“All disease begins in the gut.” --Hippocrates

Was Hippocrates right over 2,000 years ago? I would have to agree with him a majority of the time when it comes to chronic diseases. A healthy digestive system begins with excellent digestion so let’s go over some tips to help you improve your digestion naturally. Firstly, I’d like to briefly cover the reason why your digestion may be out of balance.

What causes bad digestion?

Eating very quickly while on the run and not completely focusing on your meal will result in poor digestion. You must be in a parasympathetic dominant state which is your “rest and digest” branch of your nervous system. Many people are sympathetic dominant when they eat which is the “fight or flight” branch of your nervous system.

Stress is a major cause of bad digestion which puts you in a sympathetic dominant state. When your sympathetic nervous is revved up, your body produces adrenaline which takes blood away from your stomach and lowers stomach acid so you won’t digest food very well. Sympathetic dominance also shuts down the gall bladder and the pancreas further impairing good digestion. Watching television, reading, texting, checking Facebook etc. while you’re eating will draw you out of your rest and digest state resulting in poor digestion.

Antibiotics are major cause of bad digestion and the more antibiotics you have taken in your life, the more likely you are to have digestive problems. Each time you take an antibiotic the bacteria in your gut change their genes to become resistant to antibiotics. Additionally, the bacteria will behave differently and will actually be out of balance for appoximately 13 months after a single round of antibiotics.

Birth control pills have been linked to Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Birth control pills deplete the body of many vital vitamins and minerals including folic acid, magnesium, and zinc that are important for gut health. The longer you have taken oral contraceptives, the more likely you are to develop gut problems.

Dental infections can cause bad digestion if you are constantly swallowing bad bacteria from the mouth. Proper oral hygeine is vital to improve your digestive health. Sinus infections can also be connected to bad digestion as these bacteria make their way down the back of the throat and are swallowed into the gut.

Antacid medications lower your natural production of stomach acid which will impair digestion. This leads to poorly digested food entering the small intestine which can increase inflammation, cause dysbiosis, and irritate the gall bladder and pancreas. Those who take antacids are at risk for developing many nutrient deficiences as well as infections in the gut. Stomach acid is absolutely vital for a healthy digestive tract so suppressing it can only cause problems in the long run. If you have heartburn the key is to figure out what is causing it rather than just suppressing acid levels.

Are there any conditions that cause bad digestion?

Helicobacter pylori is a bacteria in your stomach that overgrows when someone is under chronic stress resulting in low stomach acid, heartburn and poor digestion. This bacteria causes ulcers and it can wreak havoc on your digestion.

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or SIBO, is a condition where too many bacteria are in your upper intestine causing dysbiosis which results in the signs and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).