Addressing Digestive Dysfunction

Digestive health is critical. It can be considered the root of your health, as imbalances in the body often start with a challenged digestive process. The digestive system is involved in various important bodily processes, not only the digestion and absorption of the food we eat. Most importantly, it also houses our gut microbiome, a complex ‘superorganism’ that supports the optimal function of our metabolism, immunity system and mental health. 

Gut dysbiosis occurs when the delicate balance in the gut is lost and the ‘bad’ bacteria are more dominant. This can occur for many reasons including undigested proteins, stress, high sugar, refined carbohydrate diet, food intolerances (e.g. gluten) and use of medications, particularly antibiotics. Many diseases have a gastrointestinal dysbiosis connection.

Supporting optimal digestive function is important for addressing symptoms like bloating, flatulence and heartburn, but also to manage a range of other chronic conditions that can be linked to gut imbalances, such as autoimmune disease, allergies, skin rashes and eczema, chronic fatigue and dementia. 

Our team of digestive health specialists work closely with a variety of clients to help support them with a range of digestive health conditions and symptoms, including the following:

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) including Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
• Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
• Acid Reflux / GERD
• Bloating, Excessive Gas & Heartburn
• Constipation or Diarrhoea 
• Food Intolerances and Sensitivities 
• Stomach Ulcers

IBS is one of the most common digestive health conditions that affects the muscle and nerve movement in our small and large intestine (colon) leading to food sensitivities. 

COMMON SYMPTOMS OF IBS

• Stomach pain and discomfort in the upper abdomen
• Bloating, gas and heartburn 
• Excessive fullness after eating
• Nausea
• Constipation, diarrhoea or alternating between the two
• Fatigue 

Our IBS dietitians and nutritionists can help to support you to identify the root cause of IBS, manage IBS symptoms and help to increase your tolerance to problematic foods. 

IBD is an umbrella term that refers to chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, and symptoms include severe diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fatigue and weight loss and in more severe cases blood in the stool. The two main types of IBD are:

• Crohn’s Disease: Inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract
• Ulcerative Colitis : Chronic inflammation and sores in the innermost lining of the large intestine (colon) and rectum

Multifactorial influences can contribute to IBS and IBD, including stress, diet and bacterial imbalances in the gut.

It’s been said that an immune system dysfunction can potentially lead to chronic inflammation of the digest tract. This could occur when our immune system tries to remove a virus, and an abnormal immune response causes the immune system to attack the cells in the digestive tract.

At NutritionalMatters we have both Dietitians and Nutritional Therapists that specialise in IBD conditions, helping to support you with a preventative approach, as well as adapting nutrition to support you during an IBD flare up. 

We also have a specialist Dietitian to  support individuals with a stoma or an ileostomy bag, to support you immediately after surgery, and further down the line as your body adapts.

Our team of digestive health specialists can explore many nutrition and lifestyle opportunities to optimise the function of your digestive system and help to repair any underlying imbalances. 

The focus of our nutrition team includes:

• Personalised nutrition plans to match your lifestyle and address any food sensitivities
• Individual supplement recommendations (as necessary) 
• Check for any nutritional deficiencies where appropriate
• Lifestyle and dietary advice for stress management
• Functional testing recommendations (as appropriate)

Improving your nutrition to suit your body’s needs can help improve your microbiome health and gastrointestinal health, and reduce symptoms of digestive dysfunction.

Here are some examples of areas that our digestive health specialists can explore with you, to improve your symptoms and help you feel better.

Digestive testing, and a functional medicine perspective to your health, allows us to be more targeted in the support we provide you.

Learning about the status of your microbiome health, from the bacterial strains to the pathogens that may be present, can help our team of digestive health specialists in creating personalised nutrition and lifestyle interventions.

The outcome is to help you reduce your symptoms, rebalance your hormones, to achieve your health goals and feel better. 

HOW CAN DIGESTIVE TESTING HELP ME?

We are always aiming to get to the root cause of your digestive imbalance, so test results are considered alongside your presenting signs and symptoms, as well as current diet and lifestyle patterns.

Functional digestive testing helps us identify the root causes of imbalances for many different conditions. Tests range from a digestive stool test to help investigate your microbiome and digestive enzymes, to breath tests to assess the gases that are produced in your small intestine and large intestine. It can also help provide useful insights into digestive symptoms such as bloating, flatulence, intolerances and digestive conditions such as IBS, IBD and more. 

Understanding the status of your gut health helps to target specific and personalised nutritional and lifestyle interventions, to restore balance and help you achieve your health goals.

What Can You Test For?

Functional Testing can give a detailed insight into exactly how your microbiome is functioning assessing a variety of measures such as:

• Commensal bacteria
• Microbiome metabolites
• Intestinal inflammation
• Digestive enzymes
• Faecal fats
• Mycology
• Parasitology
• Faecal occult blood

What Sample Do You Need? 

Your digestive health can be tested in a variety of ways, however the most common sample types are an at-home stool test or breath test, both sample types provide different information. Our digestive specialists will discuss the options available, and recommend the ones most suited to the symptoms and health picture you are presenting with. 

THE GI EFFECTS PROFILE

One of the most comprehensive digestive profiles available is the GI Effects Profile which utilises a stool sample to look at maldigestion, inflammation, dysbiosis, metabolic imbalance and infection. 

Absorption and digestion of nutrients is important, and often overlooked. You could have the best diet in the world, but are you absorbing and utilising those nutrients?  

The results from the GI Effects Profile provide a detailed insight into your ability to breakdown the foods you eat, to produce metabolic byproducts needed for a healthy bowel, as well as which bacterial species you have, or don’t have, present in your gut which can often be attributed to digestive symptoms, skin conditions, anxiety and weight. 

Click on the boxes below to see some sample reports from the GI Effects profile. This gives you an idea of the depth and breadth of information functional testing can provide.

Sample Report