Relief
is
Possible
Digestive Disorders
Do you often feel bloated or sluggish after eating? Are you tired of your digestive issues affecting your personal life and getting in the way of all the things you love to do? Have your symptoms been diminished by other medical providers or have you been told there is nothing else that can be done? If your gut is out of balance, your body is out of balance. A properly functioning gastrointestinal system is critical for overall health and well-being.
It’s all about the gut!
In functional medicine, we are trained to first look at the gut which is usually where inflammation starts or where inflammation is most pronounced. The gastrointestinal system comprises 75% of the body’s immune system. Inflammation is the body’s normal response to injuries or infections. What if that inflammatory reaction is continually stimulated by an imbalance in the gastrointestinal tract and becomes chronic inflammation? Recent studies have shown that chronic inflammation is linked to the progression of disease processes such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, some cancers and Alzheimer’s Disease. It makes sense that if we keep the gut happy and healthy, then we will more than likely feel better and maybe prevent the progression of disease.
Often times we ignore the signals our body is sending us that something is wrong. Gut imbalances have been linked to the root of many chronic conditions including:
- Autoimmune Disorders
- Chronic Fatigue
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Fibromyalgia
- Hormone Imbalances
- IBS
- Migraines/ Headaches
- Leaky Gut
- SIBO
At Integrative Medicine of Arizona, we understand that your digestive issues can be painful, inconvenient and sometimes embarrassing, leading you to avoid social and family activities that normally bring you joy. We also know that untreated digestive issues can lead to a host of chronic conditions making matters even worse. That is why we work with you to get to the root cause of your issues and come up with a plan to improve the quality of your life by using the Functional Medicine 5-R Program to heal your gut.
5-R Protocol by the Institute for Functional Medicine
- Remove – During this process we investigate and remove things that negatively affect the environment of the GI tract including any problematic inflammatory foods, environmental toxins, and problematic infections from yeast, parasites or bacteria.
- Replace – Now it is time to replace the bad with the good. After we know what is impacting your ability to digest and absorb foods, we will begin adding back in healing ingredients such as digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid and bile acids to aid digestion.
- Repopulate – We are now working on creating a healthy balance of “good” bacteria in your gut. Probiotics in the form of supplements or fermented foods will be added to your diet to create a strong foundation to fuel a healthy microbiome moving forward.
- Repair – In this stage the healing really begins. Here we start supporting intestinal cell regrowth as the GI begins to repair itself. By supplying key nutrients that are often in short supply in a compromised gut we often times add zinc, antioxidants, fish oil, and the amino acid glutamine to support the healing process.
- Rebalance – In this final stage we will be working together to address any previous imbalances or issues that may have contributed to your issues to begin with. Our Integrative Medicine team will work together with you to educate and take steps forward to create a sustainable diet, reduce stressors in your life and promote healthy exercises.
Stop Digestive Issues From Controlling Your Life
Dr. Dersam and her Integrative Medicine team will help you get to the root problem of your digestive issues so you can start feeling healthy again and get back to the things you love doing the most. To get started just fill out this form or give us a call today!