The road back to good health has to start somewhere… and that place is the gut.

Did you know that 60-70 million Americans are diagnosed every year with gut-related illness? They suffer from a host of symptoms from abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea to leaky gut, infections and bacterial overgrowth.

On top of these symptoms, there are more and more people reporting allergies and sensitivities to foods such as gluten, wheat, grains, nuts, dairy products, and GMO foods. Why the increase in reported cases and the need for so many restrictive diets?

When there are spikes and trends in illness and chronic health conditions, we must take pause and try to get to the root cause of why.

EVERYTHING you do… from what you eat to how you feel… has the power to shape your health destiny.

Unfortunately for most of us living a modern lifestyle, we come in contact daily with things that directly contribute to poor digestive health, gut irritation, and unhealthy gut flora:

• Diets low in healthy fats and fibers and high in refined carbohydrates, sugar and processed foods
• Diets low in prebiotic fibers, probiotics and fermented foods
• Dietary allergens (gluten, other grains, GMOs) that cause leaky gut and lead to inflammation
• Chronic stress whether it is emotional, mental or physical
• Poor sleep
• Antibiotics and other medications like NSAIDs
• Chronic infections like Candida and yeast.

All Health Starts in Your Gut!

Your digestive system or more commonly referred to as the “gut”, is a large system of interconnected organs that play an important part in overall health. The gut is a “top to bottom” system that includes your mouth, esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, gall bladder, small and large intestine. It is responsible for both digestion (breaking down food) and assimilation (taking in nutrients and using them in the body).

It is a myth that the stomach is where all digestion happens. It is actually your small intestine that does most of the actual digestive work.

The small intestine alone is about 20-23 feet long and when laid out flat, covers about the size of a tennis court! This large surface area is lined with a shag carpet of tiny villi and is perfect for absorbing digested food and nutrients.

The small intestine has the job of not only dissolving food, but it also acts as a gatekeeper allowing some nutrients to pass through its thin protective lining into the bloodstream while keeping others out.

The gut is also your largest immune organ and it has an important role to play in protecting the body from toxins and foreign invaders whether they come from the foods you eat or the outside environment.

And don’t forget that an important function of the gut is to get rid of the waste products you can’t use or are unhealthy for you.

As more and more research is telling us, if you want to address any chronic illness or prevent disease from taking hold in the body, you must start with a sound healthy gut and intestinal ecosystem.

Things Are Becoming Clearer

There is a real epidemic of chronic health conditions today that affect people from all walks of life. Unfortunately our modern health care doesn’t do a good job of addressing the root cause of why people are suffering and try to solve the problems before they evolve into heart disease, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and Cancer.

If you sift through the recent health research and trending data, it becomes obvious that your overall health, how you feel and act, and your ability to avoid chronic disease as you age, is in part dependent on the health of your gut and microbiome.

Your gut is where you process and assimilate not only food but also your thoughts and emotions and it’s called the 2^nd brain because of its link to your higher body functions. Most importantly, your gut is where you can go to deeply nourish and rejuvenate the entire body.

What the research is telling us is that your gut holds the key to lasting health and a healthy gut can reduce risk of chronic conditions later in life. So naturally, if you want to get relief from your poor gut health symptoms and take back your health… you have to address what is going on in your gut.

Connecting the Dots

But with the rise of gut health issues and autoimmune disease, you have to assume most doctors and people suffering from symptoms are not connecting the dots. In my practice many people arrive at my door with a variety of symptoms as well as a formal diagnosis and ideas about what is going on in their body. Most of them have been on a healing journey for many years and are simply frustrated by the lack of relief they feel from their symptoms in their every day lives.

So why is this happening and why are so many people suffering even though many of them do have some kind of access to healthcare?

The Gut-Health Remedy

Some things in life you can put off for a while… like getting a tune-up on your car, going to the dentist, fixing that leaky sink. But if you don’t take care of your health when your body is sending you warning signals or you continue to have chronic symptoms that won’t go away… then conditions will just get worse and the body suffers.

The most important step in healing and especially when solving the puzzle for chronic conditions like leaky gut, IBS, Colitis, and autoimmune diseases like RA, diabetes, Hashimoto’s, is to treat the condition and root causes not the symptoms in a holistic manner. This means connecting the dots between all the parts of your life e.g., diet, lifestyle, exercise, mind-body well-being, nutritionals, and good diagnostic testing.

Over the years I have come to learn that you have to have a few important ingredients to turn your poor gut health around:

• Discover your gut health bio-markers and health risks
• Understand the root causes of your symptoms
• Know what diet and foods are good for your gut
• Know the right supplements that give you relief
• Reduce stress around things you can control in your life
• Create and meet healthy goals in 90-Days or less so you can celebrate the wins

You can’t just do one of these things and get lasting health especially if you’ve been suffering from symptoms for a long time. It will be frustrating to try to orchestrate deep healing one piece of the puzzle at a time. So it’s key to find the right partners, support and programs that bring the whole YOU into focus.

Just To Recap the Most Common Gut Health Mistakes

• 60-70million Americans are diagnosed every year with gut health issues.
• The gut is your largest immune organ (70% of the immune system lives there).
• Your health and your ability to avoid chronic disease as you age, is dependent on the health of your gut and microbiome.
• Most people (including doctors) don’t know that gut health issues, especially a leaky gut, are at the heart of most chronic health conditions.
• Poor gut health and a leaky gut don’t just occur overnight, so patience is required if you’re going to reverse or totally eliminate years of symptoms.

Have YOU been frustrated about your gut health and getting your doctor to take you seriously about symptoms? Or maybe you’re just tired of taking toxic medication, acid-blockers, or being chained to the toilet. Here’s the remedy: my 8-week Gut Health Secrets Program. This program not only uncovers the root causes of why your not feeling well and performs diagnostic tests to evaluate key systems like the gut, brain, nervous, and microbiome… it ALSO provides a 90-day action plan to jump start your journey back to optimal health.

Disclaimer: the views and nutritional advice expressed in this publication are not intended to be a substitute for conventional medical advice. No information provided should be interpreted as a diagnosis of any disease, nor an attempt to treat or prevent or cure any disease or condition. All information in this publication is for educational purposes only and Aine-Marie and Advesta Health encourages its clients and members to continue to work in a partnership with qualified medical professional. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider or seek medical assistance. Reading, sharing, or downloading this publication does not establish a doctor patient relationship with Aine-Marie or any Advesta Health employee or consultant including any of our licensed health practitioners, coaches, dieticians or nutritionists.