Naturopathic Treatments For Digestive Disorders
Your digestive system is one of the most important parts of your body.
Sure, your heart keeps the nutrients flowing where they need to go, but it’s your digestive tract that gets those nutrients into your body in the first place.
As a result, a digestive disorder can have wide-ranging symptoms throughout your body.
In fact, it’s possible to suffer from a digestive disorder without feeling any symptoms in your digestive tract whatsoever.
Depression, anxiety, fatigue, fevers – these are just some of the symptoms of a digestive disorder.
How does that work? Keep reading to find out.
The Gut-Brain Connection
Have you ever received a piece of bad news that felt like being punched in the gut?
Did you feel butterflies in your stomach when you had your first kiss?
Have you ever had a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach that made you second guess yourself?
If so, you understand, at least on a certain level, the connection between your gut and your brain.
Research is discovering more and more the connection between your gut and your brain. For example, simply thinking about eating can trigger your stomach to release the acid it needs to digest food. And likewise, your gut can send signals to your brain letting it know there’s an issue.
The link between gastrointestinal disorders and mental disorders has been known for a long time. However, it was thought that people with digestive disorders suffered from anxiety and depression as a result of dreading their upcoming symptoms. We’re now understanding that there’s more to it.
If you’re experiencing stress, depression, or anxiety, it may be the cause of your intestinal distress. However, it can also be the product of it.
Monitor your mental state and watch for intestinal problems as well. If you’re experiencing heartburn, loose stools, or abdominal cramps, it may be the result of your mood.
But are these symptoms related to a proper digestive disorder? Let’s see.
What Is A Digestive Disorder?
A digestive disorder is a disorder that affects your digestive tract.
So, what’s your digestive tract? It’s the part of your body responsible for digesting food, from mouth to anus, and everything in between.
There are a number of common digestive disorders. Let’s look at them now.
Natural Treatments For IBS
IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, is a disorder commonly found in the large intestines. It’s a diagnosis of exclusion. That essentially means that when your doctor looks at your symptoms and can’t find any other obvious cause, they may diagnose you with irritable bowel syndrome.
Some of the symptoms of IBS include:
- Anemia (low iron)
- Unexplained weight loss
- Gas & bloating
- Abdominal pain or cramps
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- A sore throat
- Nausea & vomiting
Dr. Pat offers natural solutions for IBS which may help. By getting to the bottom of your symptoms, Dr. Pat can help you manage your condition to avoid painful flare-ups and increase your quality of life.
Natural Solutions For Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where your body reacts to the presence of gluten. This response is triggered once the gluten reaches your small intestine.
Celiac disease flare-ups can be incredibly painful and uncomfortable to deal with. What’s more, if left unchecked it may damage your intestinal lining. This hamstrings your body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
The only way to manage your celiac disease symptoms is to cut gluten out entirely. This is sometimes easier said than done, as gluten can show up in some places where you wouldn’t expect it, like in beauty products or hot chocolate. However, once you do so, there’s still the matter of repairing the damage your celiac flare-ups caused. This is where Dr. Pat can help.
If you have celiac disease, chances are you already know. However, if you’re in doubt, the symptoms of celiac disease are as follows:
- Intense abdominal pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Headaches
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Unexpected weight loss
- Fatigue
- Mouth ulcers
- Difficulty focusing
- Difficulty remembering
- Heartburn
- Anemia
Naturopathic Treatments For Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Inflammatory bowel disease is an umbrella category of disorders. In this case, the two diseases found under this category are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Both disorders cause inflammation along the digestive tract, and both are caused by an autoimmune reaction.
Crohn’s disease flare-ups can be extremely painful, and may include:
- Diarrhea
- Anal pain
- Severe abdominal pain
- Blood in stool
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
- Cognitive impairment
- Fever
- Sores in the mouth
Meanwhile, ulcerative colitis has similar symptoms, including:
- Diarrhea
- Blood or pus in stool
- Anal pain
- Anal bleeding
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Cognitive impairment
- Abdominal pain
Both of these disorders can be life-threatening if left untreated. However, Dr. Pat offers solutions for both.
There is currently no known cure for either Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. However, Dr. Pat’s naturopathic solutions can help you manage the inflammation and your symptoms, helping you live a normal life as free of pain and frustration as possible.
Solutions For Other Types Of Digestive Disorders
The above are just some of the more common digestive disorders for which Dr. Pat can provide treatments.
Below, you’ll find a list of some of the others. If you don’t see yours listed here, contact Dr. Pat to book an appointment and find out more.
- Hemorrhoids
- Diverticulitis
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (heartburn)
- Cirrhosis
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
- Leaky Gut
Get Natural Solutions For Digestive Disorders
One of the biggest problem that often arises with digestive disorders is the lack of absorption of the nutrients your body needs.
During a flare-up of one of the above disorders, it may end up damaging your intestinal lining. This can damage your body’s ability to absorb the nutrients from the food you eat. As a result, even the healthiest diet may sometimes not be enough to keep you properly nourished.
That’s why one common symptom of a digestive disorder is cognitive impairment. Your brain just isn’t getting what it needs to function optimally.
Dr. Pat’s approach to treatments for digestive disorders focuses on uncovering the root cause.
Often, digestive disorder flare-ups are triggered by a certain food or ingredient. By finding out what foods are triggering these symptoms, Dr. Pat can help you reduce your digestive disorder flare-ups.
From there, it’s only a matter of repairing the damage done by those flare-ups. This is usually done via nutrition.
If you’re struggling with a digestive disorder, there are natural solutions available which may help.
Contact Dr. Pat today to book an appointment.