Tag: gut health

Why a Stool Test Can Change Your Life

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Do you want to finally understand the root cause of your digestive issues? Perhaps chronic inflammation or autoimmune disease, maybe even anxiety or depression? If so, please join me in diving into why a stool test can be so valuable in helping you understand why you’re not feeling so well.

In this blog, we’ll explore the incredible insights stool analysis can offer, how it can help uncover hidden factors contributing to your health issues, and why it’s an essential tool in my practice. Join me on this journey to better understand your body and reclaim your health.

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The Importance of Stool Analysis

You might be thinking, ‘Why on Earth would I do a stool test?’ Well, if you are like most of my patients, you are experiencing some kind of chronic health condition. That could be as simple as dry, itchy skin, or swelling in your hands, or arthritis. It may also be chronic digestive issues— your bowels are very irregular—or you have an autoimmune disease, or you have anxiety or depression.

The stool test is a great avenue to understand in depth what is happening in your microbiome, which is directly connected to your brain through the gut-brain axis—our bidirectional two-way communication. So, when we can begin to look at exactly what’s happening, which I will get into detail about, we can have a very systematic approach to addressing the root causes of why some things might be happening to you.

What to Look For in a Stool Test

So, what are we looking for in a stool test? The first thing that’s really important is that we always want to pair any testing, any special testing or labs, with your clinical presentation. So, it really is important to understand what you’re experiencing day to day, moment to moment, and how these things correlate with your stool test. As I said, we want to do that with every clinical lab value.

Pathogens and Infections

Now, when we’re looking at this, we are first looking at pathogens. So, we might have something like C. difficile or E. coli or a parasite like Giardia. All of these things could pop up. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you had E. coli yesterday, but if the numbers are elevated and they’re out of range, that could mean you have a chronic colonization for it. So, if you were exposed to it, you could actually get it very easily. If there was something like Giardia, which is a parasite that can destroy the microvilli of the intestine like Celiac can, that is really high priority. That’s something that would need to be treated.

H. pylori and Commensal Bacteria

Next, we look at H. pylori. So, H. pylori is an infection that occurs in the stomach. It is a bacterial infection. It is a gram-negative bacteria, and this is present in 50% of the population. So, literally, one in two stool tests I see, someone has H. pylori. Normally, if they have it, then their significant others should also be tested and/or treated for it because it is highly transmissible.

Opportunistic Bacteria and Dysbiosis

Then, we look at your commensal bacteria. We often hear about this as your beneficial bacteria. So, in this case, we can get a really nice profile of what is happening. Now, we often think, ‘Well, we want a lot of really beneficial good bacteria,’ but actually, we want it in a healthy range. We don’t want them too low. We don’t want them too high. This is because either one of those extremes can cause issues. 

Then, we look at the opportunistic bacteria. So, this is a bacteria that can be problematic, and it can cause or be linked to inflammation and autoimmune disease. It can also be linked to things like histamine intolerance.

Small Intestinal Health and Yeast Overgrowth

We can also see small intestine patterns. So, we’re referring to the stool test; we’re looking at the large intestine, but we can see patterns that may present as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, which can warrant further testing or monitoring of diet. We can also see if there’s a yeast overgrowth. 

Some signs of that may be things like chronic fungus in your toenail that’s not dissolving. Maybe you have a history of vaginal yeast infections. Maybe you have thrush in your mouth.

Assessing Overall Intestinal Health

The last segment of the stool test is where we can really look at your overall intestinal health. This is really, really valuable because we can look to see how you’re digesting food. So, your steatocrit is a measure of fat. Is the fat in the stool high, which means that you’re having a malabsorption of fat?

Addressing Issues

So, how do you go about addressing all of that? I see really complicated cases and very complicated stool tests. 

What I love about the stool test is that you can prioritize and make a systematic approach to it. What I found works well for my patients because a lot of times they’re coming from other providers where they’re taking tons of supplements and they’re overwhelmed by everything, or they don’t want to take that much, or they’re just overwhelmed in general with the process.

So, what I really like to do is look at the stool test, prioritize what is a pathogen, what is an infection, what needs to be treated right away, and break it up into phases for each patient. 

For one patient, it might be one, I’d call it gut healing phase one or phase two; for another patient, it might be four; for another patient, it might be three. So, it could just really depend on how complicated your case is, how many supplements you’re able to take or not able to take.

I really try to do one to two at a time that might be related to a specific treatment, and that really works well emotionally, mentally, and physically for most patients. 

Key Takeaways

So, the great thing about it is that it’s objective data, and you can really organize it in a fashion to improve your symptoms slowly over time.

I could give you countless stories of how that has happened with patients, and it is one of the most profound tests you can do to optimize your health. Personally, I love doing it as a preventative measure. So, coming from gut issues after cancer, I really began to dive into stool testing regularly to keep making sure that I’m addressing things if they come up. So, that’s what happens with our world and our environment.

