Can I heal my Digestive System Naturally?

Tasneem Kaderi • February 15, 2023

How can I heal my digestive system naturally?

We all know that a healthy digestive system is super important, but it can be tough to know where to start when improving your gut health. The entire digestive system covers from esophagus to the bowel is what consists of gut health which is responsible for breaking down food into essential nutrients that help us run our bodies. That means that if anything goes wrong, you may be at risk of diseases. Next time you're eating a meal and suddenly feel like you have the runs, it may be because you're having an early warning sign of leaky gut.

The stomach is where the real action takes place. The first step is to mix food with powerful chemicals in the gut. Bile, hydrochloric acid and digestive juices are essential for this mixing and if there is a shortage of any of these the process is off to a poor start. Regular, soft, bulky and comfortable bowel movement is vital to health. But something is seriously wrong with our society as 4 million American say they are constipated most or all of the time.¹

Constipation is referred to passing stools less than 3 times per week. Proper bowel movement includes concepts of proper transit time and regularity, which are important for healthy bowel movements. However, the longer products of digestion stay in the colon, the more chances that they have decomposed into unhealthy components called stool impurities.

Eating a high fiber diet is important for your digestive system. A high fiber diet helps keep your digestive system healthy and functioning properly. Fibers such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains will help prevent constipation while they also contribute to weight loss. High fiber foods also help treat conditions like diverticulosis, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids and more.

Source: National Library of Medicine

Tips to heal your digestive system naturally

The best way to counter the effects of a bad diet is by adding probiotics to your routine. Probiotics help preserve a good state of health, promote digestion and maintain proper hydration in the body.

Chances are, our day-to-day routine involves a lot of work and stress. This eventually pressures us to consume more food than necessary. In fact, it is believed that 70% of your diet should consist of high-quality foods that can benefit your body.

It's a known fact that our body needs foods in order to function properly. You also have to have a healthy lifestyle as well, which includes healthy eating habits along with regular exercise in order to prevent muscle wasting and promote weight loss.

Some of the tips to heal your digestive system are listed here as follows:

1. Eating more fiber- vegetables and fruits, yogurt, probiotics and fermented foods

2. Exercising for 30 minutes daily. Mild to moderated physical activity

3. Drinking more water and cutting down on meat

4. Cutting down sugar and artificial sweeteners. Reducing stress and getting enough sleep

Signs of an unhealthy digestive system

There are these two variables that influence the gut influence namely the gut microbiota and the gut barrier.

Our gut is the gateway through which food, water, and other substances pass into our bodies. The function of the gut is to receive these substances, break them down into smaller molecules, and then either absorb them or eliminate them.

If this breaking down process goes wrong, large molecules can leak from the gut into the blood and cause an immune response. This is called a “leaky gut” and can lead to many health conditions, including autoimmune diseases and allergies.

Too much sugar, trans-fats and processed food can cause your gut to become unhealthy. This creates a leaky gut, allowing undigested food particles to pass from the digestive tract into your bloodstream and causing inflammation in various parts of your body. Left untreated, leaky gut can lead to a wide variety of health issues including autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurological issues and more.

The gut microbiome gets disturbed due to a number of reasons:

1. Processed and Inflammatory Foods- According to the Standard American Diet, foods such as refined carbohydrates and industrial seed oils are a risk to gut. This particular diet reduces the bacterial diversity in the gut and induces inflammation thereby leading to adverse health effects.

2. Low Fiber Intake -A diet poor in fiber is likely to cause the gut microbiome to be derived of it and lead to reduced beneficial bacteria.

3. Stress- It alters the gut and leads to health conditions.

4. Chronic Infections- Bacterial, fungal and viral infections alter the gut microbiota.

5. Antibiotics and other medications- Antibiotics, birth control pills, NSAIDs, proton pump inhibitors all alter the gut according to research.²

6. Abnormal sleep schedule- It is really important to sleep well for the gut to function properly. Disruption in the circadian rhythm causes imbalance in the biome.

How does unhealthy digestive system affect your overall health?

