Gut Health and the Microbiome – Health News from Rebecca Bolling of Veritas Integrative Medicine in Medford

Veritas Integrative Medicine is the new Direct Primary Care Practice with Rebecca Bolling, MSN, FNP-C. Board Certified Fellowship Trained Integrative Medicine Practitioner, in Medford.

“Guiding you towards optimal health, wellness and longevity with whole person medicine”.

 See our Website, Click Here. Call us at 541-842-9433

Maintaining a healthy digestive system is crucial to your overall health because pretty much everything goes back to our gut which is now referred to as our “second brain.”  

What we now know is that the human body is one BIG microbiome (microbes living on and in our bodies) and a healthy gut microbiome is essential to our immunity, metabolism, mental and cognitive health and various bodily functions as well as be a big trigger for chronic disease development. The human microbiome was extensively researched by the Human Microbiome Project in 2007 (NIH Study) and found that inflammation of the gut and the lack of diverse healthy bacteria may account for a host of inflammatory diseases. So, what we are saying is that “it all starts in the gut!”

Common digestive symptoms associated with an imbalance in your gut can include stomach upset, chronic heartburn, abdominal bloating, cramping, multiple food sensitivities, diarrhea and constipation etc. Many chronic digestive issues can be treated successfully with diet, supplements and lifestyle but some are more serious and need to be fully evaluated by your healthcare provider. If you have been evaluated by your healthcare clinician for your symptoms but still suffer with ongoing symptoms, what can you do?

Food Elimination diets: Food elimination diets can be quite helpful with many digestive issues to find out if a food(s) may be causing your symptoms. When embarking on a food elimination diet, it is recommended that you eliminate ONLY ONE FOOD group at a time and do it consistently for 2-3 weeks. Eliminating gluten, dairy, corn and soy are the most common foods to eliminate as many people often do not tolerate these. If common food elimination diets do not improve symptoms then perhaps a comprehensive food allergy test may be useful but food elimination diets are generally more useful than allergy testing.

Probiotics & Fiber: Probiotics play a supporting role in supporting “good bacteria diversity” in your gut and serves many important functions. However, not all probiotics are created equal and certain strains of probiotics work on certain types of gut problems but not others. For example, for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) type symptoms, both Culturelle or Align have been extensively studied and found to be helpful for many patients. There are even probiotic formulations for optimizing weight loss. One thing to keep in mind is that there are many probiotics on the market and a high quality one is as important as the right bacterial strain(s) for your condition. In addition to probiotics, fiber is critical for the “good bacteria” to grow and do their magic in your gut. Taking expensive probiotics (seed) without also consuming fiber is like buying expensive grass seed for your lawn and throwing in on the sidewalk instead of soil (fiber). Consume them together, they act synergistically!

Digestive Enzymes:  Some people do not have adequate digestive enzymes to digest their food and adding digestive enzymes can help with this. If your food is not well digested, it can ferment in your stomach and cause bloating, cramping and results in poor nutrient extraction. It can also result in an overgrowth of certain bacteria and disturb the microbiome balance that is critical to good health.          

Healing your gut:  Addressing leaky gut, gut permeability and intestinal motility issues can be a very important part of your journey back to health.  Many individuals have irritation and inflammation in their intestines for a myriad of reasons and respond well to a gut healing protocol which involves a personalized approach with a practitioner skilled in this area.  Doing a comprehensive stool test through one of the specialty labs like Diagnostic Solutions or Genova can be very useful in determining what aspect of your digestion needs healing and support. If you would like to explore your gut health in more detail and interested in doing a comprehensive stool test call Rebecca at 541.842.9433.

https://chriskresser.com/the-gut-microbiome/

Eating for a healthy Microbiome -click here to read

Rebecca Bolling’s Direct Primary Care (DPC) opportunity is open serving the Rogue Valley as Veritas Integrative Medicine Clinic (VIMC) in Medford. 

Rebecca Bolling, NP, owner of VIMC expanded her integrative medicine practice to include a DPC membership option as of March 2022.

To read more about her practice, please CLICK HERE

Call us today, ask any questions and learn more about how we can help you towards your optimal health.

Our phone number is 541-842-9433. Veritas Integrative Medicine, in Medford, Oregon.

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 8:30AM-5:00PM

Veritas Integrative Medicine
845 Alder Creek Drive
Medford, Oregon 97504

Phone: 541-842-9433
Fax:  541-842-9492

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www.VeritasIntegrativeMedicine.com

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