If this was helpful, please give it a like, give it a share, and, of course, subscribe to our YouTube channel, the Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement. Our goal is to help you live your best life, heal, transform, and, more importantly, thrive.

If you need help more individually, please reach out for a discovery session. We would love the opportunity to help you in any of these areas. And in addition to that, you can feel free to join our app, the Movement Paradigm. We have monthly challenges, live Q&As, and an amazing community, all geared toward whole-body health. So hope to see you there!

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Gut Health and Chronic Pain: Strategies for a Pain-Free Life

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Are you experiencing chronic pain? Perhaps you’ve been to pain management doctors or health professionals, and you can’t seem to resolve this chronic pain that is deeply affecting the quality of your life.

We have seen so many people come into our clinic with chronic pain, and I think that it’s important for you to understand if you are experiencing this — how your gut plays such an important role in not only why pain is happening but how to improve it. So today, we’re going to take a deep dive into talking about chronic pain and gut health and pain-free strategies for your life.

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Understanding chronic pain

Chronic pain is technically defined as pain lasting over 3 to 6 months. Now, if we have acute pain, let’s say, for example, an ankle sprain. You step off a curb and roll your ankle, and you experience an acute response, which is your natural defense and repair mechanism. White blood cells rush to the area, and there is increased blood flow. This results in swelling, pain, and possibly redness.

This is a normal response, precisely what our system is supposed to do. However, in the case of chronic pain, there is no obvious tissue damage at this point. For instance, with an ankle sprain, you would typically have damaged the ligament in the ankle. In that case, there was actual tissue damage that occurred. When we experience chronic pain, there is no actual tissue damage. Nevertheless, our brain continues to perceive this pain. It keeps telling us that there’s still pain and that something needs to be resolved.

We can experience a variety of chronic pain conditions. For instance, arthritis, including osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, can lead to ongoing inflammation, resulting in chronic pain. The keyword here is inflammation. Whether it’s autoimmune in nature or osteoarthritis, it involves inflammation. It’s essential to recognize the role of inflammation in chronic pain.

Another example is fibromyalgia, which can cause widespread musculoskeletal pain, along with issues like sleep disorders, memory problems, and mood disorders. 

Additionally, we can have conditions like allodynia, where there is an increased sensitivity to pain. Think of this as hypersensitivity; for example, when something lightly touches your skin, it shouldn’t theoretically cause pain, but it can trigger an exaggerated response from the nervous system. 

In essence, when considering pain, we should focus on how our nervous system processes it. As I mentioned, we have acute pain and chronic pain. Chronic pain is unique because it involves sensitization of the nervous system, which continues to perceive pain even after the tissues have healed.

Gut’s role in pain

Now, let’s discuss the role of the gut in pain. As I mentioned earlier, inflammation is closely tied to our natural defense and repair mechanism, which is crucial for maintaining our overall well-being. Our immune system is performing the necessary functions.

Consider the gut and the microbiome, where we have over 400 million different bacteria residing. These bacteria play protective roles in our immune health and immune modulation. They also contribute to the synthesis of neurotransmitters and play a vital role in digestion and nutrient metabolism. Moreover, they affect the effectiveness of therapeutics, medications, supplements, and various other bodily functions.

It’s worth noting that the gut comprises 70% of our immune system, thanks to the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). This specific lymphoid tissue has a profound impact on our entire immune system, making it incredibly powerful.

If we have any type of gut dysregulation, such as dysbiosis (an imbalance of bacteria), SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), leaky gut, i.e., intestinal permeability, parasites, or poor digestion, this can lead to a whole host of problems, pain being one of them! If we have poor intestinal health, for example, we may not be absorbing our nutrients properly. This can lead to micronutrient deficiencies and even macronutrient deficiencies, and so on. Therefore, the gut plays a massive role in chronic pain. In every patient I’ve ever worked with who has chronic pain and inflammation, we consistently see, time and time again, with stool tests, that the gut plays a huge role in their pain.

When you’re really trying to uncover some of the underlying causes of your chronic pain, you do want to look at specific testing. This could include stool testing and examining specific inflammatory markers, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, homocysteine, and sedimentation rate. There are really specific things that we can look at to get a better picture of this chronic pain and inflammatory cycle. Once you’ve done that and have more information, you can also explore things like a micronutrient panel to understand where you or someone you love might be deficient. 

Pain management strategies you can use

Here are some pain relief strategies you can use by addressing your gut.

1. Address your nutrient intake

This seems the most obvious, but addressing your nutrient intake is just the beginning. Are you eating a diet that is whole foods and high in fiber to enhance the diversity of your microbiome? Having a diverse and fiber-rich diet can be one of the most helpful things for your microbiome. You can also focus on consuming different colors and nutrients. We often say, “Eat a rainbow,” and that’s not just art; it’s also science. Eating a variety of colors provides you with nutrients, phytonutrients, and antioxidants that can help mitigate oxidative stress, which, in turn, helps reduce ongoing inflammation that might be contributing to your chronic pain.