Unhealthy digestive system is characterized by gut bacteria becoming potentially harmful when the ecosystem undergoes abnormal changes. Imbalance in the gut bacteria causes symptoms like bloating, adnominal pain and diarrhea. Many other diseases are linked to an unhealthy digestive system namely inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, liver diseases, HIV, cancers and autism.³

The gut and liver have a close interplay based on the evidence that the gut absorbs beneficial substances produced by the liver, which affect the metabolism of other organs in the body. A high-fat diet may be associated with obesity and insulin resistance, which contribute to type 2 Diabetes T2D.³

The gut-microbiota is an important part of the human body and is considered as a reservoir of harmful microbes. Cancers such as gastrointestinal and prostate cancer are caused due to the presence of microbial pathogens or disorder in the intestinal bacterial community.

The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing globally. The cause of IBD remains to be unknown but intestinal dysbiosis as a result of inflammation has been proposed to be involved in its development.³ Another type of inflammatory bowel disease is Crohn’s disease (CD).

Summary

Our modern lifestyles are stressful, busy and fast paced. Food is too often processed, bad fats and sugars added to foods, additives in processed foods or fat free hassles on the way to work. When you simplify your diet, you are making it easier to digest food properly and so get more energy out of it.

Digestive system is essential because it provides the energy which is needed to fuel the body and survive. Everyone has an adequate diet but your digestive health is what really counts. The nutrients won’t be absorbed and energy won’t be provided if the digestive system isn’t strong. Consuming food in their natural form and single ingredient foods are easily broken down by the digestive system. Avoiding foods that are high in sugar, refined, added preservatives, emulsifiers, saturated fats and convenience food can ease the load that the digestive system faces when these are taken in.

The health of your gut bacteria is essential for maintaining a healthy metabolism and their role in controlling inflammation and fighting infections. A diet rich in fiber can help boost digestion along with a healthy microbial population.

An epidemiological study has shown that eating yogurt can prevent age-related weight gain.⁴ Dietary probiotic consumption provides good intestinal health by altering gut bacteria. Since digestive system has an important impact on human health and diseases, it should be considered as a center point in preventing and treating chronic diseases.

Food is food and if it doesn’t nourish and support you, it doesn’t matter how much you love it. Our bodies need to feel good, so why would we feed them the empty calories that cause one of the biggest weight gain factors and feel hungry more often?

References:

1. Khalsa KP, Tierra M. The way of ayurvedic herbs: The most complete guide to natural healing and health with traditional ayurvedic herbalism. Lotus press; 2008.

2. Gill SR. pop M, Deboy RT, Eckburg pB, Turnbaugh pJ, Samuel BS, Gordon JI, Relman Da, Fraser-Liggett cM, Nelson KE. Metagenomic analysis of the human distal gut microbiome. Science. 2006;312(5778):1355-9.

3. Zhang YJ, Li S, Gan RY, Zhou T, Xu DP, Li HB. Impacts of gut bacteria on human health and diseases. International journal of molecular sciences. 2015 Apr;16(4):7493-519.

4. Mozaffarian, D.; Hao, T.; Rimm, E.B.; Willett, W.C.; Hu, F.B. Changes in diet and lifestyle and long-term weight gain in women and men. N. Engl. J. Med. 2011, 364, 2392–2404.

Thank you for reading Patient Education Essentials, the Write Shift RN blog.

Disclaimer: This article was written as a guest post for Write Shift RN LLC's blog. The information in it may not be wholly fact-checked or edited, allowing the reader to see the writer's work and skills firsthand. This information is not intended as medical advice. It is for informational and educational purposes only. Always talk to your doctor or other qualified healthcare providers about any questions or concerns you may have regarding medical conditions.

