No matter what I am treating people for in my office practice, eventually more than half of them end up talking about their digestive complaints. Actually, I would venture to say that perhaps one half of the general population have some kind of problem with their gut.

There is a lot to consider when we talk about digestion:

We internalize the tremendous stress of day-to-day life in our bodies, often specific to the digestive system.
The typical American diet is not only lacking in vital nutrients, it is composed of refined foods treated with chemicals . . . but we eat too much, too quickly, and too late.
We eat foods that we are allergic or intolerant to, or eat foods that shouldn't even be considered food!
The general belief in this society is that we are immune to parasites because we live in a civilized country, supposedly free of this third-world ailment.

If any of these things are familiar to your lifestyle and general beliefs, and you have something in your digestion that is not quite right, then you may need some guidance in the right direction.

Although many times there are simple solutions because the cause is evident, most of us are a little more complex. Many people have had digestive problems their entire lives but have just learned to "live with it, that's the way my body works." Many people have tried either altering their diets or taking handfuls of nutritional supplements with little success.

That's where various, good diagnostic skills come in handy for me. Although I have patients in the San Diego area, I can also work with people that cannot come to my office. As an intake, I would probably take a good history for you to understand the scope and severity of the problem. I will also ask what previous practitioners you have gone to, what treatments were prescribed, and which ones were beneficial. Copies of various tests like blood work or other diagnostic procedures can also be useful.

I would also want you to do a food diary for two to three weeks. Doing a food diary is one of the most revealing things you can do for your nutritional well-being. Often it is a catharsis of sorts when it is revealed exactly what you eat! Just writing down what you eat often instigates a pattern of better food choices. I have found that people have a craving for the very foods that they are the most allergic or intolerant to. Also, insatiable carbohydrate cravings can indicate malabsorption or yeast overgrowth.

I have come to utilize various lab tests from BioHealth Diagnostics for gut problems. There is a comprehensive and concise body of information that can be gleaned from doing a few tests. I have helped people stop the merry-go-round of seeking help, going from one practitioner to the next, each having a different idea of what the problem might be. As a start, I may run a test that would show the integrity of the inside lining of your intestines. This test gathers a lot of information about the bacteria in the gut: whether or not there is yeast present, digestive function, and immune response. I may also run a test which shows responses to five of the most common allergic foods. I might also test for parasites that you may have been, unknowingly, harboring for quite some time. Sometimes, based on the results I get from running a couple of tests, another test or two may be required.

Diagnosing gut problems can be complicated but essential to treatment. Ultimately, the first goal is to unravel the mystery of the cause of your gut problem. Secondarily, is to treat it accordingly in an effective and wholistic manner.

For example, in a wholistic plan for treatment, if we find that you are intolerant to gliadin (a specific protein found in certain grains) the first step would be to eliminate those foods from the diet. I would also want to treat whatever damage that was done to the gut from years of irritation and inflammation. This may include rotating foods to avoid allergic responses, and regulating blood sugar by monitoring the kinds of foods that are consumed and the frequency at which they are consumed.

Overall, the approach should be truly wholistic by addressing systemic damage to your body that may be present as chronic fatigue or hormonal imbalances. It would also be vital to include lifestyle changes, and incorporate ways to handle the stressors of life. Appropriate nutritional and/or herbal support can help with digestive function, and help the body to repair. Ultimately, if it is accessible to you, acupuncture can truly expedite the healing process, and help you bring not only your gut, but your entire body into balance.