Herbs and spices can be powerful additions to your diet. Consider incorporating items like turmeric, ginger, cloves, and rosemary. You can either add them to your meals or take them in supplement form. Depending on what you discover from potential stool tests or a more in-depth examination, you may want to consider a specific gut protocol to address any underlying infections, dysbiosis, or inflammation that may be occurring in the gut.

2. Consuming essential rich fatty acids

Omega-3s, mainly found in fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, play a significant role in healing, not only in reducing inflammation but also in supporting membrane health and mitochondrial function.

3. Movement

You should approach movement from a graded perspective, meaning that doing too much too soon can set you back. Movement can positively impact our digestive system, nervous system, and mitochondria, making it one of the most powerful ways to influence chronic pain. However, it must be purposeful and gradual. For example, if you’re starting to walk, don’t jump into walking for an hour. Begin with 5 to 10 minutes and gradually increase the duration as you gain confidence, feel good, and allow your tissues to adapt to the new stressor.

4. Nervous system

Lastly, let’s not forget about your nervous system. There are various ways to address your nervous system, such as through walking, hugging a friend, participating in yoga classes, or engaging in movement. Understanding chronic pain and how to address it definitely involves addressing the nervous system. If you have a history of trauma, you can check out my recent blog on that, as it’s also an important factor to consider. When dealing with ongoing stressors, it’s not necessarily about eliminating stress but rather learning how to navigate through stress. Addressing your nervous system is a top priority when it comes to healing your pain.

Key takeaway 

I hope you can appreciate the significant role of your gut health in your chronic pain. It’s important to understand that you can take actionable steps to alleviate your pain. Yes, it might be challenging, and yes, it’s a journey, but there are things you can do to initiate the process. 

Even if you can’t perform stool testing or any testing, start with some of the steps I mentioned about optimizing your nutrition and movement, nurturing your nervous system, and improving your sleep. These actions can truly begin to transform your gut microbiome, restore your body’s balance (homeostasis), and kickstart your journey toward healing from your pain.

If you found this information helpful, please be sure to give it a like, share it with others, leave a comment below, and, of course, subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm®, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement. If you’re looking for personalized guidance on your journey and feel that you need an individualized approach, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We would welcome the opportunity to assist you.

If you’re interested in accessing a wide range of programs, including those on nutrition, somatics, and vagus nerve exercises, as well as movement programs to help you optimize your overall wellness, consider checking out our app, The Movement Paradigm, available on both Apple and Google platforms.

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Recipe for success: 7 ways to improve your gut and mental well being

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Are you ready to embark on a transformative journey towards optimal well-being? If you’re eager to feel your absolute best, you’re in the right place! In this blog post, we’re about to unveil seven incredibly effective strategies to improve your gut and mental well-being.

From dietary advice to physical activities, consider this your comprehensive guide to achieving a healthier, happier you! So, let’s dive right in and explore the recipe for success when it comes to nurturing your gut and your mind.

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The gut-brain connection

Now, many of you have heard me speak about this before, which is how powerful the gut-brain connection really is. What we are fueling our body with, what we’re putting in day in and day out, is directly affecting our brain, thoughts, emotions, and the ability to regulate our nervous system. It is directly affecting our gut. 

This beautiful relationship is something that we can optimize through some of our daily habits, our choices, and recognizing what are the things that are going to help our overall emotional, mental, and physical well-being.

7 ways to improve your gut and mental well being

1. Optimizing digestion

Consider taking three diaphragmatic breaths right before you eat. This is because when we bring blood flow to the autonomic nervous system and the digestive tract during our meals, we optimize our digestive capabilities.

If you’re multitasking, like looking at your computer, checking our phone, or while eating, this increases cortisol levels and diverts blood flow away from the digestive tract, slowing down our digestive process. So, if we can take at least three breaths before we eat, or even more, we bring ourselves to a parasympathetic state, promoting ‘rest and digest.’

In addition to that, chewing your food 20 to 30 times can significantly help with the mechanical breakdown of food. This process begins in our mouth, where our saliva releases enzymes to break down the food. 

Chewing also signals the body to prepare for digestion, optimizing the production of bile, pancreatic enzymes, and hydrochloric acid. This way, we can break down the food into very fine particles before it reaches the small intestine. 

2. Balancing your nervous system

There are so many ways to balance your nervous system, and if you follow any of our videos and our content, you’ll realize that there are endless possibilities. So much of it is about finding what most resonates with you. It could be anything from diaphragmatic breathing, walking, getting out into nature, doing specific vagus nerve exercises, dancing, engaging in authentic movement, or somatic movement where you can freely express your emotions. It could even be as simple as talking to a friend.

There are lots of ways to balance your nervous system, but it starts with recognizing which nervous system state you’re in. Are you in a state of safety and connection, are you in fight or flight, or are you in a freeze state? Once you can identify your current state, you can then choose what you can do to become more resilient and bring yourself back to that state of safety and connection, allowing you to better navigate life’s challenges.

