Healing Your Gut Utilizing the 5R Approach

Are you, or maybe a loved one, having common digestive tract symptoms, such as reflux, gas, bloating, indigestion, constipation or diarrhea?

Often times, individuals go to their doctor for help with their digestive issues and in return receive something to minimize the constipation or diarrhea impacts, or a medication to try to reduce the acid in their stomach.  However, these are just dealing with the symptoms the body is giving us and not the root cause your health concern.

Our digestive tract (from mouth to anus) is a long winding tube that is critical for absorbing nutrients, plays a huge role in the function of our immune system and helps to eliminate toxins and other waste from our body.  Though, when the digestive tract is not functioning properly, an array of symptoms can occur, such as aches and pains, skin problems, fatigue, mood issues, and increased risk of autoimmune conditions.

There are many mechanisms that can exacerbate inflammation, limit one’s ability to digest properly and contribute to poor gut health – food and nutrition is one of these.  Thus, maintaining healthy gastrointestinal (GI) tract function and healing the GI barrier when it’s integrity is breached is vital to protect the body from many diseases and disorders.

It’s amazing what the body can do when given the right tools to heal and perform properly…

• Remove – the first step to the 5R approach is the removal of both food antigens and various pathogens that are contributing to dysfunction.  Eliminate foods that are causing inflammation and producing an environment for bacteria, candida and other unwanted bugs to thrive.  Certain foods can result in inflammation, though they can differ from person to person.  Removing the key digestive irritants that pose higher risk for an allergic or intolerant reaction to occur, such foods as gluten, dairy, soy and processed foods, is a great first step.

• Replace – the second step of the 5R approach is to replace or replenish the digestive enzymes that are required for proper digestion and normally secreted by the cells for healthy digestion, such as in the stomach wall, lining of the intestine, and/or directly from the pancreas, liver or gallbladder.  These normal and healthy digestive secretions can be compromised by poor diet, drugs, diseases, aging and other lifestyle factors.*

*NOTE:  The often too common conventional medicine approach is to provide antacids or proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to help with the symptoms of indigestion and reflux.  However, these work in the short term by minimizing the symptom, not addressing the cause and major concern the body is trying to communicate with you.  By not dealing with the cause and continuing down the symptom covering path, it can lead to more chronic symptoms, such as IBS and SIBO.  You can read more about reflux in my post – Acid Reflux: 4 Consequences of Antacids.

• Reinoculate – in addition to a whole-foods first approach, supplementation of key probiotics, prebiotics and other fibers may be needed to help the friendly bacteria live in a symbiotic state with us.  Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms found in the gut and known as “friendly bacteria.”  When we use antibiotics, which can have their time and place, they kill both “good” and “bad” bacteria.  Foods and supplements that contain probiotics are needed to reinoculate the gut, allowing for the intestinal microbiota to maintain a health promoting and diverse gut ecosystem.  By helping our beneficial bacteria flourish, we can consume probiotics and high soluble fiber foods called prebiotics .  The previous post Healthy Gut, a Healthier You goes into more detail about gut health.*

*Keep in mind, we have 10 times more bacteria cells in our gut than we do cells in our whole body.  That’s a lot of bugs!  Of this, 70% of those microbes reside in our colon alone.  By examining your signs, symptoms, nutritional intake and other lifestyle factors, we can better understand the health of your microbiome, further assisting you at reaching your health goals.

• Repair – a damaged intestinal tract needs further loving and repair from individualized nutritional and lifestyle support.  Helping the GI tract lining repair itself by supplying key nutrients that can often times be in short supply.  A whole-foods approach is imperative, though the gut might need additional supplements to help improve the intestinal wall structure and function.

• Rebalance – focus on lifestyle choices that have great impacts on the health of the gastrointestinal tract, such as sleep, exercise and how we handle stress.  These areas of our life, if out of balance, can negatively impact how we digest and assimilate foods.

The 5R’s approach is an essential place to start if you are not getting improvements in the root of your unwanted symptoms.  Schedule your initial functional nutrition consultation with Stacy, a licensed functional nutritionist, to help determine the best path for you and your personalized situation.  Consultations are available via in the HIPPA compliant Willow Integrative Wellness Portal or through FaceTime, Skype, or phone globally.

Warmly,

Stacy

Reference:

• The Institute for Functional Medicine. 2010. The Textbook of Functional Medicine. IFM: Federal Way, WA.
• Rescigno M. The intestinal epithelial barrier in the control of homeostasis and immunity. Trends Immunol. 2011. 32:256-64.
• Fasano A, Shea-Donohue T. Mechanisms of disease: The role of intestinal barrier function in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal autoimmune diseases. Nat Clin Pract Gastroenterol Hepatol.  2005; 2(9):416-422.
• Sanchez de Medina F, Romero-Calvo I, Mascaraque C, Martinez-Augustin O. Intestinal inflammation and mucosal barrier function. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2014. 20:2394-404.
• Arrieta MC, Bistritz L, Meddings JB. Alterations in intestinal permeability. Gut. 2006 Oct; 55(10): 1512-1520.
• Menard S, Cerf-Bensussan N, Heyman M. Multiple facets of intestinal permeability and epithelial handling of dietary antigens. Musocal Immunol. 2010 3:247-59.