste?

There is currently debate about whether a loss of smell and taste should be added to the current list of coronavirus symptoms.

A leading Australian ear, nose and throat surgeon has warned widely reported symptoms of loss of taste and smell in COVID-19 cases may linger long after some patients have recovered from the virus.

A growing body of scientific literature identifies anosmia and dysgeusia — the loss of smell and a diminished sense of taste — as coronavirus symptoms, alone or in conjunction with other symptoms

Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient known to play a central role in the immune system. This includes regulation of lymphocytes and generating both innate and acquired (humoral) antiviral responses. Zinc is required for normal development and function of neutrophils and natural killer cells.

People with zinc deficiency are at risk of reduced smell and taste, as well as increased viral infections.

It is therefore not surprising that loss of smell and taste are symptoms of Coronavirus infections.

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Zinc is Essential For Health

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You may currently take zinc when you have a cold or flu.

However, did you know that your cells need zinc on a daily basis? The adult body contains approximately 2.0 to 3.0 g of zinc, mostly stored inside your cells. Zinc has far-reaching actions which affect the health of your whole body.

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Are Your Zinc Levels Low?

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If you experience any of the following symptoms, your zinc levels may be low:

Recurrent colds, flus and/or infections;

Reduced sense of taste and/or smell (anosmia);

Poor appetite,

Sluggish digestion;

Slow growth and development;

Slow healing, acne and other skin conditions;

Infertility;

Sugar cravings;

Stress, anxiety, and depression.

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The Low Down on Zinc Deficiency

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Many people are deficient in zinc.

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, 35% to 45% of adults 60 years of age or older had zinc intakes below the estimated average requirement of 6.8 mg/day for elderly females and 9.4 mg/day for elderly males.

Older adults are especially affected by changes in taste sensations because of age-related gustatory dysfunction, use of multiple medications and increased frailty.

Inadequate dietary intake, increased physiological needs, or a diet high in sugar or alcohol and profuse sweating are common causes of zinc deficiency.

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Testing Your Zinc Levels

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Zinc levels can easily be tested with a blood test or a Hair Mineral Tissue Analysis (HTMA). The latter has the added bonus of measuring multiple different nutritional minerals including copper.

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Nourishing Your Body from A to Zinc

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Zinc protects your cells from free radical damage, providing antioxidant defence. Zinc’s actions include supporting healthy immunity, and improving appetite and digestive function.

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Its ability to increase the healing rate of acne and wounds makes it indispensable for skin health.

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Zinc also plays a key role in blood sugar metabolism, for greater blood sugar control.

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Zinc aids growth and development, and is an important nutrient during pregnancy for both mother and baby.

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Zinc is also important for male health, fertility and sperm production, increasing sperm motility and concentration, production, increasing sperm motility and concentration, therefore enhancing the chances of conception.

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Zinc is found in high concentrations in the hippocampus area of the brain which controls thought and memory.

Recent research has shown zinc to be good for the brain, reducing stress and having a positive impact on mental function and mood.

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You Don’t Just Have to Eat Oysters!

You can top up your zinc levels by increasing the intake of Zinc rich foods:

Oysters are a rich source of zinc and a popular aphrodisiac, but if you are not a fan you can choose from beef, pork, chicken, lamb or fish as they all contain zinc.

Plant based sources of zinc include nuts, whole grains, legumes, yeast and ginger.

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Zinc Supplements

If you need more zinc, talk to me about choosing a well absorbed form of zinc that will best target and meet your needs. This is especially true for people with Krytopyrrole Disorder or Mauve Factor Disease.

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Telehealth

Telehealth consultations are the new way for medical consultations and are now available. Contact Reception to book.

This blog discusses 7 warning signs of dehydration and 3 benefits of drinking water. Click below to read more.

You’re trapped in the desert, it’s 40 degrees and the sun is beaming down on you. You’re dripping with sweat, your mouth is dry and you’re dreaming of a nice cold glass of refreshing water. This is the usual image people conjure up when thinking about dehydration.

Dehydration can occur in hot or cold weather, when you play an intense game of sport and even on days where you do very little. Every day your body loses water through urine and sweat but many people are losing more water than they are drinking.

Logically, when you think about the fact that you probably spent around 8 hours asleep under warm blankets without a drink of water, it’s probably a good idea to start your day with a glass of water. And yet, it’s something very few people do.

But I drink!

It’s true, people do love to drink! However, the question isn’t whether you drink but WHAT you drink. You see, not all drinks are made equally.

Caffeinated drinks such as tea, coffee and energy drinks are diuretics which means they actually make you MORE dehydrated instead of helping to rehydrate you. In the same way, have you ever noticed how sugary sodas, fruit juices and other sweetened drinks leave you still feeling thirsty?

So how do I tell if I might be dehydrated?

Below is a list of seven of the most common symptoms that can suggest your body is dehydrated:

1. Constantly feeling thirsty

2. Dry, cracked or dull skin

3. Dark coloured urine

4. Fatigue and/or mood swings

5. Digestive disturbances such as heartburn and constipation

6. Confusion or anxiety

7. Back or joint aches

Not sure if the symptoms are related to dehydration?

One thing that I noticed is that if you never find yourself feeling thirsty, your body is likely chronically dehydrated. If this is the case you may want to seriously consider sitting a bottle of water at your desk and sipping 1-2 litres over the day. Gradually you should start to hydrate your body and thirst will return while symptoms like those listed above will disappear.

Another way to work out just how badly dehydrated you are is to take note of how many times you go to the bathroom and the colour of your urine. Frequent bathroom breaks and pale urine are usually good signs that your body is well hydrated!

3 great reasons to start your day with a glass of water

1) Detoxification

Drinking water is one of the easiest ways to help your body to eliminate toxins. Whilst you sleep, your body is actually busy repairing and preparing for the next day. This means that in this time, lots of toxins are dragged out of cells, bad and old cells are killed and broken down and other waste materials are being temporarily stored until they can be eliminated.

Drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning helps your body to eliminate these toxins in a number of ways. The main way this is achieved is because it helps to clean out the colon which has the added benefit of making it easier for you to absorb vitamins and minerals from your breakfast. Another advantage is that it revs up the lymphatic system which is responsible for maintaining good immune function.

2) Improved digestion & weight loss

By starting the day with a glass of water, you gently wake up your digestive system before actually putting food in your stomach. This means that by the time you do sit down to breakfast your digestive system has already woken up so that it is better able to break down food and absorb nutrients.

When it comes to weight loss, a glass of water helps in two ways. Firstly, by drinking water, the water takes up space in your stomach meaning that you will feel fuller faster and physically won’t be able to fit as much food as you may otherwise have eaten. Secondly, in revving up your digestive system, it helps you to burn more energy more quickly. In fact, drinking just one glass of water first thing in the morning has been shown to fire up your metabolism by 24% for 90 minutes and to then continue to increase your calorie burning potential throughout the day.

3) Improved brain function

Since 75% of the brain is made up of water, dehydration means that you are more likely to feel flat and foggy. It’s one of the reasons why so many people feel like zombies for a good hour after waking and why many rely desperately on caffeine to give them a jump start. However, something as simple as a glass of water is the perfect way to wake your brain. Think of it kind of like a cold shower (but much more pleasant!). By boosting your water intake, you’ll feel more alert and focused, making it easier to think and jump straight into the day ahead.