3. Movement and exercise 

This can actually help with the diversity in our microbiome, which can ultimately be very protective against conditions like colon cancer and gastrointestinal diseases. Making movement a priority in your life is crucial. This could mean walking, lifting, or running, but it’s important to think about exercise and movement in a specific way.

In my world, they’re a little different because we want to think about moving all day long. Our bodies crave movement, and that’s what we need for a healthy nervous system and a healthy gut. If we can view movement as a gift that we’re nourishing and appreciating, and exercise as a way to push our bodies outside of their comfort zones, taking them a bit past what they’re used to so they can adapt, change, grow, and evolve.

4. Probiotic and prebiotic-rich foods

The way to think of this is that if you are relatively healthy, without any obvious digestive issues, it’s likely easy for you to incorporate probiotic-rich foods. These include items like kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and foods with active live cultures, and perhaps even a probiotic supplement.

Now, if you have gut issues and you’re not sure what they are, it can be especially beneficial to consider a stool test to identify the specific issues. Many people with gut problems find that probiotics are not well tolerated, especially if there’s something going on in the small intestine like SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth). In such cases, probiotics might not be the first step to take.

However, when we think about general health and well-being, including mental health, probiotic-rich foods are great. When considering psychobiotics, which are specific strains related to mental health, lactobacillus and bifidobacterium are the two most common strains you’ll find in a probiotic supplement. These strains can be particularly beneficial for mental health, and there has been a lot of promising research on them.

Additionally, we want to think about prebiotic foods, such as bananas, garlic, and onions. These foods can be thought of as the fiber sources that probiotics feed on.

5. Anti-inflammatory foods

We should also consider factors like Omega-3s, increasing our intake through fatty fish, as well as foods like walnuts and flax seeds. Simultaneously, it might be beneficial to decrease some of our Omega-6s, which can be found in higher-fat foods, such as seed oils that are often present in packaged foods. The goal here is to optimize our intake of anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Anti-inflammatory nutrients can be thought of as Omega-3s, but also include phytonutrient-rich foods. A great way to approach this is to incorporate a variety of colorful foods into your diet. Think of all the different colors – reds, blues, yellows, etc. Each color provides different nutrients that can help support our biochemistry and promote overall health.

6. Fiber-rich environment

Fiber is incredibly important for maintaining a healthy microbiome. We should aim for at least 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day, although the specific amount can depend on your diet and individual needs. What’s crucial is obtaining fiber from various sources. In this context, diversity in fiber sources is more important than simply meeting a daily fiber goal. It’s this diversity that helps beneficial bacteria thrive in your gut.

7. Specific nutrients

To get a bit more specific about certain nutrients, we can aim for foods rich in tryptophan, which is a precursor for serotonin, often referred to as our “happiness hormone.” These foods can include items like turkey and eggs.

Additionally, we can focus on tyrosine, a precursor for dopamine, which can be found in foods like meat or almonds. It’s important to recognize that specific nutrients like these play essential roles in neurotransmitter production, including serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. Proteins serve as the building blocks for these neurotransmitters, making a protein-rich diet a crucial aspect of maintaining their balance and functionality.

The Bottom Line

These are just seven of many strategies, but I hope they give you a good sense of the various possibilities we have to optimize the relationship between the gut and the brain.

If you found this information helpful, please like, share, and subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on mindset, nutrition, and movement. If you’d like to learn more about how we can assist you on your journey, please don’t hesitate to reach out for a discovery session. We look forward to helping you on your path to wellness.

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Pelvic floor–Gut Connection

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Did you know that your pelvic floor is directly linked to your gut health? Let’s talk about that important connection today.

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The connection between the gut and pelvic floor

Our gut is the opening from the mouth to the anus. Whether you are experiencing chronic constipation, diarrhea, or even a specific condition, like SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), leaky gut, SIFO (small intestinal fungal overgrowth), or large intestinal fungal overgrowth—all of these conditions are going to have a direct influence on your pelvic floor function. Conversely, any type of pelvic floor dysfunction will influence your gut health.

For example, if you have a tight pelvic floor, otherwise known as a hypertonic pelvic floor, it will likely contribute to chronic constipation. There are three key connections:

Ways the gut and pelvic floor are connected

1. Sphincters

The first connection includes the pelvic floor sphincters, an internal sphincter and external sphincter.

Think of the internal sphincter as our communication system, which signals to the brain that it is time to have a bowel movement. When we have chronic constipation, for instance, it affects the sphincter and thus disrupts this communication system. Therefore, we ultimately have to retrain our bowel habits to improve this communication.

We also have an external sphincter, which can be stimulated by mere wiping. If we are having excessive wiping when having a bowel movement, it will stimulate that sphincter to drop stool down through the rectum. The more that we do this, the more we are creating miscommunication and ultimately having to wipe more. This can commonly be associated with someone who has looser stools, potentially has dysbiosis or leaky gut, and is chronically wiping when they’re going to the bathroom to ensure they’re clean.

