With each day that passes we learn more about the importance of our gut health in relation to our overall health and well being.  Our GI system is directly correlated to many systems in our body. When this is off it throws everything off leading to hormone disturbances, anxiety, depression, brain fog, skin conditions, food allergies and obviously lots of GI upset. Our gut has influence on nearly every system in our body to the list of symptoms goes on and on. In Functional medicine we use the 5 R system to heal and repair the gut. Remove, Replace , Reinoculate, Repair and Rebalance. 

Remove :

Includes removing foods and medications that may be irritating to the GI tract. The biggest culprits I see for intestinal inflammation are gluten, dairy and sugar . Other irritants include caffeine , alcohol, NSAIDS, antibiotics, antifungals, and Anti acids just to name a few. Start with eliminating these foods for several weeks, when you add them back watch for symptoms!

Pathogens: If you are thinking you may have a bacterial or yeast overgrowth get tested, don’t just try to treat it if you don’t know what you are dealing with. 

Replace:

Add back in the essential nutrients needed for proper break down and absorption of food such as digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid and bile acids. Ill talk about ways you can do this naturally and when to use supplementation. 

Reinoculate:

Restore beneficial bacteria by taking in prebiotic and probiotic foods or supplements that contain “good” bacteria. Prebiotic's feed good bacteria and can be supplemented by consuming high soluble fiber foods like oats, dandelion root, chicory, banana, onions and garlic. Ill discuss probiotics and how to get them from foods and when to supplements

Repair- 

When the GI tract is in a diseased state it lacks key nutrients that help repair its lining . By supplying these nutrients we can help the lining repair itself . My favorite supplement for this is L-Glutamine.  Aloe,DGL and marshmallow root can all help soothe the mucosal lining for individuals with a lot of irritation . Vitamins A,C and E and zinc all help repair the intestinal lining. Lastly collagen which is rich in amino acids can help further seal the intestines, repair damage, and build new tissue.

Rebalance:

This one is such a big topic that i didn't not even get into it in this episode. This includes paying attention to your lifestyle habits. Stress, sleep , and excessive exercise can all negatively impact your GI tract. Stay tuned for future episodes where we will get into self care ,stress and how you can evaluate the things in your life that may be adding unwanted stressors to your system 

Here are the products I love to start on your healing journey! Please message me @erininjects or on the FB group and I can help customize a plan for you , but this is where I would start!

https://ishoppurium.com?prods=4493756923976:1&giftcard=erinlynnewellness

Another favorite to support my microbiome http://beekeepersnaturals.com use code erinlynnewellness at checkout for discount and free shipping.

Heres a study on benefits of bee pollen on dysbiosis https://lipidworld.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12944-019-1150-0