How prevalent are digestive disorders in the US? National Institute of Health (NIH) data shows that digestive diseases affect 60 to 70 million people and were responsible for 48.3 million ambulatory care visits. In addition, 36.6 million Americans received a primary diagnosis of a digestive disorder during medical office visits; 7.9 million people were admitted and were given a primary diagnosis during emergency room visits and 3.8 million were given a primary diagnosis during outpatient visits. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
When do Digestive Issues Become Chronic Digestive Disorders?
Ask yourself these questions…
“Are my digestive issues affecting my life?”
“Am I irritable, and short tempered with my spouse or children, because I feel bloated, uncomfortable, constipated or experiencing stomach pains?”
“Am I struggling to be productive at work because my digestive issues are causing stomach aches, heartburn fatigue and lethargy?”
“Am I on an endless journey to uncover which foods are causing me problems?”
“Is there a history of digestive issues in my family and I am making the excuse to myself that it is genetic and I just have to live with it?”
“What will happen if my digestive problems continue?”
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Anyone experiencing digestive issues will tell you that all of a sudden their gut becomes the center of their universe. When the gut is miserable, the entire body is miserable, and will also affect our mental health.
While stomach aches, gas, heartburn and other digestive issues may be uncomfortable, they usually aren’t taken seriously and over-the-counter-medications often provide temporary relief by masking symptoms of a deeper problem. In many cases these symptoms may be indicative of a more serious health condition.
10 Common Digestive Disorders – What You Need to Know
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Occurs when stomach acid frequently flows back into the tube connecting your mouth and stomach (esophagus). The backwash (acid reflux) can irritate the lining of your esophagus. Mayo Clinic
- Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD) and Gastritis
An “ulcer” is an open sore. “Peptic” means that the cause of the problem is due to acid.The two most common types are called “gastric ulcers” (located in the stomach) and “duodenal ulcers”(located in the small intestine or bowel). A person may have both ulcers at the same time. American College of Gastroenterology
- Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease
People with gluten intolerance or celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder affecting the digestive system. Celiac disease affects 3 million Americans. More than 50% are women.1 Gluten intolerance is less severe than celiac disease. US Department of Health and Human Services
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an umbrella term used to describe disorders that involve chronic inflammation of your digestive tract. IBD includes:
- Ulcerative colitis that involves inflammation and sores (ulcers) along the superficial lining of your large intestine (colon) and rectum.
- Crohn’s Disease – inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract.
Symptoms of both conditions are generally characterized by diarrhea, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, fatigue and weight loss. Mayo Clinic
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
A common disorder affecting the large intestine. Those with IBS experience cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea or constipation, or both. IBS is a chronic condition that needs to be managed by a healthcare practitioner. Mayo Clinic
- Constipation
infrequent bowel movements (less than 3 per week) or difficult passage of stools that persists over a period of time. Mayo Clinic
- Hemorrhoids
Swollen veins located around the anus or in the lower rectum. About 50 percent of adults experience the symptoms of hemorrhoids by the age of 50. Healthline
- Crohn’s Disease
Type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may causes inflammation of the digestive tract leading to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition. Mayo Clinic
For many, simply changing lifestyle and diet from processed to organic whole foods, eliminating sugar and other inflammatory and acidic foods, and exposure to environmental toxins may improve the condition. However, if you read through the list of common digestive disorders, you will notice a theme of inflammation, viral infections and sores on organs causing pain and discomfort. This is indicative of a whole body shift that needs to take place before the healing can begin that often takes time and a commitment on your part.
What Can You Do to Heal?
“I had no energy, wasn’t sleeping well, had bad digestion and acid reflux. I was so bloated I couldn’t button my pants, and had developed pounding in my chest that wouldn’t go away. Now, the bloating is gone, acid reflux has significantly reduced, sleep has improved, and the throbbing in my chest has become much more faint.” – S.B., Paramount Wellness Client
Eating a whole-foods diet high in fiber, healthy fat and nutrients is the first step toward good digestion. Following a customized guided nutrition plan is essential for those who are not familiar with organic whole foods and is always a good place to start.
Paramount Wellness offers Guided Nutrition Coaching empowering our clients to take back their health safely and naturally through whole food nutrition and dietary adjustments.
Our trained professionals also suggest practices such as mindful eating, stress reduction and exercise which may also be beneficial. Think about all of the times you have hit a fast food restaurant or throw your breakfast, lunch or dinner into the microwave at home or in the office and then continue with your busy day. Most times we do not even give our bodies time to digest… we are literally eating and running onto the next appointment or obligation in our busy daily schedule.
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Nutrition Response Testing ℠
“I was in and out of pain throughout my body on a regular basis. I was stressed out a lot and having issues with bloating and digestion. After just two months on a nutrition program, I feel mostly pain free and my bloating and digestion has improved tremendously!” – J.B., Paramount Wellness Client
Although there may be multiple causes of digestive disorders, most times, the common denominator (along with a stressed-filled lifestyle) is a nutrient deficiency. Perhaps there may not be enough hydrochloric acid (HCL) considered to be one of the most important fluids found in the human body and is especially needed for digestion. An HCL deficiency can cause foods to putrefy in the stomach rather than be digested. Over time, an HCL deficiency can lead to many of the problems listed above.
As we noted above, medications may offer short-term relief, but if the underlying conditions are not addressed, lack of gut health may cause other health issues. Other causes may also include lack of intestinal flora – both good and bad bacteria that live inside the digestive tract – and are needed for digestion. Chronic constipation is indicative of this deficiency. Many people will take a probiotic to improve this situation without realizing that there are thousands of strains of gut flora and each person’s gut flora is as unique as their thumbprint. Finding the right one for yours requires testing to ensure it’s the correct one otherwise the condition may not be helped or even made worse.
Nutrition Response Testing ℠ is a natural, safe, and precise analysis used by trained professionals at Paramount Wellness to locate stressed areas of the body, determine nutritional deficiencies associated with the presenting symptoms and providing the “whole food” supplements necessary to restore one’s health.
With this method we are able to identify the UNDERLYING cause of the inflammation and use targeted nutritional supplementation to create a HEALING response that leads to the end of the inflammation. Traditional therapies just put the fire out while leaving a small burn to reignite when conditions become ideal again (too much exposure to a sensitive food, stress, etc.). However, with Nutrition Response Testing℠ we can identify the cause of the fire and put it out for good.
Dr. Erika Schultz, DACM, LAc, is an Advanced Trained Nutrition Response Testing Practitioner
Dr. Erika is the most advanced trained practitioner in Nutrition Response Testing ℠ in the Denver Metro area and works alongside Lyric Turner a Certified Nutrition Response Testing Practitioner mentored by Dr. Erika. Either practitioner will complete a full body scan to properly assess each of your reflexes. Energy flows exist between all parts and organs of the body. These flows can become disrupted for a variety of reasons. The disruption is easily discovered and properly handled with testing. Chronic health issues like allergies and asthma can be addressed at the root cause – unique to each individual. Treating chronic health issues becomes more personalized, efficient and effective with lasting resolution.
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