2. Pressure management

The next connection is essentially pushing, or we can also call this poor pressure management.

We want to think about pressure management for everything related to bowel movement and the pelvic floor. If you’ve ever gone to the bathroom, whether it was looser stools or firmer stools, and you are pushing or bearing down to release, you know exactly what I am referring to.  Unfortunately, this involves poor pressure management in our core and definitely within our pelvic floor. This can cause pelvic floor dysfunction.

It is important to manage pressure properly, and the exercise you can do is called “Belly big, belly hard.” When you feel like you’re about to have a bowel movement and you have the desire to push, try making a closed fist, breath in, and then blow into your fist with your cheeks puffing out for three seconds. Now, pull your fist away and keep breathing. You should feel like you’re able to excrete in a very natural and relaxed manner. We need the pelvic floor to relax to have a bowel movement.

3. Bowel mechanics

Finally, the last pelvic floor-gut connection is your bowel mechanics. This will go hand in hand with pressure management, so the Squatty Potty, for example, is a great way to improve your squat mechanics. You can also just elevate your feet, which will allow the stool to move easily into the rectum to be ultimately evacuated.

It’s important to optimize squat mechanics and biomechanics, to optimize pressure management, and to think about the role of your sphincter’s communication with your brain to positively influence your bowel habits and pelvic floor function.

This is just scratching the surface of all of the different connections between these two, but hopefully, it gives you an appreciation that if you have any kind of bowel issue, you absolutely need to address your pelvic floor and vice versa.

They go hand in hand, so if you really want to take the time to work with a professional, please make sure you reach out to us. We’d be more than happy to help you in your journey virtually or in person and really begin to uncover what issues may be affecting you on either side of things.

So, if you found this helpful, give it a like, give it a share. If you’d like to reach out to us for an appointment, please do that as well. Schedule your appointment here: https://p.bttr.to/3Qu7wRd.

Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, The Movement Paradigm, for weekly tips on

mindset, nutrition, and movement.

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Vagus Nerve Hack | Ileocecal Valve Release | Visceral Release

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

If you are experiencing any kind of gut issues like bloating, constipation, diarrhea, SIBO, leaky gut, or even upper GI issues like GERD then you should give this vagus nerve hack a try, the ileocecal valve release.

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What is the ileocecal valve?

The ileocecal valve connects the small intestine to the large intestine and prevents any backflow of nutrients and undigested food into the small intestine. The large intestine is where we have most of our beneficial bacteria. So, we don’t want to have a backflow of toxic material moving into the small intestine where it is not supposed to be. This can cause a whole host of issues such as SIBO or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. The small intestine is where we’re supposed to be absorbing the nutrients from our food. Issues around this ileocecal valve can typically cause a lot of tenderness around the area.

How does the vagus nerve fit into this?

The vagus nerve modulates digestion through the migrating motor complex. This migrating motor complex is located in our small intestine and helps to move things through towards the large intestine. It can also affect the ileocecal valve. In essence, the vagus nerve influences our small intestine and ileocecal valve. 

How do you perform the release? 

While lying down, find your hip bone. Then, orient yourself to your belly button. From those hip bones, move 1/3 of the way up towards your belly button and that is called McBurney’s point. When you get to that area, sink your fingers nice and easily into the tissue. First, assess to see if it is tender? Does it feel restrictive? Once you’ve assessed the tissue on your bare skin, gently compress the tissue inward and then traction the tissue up towards the belly button. Try to hold gently anywhere from two to four minutes. You may feel a decrease in tenderness and/or some motility. Sounds are common and normal. This is a great technique to do right before bed. Try to perform on a daily basis for eight weeks. 

Need help? Reach out for a 15-minute FREE discovery session to see how we can help you on your journey.

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Leaky Gut: The Root of Chronic Disease

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Did you know that leaky gut otherwise known as intestinal permeability has been researched for nearly 30 years and is one of the leading causes of chronic disease?

You may be wondering what is leaky gut? We have an epithelial lining of the gut mucosa which functions as a protective barrier. Simply put, it helps to get the good things in and keep the bad things out. 

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In this lining, we have tight junctions. These tight junctions are regulated by a protein called Zonulin and some other proteins. 

In a healthy gut, the tight junctions allow the nutrients to be absorbed by the small intestine but keep the toxins, pathogens, viruses, and bacteria’s out. 

When we have a leaky gut, these tight junctions are altered. Therefore, the pathogens, viruses, bacteria, and so on get into the bloodstream. Once this happens, our immune system is activated.  

Think of our immune system as the detection of strangers and dangers. Once these antigens from the bacteria are crossing into the bloodstream, then our B cells are activated which can in turn attack the body. That is why a leaky gut can cause knee osteoarthritis. It is creating this systemic inflammatory response. It can cause pain, swelling, and inflammation, whether that is localized to a joint or body part or more systemic. This is also what leads to autoimmune disease.

