Gut Health

Acid Reflux/GERD

Reflux is a very common condition and is strongly related to nutrition and poor lifestyle choices. Common triggers are stress, lack of exercise, obesity, pregnancy, alcohol, coffee and dietary triggers such as citrus fruit, tomatoes, garlic, onions, fatty food and mint ¹. A quick fix antacid or proton pump inhibitor (medication that stops acid production) is unfortunately not always advisable long term, as this can hinder the absorption of vitamins such as B12 and C and minerals magnesium, calcium, iron ², leading to bone fractures, dementia or gastric cancer ³.  

Stomach ulcer

This condition if often confused with GERD/reflux, however it is associated with the stomach only and can cause pain in the upper abdominal region 15-20 minutes following eating, nausea, vomiting, bloating, fullness, anaemia, weight loss, early satiety and bleeding in the stool. It is often associated with helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) infection, stress, alcohol, smoking, aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory use ⁴.  

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

IBS is a multifactorial condition associated with infections/enteritis, antibiotics, food intolerances, stress, gut-brain dysfunction, visceral hypersensitivity, small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), caeserian birth and formula feeding. It can lead to unwelcome symptoms such as gassiness, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal cramping & pain ⁵. Luckily, there is quite a lot one can do nutritionally and lifestyle-wise to support this condition and many functional tests to determine the cause, such as food intolerance testing, gut health and stool testing, where we can measure various inflammatory markers, pathogenic bacteria & yeast (such as H. pylori and candida albicans) and the SIBO breath test, which measures gasses released by potentially pathogenic bacteria. These are easy to use, at home test that we can arrange to have sent to you.

If you are looking for a natural way of support your gut health, book a free 15 minute discovery call or an in depth 1 hour initial consultation.