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Gut Health + Immunity
Your gut contains trillions of microbes including bacteria, fungi and viruses that are linked to a wide range of health benefits including improved digestion, immune system function and mental health.
Our holistic approach to gut health includes removing food triggers, providing plenty of nourishing food, fibre and prebiotics, probiotics and ensuring adequate sleep and relaxation to allow the gut to function optimally.
The food you eat not only influenced your own body's function but also feeds your gut bacteria. Great gut health begins with nourishing food, including removing inflammatory or allergenic foods from your diet.
Feeding the gut bacteria and encouraging gut microbiome diversity requires lots of fibre and prebiotics.
Where there are been significant depletion of the healthy gut bacteria such as Lactobacillus species, via repeat antibiotic exposure some people experience gut dysbiosis, an imbalance of gut bacteria where disease-promoting bacteria dominate the gut. In these situations probiotics can be useful.
There is a 2-way connection between gut and brain health known as the gut-brain connection. If you are experiencing stress, anxiety or depression this can have an effect on your gut function. Addressing these as well as your sleep can improve your gut health as well as your mental health.
Additionally having a great functioning gut is an important aspect of women's health as the gut microbiome is involved in hormone regulation, reducing inflammation and immune system regulation via an anti-inflammatory diet.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a cluster of symptoms often involving cramping, bloating with constipation and/or diarrhoea.
We work with clients to identify triggers such as food, stress, and medication history. We use the foundation of lifestyle medicine to establish health habits to reduce symptoms, establish a diverse, healthy microbiome and add in nutraceuticals and medications where needed.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an immune mediated inflammatory disease of the bowel and other systems in the body.
A plant-based diet is a powerful way to reduce inflammation, increase anti-oxidants and polyphenols and nutrients to heal the gut. Additionally we use lifestyle measures such as exercise to improve bone mineral density, immune response and psychological wellbeing.
Autoimmune disease
Autoimmune diseases are more common in societies that have transitioned to an industrialised western diet.
Improving gut health via a whole food diet improves immune health and lowers inflammation in the body. Autoimmune disorders that benefit from an integrative medicine approach include: autoimmune thyroid disease, multiple sclerosis, coeliac disease, rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis.
References
Chiba M, Ishii H, Komatsu M. Recommendation of plant-based diets for inflammatory bowel disease. Transl Pediatr. 2019 Jan;8(1):23-27.
Jiang Y, Jarr K, Layton C, et al. Therapeutic Implications of Diet in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Related Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases. Nutrients. 2021 Mar 10;13(3):890.
Chiba M, Nakane K, Komatsu M. Westernized Diet is the Most Ubiquitous Environmental Factor in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Perm J. 2019;23:18-107.
Grosse CSJ, Christophersen CT, Devine A, et al. The role of a plant-based diet in the pathogenesis, etiology and management of the inflammatory bowel diseases. Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020 Mar;14(3):137-145.
Narula N, Fedorak RN. Exercise and inflammatory bowel disease. Can J Gastroenterol. 2008 May;22(5):497-504.
Mazzucca CB, Raineri D, Cappellano G, Chiocchetti A. How to Tackle the Relationship between Autoimmune Diseases and Diet: Well Begun Is Half-Done. Nutrients. 2021 Nov 5;13(11):3956.