So what are some causes of leaky gut? 

–       Food triggers

–       Food sensitivities

–       Stress

–       Imbalance of the bacteria or bacterial overgrowth

–       Intestinal inflammation

–       Poor digestive sufficiency  (enzymes, low HCL, etc) 

–       Toxins

–       Nutrient deficiencies

–       Medications 

–       Many disease states

This ultimately can contribute to more food sensitivities, malabsorption, and uptake of lipopolysaccharide, which is an endotoxin. This is something that can cause significant disruption in the body. 

What to do if you’re not feeling your best

Whether you don’t feel your best or you’re dealing with some kind of chronic health condition, please know that this could be a possibility for you. Your first step is to reach out to a professional to be properly evaluated and treated. There is testing available, however is not always the most reliable.  We are happy to help you and would love to see you virtually or in person, so please reach out for any assistance. 

Leaky gut can be the root of so many chronic diseases whether it’s elevated cholesterol, osteoarthritis, or autoimmune disease. All of these things are related to systemic inflammation. Ninety percent of all chronic disease is linked to systemic or excessive inflammation. Please make sure that you are not just treating your symptoms and taking more medications which further contributes to intestinal permeability. Rather, seek the root cause. 

Reach out for a 15-minute FREE discovery session to see how we can help you on your journey.

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How Your Vagus Nerve Affects Your Gut Health

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Optimal vagus nerve function drives your digestion, assimilation, and elimination. Let’s discuss all the reasons and benefits as to why optimizing your vagus nerve function will help with your gut health.

We first want to remember that the vagus nerve is 80% of our parasympathetic nervous system. Think of this as our ‘rest and digest system.’ For us to have optimal digestion, we have to be in a calm and safe state.

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As we remember from the anatomy of the vagus nerve, it exits the brainstem, innervates muscles of the face, throat, and branches into the ear. It innervated the SA node of our heart and most importantly, it innervates our entire digestive tract. That is why it is so imperative that when we see gut motility and health issues, we want to look more closely at the vagus nerve.

For example, if someone is experiencing chronic stress or trauma, this may contribute to poor gastric motility and enzyme activity that ultimately leads to gut health issues.

8 Ways Vagus Nerve Is Involved In Your Digestion

We are going to discuss eight different ways that the vagus nerve is involved in your digestion. 

1) Upregulates Breakdown of Solids

The vagus nerve upregulates your mechanical breakdown of solid food. This is important because most of us are eating solid foods of course unless you have some kind of medical condition that warrants you to eat softer foods.

Being able to break down our food before it enters the entire digestive tract is important. Otherwise, we can have a whole host of symptoms from reflux, to bloating, flatulence, and so on. 

2) Stimulates Secretion of Saliva 

When food enters our mouth, that is our first step in the digestive process. We have our salivary glands that release salivary enzymes. This is helping to break down the food before it enters the esophagus. 

3) Stimulates Release of Digestive Enzymes and Bile

It stimulates your digestive enzymes coming from your pancreas as well as bile from your liver. These are very important in breaking down the food appropriately so it can continue to pass from the esophagus to the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine to be ultimately excreted. 

4) Allows for Accommodation of Food in Stomach

Optimal vagal tone allows for the proper accommodation of the food in the stomach. This is where hydrochloric acid and pepsin help to break down the food even further, especially our protein. 

5) Slows Gastric Emptying

This is important because we do not want the food to pass through the system too fast. Slow emptying will make sure we are getting proper absorption of the nutrients from the food that we are eating. 

6) Coordinates Motility of Intestines

When food comes into the small intestine, that is where we are absorbing our nutrients. Then the food has to pass through to the large intestine and ultimately excreted via the rectum.

Our migrating motor complex is very critical in the small intestine, which creates a wave-like action to help move the food through to the large intestine; this is an essential function that is dependent on the vagus nerve.

7) Decreases Inflammation and Intestinal Permeability  

Intestinal permeability is also referred to as leaky gut. When we do not have proper function of the vagus nerve, proper motility, and proper assimilation of the nutrients, these tight junctions in the epithelial lining of the gut lose their integrity.

This allows pathogens, toxins, undigested food, and bacteria to move through the bloodstream igniting the immune system causing an inflammatory response. This can cause a whole host of chronic health conditions. 

8) Increase Satiety

If you have optimal vagus nerve function and tone, you’ll be able to easily recognize when you are hungry and when you are full. When this is disrupted and you have a low vagal tone, often you will see this is difficult to determine. You may eat too much or you may not eat enough. This is a simple, but important, concept in terms of weight loss and overall health and performance. 

As you can see, the vagus nerve has a tremendous impact on our digestive system. It is innervating the entire digestive tract.

If you are experiencing chronic stress, low vagal tone, frustration, anger, worry, anxiety, or you’re in a freeze state, your gut health can be deeply affected. Many gut issues such as the leaky gut, IBS, and SIBO  are linked to some of the above. It is important to think of this from a global, integrated perspective.

