What’s Really Causing Your Stomach Issues? (Hint: It’s Not IBS)
Take a moment…think about someone in your life who has “stomach problems”. We all probably know someone, or we might be that someone. You may not be sure if you have IBS, but I bet you would say yes to having a sensitive stomach. Or maybe you’re the person who always knows where all the bathrooms are. Or maybe you're that person who seems to never go to the bathroom! All of these experiences are IBS…but unfortunately just calling it IBS isn’t going to get you any closer to symptom free digestion. Let’s discuss!
IBS is a catch all diagnosis for any persistent GI symptom which may include chronic bloating, diarrhea, constipation, heartburn, nausea, GI pain…the list goes on. But a person doesn’t need a formal diagnosis to fall under the umbrella of IBS in our opinion. If you have stomach problems, you have IBS in our book and that's ok because we know how to help you and we are here to tell you the solution is likely not what you think.
Maybe you think it is what you are eating that is causing their IBS and if you would just avoid gluten or dairy or seed oils or understand your unique triggers you could navigate around your persistent GI symptoms. Or maybe you think if you just really focus and eat SO clean that will finally fix your gut. Or worse, maybe you have heard there is NO cure to IBS!
Thankfully none of these approaches are the solution because IBS has a root cause that when we identify and address it you no longer have IBS! This is possible because healing from IBS has to do with repairing the gut environment not avoiding the foods and triggers that flare it. Follow along as we breakdown the 4 main root causes of IBS.
There are four main root causes that can drive IBS:
1. Maldigestion
2. Lack of Beneficial Microbes
3. Microbial Imbalances or Dysbiosis
4. Stress
Now Let’s Dive a Bit Deeper into the 4 Root Causes of IBS
Maldigestion
Maldigestion is the most common driver of IBS we see in practice.
To put it simply, maldigestion is a miscommunication between our brain and our digestive organs. This occurs when food is not broken down properly into the building blocks required for absorption by the digestive system and can lead to bloating, heartburn, constipation and can feed dysbiosis or bad bacteria. Maldigestion can occur if not enough of the required digestive chemicals such as stomach acid, bile and digestive enzymes are made, but it can also occur if physical digestion isn’t happening correctly such as nervous system stress and poor chewing. Misalignment in either chemical or physical digestion can disrupt optimal digestion and bring about unwanted digestive symptoms.
One example of a common maldigestion dynamic is the suppression of stomach acid from stress and low mineral status in the body. Low stomach acid can lead to inability to break down and absorb protein and minerals such as B12, iron and magnesium. It is the number one reason for bloating, heartburn and heavy digestion in most people. Low stomach acid can also make us more vulnerable to infection and dysbiosis if we aren’t able to properly utilize stomach acid to break our food properly and kill off potential pathogens. A small insight into how impactful just one area of maldigestion can be.
How can maldigestion happen? Nutrient and mineral needs, age, stress, cortisol imbalance, PPI use, taxed detox systems, or an overlap of the other two root causes.
Symptoms of Maldigestion: Gas, burping, bloating, early satiety or fullness, heartburn, acid reflux, prolonged fullness, floating/frothy/pale stools, food in stool, nausea, faintness/dizziness, dry skin, excess mucus production.
Microbial imbalance & dysbiosis
This refers to pathogenic organisms (infection) or an imbalance between “good” and “bad” bacteria (dysbiosis). This root cause is directly related to the health of the microbiome and the overall environment of the gut that is either supporting a balanced microbiome or enabling a disrupted microbiome.
To continue with our maldigestion example of low stomach acid, we can see the opportunity for a pathogen or dysbiosis to occur due to the lack of effective digestion. Stomach acid is a major trigger for our bile release, which is our self cleaning antimicrobial in our gut environment. Without optimal levels of both stomach acid and bile, this can lead to overgrowth conditions such as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) which is present in almost 70% of IBS cases. However, the root cause for SIBO is not just bacteria but also maldigestion - this is often mishandled by many providers who do not support it properly and thus it can chronically come back until it is more properly supported.
