The health of the digestive system<\/strong> is incredibly important to overall health. The whole body relies on the gut to digest and absorb nutrients for the rest of the body to use in order to grow, repair and to function optimally. <\/span><\/p>\n Any imbalance in the digestive system has greater effects on <\/span>brain health<\/a><\/strong>,<\/strong> inflammation, immunity, hormones, detoxification<\/a><\/strong> and total body wellness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is why I\u2019m always thinking about the gut<\/strong> when a patient comes to me with a health complaint or disease.<\/span><\/p>\n I am considering testing whether they are fully digesting their food and absorbing the nutrition that their body needs. I\u2019m wondering if something is going on in the gut to cause inflammation and symptoms, in the gut or elsewhere in the body since it is all connected. Essentially, I\u2019m looking to uncover their root cause (or causes) and gut health<\/strong> is frequently involved.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A Functional Medicine 5 R Program is an incredibly helpful framework for healing the gut and supporting a healthy and robust microbiome.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In this article, you will learn:<\/strong><\/p>\n Digestive symptoms are quite common, although they are likely underreported. Often with mild symptoms, someone may learn to live with it or chalk it up to aging. <\/span><\/p>\n For example, it is estimated that GERD,<\/strong> gastro-esophageal reflux disease, affects <\/span>18-28% of people in North America<\/a><\/strong> and that over-the-counter medications for digestive issues, including acid reflux, are among the top selling categories.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These statistics are staggering, especially because conventional medicine approaches digestive conditions by suppressing the symptoms- instead of asking the most important question in Functional Medicine: <\/strong><\/span>why?<\/i><\/strong>.<\/strong> In my view, these symptoms are powerful messages from the body that something is out of balance. And with so many suffering, it must have something to do with the way we are living.<\/span><\/p>\n In the initial appointment with a patient, I\u00a0 inquire about gas, bloating, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, frequency of bowel movements and other questions to\u00a0 assess digestion. Whereas many think these symptoms are normal, mild or just part of life, they don\u2019t have to be.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Interestingly, up to 50% people with <\/span>COVID-19<\/span><\/a> experience digestive symptoms<\/span><\/a>. This is a prime example of why investigating digestive symptoms<\/strong> is important instead of simply suppressing them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In addition, to experiencing symptom-free digestion, a robust microbiome<\/strong><\/a> is foundational for overall health and wellness. <\/span><\/p>\n The gut microbiome is the collection of bacteria, yeast, and other organisms that live inside the digestive tract. In a healthy microbiome, the probiotic,<\/strong> or beneficial bacteria, help to keep the opportunistic or pathogenic organisms in check. In an unbalanced system you might find low levels of beneficial bacteria and growth of pathogens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Imbalances in the microbiome<\/span><\/a>, or dysbiosis, are associated diseases including metabolic syndrome, asthma, allergies, obesity, immune issues, heart disease and autism. The microbiome is important for <\/span>growth and development<\/span><\/a> and affects <\/span>epigenetic expression<\/span><\/a> in the body. New research on the microbiome is continually supporting the idea that the microbiome has a huge influence on health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You might be wondering why so many have digestive symptoms of imbalances in their microbiome. Here is a list of common causes:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n With all of these contributing factors to digestive symptoms<\/strong>, dysfunction<\/strong> and dysbiosis<\/strong>, it\u2019s no surprise that gut issues affect many people and are quite often the root cause of health issues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Those who have digestive symptoms benefit from a gut healing protocol, such as the 5R approach<\/strong> I am about to discuss. <\/span><\/p>\n However, even if digestive symptoms aren\u2019t a major complaint, it is still worth looking at gut health when developing a treatment plan for many other conditions. <\/span><\/p>\n For example, <\/span>autoimmune disease<\/a><\/strong> always has a component of leaky gut.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here is a list of some of the conditions that may benefit from a gut healing approach:<\/strong><\/p>\n In my practice, I use Functional Medicine testing including comprehensive stool testing<\/strong>, to get a good picture of what is going on in the digestive tract as far as microbiome health, presence of any pathogens, inflammation and digestive function. <\/span><\/p>\n This testing allows me to personalize the 5R protocol for each patient.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Remove refers to removing anything that is irritating or damaging to the digestive system along with treating any infections.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With the remove phase we take out what is not needed and with the replace phase we add in what is missing for healthy digestive function. <\/span><\/p>\n This includes:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Repair and heal the lining of the digestive system and correct leaky gut. <\/span><\/p>\n Specific nutrients and herbs help support the repair stage:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
Digestive Symptoms\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
Dysbiosis<\/b><\/h2>\n
Causes Of Digestive Dysfunction And Dysbiosis<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Who Benefits From Gut Healing?<\/b><\/h2>\n
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The 5Rs \u2013 Gut Restoration Program<\/b><\/h2>\n
5R stands for: Remove, Replace, Reinoculate, Repair and Rebalance. <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Let\u2019s dive into each R now.<\/span><\/h3>\n
1. Remove<\/b><\/h2>\n
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2. Replace<\/b><\/h2>\n
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3. Repair<\/b><\/h2>\n
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