To improve our health we should first look to the gut.  Even if our digestion is good and we have no symptoms seemingly related to our gut and digestion, our gut is always our first priority in a healing protocol.  Hormones off?  Skin issues?  Not sleeping?  Weight problems?  Autoimmune?  All of these issues, and many more, come back to the gut.  In holistic approaches we want to get to the root of the problem so that we can really address it once and for all.  Yes, we can take bioidenticals, sleep aids, go on a diet, reduce inflammation…. But if we don’t know what is causing the inflammation and issue to begin with, we will only find ourselves repeating this cycle over and over.  How frustrating this is for us!  And we all know how it feels to make such a good effort and not see it rewarded.  So we beat ourselves up for not trying hard enough, not having enough willpower, or just not getting things right.  Maybe we buckle down and try harder, maybe we backslide a little and wonder why we try… and all the while we create more pressure on ourselves.  Sounds stressful right? All that stress means more inflammation, more problems, maybe even more symptoms!

So how do we stop this?  How do we get off this roller coaster and finally find our way to optimal living?  

We test!  We find out what is really happening inside our systems and what the health of our gut really is!  By testing we can get real results because we know what to address and how.  Our guts are full of tiny little bacteria that can make or break our health.  This little ecosystem is called our microbiome.  In an ideal world, our microbiome is full of beneficial bacteria that help us produce nutrients and promote proper use of those nutrients, balance pathogenic bacteria and microbes our body encounters, and keep our system as a whole working to the best of its ability.  But when that balance is disrupted, the door opens to inflammation, and illness and disease fill our paths.  

So what can disrupt our microbiome?  To name just a few…

• Stress!
• Poor diet!  
• Processed foods!
• Refined sugars!
• Environmental toxins!
• Alcohol!
• Certain medications!
• Injury!
• Antibiotics!
• Poor sleep!
• Food allergies and sensitivities!

It is important to begin to address and manage all of the above factors as best we can.  These are things that are (at least somewhat) in our control, so it is up to us to support healthy habits in any way we can.  And while this is critical to our well being, it is foundational work.  We also need to get in there and address our microbiome.  When I begin working with a client I start with the gut.  I work with a lab that offers in depth, quantitative gut health analysis so I can see exactly what needs to be done.  No more guessing, no more fruitless attempts.  

Correcting bacterial imbalances puts us back on the right path to health and healing.  Simply by addressing these imbalances we will likely see a reduction in our symptoms and experience improvements in our health.  And for those of us taking medication for our health concerns, balancing our gut health can make our medications even more effective.  For some this means coming off of medication completely, and for others it means we need less to achieve the results we want!   It is the opening we need to finally make real and lasting progress.  

If you have been struggling with some health issues for a while now, consider giving this a try.  You likely have arrived here having tried a number of ways to heal and found less than stellar results.  Well, it’s time for a change!  Introductory consults are always free, so contact me to find out more about my approach and what I can do for you.  If you are tired of guessing, let’s get started today!