By Mark Kibyuk, Natural Health Professional on Cyno
There are several signs which tell us that there may be an issue with your GUT bugs being out of whack. Read below and see if any of these apply to you.
Sign #1
Digestive Issues
Gas, bloating, pain, constipation, diarrhea. Music to my ears! These are the most common signs that there may be an issue with your GUT bugs. Your GUT bugs live inside your intestines, both large and small intestines and they do a lot of important jobs inside there. One major role is breaking down your food. When this doesn’t occur correctly, because of an imbalance in the GUT bacteria or a change in the environment that those Bugs live in, you will experience a change in the consistency of your stool, AND how your Bowel behaves.
Sign #2
Mental Health Issues
This is a very common one as your GUT and your BRAIN are wired together. (1) Did you know that? When your GUT is out of whack, you can experience changes in your MOOD and your Behavior because of it. There are many neurotransmitters made inside your GUT that tell your BRAIN how things are going. When these messages get mixed up due to the environment inside the GUT, you may experience some symptoms like Brain Fog, Irritability, Depression, Anxiety. In many cases there can be linked back to an imbalance inside the GUT.
Sign #3 Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies Your body relies on your FOOD to provide the essential nutrients that it needs to keep you feeling well. When you have an imbalance of GUT bacteria and a bowel that is not working with you, it's not uncommon to see some of your food not being digested properly. (Just look in your toilet bowl after using the bathroom) When this occurs the nutrients that your body is looking for may not be getting absorbed effectively which can lead to some nutrient deficiencies. The top 3 nutrient deficiencies I see in Practice are:
B12 Deficiency,
Iron Deficiency,
Magnesium Deficiency.
Sign #4 Antibiotic Overuse
Antibiotics are an essential part of our survival, I have no doubt about that. They help countless people overcome major infections on a daily basis, WE NEED THEM. But, they also take a toll on your other friendly bacteria when introduced long term. The need for recurring antibiotics is a sure sign that something is off with your GUT bugs. Your body should be able to mount a strong defence against most of the microorganisms in our environment, if it can’t maybe we need to look at some of the factors which are impacting your immunity.
Sign #5
Unmanaged Stress
Stress is a natural part of our day. You need stress hormone to feel your absolute best in the morning. You also need stress hormones to help you with your metabolism, as well as countless other factors. So stress hormones are essential! BUT, when stress hormone comes on chronically, that is where we will start to get some issues. Stress hormone ( cortisol for this article, there are more stress hormones) is going to change the environment in your intestine and that can change the terrain the GUT BUGS live in. (2) When this happens your body can start to behave differently. You can CRAVE certain foods, you can feel uneasy, change bowel habits, change your sleep rhythm, and many other factors.
Need help with your stress?
Make sure you visit my STRESS resources page. Click HERE to jump right over.
Sign #6
Skin Problems
Your GUT and your SKIN share something in common, that is they share a bacterial colony called the Microbiome. What is your Microbiome?
The community of microbes that lives IN and ON your Human Body.
Your Skin and your GUT are wired together as well, the same nervous system that affects the brain and your behavior can also affect the skin. Changes in the Microbiome can alter the skins behavior resulting in potentially: acne, rashes, redness, blotches, eczema, psoriasis and many more. I always say, “ If you have a skin issue, you have a GUT issue” (3)
Sign #7
Autoimmune Diseases
Why is it that the body sometimes attacks your tissues? When this “Self Tissue” attack happens the result can be a destruction of bodily tissues resulting in an auto-immune disorder or disease. Your GUT bugs being imbalanced can sometimes result in autoimmunity, it can be one of the roots to where your autoimmune issues started. Why? There are numerous inflammatory changes that can happen when your GUT is not functioning optimally. We also know that GUT infections can also trigger autoimmunity (4). Left unchecked these infections and inflammation can tell your immune system that some areas of the body are foreign, or causing trauma, so it should mount a defense against it and try and kill it. Thus, autoimmunity can start. There are many other factors, check out this post of Autoimmunity.
There you have it, 7 factors that are telling you to look at your GUT bugs for answers. How many of these did you have?
For many of my clients they have at least 2 or 3 which is enough to prompt them to start exploring their lifestyle factors impacting their GUT Microbiome. Need help with your GUT? This is the thing I do the best in my Practice.
Click right HERE and grab my detailed Nutritional Health Questionnaire. Fill it in, and start the process outlined on this page.This is the best way for ME to understand your needs and concerns and help formulate a plan which can help YOU feel better.
Questions? I’m happy to help.
Thank you!
Mk
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