gut health – New Leaf Wellness

5 Things Your Gut is Trying to Tell You

The Importance of Maintaining a Healthy Gut

It’s surprising how much you can tell about your overall health from the condition of your gut. The state of your gut has been known to have a direct correlation between overall health and wellness and can even indicate problems in other parts of the body. Because research indicates that 70 percent of the immune system may be found in the gut, paying attention to your gut health is incredibly important because problems with the gut can be the first signs of problems elsewhere in the body. If you are experiencing gastrointestinal problems, your gut may be trying to indicate a mild or serious problem. Here are a few of the ways that gut health and overall health are connected

1. The Link Between Gut Health and Depression

The gut is sometimes referred to as “the second brain,” thanks to a multitude of studies indicating a strong link between gut health and brain health. From depression and anxiety to brain fog and fatigue, your bathroom habits and the presence of other gut-related conditions like the rapid onset of nausea, vomiting, acid reflux, abdominal pain, constipation, or diarrhea can tell you quite a lot about your mental health.

How Gut Health Affects the Brain

The link between gut health and brain health indicates the state of our brains and our stomachs have a direct connection. Numerous research studies have indicated that individuals with chronic depression experience frequent bouts of constipation, diarrhea, stomach discomfort, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. This is believed to be caused by the bacteria in your gut since evidence suggests those with depression tend to have higher chances of having gut biomes that contain a large amount of “bad bacteria” or inadequate amounts of “good bacteria.” An imbalance of gut bacteria can lead to many additional side effects, including:

Acid Reflux
Delayed Digestion
Delayed Gastric Emptying
Flatulence
Heartburn
Nausea
Upset Stomach
Vomiting

2. The Link Between Anxiety and Gut Health

As with depression, there’s evidence to suggest a direct link exists between anxiety and gut health. This is again believed to be the result of an imbalance of bacteria, and it makes sense. When you don’t feel well, you can become more agitated, restless, and anxious, so if there’s a chronic or permanent problem in the stomach, the lining of the intestines, or other digestive areas, it’s easy to see how anxiety can become a chronic problem.

3. Celiac Disease and Gastrointestinal Problems

Gastrointestinal problems are the biggest signs and symptoms of food-related autoimmune disorders like celiac disease. Celiac disease is a serious condition in which an individual’s small intestine is unable to ingest gluten, a common ingredient found naturally in wheat, barley, and rye but also as a thickening agent in salad dressings, packaged foods. In individuals with celiac disease, the immune system triggers a response to gluten, and in addition to stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation, this can also lead to physical symptoms elsewhere, including fatigue, headaches, joint pain and inflammation, and even seizures. Over time, the small intestine can even sustain permanent damage from the ingestion of gluten.

4. Vitamin Deficiencies and Gut Health

If you’re experiencing gastrointestinal issues and food allergies and sensitivities have already been ruled out, it’s possible your symptoms are related to a Vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D and it is anti-inflammatory and immune system regulating effects can boost your mood and your overall health. Studies have shown a vitamin D deficiency, however, may be linked to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), colon and rectal cancer, breast cancer, and other serious health concerns.

5. Hormonal Imbalances and Gut Health

The human body produces around 50 different hormones that are essential to the proper function of essential organs and processes. When too little or too much of these hormones are secreted, the result can be a decrease in vitality, focus, and overall health and wellness. One of the ways hormonal imbalances can manifest is through gastrointestinal problems. When the endocrine system (which is in charge of the organs that secrete hormones) isn’t functioning properly, this can also mean the digestive system, circulatory system, and other parts of the body can malfunction. Through a hormone test, your wellness provider can determine whether or not a hormone deficiency or imbalance can be the cause of your gut health concerns.

Ready to change your gut health for the better?

Contact us today to get your body back on track or feeling better than ever before because at New Leaf Wellness, our mission is for our patients to ‘live their best life’. Get started with a totally free consultation or call us at 888-728-7555.

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Test Your Gut Health by Doing the Food Sensitivity Test

All the supplements on the market for gut health nowadays, and did you know we can test your gut health by doing the food sensitivity test with a simple in-office process?

