5 Things You Should Know About Gut Issues
Whether you’re just beginning to work through your gut issues, or have already started and feel stuck, here are 5 things you should know.
Knowing these things will save you time, money, and help you feel better, faster.
Your body is struggling more than you realize
Your journey with gut issues may have begun similarly to mine: infections, poor immunity, high stress, antibiotics…resulting in digestive problems galore. And if you’re also like me, you may have tried to ignore your symptoms, or just thought cutting sugar and gluten would “clear things up.” Unfortunately, it’s not so simple. Gut issues are complex. Moreover, your gut is connected to the rest of your body.
Primarily having digestive symptoms does NOT mean you only have gut issues. There’s often more going on. In fact, your health issues may not have begun in your gut at all!
When I finally got good lab work, it was clear I had gut issues, yes. But guess what else I found? My hormones were tanked, my liver was inflamed, my thyroid & adrenals were shot, my nervous system was dysfunctional…you get the idea.
It wasn’t possible to “heal my gut” with my overall health in that state. I should have known that my body was really struggling with how horrible I felt, yet I didn’t want to believe it. Are you ignoring how sick you truly are too? The sooner you acknowledge that your health issues are serious, the sooner you can provide your body the support it truly needs. Which brings me to my next point:
2. You need help
You probably don’t want to hear this. After all, Google exists, and you’re thinking you can figure it out. I very much relate to that, I was the same way. And I DO always support people getting informed, problem-solving what they can within their ability, and seeing what they can do to help themselves. Please do.
Here’s the thing: if you’ve been having digestive issues, and you’ve already tried multiple things and it’s not working then you’re in over your head.
You will waste more time and money throwing stuff at a wall, hoping it sticks, then biting the bullet and paying someone.
Note: working with the wrong person IS a waste. I worked with several different people (doctors, naturopaths, etc) and only got worse and paid them a lot. Work with someone who finds the issues, has a thought-out strategy to tackle the issues, and isn’t claiming they’ll “heal your gut in 30 days” if you buy their supplement.
3. What works for others will not (usually) work for you
You can read Dr. Axe articles and browse Reddit all day, but general advice on what helps other people will only get you so far. YOU are not them. YOUR gut issues are not theirs. Your body is unique. Your health history (your genetics, where you grew up, what food you ate, what mental stress you’ve endured, and so on) is unique.
If generic gut advice worked, we wouldn’t have thousands of people constantly trying to fix their gut health and failing. The bottom line: what helps you heal has to make sense for your body specifically.
Even if someone’s symptoms or story sounds like yours, the root cause of their issues could be totally different. Thus, what worked for them will fail to work (or, work well at least) for you. You have to find what helps YOU.
4. Restricted eating is always a crutch, never a cure
I genuinely sympathize so, so much with how difficult it is to feel sick no matter what you eat. I’ve experienced it. I’ve experienced having 1 or 2 foods you can eat. I’ve experienced crazy reactions to food that I have literally never heard any one else experience. When I was sick, I did every diet you can think of: keto, low FODMAP, Candida, low fermentation, SIBO, autoimmune, elemental, low carb, carnivore, lion, GAPS….you get the idea. Restricted or elimination diets are only a crutch. Do not get too comfy with them; you should not stay on them for months/years.
Eliminating food may help in the short term, but it will never actually fix the issue. And unfortunately, limiting food diversity limits gut microbiome diversity. We know this.
5. Supplements are a double-edged sword
Supplements are a powerful tool. They can support areas in our body until it is back in the game. Herbal supplements are utilized heavily in gut health circles - for good and bad. They can help A TON, especially since the medical options for gut issues can be…lacking. Unfortunately, it is very easy to chase after the next supplement that will help. Berberine! No, oregano! Biofilm disruptors! Gotta kill the “bad” bacteria! No, actually probiotics for the win! Plus you better be taking herbs to soothe that gut, and kickstart motility!
Additionally, these herbs are strong. I know it’s easy to wave this warning aside, especially since they’re not medication. You can find plenty of research on how powerful some of these herbs are. It’s pretty incredible honestly! But many people go in way too heavy-handed with the herbals. This is not helpful, trust me. Your body is thinking “you gotta be kidding me” if you throw anti-microbials at it when it’s already struggling. Be careful.
Throwing random supplements at your body just adds more burden to your organs. If you’re going to use supplements, they need to be targeted to YOU and YOUR ISSUES.
Realizing you are sick, getting help, being careful with restricted diets and supplements, and not constantly chasing after what works for other people are the 5 main things you should know about gut issues. These are what I wish I had known when I first started having gut issues, so I hope they can be helpful for you now instead! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. I’m here if you need anything.
Disclaimer: all information provided is educational in nature, and should not be considered medical advice. Nothing shared in this blog is intended to substitute for the advice, treatment or diagnosis of a qualified licensed physician.
