Wellness From Inside Out
We are what we eat; But we also are how well we digest our food. We are also the balance of good versus bad bacteria in our body. We are also how strong our immune system is. We are also our stress levels. We are also how we exercise. The list goes on.
Lets focus on Digestive Health as that is Key to the Wellness process.
Your internal bio-terrain is unique to you; its like your WELLNESS DNA if you will. How healthy your GUT is determines how healthy you are.
Most disease stems from Inflammation – All lifestyle diseases like Diabetes, Cardiac Disease, All Autoimmune diseases, some cancers, Arthritis, Alzheimer's- the list goes on and on. And the source of most inflammation is your GUT. So it follows that a healthy GUT means Healthy YOU.
Imagine this:
The food you eat is broken down in your stomach into small particles that will then be absorbed by the small intestine. The stomach uses different enzymes and acids to do this- and we all have those enzymes and acids. However, each system is unique and so our individual balance of those enzymes and acids is different. What this essentially means is that I digest certain foods better and certain foods worse than you do.
This broken down food then goes into our small intestine where the nutrients are absorbed and the water and waste products then go through to the large intestine where water is absorbed and the waste product and toxins are expelled. This is what happens in a healthy digestive system.
However, if the food in the stomach is not broken down properly due to variations in digestive enzymes, low stomach acid, or very often because of food intolerances and allergies then larger particles of certain food pass into the small intestine along with the properly broken down smaller particles. These larger particles irritate the lining of the small intestine. This linings main job is to absorb the nutrients from the properly broken down particles of food. However, the larger particles begin to irritate the lining and overtime the tightly packed cells lining the small intestine begin to loosen and gaps begin to form in the small intestine lining. Now, these larger food particles can slip through the lining and enter our bloodstream. This creates a condition called LEAKY GUT.
Over 70% of our immune system is in our gut, and lies right on the other side of this intestinal lining. When it sees these larger particles which it doesn’t recognize- it sounds the warning button- and essentially causes an autoimmune reaction. An antibody is released by the immune system to fight this “invader” and this antibody binds itself to this food particle and expels it. Over time however, these particles and antibodies are not expelled efficiently anymore and go and lodge themselves in various different tissues and organs. This is the start of the INFLAMMATION process. And this inflammation is often silent.
By the time inflammation manifests in a reaction in the body it has often reached the chronic stage. And chronic inflammation is the precursor for most disease.
Hypothyroid or Hashimotos? Arthritis? Autoimmune conditions? PCOD or endometriosis? Spondylitis? Joint and muscle pain? Chronic Fatigue? Depression, anxiety? Mood-related disorders? Migraines, sinus issues? All these and more have their root in digestive health.
All the other key elements of wellness- stress levels, balance of bacteria, the health of your adrenals which determines hormone health and more – all are strongly linked to the health of your gut.
Wellness? Health? It truly means working from Inside out.