In order to improve our gut health, we also have to improve our vagus nerve function. Please make sure you check out all my videos on vagus nerve hacks, so you can begin to regulate your own nervous system. 

Reach out for a 15-minute FREE discovery session to see how we can help you on your journey.

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How To Do An Elimination Diet

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Do you suffer from chronic allergies, eczema, or even some digestive issues that seem to be continually unresolved?

You’ve tried everything from topical creams for your skin, supplements, and more, but you just can’t seem to get to the underlying root cause of why you’re having a specific health condition. Perhaps you’re suffering from some other kind of health condition or autoimmune disease? Maybe you are suffering from MS, Parkinson’s, or other chronic health conditions, even things like diabetes and high cholesterol?

Performing an elimination diet, or even a modified elimination diet, can be a very powerful tool in uncovering some of the potential food triggers. Food triggers can be commonly overlooked as a potential driver for these specific health issues, so stay tuned for how to perform that. The elimination diet has been used for decades by allergists, functional medicine practitioners, and dietitians. 

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How To Do An Elimination Diet

Ninety percent of all chronic health conditions are associated with excessive or persistent inflammation. Food is one of our five potential inflammatory triggers. Here are the steps to an elimination diet.

1) Identify Current Potentially Inflammatory Foods

Let’s first identify what the potentially inflammatory foods are. These can be things such as gluten, dairy, corn, soy, peanuts, alcohol, sugar, processed meats, red meat, alcohol, shellfish, coffee, and/or chocolate. All of these things can be potentially inflammatory for you, but that doesn’t mean that every one of them is.

When you’re thinking about performing an elimination diet, the first step is to evaluate how many of those foods you’re eating daily. Now please note that there are other categories of foods. These include oxalates, histamines, nightshades, and even grains that all could be inflammatory for the individual person.

2) Prepare for Elimination

Now that you’ve identified how many of those foods you’re eating on a regular basis, the next step would be to begin to slowly transition out of some of those foods and into other anti-inflammatory foods.

Rather than just purely eliminating these foods, we want to think about optimizing our health with phytonutrient and antioxidant-rich foods. To prepare for the elimination diet, you should pick a start date, so that you have it on your calendar and you know exactly when you’re going to be starting this particular journey. 

3) Elimination

The elimination diet is performed for three weeks. That means you’re eliminating all of these foods for an entire three-week period, so that means 100% elimination of these foods.

4) Reintroduce

After you have performed the three-week elimination diet, now it is time to reintroduce. You will reintroduce one food at a time. You will reintroduce that food twice in one day. For example, if you were having dairy you would have yogurt in the morning and perhaps cheese at night. Then you would wait three full days after that, without having any more dairy or any of the other foods you’ve eliminated.

You’ll track all of your symptoms: digestive issues, sleep issues, urinary issues, skin issues, joint muscle pain, and any other symptom that comes up. This will tell you if any of these foods are an issue for you. It is important to recognize your symptoms don’t necessarily have to be immediately after you eat the food. 

What To Do After Performing An Elimination Diet

Now that you’ve performed the elimination diet and reintroduction process, you can begin to continue with one food at a time. This way, you can identify which food triggers you might have. What are the things that are causing your skin issues? What are the things that are causing your digestive system, and so on?

Now, there’s always a root cause beyond that. If you find yourself having many food triggers and you’re almost sensitive to all of them, then there’s most likely an underlying issue. That is something that is still going to need to be resolved because your immune system is hyperreactive.

In my opinion, it is also one of the simplest things that you could do. It gives you complete control and ownership over what you’re putting in your body and what is appropriate for you.

You can use this Food Reintroduction Tracker below:

Food Reintroduction Symptoms Tracker_v2

Reach out for a 15-minute FREE discovery session to see how we can help you on your journey.

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Chew Your Food To Heal Your Gut

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5 STEPS TO HEAL YOUR GUT

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Do you experience food sensitivities and triggers? Perhaps you might have been told that you have a leaky gut or SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)?

Maybe you just have chronic inflammation or a health condition and you’re not sure where to start with healing your gut? But, you know how important it is to heal your gut. So let’s dive into how you could do that.

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Our food supply has changed so much since the end of World War II and our agricultural industry is very different than it used to be. We have many more GMOs, herbicides, and pesticides that are used in our food. We also have much more processed food, and therefore that has greatly impacted the health of our microbiome.

In addition to that, we have more stress, more sugar, more antibiotics, a lack of sleep, and lots of caffeine. All of these things are attributing to systemic inflammation and poor gut health. Just one round of antibiotics can shift your microbiome forever.

5 R Approach to Heal Your Gut

1) Remove

We want to remove any potential triggers. This could look very different for each person but here are some examples. This could be doing an elimination diet to remove potentially inflammatory foods. It could also be a modified elimination, like removing gluten and dairy. It could include antibiotics, anti-microbials, or antifungals to eliminate some kind of infection like SIBO or yeast overgrowth.

