It’s natural to think that if your digestion is off, you’d know it. There would be pain and discomfort in your GI system or your BM’s wouldn’t be quite right. Right? It should be really direct. But, that isn’t always the case. Here are 7 symptoms that can all be related to gut health.
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Headaches and Migraines
Headaches and migraines usually follow a trigger of some kind and often that trigger is a food. In a study done by Dr. Jean Munro, looking at 282 patients with migraines, 100% had food allergies or sensitivities. The biggest culprits were wheat and dairy.
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Joint Pain
Joint pain and digestion can be related in two ways. The first is if you have food sensitivities but are not addressing it, then your body is constantly creating inflammation. Secondly, if your digestion is compromised, you aren’t breaking down and absorbing your nutrients appropriately and therefore not able to repair and maintain your joints as well as you could.
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Skin Rashes and Breakouts
The skin is often considered our ‘second liver’. When the liver is overwhelmed it will push toxins and cellular waste out through the skin. Whenever there are breakouts on the skin such as eczema or acne the first place to look is the liver. Everything you eat is broken down in the digestive tract and then sent directly to the liver for filtering. If food isn’t being broken down appropriately or you are eating foods you are sensitive to, this puts a large burden on the liver and then you see it through your skin.
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Fatigue
If your digestive system is impaired, your mitochondria are impaired. Pure and simple. You need to be able to appropriately break down your food to be able to make ATP, the fuel for your cells.
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Anemia
In order to convert ferric iron to ferrous iron, we need appropriate amounts of stomach acid. When we are under stress, of any kind, we produce less stomach acid and therefore will not be able to convert the iron nor absorb it.
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Osteopenia/Osteoporosis
Stomach acid is also a necessary component to break down and absorb calcium and all minerals needed for strong bones. If we aren’t able to break down and absorb our nutrients to rebuild and strengthen our bones, we will have brittle bones.
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Stubborn Weight Gain
If digestion is off, particularly leaky gut or an out of balance gut microbiome, then our body is battling more inflammation. More inflammation means more cortisol pumping through our body and no chance for that extra weight to go anywhere, regardless of how much you exercise or how little you eat.
Are you struggling with one of these issues? What have you tried to fix it? Have you addressed digestion? Would you like support in your healing journey?
This fall I’m offering a brand new program for my 1-on-1 clients that goes beyond just food and dives deeper into full body healing, tailored completely to your needs. Want to find out more? Contact me to set up a free 20-minute session to find out if this is a fit for you.