My Journey Through Healing My Gut: Why You Should Test, Not Guess
As a child, I remember having an upset stomach more frequently than any of my siblings did. I spent a week at a time on the couch from a stomach bug more times than I can count, and often my stomach was in knots because I was nervous about upcoming events or school assignments. Later on, I had a few great years where I started to think I had an "iron stomach" and could eat whatever I wanted because my stomach had felt good for such a long time.
That all changed when my second baby turned 6 months old. I was under a lot of stress from not sleeping well, and we found toxic black mold in our home that damaged all my body systems, including my digestive system. Old symptoms flared up, and before I knew it, I was experiencing extreme bloating every day, starting around 4 pm, between meals. It was puzzling and debilitating. I had to lie down on my stomach just to breathe regularly because the bloating was directly under my rib cage.
After many months of suffering, a functional medicine doctor mentioned a stool test that could help "map" my microbiome and diagnose what was causing my discomfort. To be honest it took me a month of having the test kit sitting in my house before I worked up the nerve to use it! But when I received my results I realized it had certainly been the right test for me. I received a detailed description of the good and bad bacteria, pathogens, and immune system components residing in my GI tract. As the science nerd that I am, I was very excited to read my results and pinpoint exactly what I needed to fix.
I discovered I had several types of bacteria in higher-than-normal amounts. One of them, called H. pylori, was responsible for my extreme bloating and a strong feeling of hunger that would come in the middle of the night. H. pylori are said to cause ulcers, low stomach acid, and to inhibit digestion, so for years, I had not been absorbing all the nutrients from healthy foods and supplements that I’d been taking. In addition, the overgrowth of both “good” and “bad” bacteria caused a fermentation-type reaction in my gut, so when I ate fermented foods or supplements, I would get hives all over my body.
I bring this up to highlight the fact that “one size fits all” advice is no good for gut health. Something that works well to treat your symptoms may not work as well for a friend, because we each have a unique “terrain,” or combination of bacteria, within our gastrointestinal tract. Fermented foods like sauerkraut, pickles, and kombucha may improve gut health for some people, but for those like me with bacterial overgrowth, they feed the bacteria and worsen the symptoms. Listen to your body’s response to the foods you eat and discern whether they’re right for you or not.
It’s important to consider poor absorption as a factor in our health nowadays because gut dysbiosis, or bacterial imbalances, are so prevalent. A number of things can cause poor absorption of vitamins and minerals from our food and supplements. We’re grateful to have antibiotics to treat life-threatening infections, but it can take 6 months to several years after just one dose of antibiotics to restore proper gut flora through pre- and probiotic foods and supplements. Foods like gluten and dairy can cause widespread inflammation throughout the gastrointestinal tract and exacerbate gut discomfort. Leaky gut can allow proteins and other components of undigested food to enter the bloodstream and trigger autoimmune concerns. There are so many reasons to pay attention to gut health and test for the root cause of your symptoms.
Recently, I began an herbal "killer" supplement intended to kill the overgrown “good” and "bad" bacteria, including the H. pylori, in my gut. I spent 3 weeks on the supplement without much change in my symptoms, but I persevered. I included a "binder" one hour after taking the supplement to minimize symptoms of die-off, also known as Herxheimer reactions. Then, I ran a very hot bath and soaked in it until I was dripping with sweat, in order to expedite the process of the bacteria leaving my body. After about 4 weeks, my extreme bloating went away! I have had to reintroduce the supplement a few times to maintain this improvement, but it has drastically improved my quality of life.
Here are a few of the things that helped me the most when I was going through the worst of my symptoms:
Avoid drinking anything 30 minutes before/after a meal, so as not to dilute stomach acid
Gentle abdominal massage in clockwise circles around the belly button, while lying down, assists the body in moving food through the GI tract
Lying on one’s left side helps empty the stomach more quickly, to ease feelings of over-fullness and bloating directly under the ribcage
Going 3 to 4 hours between meals, without a single bite of food, allows the digestive system to make one “clean sweep” between meals, lessening feelings of overfullness or bloating after eating
I want to encourage those with gut health concerns to "test, don't guess" and identify exactly what is present in each individual's GI tract before determining treatment. I tried countless remedies over the years, like special diets, herbs, supplements, and essential oils, to help my symptoms, with minimal improvement. It wasn't until I learned exactly what was going on that I could take the proper steps to heal. Stool tests like the one that I took are available to order online, and a family doctor can sign off on the paperwork that comes with them so you can find answers for your gut health concerns as well.