How to Improve Gut Function

Okay, so the question is, what can we do to improve gut function and therefore create health? Let’s start at the stomach. So one of the things that a lot of people experience is gastric reflux. So what are some of the clues of individuals who experience gastric reflux? One area we can look at is pregnant women. When women are pregnant, they seem to experience gastric reflux. Why? Because of the pressure. So pressure can create gastric reflux. When we gain more weight than we normally are used to, we can experience gastric reflux, right? Because of the pressure. So thinking about pressure, that’s an important component. So let’s keep that at the back of our minds and what can create that pressure. So that’s one. Two, the stomach aligning. And one of the really interesting products that I’ve used for I don’t know how many years, so maybe over 30 years for sure, is something called DGL: Darn good licorice. It stands for Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice Root. So what it does, what DGL does when chewed, it stimulates the production of mucin. Mucin. What is mucin? Mucin is a mucus that the stomach produces chew, protect. Its lining from acid. Remember I said the pH of the stomach is two to three. So it’s said I put a hole in my hand, but why isn’t it putting a hole in my stomach? Because my stomach produces mucin. And DGL can stimulate the production of mucin. Chewing about two of these tablets can help. Something else you can do is baking soda. Yes, one teaspoon of baking soda stirred with water. And you can drink that and that can also help. Now that’s anecdotal, but guess what? It can definitely curb gastric reflux. Something else that patients continuously share with me is their experience with apple cider vinegar, that when they take apple cider vinegar, they have improvement in their gastric reflux. So that’s something also to keep in mind. You can get that in capsules. Uh, it’s readily available, something that you can take. It doesn’t have side effects, so it’s safe and they may be able to help you. Now to get more into the nitty gritty of gastric reflux, let’s look at something we talked about in the past that when our migrating motor complex isn’t working. Remember the migrating motor complex? Remember, we eat food two hours after the food enters the major part of our small intestine. And what kicks in the migrating motor complex, what does that do? It pulls bacteria out of the small intestine and throws them into the colon. What about if that isn’t working, what happens? Well, the bacteria remain there, they consume your food. And what happens? Gas, right? Methane and hydrogen. And so you get bloating. Can that bloating create a pressure that creates acid from reflexing from the stomach into the esophagus, which gives you the burning? The answer to that question is yes, it can. So what can we do? Enteric coated peppermint oil. And what this does and what does enteric coating means? Enteric coating means that it will resist stomach acid. It will break down in an alkaline environment. That’s the environment of the small intestine. Remember the small intestines, five to six, that’s where it breaks. And when it breaks there, it releases, its peppermint and it scares the heck outta those bacteria. And they run for for cover and they go into the colon. So it reduces gas and bloating and health Canada has actually given it a IBS claim. That’s how good it works, that it reduces gas and bloating. Now here’s the trick. Remember, enter means that it will not break down in the pH of two to three. An acid pH only breaks down in the alkaline pH. What if your stomach is alkaline peppermint oil? It’s gonna break in the stomach and you’re gonna burp it up, and when you burp it up, it’s not gonna work. So you need to take that product at the right time. So I always recommend, hey, take it with your meals first thing. Then sometimes if it still burps, take it before the meal. If it’s still burps, take it after the meals. So you gotta find your sweet spot where it works. But usually if you take it with your meals, it usually will get down to the small intestine and do its thing. So that’s enteric coated peppermint. Take two or three of these capsules. And it really is something that’s very, very effective and works really, really well. Make sure that in between meals, you have time slots. So don’t eat every two hours. Give yourself a five hour break. Sometimes they call that intermittent fasting to a degree. I mean, I know sometimes intermittent fasting can go for 12 hours. You know you’re fasting every time you go to bed, right? Because what do you do in the morning? You have breakfast. What’s breakfast? Breaking the fast, right? So it’s really important to have those time elements in between meals. That’s important because that would give the migrating motor complex the ability to push those bacteria into the colon and reduce that gas. Now, something else I’m gonna add. So one of the things that we can do from a natural perspective is try to reduce our stress levels by increasing our relaxation ability, which we call the parasympathetic response. And one of the ways you can do that is with a product called Pharma Gaba, and it’s 200 milligrams and you take it, I always recommend to take it in the evening so you can see how it works because you should get a response within about 45 minutes to one hour, a 200 milligrams, and it comes in chewable tablets and also comes in capsules 200 milligrams. So make sure that when you go get phar gaba, you look on the label to make sure that it’s Pharma Gaba. Because some GABA is synthetic, they synthesize it, it does not work the same weight as the natural pharmac gaba, that’s fermented. That’s the one you want to take. ’cause there is a very big difference in the efficacy of these products. So Pharma GABA is something that I also recommend. So now you’ve learned about some of the things you can do for a gastroesophageal reflux disorder, this acid coming up into your esophagus, this burning sensation. So those are the some of the products you can take and some of the things you can do to help yourself with that condition. Our next topic is gonna be a big topic and something that’s really come out probably in the last 10, 15 years, and that’s called SIBO, small intestine Bacterial or Growth. So stay tuned for this interesting review of SIBO and what we can do to improve SIBO and actually get rid of SIBO in our bodies.