What’s Going On In Your Gut

Changes in the gut microbiome can have a therapeutic response which has led to the use of probiotics in traditional medicine since long before probiotics were identified and acknowledged as the mechanism of this response. Therefore as the use of probiotics grows, so to does the body of knowledge we have about the relationship between the microorganisms that inhabit our gut and our overall health. So now, we are able to realize the delicacy of our gut’s environment. In fact, negative changes to the gut microbiome result in altered activity of neurotransmitter systems and immune function which can be potentially detrimental and contribute to a number of disorders or conditions. Similarly, targeted positive changes to the gut microbiome may reduce the symptoms of and possibly even reverse certain conditions.

More On Gut Health Research

Today, links have been made between gut health and depression, anxiety, stress, even sleep. Actually, a recent study tested this relationship in mice, which provide a very useful model of our own digestive and nervous system. This study found that treatment with a lactic acid producing strain of probiotic may help to reduce stress as well as depression and anxiety. The lactic acid producing bacteria “induced region-dependent alterations in GABAB1b mRNA in the brain with increases in cortical regions (cingulate and prelimbic) and concomitant reductions in expression in the hippocampus, amygdala, and locus coeruleus, in comparison with control-fed mice” and more importantly, “reduced stress-induced corticosterone and anxiety- and depression-related behavior” (Bravo, 2011).

You should test your gut health by doing the Food Sensitivity Test if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms:

Stomach Pains
Gastrointestinal Dysfunction
Complexion Blotchiness and Acne
Bloating
Chronic Pain
Poor Sleeping Habits
Slow Problem Solving
Low Energy & Fatigue
Impaired Memory
Joint Pain and Achiness
Poor Attention and Focus
Weight Gain

If you would like to learn more, please contact us below!

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8 Reasons for Daily Lemon Water

Start the Day…

Drinking lemon water first thing at the start of each day is an easy routine to get into that can improve your overall health in a very positive way. Not only is it refreshing but it jumps starts digestion and your body’s natural detoxification process, add to that lemons are loaded with iron, calcium, vitamins C and B, enzymes, potassium, magnesium, fibers, and antioxidants, which may help build up your resistance to aliments, sickness, and disease. It’s a win win refreshment with seemingly endless benefits in a simple daily routine.

Replace Caffeine?

Lemon water right at the start of the day is not only refreshing, it gives you an immediate boost of energy that can improve your mood in one quick easy step while you are being hydrated. The importance of staying properly hydrated can not be stated enough. Water is always best, but many people find it too bland, adding lemons adds some zest to it that is enjoyable which may help you also kick the caffeine habit.

Lemon Water for Immunity

Lemon water can boost your immune system as it is high in vitamin C which fights cold and flu by strengthening the immune system, and helps improve the body’s ability to absorb more iron from the foods consumed which is an important nutrient. Lemons also have antiviral and antibacterial properties that aid in fighting off colds and flu, which also soothe a sore throat.

Lemon Water for GI Tract

Lemon juice has a similar structure to the juices that are found in you stomach that helps to loosen and flush out toxins from in the digestive tract. It also helps to hydrate your colon, stimulate bile production, infuses water into stool, and aides your bowels moving in the morning. It can help to ease bloating, heartburn, and indigestion. Lemons help to flush your system and stimulate your liver to produce more enzymes and make them work more efficiently. Lemon juice works as a diuretic to keep your urinary tract toxin free and change PH levels which decreases bacterial growth.

Lemon Water for Healthy Skin

Lemons are a very rich source of antioxidants that promote healthy skin by help to restrict free radical damage that is responsible for the premature aging of your skin. The vitamin C helps rejuvenate and maintain skin’s elasticity to help prevent the formation of wrinkles and decreases blemishes.

Lemon Water Reduces Inflammation

Lemons have the ability to reduce inflammation by removing uric acid from your joints. With its sour taste lemons are one of the most alkalizing foods known that alkalize the body. Build ups of uric acid is one of the known major cause of inflammation. Too many acids in the body not only causes inflammation, but it can also cause obesity, major diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes.

Lemon Water for Weight Loss

Drinking lemon water can help you achieve faster, long term weight loss goals when added to your routine. It helps boost your metabolism, fight hunger cravings, and gives you a full feeling making you less prone to snack between meals.

Lemon Water for Emotional Health

Lemon water can give you a boost to help fight stress and depression, it creates more focus and mental clarity as it contains high levels of magnesium and potassium which are beneficial on our nerve health and brain.

Source: Natural News

Is Your Food Making You Sick?

Are you suffering from a stubborn health problem that will not go away no matter what you try? Have you left the doctor’s office feeling like are not any closer to relief? Or perhaps the medications and treatments you are taking are not actually getting at the root cause of your illness but addressing the symptoms you are experiencing? Bottomline, is your food making you sick?

