How Can Nutritional Therapy Help With Digestive Issues?

Digestive issues can show up as a wide range of symptoms, from bloating, excessive wind, having a feeling of fullness for hours after eating, constipation or diarrhoea, and more. Or perhaps your GP has diagnosed you with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is a collection of digestive symptoms that are persistent and for which no apparent cause can be identified by conventional medical tests. You are not alone. It is thought that about 50% of people suffer from bloating, but many may not even realise that this is a sign of digestive issues. I know I didn’t, thinking at the time that bloating after eating was normal! Bloating can often be caused by an imbalance between friendly and unfriendly gut bacteria which ferment the food that you eat, producing gas. This can build up and cause the bloating, which can uncomfortable and even painful. Food intolerances may also be another possible cause of digestive issues. In IBS, there may be increased gut sensitivity, and symptoms may happen in bouts, or become worse when stressed. To those who have not had any experience of IBS, it can seem like “nothing,” but for those who suffer from it, and those who experience other digestive issues, it can be upsetting and affect their peace of mind and quality of life.

Nutritional therapy can help by doing a thorough investigation to identify the possible underlying root causes of your digestive issues. Imbalances in the gut bacteria, a gut infection or suspected food intolerances can be tested easily and resolved. By improving your digestive health, nutritional therapy can make a big difference to resolving your digestive issues. Together, we’ll get the answers you’re looking for and help you make positive changes to restore optimal gut health.

We’ll go through a detailed history, to get a picture of what has been going on for you, and investigate possible causes for your digestive issues. To provide insights into gut health, I often recommend clients do a stool test, which can be done at home. This can help to identify what may be contributing to your digestive issues, such as:

• Imbalance between friendly and unfriendly gut bacteria
• Presence of any parasites or other gut infection
• Low digestive enzymes
• Poor gallbladder function
• Elevated inflammation in the gut
• Status of gut immune health

Depending on your individual history and circumstances, other tests may also be recommended, if relevant. We’ll then dive right into helping you make any needed changes to your diet and lifestyle that could be affecting your gut health.

Did you know, that the balance of your gut bacteria is affected within just a few days of changing your diet? This means that we can start rebalancing the health of your gut right away. You will learn which foods to avoid and which ones can be specifically therapeutic.

Your test results (if relevant), will give us a deeper understanding on your gut health and we can then address any imbalances, through an individualised supplementation plan designed for you, to address the possible root causes underlying your digestive issues.

The goal of your programme is to get you feeling better as quickly as possible. We’ll review your progress on a regular basis, and adapt your programme as needed. Many clients see progress early on in the process and for lasting change, how quickly this happens for you depends on your individual situation, such as how long you’ve been suffering with digestive issues, the underlying reasons for your challenges, and the changes you’ve been able to make.