Gut Health and Functional Medicine in Philedelphia
Your gut health is incredibly important, and is a key focus in functional medicine. The gut is often called the “second brain”, as it houses 100 million neurons. It is responsible for digestion, absorption of nutrients, and the production of hormones and enzymes. It has even been called the “first brain” by some researchers; this is because it contains a large proportion of the body’s serotonin and 50% of its dopamine!
When the gut is healthy, it absorbs all of the nutrients from our food, resulting in a strong immune system, balanced hormones and neurotransmitters. When the gut is unhealthy, undigested foods, pathogens and toxins can enter the bloodstream causing inflammation, discomfort, bloating, skin disorders, autoimmune disorders, hormone imbalances which lead to feelings of anxiety and depression.
COMMON GUT HEALTH CONDITIONS
- Dysbiosis - an imbalance of healthy gut flora, often due to antibiotic use, poor diet, stress, or infection. Good bacteria will:
- Break down complex carbohydrates and ferment fibers
- Produce short-chain fatty acids that support intestinal health
- Communicate with immune cells, controlling how your body fights infection
- Produce 90% of the neurotransmitter serotonin
- Affect fat storage, metabolism, and response to hunger-regulating hormones
- Prevent disease - causing bacteria from taking hold in your gut
- Malabsorption - a deficiency nutrients due to poor production of digestive juices such as stomach acid, pancreatic enzymes and bile
- Malnutrition - poor diet habits cause a deficiency of micronutrients but can also change the pH of your GI system allowing a more favorable environment for certain bacteria and fungi
- Dysmotility - problems with the movement of food through the digestive system (called peristalsis) which can cause chronic constipation
- Intestinal Permeability - also known as leaky gut, a condition in which the intestinal barrier becomes damaged, allowing proteins, viruses, bacteria and toxins to escape the intestines and pass into your bloodstream. These foreign particles trigger an immune response in the body which can result in inflammation
- Inflammation - a response of the immune system that can be caused by a number of factors, including infection, stress, diet and environmental toxins
Common Conditions related to poor gut health:
- SIBO
- Candidiasis
- IBS
- Crohn's Disease
- Diverticulitis
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Acid Reflux/GERD
- Weight Gain
- Skin disorders such as acne and eczema
- Chronic sinusitis
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Frontal Headaches / Migraine
- Allergies
- Chronic Constipation
How do we treat gut related disorders?
- Remove – eliminate all triggering and inflammatory food and drink from your diet. Your doctor and health coach will make this easy and reasonable
- Replace – digestive juices that are deficient and leading to maldigestion and malabsorption such as digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid, and bile
- Reinoculate – this begins with reestablishing the gut flora by eating prebiotic and probiotic foods. Sometimes a probiotic is prescribed
- Repair – your gut needs a new lining and proper motility so you will need things like acupuncture as well as DGL, bone broth, and L-glutamine to name a few
- Rebalance – this is about creating a sustainable lifestyle and managing your stress response. Our lives are not always perfect, but we can bring self awareness to the things that are nourishing and life-giving and invest in our bodies
How do I get started treating my gut issues?
The team at Meeting Point will perform an advanced analysis of your nutritional markers, hormones, gut health, and detoxification pathways. We will also run an analysis of your stool, urine, blood, and saliva, depending on what you need.
Once we determine the state of your gut health and any underlying conditions, we create an individualized protocol. Your treatment will include a medicinal nutrition plan, herbal therapy supplementation, and acupuncture or cupping therapy. Depending on the severity of your condition, we may also prescribe amino acid infusion therapy or ozone.
We are excited to meet you! Call the office or request an appointment online today.
QUICK FACTS
- FREQUENCY
Once weekly visits for 12 weeks which can include one or more of the following: health coaching, acupuncture, ozone insufflations, infrared sauna, amino acid infusions
- TREATMENT TIME
45-60 minutes
- RECOVERY
Typically no downtime; maximum benefits begin at 4 weeks
Functional Medicine Treatments
Common Conditions We Treat
Reserve Your Appointment Today
Meeting Point Health would like to accompany you in your health journey to start unearthing the root causes of your pain and discomfort. No case is too challenging for us. Contact Meeting Point today to schedule an appointment and get started on the road to great health and good living!
