Gut feeling a bit “off”?
There are a lot of ways that the body may show symptoms that digestion isn’t quite right, but some of the most common are constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, and heartburn. But there are quite a few other ways that gut health troubles can appear considering the gut is responsible for a whole host of processes that control mind & mood. If you haven’t heard of the gut-brain axis, you’re in for a real treat.
The National Institute of Health shares that “the gut-brain axis (GBA) consists of bidirectional communication between the central and the enteric nervous system, linking emotional and cognitive centers of the brain with peripheral intestinal functions. Recent advances in research have described the importance of gut microbiota in influencing these interactions. This interaction between microbiota and GBA appears to be bidirectional, namely through signaling from gut-microbiota to brain and from brain to gut-microbiota by means of neural, endocrine, immune, and humoral links.”
Constantly sick? Feel low? Having trouble with cravings or managing blood sugar? Hormones seemingly all over the place?
Might be the gut asking for support.
It’s challenging to even summarize all the ways in which we’re exposed to toxins and threats that compromise our gut, as they’ve become so mainstream and nearly impossible to avoid if you’re a somewhat standard participant in society. So what do we do? We adapt. Lucky for us, our bodies are resilient and there are so many options we can look to in order to detox our bodies, heal our gut, and continue to fuel our microbiome in ways that support the entire system.
Rather than going too in-depth, this list of tips has a few easy tips to consider—aside from colonics, of course:
- Chew your food. Really truly, are you slowing down and making sure that you are chewing and present with each bite? This is STEP ONE of digestion, so set up the rest of the process for success by making sure that this is happening!
- Give yourself time to poop! If you are feeling constipated, ask yourself if you actually have time in your schedule before you rush out the door or between meetings and appointments. This may sound silly, but your gut may not feel like it has time to eliminate it. Ever heard of stage fright? It’s not just for bladders and actual performers…it’s for colons under time crunches, too.
- Supplement: aloe, SBI Protect, Reacted Magnesium and Ion Biome (all available at VIVA wellness) are a few of our favorites for their ability to strengthen and repair the gut vs. make it dependent on the supplements themselves.
- Nourish: bone broth and fiber are two foods that help support the gut in their natural form (in different ways of course.) Eat less of the things that repeatedly make you feel icky. Bone broth helps support the gut by being full of amino acids, the building blocks of protein—that’s a fancy way of saying it puts band-aids all over your insides.
- Use a stool (like a Squatty Potty) to elevate your feet while you’re pooping! Our colon can evacuate easier when our knees are higher. In hunter-gatherer days, we did not lean on trees for our BMs, we fully squatted down.
- IM Injection: Vitamin D and its nuclear receptor (VDR) regulate intestinal barrier integrity, and control innate and adaptive immunity in the gut. This helps your gut with anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects.
Of course every gut is unique, but these are some of the tried and true! Book your intro colonic or contact us via the site to chat about your unique concerns.
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