How To Heal Unhealthy Gut To Avoid Worse Digestive Problems
An unhealthy gut can lead to serious health issues such as allergies, eczema, poor digestion and even diabetes. Learn how to heal it before it’s too late.
A healthy gut is the centrepiece of our overall well being. Besides performing its primary function of digestion and facilitating the absorption of digested food materials into our bodies, a healthy alimentary canal also plays a crucial role in boosting our immunity.
Michael D. Gershon, M.D. also terms the gut as the second brain because it houses the enteric nervous system. That’s a complex network of more than 500 million neurons with the ability to act autonomously. Learn more about this in Dr Gershon’s book with the same name: The Second Brain.
It is, therefore, essential that you take good care of your gut by ensuring its optimal health.
But let’s say things haven’t been working out, and you end up with an unhealthy gut. What options do you have?
Below are just some of the things you’ll need to know to get you started on your road to recovery.
Problems Associated With An Unhealthy Gut
An unhealthy gut can cause a range of health issues such as:
- Poor digestion characterised by bloating, diarrhea, or gas;
- Food sensitivities or allergies;
- Skin problems such as eczema;
- Suppressed immunity;
- Diabetes;
- Autoimmune diseases.
Other common health issues associated with a dysfunctional digestive system include:
- depression;
- anxiety ;
- moodiness;
- sugar cravings;
- bad breath.
Causes Of An Unhealthy Gut
The health of the alimentary canal can be compromised by an overgrowth of bad bacteria inside your gut. A healthy alimentary canal should have a good balance of gut flora.
When the balance of this microbiome is upset, the beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract is not able to produce healthy mucus that traps unwanted microorganisms and toxins, preventing them from getting into the body.
In some gut ailments such as the Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), the microbiota that thrives in other parts of the alimentary canal, such as the colon, invade the small intestine. This causes serious problems like painful cramps, diarrhea, and malnutrition.
How To Heal Your Gut
Healing your gut is a process and not something that you can accomplish overnight.
It starts with eating a healthy diet comprising of whole foods and avoiding processed foods.
It is also important that you shun foods that irritate your digestive tract, like gluten and dairy foods if you suffer from gluten and lactose intolerance.
The next step should be incorporating probiotic foods such as onions, garlic, asparagus, leek, bananas, apples, and whole oats into your diet. These foods will nourish the good bacteria inside your alimentary canal to ensure a good balance of gut flora.
To boost the number of beneficial bacteria in your gut, you can take probiotic foods such as yogurt, pickles, and some types of cheese like mozzarella and cheddar.
Lastly, if you have been diagnosed with a gut disorder such as SIBO, it is crucial that you follow through with your doctor’s prescription to ensure complete healing. Treatment for SIBO includes a combination of antibiotics and a special diet to enhance gut relief.
If you do not get better, the doctor may decide to dig further into your health history to establish the underlying cause of the overgrowth of bacteria in your small intestine so that they can treat the condition.
Hopefully these tips will help you deal with your unhealthy gut and avoid future aggravations. Just eat fresh, healthy foods, avoid processed foods and listen to your doctor’s indications. It should be enough to get your gut back to the health side.