Generally when thinking of poor digestion, the first symptoms to come to mind would be digestive: heartburn, reflux, indigestion, bloating, distention, gas and loose or hard stools. But those are the obvious symptoms. My real concern in practice are twofold. First, many people do not feel or directly experience the common digestive symptoms but have a more subtle or seemingly unrelated issue. Second, even more of a concern are the problems that often appear in distant parts of the body as a result of the breakdown of our body's basic functions and metabolic processes. Despite the title, there are very many problems that can result. Here are a few:
1. Joint pains—The digestive tract contains approximately 50 to 60 percent of your immune system. Dysfunction of the digestive tract generally causes inflammation. The centralized immune cells in the gut, called GALT, will often begin a more systematic immune reaction. Being that joints are highly vascular, the circulating inflammatory process will have direct effects upon them, often causing pain.
2. Fatigue—Poor digestion will result in poor nutrition. End of story. No matter what diet you are on—paleo, macrobiotic, raw, vegan, etc.—that food will not be efficiently and optimally absorbed and then delivered to the trillions of cells making up the human body. This will result in widespread deficiencies not only of micronutrients, but even the macronutrients, such as protein and healthy fats. Your body will be malnourished, and you may often be lacking energy.
3. Poor healing—For the same reasons above, the body will be in a deficiency state leading to less building blocks for the constant repair the body undergoes.
4. Reproductive issues—Reproductive function is a non-essential function of the body. If there are widespread deficiencies, the body will choose to use its reserves on higher functions, such as repair and brain, heart and liver functions, just to touch the surface. As a result, many women will have difficult or poorly timed menstrual cycles. Men will often experience lowered sex drive, libido and diminishing testosterone, resulting in lowered muscle mass and weight gain. Since these hormones are "steroid" hormones, having these issues is generally also a sign of cortisol imbalance, being that cortisol actually converts to estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Cortisol is the hormone responsible for stress control, blood sugar balance and weight!
5. Memory loss—The brain is made of fat! Fat is generally the most difficult macronutrient to digest and often becomes deficient in many people. Over time, the fat stores of good quality fats is compromised and the brain can no longer repair and grow as needed. Many will see minor forgetfulness: "Where are those keys?" and "What did I need to do today?" are common signs. Others might see minor clumsy behavior and balance issues. The same fatty-acid deficiencies ironically cause…
6. Weight gain—Poor digestion, despite even eating a healthy diet, causes system-wide deficiencies as previously mentioned. Those deficiencies will put us in a starvation mode, which results in the body up-regulating fat storage and sugar cravings!
7. Dry or oily skin, weak or brittle nails, and thin or losing hair—These symptoms are often signs of general nutrient deficiencies, and even more so than the reproductive system, hair, skin and nail quality are not priorities to the body and will often suffer when there are issues with nutrition.
8. Anxiety, depression, mood disorders—I was also surprised to learn that the gut, particularity the small intestines, actually manufactures about 50 percent of the body's total neurotransmitter output. Many of those neurotransmitters actually convert into some of our body's hormones as well. Neurotransmitter balance and output is the entire basis of most antidepressant/anxiety medications, such as SSRIs (Prozac, Welbutrin, etc.), which effect serotonin balance. Often these drugs have an off-label usage or repackaging as meds for gut disorders, such as IBS, Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. Puts a bit of perspective on the saying "You are what you eat." Your gut really effects your mood!
9. Sleep—There are so many ways digestion and sleep relate. I can only touch upon the subject. Sugar balance, hunger, neurotransmitter and hormone balance, inflammation, the direct effects of acid reflux and other painful disorders, brain health, and more. Even Chinese medicine for thousands of years always had the symptom of poor or disturbed sleep along with most digestive problems.
10. Aging and longevity— I'm sure you can see from the previous connection described that there will likely be a change in the quality of this machine we call our body. From premature aging to the advancement of disease processes— everything from osteoporosis to heart disease to diabetes and even cancer, and literally almost any disease process or symptom—all can potentially arise from an underlying digestive problem.
Many of us have digestive issues and know it. Unfortunately, many of us do not. Having an unresolved health issue is enough reason to search for an answer, a true solution. Taking medication may often be of benefit, but is rarely a solution to the problem. Otherwise, you would no longer need it! I recommend seeing an experienced holistic practitioner that truly understands the myriad interconnections of the body and can help you find the true cause of your health concerns.
Source: Dr. David Pollack. Location: Creating Wellness Center is located at 66 Commack Rd., Commack. For more information, call 631-462-0801 or visit CreatingWellnessLI.com.
