The Gut Is The Mother Of The Body

What comes first? The chicken or the egg?

The million dollar question… at least when it comes to how to heal your body. Am I right?

Well that’s exactly where I was when my body was flooded with symptoms I couldn’t figure out. When I was consuming more supplements than real food, had a nice stack of lab tests, and on my final straw of my doctor telling me “everything looks normal”!

 Just me? Prolly not. 

 If you’ve ever been confused on where to start (like I was), let me shortcut this for you…

Health begins in the gut. The gut is truly the mother of the body. And she’s in charge of soooo much more than digestion. 

Things like:

1. Hormone function: she has the ability to produce and regulate hormones independently from the brain (#secondbrain)
2. Immune function: 80% of which is located in your gut
3. Detoxification: one of the main jobs of bacteria in your gut is to degrade poisons

She literally influences every touchpoint in your body (no big deal). 

So rather than addressing, let’s say, hormones… shift focus to the gut first. Hormones are just chemical messengers anyways, right? They’re not actually the problem, they’re just telling us something is wrong. So what’s wrong? 

The first place to start? You guessed it…  the gut.

Here’s some of the main things I see affecting gut function:

Poor eating habits: Digestion is a north → south process. Meaning, you’ve got to make sure your brain is in a relaxed state and that you’re chewing your food thoroughly. If not, your body won’t produce the necessary digestive juices and enzymes to break down food (see below). 

Low stomach acid (HCl): we need sufficient HCl to break down food and stimulate the next phase of digestion. When chronically low, you may have a hard time digesting meat, see food in your stool or struggle with heartburn / GERDS / acid reflux. 

Low bile production: bile is what’s released when you eat fat, helping to break down fats and fat soluble vitamin absorption. When insufficient, you may experience nausea, pale, greasy or floating stools, constipation or diarrhea, itchiness, pain in the upper back / right side of body.

Low pancreatic function: this guy is the boss of protein breakdown. When your pancreas isn’t making sick moves to contribute to digestion you may see undigested food in your stool, feel gassy or bloated after meals, constipation and food sensitivities.

Pathogenic infections: bacteria, yeast and parasites disrupt the natural rhythms of your digestion. They all have their own symptoms (too many to list here) but generally you’ll see digestive issues, skin irritations, mood and energy swings, cravings, cognitive dysfunction, etc.

Toxic overload: say hello to your digestion villain. Toxins negatively impact nearly every system in your body. Especially the gut! You may see leaky gut, low HCL, low pancreatic function, biliary dysfunction, pathogenic infections… and all the symptoms associated with each. 

Once you get your gut on point the domino effect is unstoppable!

You’re finally able to really nourish your body and brain, you’re pooping regularly, sleeping better, have more energy and focus, crave movement, desire to be social and present... 

The gut is truly the mother of the body and first place to start mastering self-health!