Removing stressors if you are maintaining a high-stress lifestyle can be very important in your healing.  You can’t remove the stress of course, but you can begin to manage and reduce the stressors in your life.

Ideally, you want to have a health professional to help you during this process. They can assist you with looking at all things that are happening in your life: sleep, stress, movement, relationships, and social aspects.

2) Replace

 Now that we removed all of these potential triggers, you’ll want to replace them with proper nutrients and anti-inflammatory food, and phytonutrients. Maximize your fruits and vegetables, olive oil, and healthy fats, for example. This can also include supplementation as well.

As we get older our digestive enzyme activity begins to decrease. That can be one factor in some gut issues. Using supplementation to support you during this time can be very beneficial because many times you’re not absorbing the nutrients as you should, especially in the case of leaky gut or intestinal permeability.

The protective barrier of the epithelial lining in our gut becomes less protective and then pathogens can come into our bloodstream causing an immune reaction. When you have SIBO, you’re not absorbing the nutrients in the small intestine like you should be. These are just a few reasons why we might need supplementation.

3) Reinoculate

This can be with probiotics. Bifidobacterium and lactobacillus are two of the primary strains that could be very beneficial in contributing to this anti-inflammatory effect and increasing the diversity of the bacteria of the microbiome. You can supplement and then you can also work towards increasing fermented foods regularly in your diet. If you’re not able to consume a small amount regularly, ideally daily, then it may be best to supplement in addition to that. If you’re able to eat it on a regular basis, then that’s the best approach.

4) Repair

Specific nutrients, as well as medicinal herbs, have been very beneficial in healing the gut lining. Things like glutamine, 14 grams per day, have been very beneficial in healing the epithelial lining of the gut. Also, things like licorice, vitamin D, omegas, and much more can be given to begin to help repair the gut.

5) Rebalance

This is where you want to look at all the aspects of your life critically and make the appropriate lifestyle shifts to bring your body back into its most optimal state of wellbeing. 

You want to remember that this approach could look very different for each person. The timeline can look very different for each person as well.

Reach out for a 15-minute FREE discovery session to see how we can help you on your journey.

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Chew Your Food To Heal Your Gut

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Chew Your Food To Heal Your Gut

Posted on by Arianne Missimer

Do you experience bloating, digestive issues, constipation, diarrhea, and/or just don’t feel right after a meal? Did you know how important chewing is in your digestive process and how it could help heal your gut?

In order for us to have proper digestion, we have to be in a parasympathetic state; think rest and digest. If we are in a fight or flight mode, for example, our blood flow is moving away from our digestive system.

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Chewing is one of the things that actually helps calm the nervous system. That is one important aspect of why we want to chew our food very well before digesting it. The saliva that is produced in the salivary glands produces digestive enzymes, and these enzymes help break down the food in the mouth, and as it moves into the esophagus.

The first enzyme is called lingual lipase which helps break down our fats. The second is amylase which helps break down our starches. And the third is called lysozyme, which is an antibacterial enzyme. This is important for preventing dental cavities and other infections in the gums.

The more chewing that we do, the more salivary enzymes are released. This influences not only our autonomic nervous system because we need these specific cranial nerves for chewing and swallowing, but it’s also influencing the enteric nervous system, which is our gut. That is, in fact, its own nervous system.

So when this is happening, we’re getting an increase in smooth muscle contraction, intestinal secretions, the release of some of these enteric hormones, and dilation of blood vessels. It is very powerful when we begin the process of chewing thoroughly. 

5 Things You Can Do To Maximize Chewing

What are five different things you can do to maximize your chewing, and digestive process?

1) Breathe

Before you sit down to eat, try taking at least three diaphragmatic breaths. You want to think of calming your nervous system, bringing blood flow to this area, and bringing yourself to this parasympathetic state so that you can enhance your digestive process. 

2) Allow for at Least 30 Minutes of Meal Time

Give yourself plenty of time to be able to sit down, eat your meal, and enjoy the experience rather than rushing your meal. This will also prevent you from overeating because you’re giving your body enough time to tell the brain that you are full. 

3) Non-judgement

This is a mindfulness practice, but it’s also important for digestion. When we’re judging ourselves, our food, and the environment, unfortunately, we are typically not totally present, and we’re not being mindful of our food. That often takes us out of that parasympathetic state. So, encouraging a positive eating experience lends itself to optimal digestion. 

4) Avoid Water Before Meals

Drinking water before meals can dilute the stomach acids, so it optimizes our natural enzymatic activity. 

5) Chew 20-30 Times

Chew your food at least 20 to 30 times. In our Ayurvedic medicine, chewing at least 30 times has been extremely beneficial.

 If you’re thinking about healing your gut, start with chewing your food.

Reach out for a 15-minute FREE discovery session to see how we can help you on your journey.

For more content, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

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