What You Need To Know

If you feel this way, or know someone that does, consider some important facts:

Medical research has shown that sensitivities to food and food-chemicals can be involved in a wide array of painful symptoms and chronic health problems.
Sensitivities are a type of inflammatory reactions that is entirely different than food allergy and most doctors are unaware they are different.
If foods and additives in your diet are contributing to your illness, whatever medications you take will ultimately fail because they only mask the symptoms. They don’t treat the underlying cause of the symptoms – hidden inflammation caused by sensitivity reactions to foods and food-chemicals.
And as is too often the case, many medications have side effects that can lead to other health problems.

If food sensitivities are causing your illness, and you do not properly address them, you could easily end up suffering for many years, spending thousands of dollars for treatments that will never work the way you want. You are not alone. Unfortunately, this is the experience of millions of Americans who have mis-diagnosed or neglected food sensitivities.

Questions To Ask Yourself

Are you not feeling the full effects of Natural Hormone Therapy?
Do you have low energy and fatigue?
Do you have joint pain and achiness (including headaches)?
Are you seeing an increase in weight gain?
Are you suffering from impaired memory or brain fog?

The above are all signs of INFLAMMATION.

“Now, let me tell you about the New Leaf Food Sensitivity Test. I lost weight on the New Leaf Weight Loss programs, but some of the pounds had inched back on and I couldn’t figure out why. That’s when I took the Food Sensitivity Test and found out there were 35 foods I shouldn’t be eating. I’ve lost 15 pounds since making the change…1 pound per week!”

– Bonnie Lucas, WHO Radio Host & New Leaf Wellness Patient, see more

We may be ingesting foods that cause low to severe levels of inflammation. Actually, food sensitivities lead to imbalances in the gut, these sensitivities may or may not manifest a symptom right away (some reactions can be delayed up to 7 days after consumption, making it very hard to pinpoint what the sensitivity is to). Therefore, food is medicine and you can start to heal your endocrine system through nutrition. You first have to identify and remove any barriers that are preventing your body from healing and creating balance.

A good place to start is with a food sensitivity test to see what foods are causing inflammation in your body.

Follow Up Treatment:

Follow the Dr’s recommendation on the elimination diet. Test yearly for the latest information on what is causing inflammation in your body. Be sure you are getting your follow up tests completed and you will not have chronic health problems due to inflammation caused by sensitivities of food.

Your Gut Health & Weight Loss

If only weight management were really as simple as they make it seem. Eat less, move more and in a caloric deficit you will lose weight; right? Wrong… Let’s talk about your gut health and weight loss today for a few minutes.

What is Gut Health?

If you try to keep ‘in the know’ of weight loss and health trends, there’s a lot of talk about probiotics, gut health and even diet changes such as dairy free and gluten free. Perhaps you personally have tried a supplement or reducing your processed food intake? It can be frustrating not truly knowing what your body needs. You see, the microbiome or gut plays a major role in the processing of nutrients and calories as well as influences how the body stores those nutrients and calories. If you are reducing caloric intake, exercising and still not seeing results, perhaps we need to shift our attention to your gut health?

Basic Ways the Gut Impacts Metabolism & Weight Loss:

1. Different bacterias are responsible for different functions. Some love to store fat! If your microbiome is out of balance, your bacteria could have an overabundance of “friends” trying to store some extra for the winter.

2. If your gut is off, you are likely missing many of the digestive enzymes needed to properly break down macronutrients, resulting in improperly stored calories as well as a lack of nutrient absorption.

3. The “bad” bacteria thrive on sugar. When we have an overgrowth of these bacteria, they will communicate their dietary desires to your brain encouraging you to eat more often as well as crave simply carbohydrates and sugars which are easily stored as fat.

4. Too much “bad” bacteria communicate stress signals to the brain, increasing cortisol the hormone associated with fat storage and blood sugar dips.

5. “Leaky Gut” leads to inflammation which negatively impacts metabolism. More on Leaky Gut >>

These are just some examples of how and why we need to balance our microbiome when trying to lose weight. If you feel this applies to your struggles with weight loss and just feeling ‘bloated’, contact us to take the Food Sensitivity Test and learn more about your gut!

We also have supplements specially formulated for you in mind! Visit our online supplement store for discount on your first purchase or contact us if you have questions.

Tag: gut health