Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Subscribe Today! Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode. PROBIOTICS FOR MORE THAN IMMUNITY, INVITEⓇ HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 608 Hosted by Amanda Williams, MD, MPH *Intro Music* InViteⓇ Health Podcast Intro: [00:00:04] Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed health …
Subscribe Today! Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode. Hosted by Amanda Williams MD, MPH *Intro Music* InViteⓇ Health Podcast Intro: [00:00:04] Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed health care professionals are excited to offer you the most important …
Written by Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND digestive
For further questions or concerns email me at [email protected]†
I have covered the most common digestive concerns that occur. As I went through this series, I wanted to get the point across that digestive health doesn’t just mean diarrhea or constipation. The digestive tract is one of the most important systems in our body. Not only does it process the nutrients we need to live, it also affects our immune system. Our digestive tract is impacted by every part of our daily life from what we eat to stress and even if we aren’t sleeping enough. Often times when we start to feel sick, we feel it in our digestive system first. That is why it’s important to “listen to your gut,” as they say. If there is any changes in our digestive system, it’s important to find out what’s going on. The symptoms and risk factors for the topics I discussed in this series have similar symptoms. Knowing what exactly is going on can help pinpoint exactly what will be helpful. Additionally, stress has a huge impact on the digestive system. If you’re undergoing stress, treating the digestive symptoms won’t be helpful in the long term. The same is true if there is any systemic medical concern such as diabetes. Doing a food log and matching it to a symptom log can help a lot. Every day for at least 1 week, write down what you eat and how you feel. Were you constipated? Felt gassy? Mark it down and it can help us determine if there are any food triggers. This is a fantastic tool to bring in with you when you sit down with a nutritionist. Along with a food log, bring a list of any and all medications, supplements that you are taking and any blood work you have. While every individual digestive issue has its own slightly different protocol, there are some things that are just important in general. It is important to know what’s going on since some things can have very different protocols. These are some suggestions I believe can be helpful.†
ICYMI: DIGESTIVE HEALTH PART 13: SIBO>>Read Now!
An elimination diet can be helpful in determining if there are any food sensitives causing the underlying concerns. I like to recommend doing an elimination diet after a 10 day food log.†
Castor oil packs are amazing for reducing inflammation and pain in the digestive tract! (1) †
Reducing stress with L Theanine (2) , magnesium (3) and even Hemp (4) which have all been found in studies to reduce stress ! Since stress is such a common risk factor when it comes to digestive concerns it just makes sense that eliminating or reducing stress would help the digestive system! See Invite’s L Theanine, and our extensive line of magnesium and Hemp products!†
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Healing herbs such as the Demulcents have been found in studies to help with inflammation, pain, and even healing the digestive tract. These demulcent herbs can include the following: DGL, Aloe Vera, Slippery Elm and Marshmallow root. (5) Please see Invite’s G.I Maintain, Min Acid and DGL.†
Probiotics are so important and came up over and over again in this series! Probiotics have been found to have so many benefits in varies studies. Please see Invites Probiotic Hx, weight and our newest probiotic, Probiotic Women! (6)†
Digestive enzymes have been found to help with gas and bloating and breaking down food. In studies they help with symptoms of constipation among other concerns (7)†
As I said this series was made to discuss the most common digestive concerns. In some cases an individual may have gone to many doctors and still isn’t sure what is going on. Or you may have a concern that was not covered by any of the topics in this series. In that case feel free to email me or call me so we can discuss what is going on in more depth and find some suggestions that will help you feel better!†
As we age our bodies start to deteriorate but there are things we can do to help anti-aging. These can be diet, exercise, and supplements!
Let’s continue to learn about the digestive health with Dr Claire Arcidiacono, ND. This weeks blog post will focus on pancreas, liver, and gallbladder.
Digestive health
Written by Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
For further questions or concerns email me at [email protected]
Digestive Health affects practically everyone who eats and goes to the bathroom. But what is a healthy digestive system? It’s important we start at the beginning.†
The digestive system is a separate system from the rest of the body. It has its own immune system, nervous system and enzymes. Anything you consume, such as food stays in the digestive system. For example, if you eat an apple, it stays in your digestive system and doesn’t float around in your blood somewhere. The digestive system is made up of a “roadway” called the gastrointestinal tract or GI tract. The GI tract is made up of the liver, pancreas and gallbladder; pictured below. (1) Since this is a complex topic, I will focus mainly on the digestive tract.†
The Gastrointestinal tract starts in the mouth. Our teeth are the first and important part of the digestive process. They help the salivary glands in the mouth help to breakdown food, especially complex carbohydrates. If you chew on a cracker for long enough, the enzymes in your mouth will break it down so it will taste sweet! (2) It is important to keep your mouth healthy and clean by brushing your teeth twice a day! Once you break down your food, you swallow it, where it enters the next part of the digestive system.†
The swallowed food travels through the esophagus. A gateway called the lower esophageal sphincter, separates the stomach form the esophagus. When you eat or drink, this triggers the sphincter to open; so the food can enter the stomach. However, sometimes there is an issue with the sphincter not closing properly; causing acid in the stomach to flow into the esophagus leading to “heartburn”. (3) Once you’re done eating, the sphincter closes, entering the stomach.†
The stomach is basically a blender, containing digestive enzymes and acid. The acid in the stomach is important for the enzymes to work properly. (4) It mixes the food, enzymes, and acid together to breakdown the food; killing any pathogens that may be present.†
After the stomach, the food travels to the small intestine which is only small due to its width; its length being 22 feet long! Much like the stomach, the small intestine (SI) continues to breakdown food. The SI receives enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the liver. Unlike the stomach, the SI is also in charge of the absorption of nutrients. It’s broken down into the following parts: duodenum, jejunum and ileum, pictured below:†
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The duodenum or first section of the SI is responsible for the breakdown of food. While the jejunum and Ileum are mostly responsible for the absorption of nutrients. In other words, semi solids enter the small intestine and get mixed with water, bile, enzymes and mucus to become semi liquid.†(5)
From there, the food will travel to the Large intestine or LI. This is also known as the colon. The colon (pictured below) is made up of the cecum which is connected to the SI, the ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon and the sigmoid colon which connects to the rectum and then finally the anus.
The colon absorbs water and produces waste material known as stool or feces; which is food debris and bacteria. Good bacteria in the colon help us by making certain vitamins and protecting us from pathogens. The rectum is connected to the anus, the final part of the digestive tract. The anus has sphincter muscles that allow us to control bowel movements. Normally, they allow us to hold stool until our body is ready to release it.† (6)
The GI tract is just one part of the digestive system. Next week we will move on to the organs outside of the digestive tract; which will include the pancreas, liver and gallbladder.†
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/7041-digestive-system
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21765-mouth
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21728-esophagus
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21758-stomach
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_intestine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_intestine