Many digestive problems are easily treated, but often begrudgingly tolerated with band-aids like antacids and laxatives. Included are:
- Canker sores
- Heartburn
- Constipation/diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Gas/bloating
- Bleeding
Generally overlooked in conventional medicine, these symptoms can all be helped by changing the diet. There is a common notion that if you don’t have an allergy or celiac disease, food has nothing to do with your discomfort. Thousands of dollars are spent on endoscopies and colonoscopies to reveal nothing. The real culprit is often food sensitivities and cannot be seen with imaging; however they can be tested for with a blood sample. If you suspect that food may play a role in your digestive health, you are probably right!
Food sensitivities are similar to allergies – the problems are both caused by anti-bodies. Food sensitivities are the couch potatoes of allergies. An allergic reaction is immediate, whereas a food sensitivity reaction can take up to 72 hours to occur. Food sensitivities may develop from:
- Anti-biotic use
- Chronic antacid use
- Eating too quickly
- Low stomach acid
- Parasitic/bacterial/viral infection
- Periods of great stress
- Poor diet
It is important to address the underlying cause of any problem in order to heal the gut. This allows optimal digestive function to be restored.
** Some digestive disorders like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are more serious but can also be helped by altering the diet and addressing other components of digestion.