< Older Post Newer Post >

Steroid Injections vs. PRP

By Kristina Van Winkle • October 7, 2024

A Comparative Overview for Pain Management Steroid injections and Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injections are two commonly used pain management treatments. While both aim to alleviate pain and promote healing, they have different mechanisms of action and long-term effects . What Are Steroid Injections ? Corticosteroids are potent drugs used extensively across various medical fields to manage a broad spectrum of conditions, making them one of the most widely prescribed drug classes in the world. They can be administered via nearly every route, including direct injection into painful or inflamed joints. "Corticosteroids" typically refers to the class of drugs that produce glucocorticoid effects. Glucocorticoids are stress hormones that regulate numerous physiologic processes within the body. They have vasoconstrictive, immunosuppressive, and anti-inflammatory effects and play a role in metabolism. What do steroid injections treat? Corticosteroids function by suppressing the immune system and reducing inflammation within the body. They inhibit the production of the body's pro-inflammatory chemicals, leading to decreased inflammation and, consequently, pain. They are prescribed for hundreds of medical conditions, including: Allergic and autoimmune disorders Adrenocortical secretion disorders Infections and inflammation Pathologic hypoglycemia Organ and graft rejections Neurological disorders Hypercalcemia Blood disorders Skin disorders Shock What are the side effects of steroid injections? Although steroids are known to some as “wonder drugs,” they impact various bodily systems, including metabolism, water and electrolyte balance, the central nervous system, and blood cells. As a result, they are associated with many adverse side effects, especially when administered in large doses or over extended periods. Adverse effects may occur in up to 90% of individuals who take them for longer than sixty days. These side effects may include: Suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis Gastrointestinal disturbances Osteoporosis and fractures Psychiatric disturbances Carpal tunnel syndrome Cardiovascular disease Immunosuppression Cushingoid features Hyperglycemia Skin disorders Glaucoma Myopathy Cataracts Diabetes The risk of adverse side effects is particularly high when taken systemically. However, side effect occurrences vary when administered as local injections for pain management. Data indicates that steroid injections into joints and the spine can produce systemic effects that can last for weeks. When assessing the risk factors associated with steroid injections, healthcare providers must consider all types and doses of steroids the person is taking, including both oral and injectable forms. Additionally, special caution is advised for certain populations, such as those who may undergo surgery soon, postmenopausal women, and individuals with diabetes. What is Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) ? Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections use an individual's own blood to promote cellular regeneration. Through the extraction and reinjection of platelets, growth factors, and other bioactive proteins from the person's blood, PRP therapy offers long-lasting improvements, sustained pain relief, and enhanced tissue function. What do PRP injections treat? PRP injections can stimulate healthy cell growth, reduce inflammation, promote tissue repair, form new blood vessels, rejuvenate the skin and hair, and accelerate recovery after a traumatic injury. It can treat a wide range of conditions, including: Pain resulting from traumatic injury or degenerative conditions such as arthritis and chronic back pain Musculoskeletal conditions Tendinopathies and tears Compressive neuropathy Scars and stretch marks Osteochondral lesions Rheumatoid arthritis Erectile dysfunction Muscular injuries Plantar fasciitis Vaginal atrophy Osteoarthritis Epicondylitis Infertility Psoriasis Wounds Bursitis Vitiligo What are the side effects of PRP? Since PRP is derived from the person's own blood, the risk of allergic reactions or rejection is significantly lower compared to other injectables, such as steroids. PRP typically does not cause major side effects, though you may experience some soreness or bruising at the injection site. In rare cases, potential side effects may include: Tissue damage Nerve injuries Bleeding Infection Comparison of Steroid Injections and PRP Injections A study in the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research compared steroid injections with PRP injections in patients with mild to moderate symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA). The findings indicated that both treatments were safe and effective in improving short-term pain and functioning, with no significant differences observed. However, PRP therapy demonstrated superior outcomes in the long term, with benefits extending up to one year. Additionally, a literature review in Cureus Journal of Medical Science analyzed multiple studies comparing steroid injections with PRP in lumbar spondylosis and sacroiliac arthropathy. The review found that PRP was equally as effective, if not superior, to steroid injections in the short term. Neither treatment was associated with major complications, and there were no significant differences in minor complications between the two. The review concluded that both PRP and steroid injections are safe and effective for treating lumbar spondylosis and sacroiliac arthropathy, with some evidence that PRP may offer more benefits in the long term. Research has confirmed that both steroid and PRP therapy are valuable options for pain management and tissue healing. Steroid injections offer potent anti-inflammatory benefits that can provide immediate relief. However, their systemic side effects and limited duration of efficacy should be carefully considered, especially in high-risk populations. While PRP may take longer to show results, its long-term benefits make it an increasingly popular choice for treating various conditions. Ultimately, the choice between these treatments should be based on the specific needs of the individual patient, with careful attention to the patient's medical history. Thank you for reading the Write Shift RN blog. If you need an experienced RN writer for your health or healthcare educational content, contact me !