Why is gut health so important?

Before I go into what testing I do, I want to touch on why…

As a natural health practitioner I take a holistic approach to assessing and addressing the causes of imbalance. Research (and Ayurveda wisdom) has shown that the human body is much more than just an individual organism – we’re a complex symbiosis of trillions of microorganisms outnumbering our own cells 10 to 1. A significant portion of these microorganisms reside in our gut, collectively known as our gut microbiota.

Here's a key point about our gut – to derive nutrition and energy from food, our gastrointestinal tracts have to be able to accept nutrients into our bloodstream, in other words it needs to be vulnerable. For this complex machinery to work, and screen out potentially fatal pathogens, evolution has afforded us a highly specialised defence mechanism – our immune system. It is no surprise then that more than 70% of the immune system resides in our G.I. tract.

By that logic, food has an enormous role in our immune health. It’s not only about what you eat, but how and when you eat it, and how your body is digesting it. The complex biochemical process of digestion requires the metropolis of little microbes in your gut working in symbiotic harmony to ensure you’re in balance. When there is dysbiosis, digestion is negatively impacted, your G.I. tract begins to suffer damage and inflammation at a rate the body can’t sustainably repair. Over the long term this cycle can become a driver for imbalance and disease in the body.

Gut microbiome and food intolerance testing adds another analytical layer on top of the detailed client assessment I conduct during the initial consultation. This approach lays the foundation for developing a precise targeted pathway towards addressing imbalance.

What are food intolerances?

Food intolerances are a group of hypersensitive immune mediated reactions that occur in the G.I. tract, and can cause a wide range of symptoms. This type of immune response is known as a Type II or Type III hypersensitivity reaction (involving IgG and IgM antibodies), as opposed to what is known as a ‘true allergy’ or Type I hypersensitivity (involving IgE antibodies).

The foods that cause food intolerance reactions are often difficult to identify because of the time delay between exposure and reaction, ranging anywhere from several hours to a few days. However, reactions to food are more often food intolerances rather than food allergies, which involve immediate reactions and can be life threatening. Allergies and intolerances can cause very similar symptoms making it difficult to differentiate the two.

Allergy symptoms can include:

• Skin: hives, rashes, itching, swelling, redness

• Respiratory: sneezing, coughing, wheezing, runny nose, nasal congestion

• Gastrointestinal: stomach pains or cramps, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, loose stools

• Cardiovascular: dizziness, light headedness, fainting, weak pulse

• Neurological: anxiety, headaches, cognitive disruptions

Prolonged exposure to aggravating foods can cause ongoing inflammation and eventually damage to the gut. Appropriate laboratory testing is therefore an important step to identifying food intolerances and implementing changes to eliminate exposure to trigger foods, promote healing and restore balance.