A healthy gut is the basis of good health
The intestines are home to millions of bacteria. These have more tasks than just digesting and excreting our food. What many people do not know is that our intestinal system is extremely complex. Continuous processes take place in our intestines, which ensure optimal immunity (resistance) in which our intestines constantly “communicate” with all the mucous membranes in our body. All kinds of atypical complaints such as eczema, ear infections, vaginal infections, asthma, etc. arise as a result of immune disorders in our intestines, among other things.
In this study, the amount of good (resident) bacteria and bad (transient) bacteria is determined. This involves looking at the digestion of food. Is everything going well with the absorption and processing of proteins, fats and carbohydrates? The pH (acidity) of the stool also says something about whether or not our intestines are functioning properly. Finally, the presence of yeasts and fungi is determined. With an increased presence of yeasts and fungi, which cause inflammation, the liver has an excessive task of eliminating waste products. And may develop symptoms manifesting as headaches, (extreme) fatigue or general malaise, etc.
See also the article on leaky gut in the knowledge base.
The quality of the gut
The functioning of the intestinal mucosa is everything that determines good health. When this is undermined in any way complaints will arise. The study tests parameters characteristic of the functioning of the intestinal mucosa. A good parameter for determining immunity is secretory IgA. An abnormal result, i.e. too much or too little secretory IgA, indicates that the gut’s defense mechanism is not functioning adequately. The defense protein betadefensin is our body’s own defense mechanism. Daily, through our food and environmental influences, disease-causing germs and foreign substances enter our body and the gut will trigger the beta-defensin in response. If, despite these defense mechanisms, inflammation develops in the intestines and the intestinal wall is affected, the body will produce alpha-1 antitripsin. A good way to test whether we have good gut flora is to test virulence. Virulent factors are harmful effects that bacteria can exert on our gut and body. In a healthy gut flora, virulent factors are hardly present.
Do you eat something you cannot tolerate well
A balanced diet is necessary for a healthy gut and body. Also, foods that are healthy may sometimes not be tolerated anyway. If we do ingest these foods regularly then it can potentially cause irritations in the intestines. Less typical symptoms such as muscle or attachment pain, fatigue or irritability may also occur.
Additional studies
In some cases, just doing the “Basic Bowel Screening” is not enough. Then, on the contrary, it is necessary to put on an even larger magnifying glass and look even more comprehensively at the cause of the symptoms. One of the most overlooked disturbances in chronic diseases is the presence of parasites. These uninvited “blackheads” can be responsible for a large number of complaints.
Parasites can cause symptoms that do not always suggest that the cause is in the intestines, for example, consider the following symptoms:
- irritable bowel syndrome
- diarrhea
- intestinal infections
- chronic fatigue syndrome
- muscle and joint complaints
- food sensitivities
- skin problems, such as eczema
- Child development disorders (physical and mental)
hormonal disorders
Digestive problems
To properly digest food, our body produces 1.5 to 2 liters of pancreatic juice daily. This juice is needed to properly digest food but also to make the acidic stomach contents less acidic. If too little of the pancreatic juice (pancreatic juice) is produced, digestion cannot function optimally and nutrient deficiencies develop increasingly, which in almost all cases can hardly be influenced by supplementation.
In particular, the fat-soluble vitamins, as well as zinc, are bound to dietary fat and instead of becoming available for absorption they end up in excretion. Zinc deficiency in particular can have an extremely negative effect on carbohydrate metabolism and/or the health status of diabetics or child development.
Early symptoms suggestive of a pancreatic digestive problem are:
- flatulence and bloating that occurs half an hour after eating.
- audible “rumbling and gurgling” in the abdomen
- a full feeling in the stomach and intestines as if the food is “stuck” and not moving on.
- smelly stools with lots of gases and undigested food particles. (A rotting egg smell indicates poor protein digestion. Lots of gas on fermentation due to poor carbohydrate digestion and a sticky stool indicates poor fat digestion).
- massive “explosive” bowel movements (with lots of gas poppers).
- frothy stools with lots of mucus plugs.
- indistinct and vague abdominal symptoms (cramps, stitches, heavy soggy feeling, a bulging belly).
- pain around the navel and increasingly radiating to the entire upper abdomen.
- poor tolerance of coffee, alcohol, fried fat, histamine-rich products such as pineapple, sauerkraut, nuts, certain types of fish, cheeses, poor tolerance of grains.
Histamine: Why do I always react differently? Why doesn’t anyone find the cause?
Histamine is a biochemical (biogenic amine) involved in several physiological processes. It plays a role in the gastrointestinal tract, acts as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and has a function in the immune system. So a histamine intolerance can be the cause of many chronic symptoms. If this is overlooked, therapies may not work or may not work adequately. Therefore, an examination from feces is certainly very useful in all chronic conditions.
Possible symptoms of a histamine intolerance are:
- headache
- runny nose
- skin problems
- respiratory problems
- arrhythmias
- low blood pressure
- edema formation
- abdominal pain
A histamine intolerance occurs primarily with one, or a combination , of the following factors:
- Poor digestion of food due to insufficient production of pancreatic juice and/or bile acids
- non-optimal intestinal flora
- due to an enzyme deficiency (DAO=diaminoxidase) which breaks down the histamine
A healthy gut is a healthy person
In summary, we can conclude that the gastrointestinal system is more than a passage from mouth to butt.
Did the above give you insight into the importance of healthy gut flora?
Do you have questions or want to make an appointment?
If so, we would like to invite you to contact a BodySwitch office near you.
