Digestive Issues: An Integrative Approach

Our digestive system is a complex network crucial to our overall health. It breaks down our foods, extracts nutrients, and expels waste. But like any system in our body, it can encounter problems. Digestive issues can range from every day, occasional inconveniences to more severe, chronic conditions.

Common Digestive Issues

Some of the common digestive problems include:

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): A disorder causing abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel habits that always has a root cause.
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): Acid reflux is when stomach acid or bile irritates the food pipe lining or does not have enough acid, which creates the same symptoms.
• Gallstones: Hardened deposits in the gallbladder that can cause pain and other complications.
• Celiac Disease: An immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein in wheat, barley, and rye.
• Ulcerative Colitis & Crohn’s Disease: Inflammatory bowel diseases that affect the lining of the digestive tract.
• Gastritis: Inflammation of the stomach lining.
• Leaky Gut and or Dysbiosis: As a result of taking probiotics, NSAIDS like ibuprofen, cancer treatment, autoimmune disease treatments, steroids or stress.

Integrative Care Approach

In integrative care, we believe in a holistic approach to health, viewing the body as a whole rather than a collection of isolated systems. When it comes to digestive issues:

1. Personalized Assessment: Everyone is unique. We start with a comprehensive evaluation to understand the root cause of your digestive issues, including lifestyle, dietary habits, emotional health, and more. We may also use functional medicine gut testing.
2. Dietary Recommendations: Nutrition plays a central role in digestive health. Depending on the diagnosis, we suggest specific dietary changes, food eliminations, or the inclusion of probiotics and fermented foods to enhance gut health.
3. Lifestyle Modifications: Stress, lack of exercise, and poor sleep can exacerbate digestive problems. Integrative care often incorporates meditation, yoga, and sleep hygiene techniques.
4. Natural Supplements: There are a variety of natural supplements that can support digestive health, like digestive enzymes, L-glutamine, and herbs like slippery elm or marshmallow root.
5. Conventional Medicine: If needed, we incorporate traditional medical treatments, including medications or surgical interventions.
6. Mind-Body Connection: We consider the emotional and psychological aspects of health, exploring stressors and providing tools to manage stress, anxiety, or underlying passionate contributors to digestive issues.

What Patients Can Expect

1. Thorough Consultation: Your first visit will involve an in-depth consultation where we gather information about your health history, lifestyle, diet, and the specific issues you’re facing.
2. Tailored Treatment Plan: Based on your unique needs, we’ll develop a personalized plan that will include dietary adjustments, lifestyle recommendations, natural supplements, and other therapies.
3. Ongoing Support: Digestive health is an ongoing journey. We provide regular check-ups, adjustments to your treatment plan as needed, and support to ensure you’re on the path to optimal health.
4. Education and Empowerment: We believe in empowering our patients with knowledge. Expect to learn about your digestive system, the factors influencing its health, and the steps you can take to support it.

Remember, digestive health is foundational to overall well-being. We aim to address your issues’ symptoms and root causes through an integrative approach, guiding you toward lasting health and vitality.