Gut Health
Optimize your gut microbiome and restore your health
Did you know that your gut health affects more than just digestion?
Inside our large intestine reside a diverse and dynamic community of tiny microorganisms composed mainly of bacteria (90%) but also fungi, viruses, archea and parasites. Collectively these critters are referred to as the gut microbiota.
Over 1,500 different species exist, weighing approximately 2kg in total. In fact, there are more microbes in a single teaspoon of intestinal content than there are stars in the milky way! Your gut microbiota is unique to you and highly malleable which is great news as it means you have the power to change it.
The gut microbiota is so critical to our health that when our gut microbes are living in harmony and balance, our health flourishes. However, when the gut microbiota is damaged or disturbed, a state of dysbiosis (loss of harmony and balance) ensues and our health can suffer.
A prolonged state of dysbiosis can not only impact our digestive system, causing uncomfortable digestive symptoms, but also has flow on effects to other major systems within our body. No wonder digestive health experts believe that all health and disease begin in the gut!
You don't have to live like this
I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease (a type of inflammatory bowel disease) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in 2017, so I understand how debilitating digestive symptoms can be. From indigestion, bloating and gas to nausea, abdominal pain, and changed bowel habits, digestive problems can significantly impact our quality of life.
Dealing with daily digestive troubles is not normal and you don’t have to suffer! With some simple changes to your eating habits and lifestyle, you can address digestive problems at their root, restore your health and regain your vitality.
Sarah
Digestive Health
Experiencing unpleasant digestive symptoms like bloating, gas, reflux, nausea, abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits can indicate that the gut microbiota is in a state of dysbiosis.
As the diversity and number of health promoting microbes decreases and populations of pathogenic microbes increases, the health of our digestive tract declines, compromising our ability to digest and absorb food and eliminate waste.
If dysbiosis continues you may also experience symptoms outside of the digestive tract including weight gain, fatigue, skin breakouts, joint pain, brain fog and low mood.
Supporting gut health is key to easing digestive distress and other extraintestinal symptoms.
Healthy gut microbiota = Healthy digestive tract and healthy digestion
Brain Health
You may have heard the gut described as the “second brain” as the gut and the brain are in constant communication with each other in a bi-directional relationship via the “gut-brain axis”. In fact, there are more neurons in your gut than there are in your spinal cord!
This is why you may feel “butterflies in your stomach” when nervous and why stress and anxiety can worsen digestive disorders including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It’s also why discomfort or pain can raise our stress levels and emotional response, creating a vicious cycle.
Gut microbes can communicate with the brain via the immune and endocrine systems through the release of neurotransmitters, hormones, and signaling molecules. Gut microbes can also respond to neurohormones including serotonin and dopamine with intestinal serotonin influencing gut motility, mood, appetite, sleep and brain function.
A healthy gut microbiota can also extend its influence across the blood-brain barrier, helping keep our mind sharp, our energy high and mood relaxed. Research shows that a gut healthy eating pattern may lead to better brain integrity and function (therefore lower dementia risk), and improvements in symptoms of moderate to severe depression in adults.
Conditions relating to dysbiosis and disorders of the gut-brain axis include IBS, anxiety and depression, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, autism, Parkinsons disease and multiple sclerosis.
Healthy gut microbiota = Healthy brain and happy mood
Hormonal Health
The gut is considered the largest endocrine organ in the body, responsible for making over 50 hormones which regulate hunger, sleep, stress, and mood.
The health of your gut therefore plays an essential role in hormone health with dysbiosis contributing to acne, fatigue, hair loss, painful or irregular periods, mood swings, pregnancy complications, PCOS, endometriosis, breast and endometrial cancer, and other conditions that affect more women.
Some of these same hormones e.g., estrogen, progesterone can also influence gut health – it’s a two-way relationship! For example, as hormones change with your menstrual cycle, pregnancy and perimenopause, they impact the gut.
Lower estrogen levels are linked to a weakened gut barrier, reduced bacterial diversity and fewer anti-inflammatory species, research showing that postmenopausal women have reduced microbiome diversity vs premenopausal women. Falling progesterone during perimenopause and menopause can also slow gut motility, increasing risk of bloating and constipation.
Supporting gut health is one of the most influential ways we can promote hormonal balance and mitigate bothersome symptoms of PMS, perimenopause and menopause.
Healthy gut microbiota = Healthy hormone levels
Immune System
Approximately 70% of our immune system resides in the gut, separated from our gut microbes by just a single layer of cells.
The gut microbiota and the immune system are in constant communication with each other, the gut microbiota helping to educate the immune system about when to respond and when to relax.
However, when the gut microbiota is in a state of dysbiosis, the immune system can become dysregulated, leading to allergic conditions including food allergies, eczema, and asthma, and autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
One of the best ways to support your immune system is therefore by supporting the gut.
Healthy gut microbiota = Healthy immune system
Metabolic Health
Did you know that our gut microbes can influence our body weight by influencing our metabolism and the way we process our food?
For example, they can control the release of appetite and hunger hormones which regulate appetite and energy balance, helping to tell our brain when we are full. They are also closely involved with our endocrine system, affecting our response to insulin and our blood sugar control.
Dysbiosis can lead to a state of low-grade chronic inflammation which is associated with metabolic conditions including obesity, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
In fact, research shows that the microbiomes of people with type 2 diabetes show decreased species diversity and higher numbers of less health promoting bacteria. It remains to be established if this is cause or effect but indicates that by supporting our gut microbes, we can also improve our metabolic health.
Healthy gut microbiota = Healthy body weight, improved metabolic health and insulin sensitivity
Want to feel like your best self again?
1:1 Coachingwith sarah
- Single Sessions -
Working with me on a single coaching session basis is suitable for you if you need to gain immediate clarity and guidance on a particular gut health concern so you can begin taking the steps required to improving your digestive health now.
Digestive Health Kickstart
-6-week program-
A short introductory program for people with bothersome unresolved digestive symptoms. This 6-week program provides clarity and direction on the steps required to improve gut health. We go beyond symptom management using a science-backed approach to get to the root of the problem.
Gut Helath Makeover
-12-week program-
A comprehensive high support program for people with significant unresolved gut health issues or a digestive disorder. This 12-week program includes extra time and support to help you sustain and maintain gut healthy habits and navigate complex situations. No bone broth, gall bladder flushes or parasite cleanses required!