Your health is your most prized possession. So long as you’re able to have good digestion, a flat tummy and the vitality for things most important to you, you’re pretty much good to go.
But what happens when you lose control over your most prized possession? When you feel bloated all the time and lose the luxury into any outfit you desire? It can be a traumatic experience.
Today i’m laying out the “first 7 steps” that have worked well in my practice for build a healthy gut.
Before applying any of these, seek approval of your medical doctor or health practitioner.
7 Steps To Build The Gut
Step one
Restore stomach acid and addressing anything that’s inhibiting it. This means getting tested for H. pylori, taking steps to relieve stress and avoiding acid-suppressing drugs.
Even though low stomach acid is the underlying cause of many gut problems, most doctors prescribe anti-acids to patients with acid reflux, meaning the root cause won’t be treated.
In order to treat the cause, a hydrochloric acid (HCL) supplement to kick start the body’s acid production is needed. Most patients only need to take them for 3-6 months.
Elderly people with atrophic gastritis or people that have been on acid suppressing drugs for many years, may need to take HCL for longer.
This is a better option than to suffer digestive problems as well as potentially serious consequences of low stomach acid (decreased nutrient absorption, bacterial overgrowth, increased chance of infection and a higher risk of gastric cancer).
HCL should be taken with pepsin or acid-stable protease because if the stomach isn’t producing enough HCL, it’s probably not producing enough digestive enzymes either. Another way to stimulate acid production is taking bitter herbs to stimulate digestion.
Studies have confirmed the ability of bitter herbs to increase the flow of digestive juices, including HCL, bile, pepsin, gastrin and pancreatic enzymes. The following are used in Chinese medicine:
- Dandelion (Pu Gong Ying),
- Gentian root (Long Dan Cao)
- Huang Qin (Skullcap root)
- Ginger (Gan Jiang),
- Goldenseal root (Bai Mao Liang)
- Peppermint (Bo He),
- Wormwood (Qing Hao)
Step Two
Increase digestive enzymes that help you to digest food. One way is to take a digestive enzyme supplement. However, the most important step in increasing digestive enzyme production is restoring stomach acid production (Step one).
This gives gastric acid and partially digested food entering the small intestine the proper pH level (acidity), to stimulate the pancreas to produce digestive enzymes.
Step Three
Find ways to manage chronic stress, and there’s research to support this. A 2017 study in mice found that exposure to stress compromised their gut micro-flora in the same way a poor diet did.
This could be why some patients with gut conditions either don’t respond to treatment or respond initially but experience a return of symptoms during stress.
If you’ve been struggling with chronic gut problems, it might be the missing link you’ve been looking for.
Step four
Ensure you’re getting enough micronutrients in the diet including B12, iron & zinc, magnesium, selenium, and vitamin C in order to support digestive enzyme function.
Step five
Add fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, or kefir because they’re rich in enzymes, if tolerated.
Step six
Take helpful digestive supplements that aid gut function.
- Ox bile is one of the most effective supplements for improving fat absorption.
- Acid stable protease improves protein digestion
- Pancreatin is a mixture of enzymes produced by the pancreas, including lipase (fat digesting), protease (protein digesting) and amylase (carbohydrate digesting)
- Ginger, a time-tested digestive remedy.
A variety of brands add them together in one supplement including the brand, Thorn. As with HCL, you’ll only need to take them until you’ve addressed the underlying issues.
Step Seven
Making changes to an existing “real food” diet. There are three changes I’ve found to be of help:
- Follow the GAPS diet, an anti-inflammatory, gut-healing diet. It’s an inflammatory diet for the gut. I’ve seen remarkable results using this for a autoimmune diseases.
- Don’t eat too many veggies and fruit. These are high in insoluble fibre, which irritates an inflamed gut.
- A low-FODMAP diet. FODMAPs are specific types of carbohydrate that are poorly digested by some people.
If you’re looking for more, book an initial appointment with me here here
David L. Edwards is an author, Chinese medicine physician and acupuncturist. He’s the author of The Body Fat Formula and The Pocketbook guide to Chinese medicine. David is the director of Barefoot Health and Wellness health programs.
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