How can infection/dysbiosis happen? Stressed eating environment, low dietary fiber, maldigestion, breakdown in gut motility, concussions, hypothyroid, taxed detox system, pesticide exposure, environmental exposures, antibiotic use, mold & mycotoxins.
Symptoms of Infection & Dysbiosis: Constipation, diarrhea, upper GI pain, skin conditions, waking at night, dairy sensitivity, newly acquired food sensitivities, post-nasal drip, coating on the tongue, cracks in the corner of the mouth, mood changes.
Inflammation
Inflammation occurs when there is an immune reaction in our gut to a trigger or pathogen. Inflammation is just another word for an immune response. This means that a pathogen or irritant is poking and prodding the immune system and our bodies create inflammation as a protective response. This immune response becomes an issue when it becomes chronic which leads to inflammation in the GI system that can cause a breakdown in the protective gut barrier and trigger digestive symptoms and IBS.
The key is that we must identify what is leading to the immune response and outside of gluten the answer is rarely food. When we have comprehensive stool testing we get deeper insight into exactly the present dynamics in the gut and can determine what is triggering chronic inflammation and thus address it directly.
How can inflammation happen? Infection & dysbiosis, gluten sensitivity, certain medications, pesticides/glyphosate, food additives, lack of dietary fiber, environmental exposure & mold toxicity.
Symptoms of Inflammation: Bloating, GI pain, burning in GI, food sensitivities, skin issues, flushing, fatigue, aches and pans, brain fog, fluid retention.
stress
Stress is one of the most overlooked yet powerful root causes of IBS symptoms. We often think of the emotional side of stress but it also impacts the gut through the gut brain axis. In a prolonged stress state, the communication between the brain and the gut becomes dysregulated. This can lead to symptoms like constipation, loose stools, bloating, gas and indigestion.
While psycho-emotional stress plays a big role in overall gut health, the less thought about stress are the hidden physical stressors like environmental toxins, gut permeability, poor sleep, blood sugar imbalances, clogged drainage pathways and suppressed or increased immune activation.
Over time these stressors can weaken the gut lining, alter the microbiome and impact the immune system. This can lead to the cycle of inflammation, poor digestion and immune dysfunction that underlies many IBS symptoms.
How can stress happen? Stress induced gut symptoms happen when the brain and gut fall out of sync - this is commonly referred to as gut-brain axis dysregulation. Longer term or more chronic stress can lead to gut permeability, alter motility and create inflammation over time.
Symptoms of stress: bloating after meals, stomach cramps, urgent loose stools during stress inducing situations, unpredictable digestion, worsening gut symptoms with anxiety or when feeling overwhelmed
What is YOUR root cause and how do we eliminate it?
In order to efficiently and effectively cure IBS, we have to know what the unique root cause is for that individual. Once we know that, we can heal IBS and eliminate the chronic, persistent GI symptoms for good!
Your gut issues can be healed and eliminated when we identify the unique root cause driving it. That is why we have developed a Root Cause Quiz to help you identify your root cause driver and receive a Gut Healing Roadmap based on your unique results to Root Cause Quizguide you in your solutions.
What’s next, and how we work?
There is a world in which you can be symptom free from your digestive symptoms and not just manage them! And this doesn’t involve avoiding trigger foods or following a restrictive elimination diet.
The first level is assessing and strengthening the essential foundations that are required to be present to heal the gut and optimize health. Without the essential foundations it will be challenging to fully heal your gut and digestive symptoms. The Nourished Gut Guide (NGG) is our self-paced program that guides clients through the foundations of nutrition and lifestyle. This is why we’ve made NGG under $200 for lifetime access. We want our clients to know they can heal and stay healed, no matter the twists and turns of life.
The second level is our 1:1 programs that incorporate functional testing to uncover and address the unique root causes through nutrition, lifestyle and short-term supplements. If you want to get to the root of your chronic IBS-like symptoms, book a complimentary strategy call today to discuss your symptoms, our approach and your solutions. Schedule a complimentary call HERE.
If you are fed up with your digestive and IBS symptoms, we are here to help you achieve your symptom free life!
