Really? Yes, most digestion problems stem from not ENOUGH acid!
90% of Americans suffer daily with one or more digested related issues:
- Bloating
- Gas
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Skin problems
- Inability to lose weight
- Fatigue
- Food Cravings
- Stomach Pain
As long as our gut is on ‘fire’, our adrenals will pump out cortisol to try to extinguish it. If you read our last article, cortisol tells our body to store fat…welcome to the vicious cycle of digestive problems, fatigue and weight gain.
80% of our immune system lies in our digestive tract
Interpretation: All disease starts with digestion. Conversely, the road to vitality starts in the gut. You may find it hard to believe that:
- Food is mood! 95% of serotonin – the HAPPY neurotransmitter – is produced in the gut.
- The Road to Perfect Skin & Hair starts with a Healthy Belly!
- Your Food Cravings are ‘Bad Bacteria’ overgrown commanding your brain to eat more carbs.
- Belly bloat is not resolved with sit-ups.
- Acid reflux and GERD is not a ‘too much acid’ issue, it’s an acid in the wrong place (esophagus) issue.
Why do our digestive systems break down?
For starters, we’re eating junk food, so we’re in a chronic state of junk mood! 90% of the food we buy is processed, which confuses the system.
In the grand scheme of digestion, acid production is the PRECURSOR, which primes the pump to each step.
95% of digestion problems is NOT ENOUGH acid vs TOO MUCH
What decreases stomach acid?
- AGING – Many of us produce half by 40 of what we did at 20.
- Stress – If we’re always in ‘fight or flight’, blood flow is sent to muscles rather than digestion. This depletes adrenals and our body’s ability to produce acid and enzymes to convert food to fuel. No wonder we’re tired.
- Alcohol or caffeine especially on an empty stomach
- Bacterial infections
- Medications such as birth control pills, antacids and anti-depressants
Low acid also = low collagen (skin problems, wrinkles, thinning hair) PLUS adrenal fatigue and anorexic sex hormones production!
Can you start to see how our body functions as a WHOLE?
These are the typical root causes of digestion, yet the symptoms we suffer are most typically treated exclusively. Contrary to most doctors advise, diet DOES have everything to do with it, and you were unlikely ‘born with’ these issues. The majority of clients Diane works with have been prescribed drugs or OTC’s that ADD TO the problem, by further inspiring:
- Leaky gut = Allergies and Food Intolerances, mostly new ones
- Bacterial overgrowth = bugs grow when the stomach’s ph is too high (5) vs low (3) as it should be. A healthy large intestine houses around 75% good bacteria and 25% bad. Todays ‘common’ gut is half and half, with bacteria creeping into the small intestine, eating nutrients that is meant for US to absorb. Another reason you’re so tired!
- Immune system shut down – Chronic malabsorption depletes the basic nutritional building blocks we need, resulting in a compromised ability to recover from illness
Here’s the GOOD NEWS. It’s within your arms reach to earn back your vitality!
The biggest mistakes I see people make are:
Taking antacids and/or Eating too alkaline
- Sitting after eating
- Chasing their tails with antibiotics, which kill bad AND good, without restoring the good
- Eating/snacking too much and/or too frequently
- Taking the wrong herbs in the wrong amounts
- Not being consistent. They feel better, then start eating crap again
- Leaning heavily on herbs as magic pills and not adjusting the lifestyle that caused it
So, how about we do the opposite?
Everyone is different so, gone are the days where ‘blanket recommendations’ toward YOUR perfect health will ensure success. This is why Diane works with clients 1 on 1 to discover what’s best for YOU. A BONUS article with homeopathic remedies and tests you can try at home can be found here:
If these tips don’t help, make things worse OR you’re tired of spinning your wheels, incorporating diagnostics to identify bacterial overgrowth is in order for you. Some 75% of us are infected with parasites, so as Diane says…Don’t guess, TEST!
It’s not just about EATING healthy anymore…the modern version of ‘you are what you eat’ has evolved into ‘You are what you eat, break down and ABSORB’
And with every symptom remember, it is your body talking…
ARE YOU LISTENING?
Call me crazy, but your poop is the biggest teller of digestive health AND hence your odds of disease:
- HOW OFTEN?
- HOW SOON AFTER MEALS?
- WHAT TIME OF DAY?
- WHAT CONSISTENCY?
- WHAT'S IN IT (UNDIGESTED FOOD)?
- WHAT COLOR IS IT?
- IS IT A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE?
- HOW DOES IT SMELL?
CLICK HERE to LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO FIX YOUR DIGESTION!
This article was published in the San Clemente Journal of Orange County, CA in Spring of 2014 🙂 Many readers were called to action by it and we have since helped them to heal their digestion and hence energy levels, sleep patterns and physique.
To schedule a consultation with Diane, CLICK HERE.
