Maintaining good gut health is never easy. Not only your diet but many other factors can affect your gut, causing gastrointestinal diseases, intestinal distress, and generally poor health. Fortunately, there is something you can do to improve your gut health. Taking the right supplements can have a powerful impact on your gut as well as your overall health. With help from Tri-Cities Functional Medicine in Tennessee, you can find the ideal combination of supplements for your unique needs.
Would you like to improve your gut health? Start now by watching our free Tri-Cities Functional Medicine – Optimizing Your Gut & Brain Health webinar.
How Gut Imbalances Affect Your Health
Some of the health problems associated with gut imbalances may seem obvious. It probably makes sense immediately that poor gut health would cause digestive issues, gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, or even chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In fact, you might think of your gut health right away if you have any of these problems.
However, poor gut health also can cause many other health issues that you might not realize are related to your gut. Here are just a few of the conditions that can be caused or exacerbated by gut health problems.
- Chronic fatigue or lack of energy
- Belly fat or weight gain
- High blood glucose
- Reflux
- Allergies
- Brain fog
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Eczema
- Psoriasis
- Red or blotchy skin
- Migraines or chronic headaches
- Imbalance of hormones
- Fibromyalgia
- Arthritis
In addition to these, an imbalance in your gut could weaken your immune system, leaving you more susceptible to a variety of contagious diseases. Your gut health can even impact the functioning of your heart and your brain. Besides psoriasis and certain types of arthritis, many types of autoimmune disorders can be added to this list.
Chronic pain may also be impacted by gut health. In short, an unhealthy gut can make your life miserable in ways you may have never imagined. The functional medicine approach to gut health sees your body as a whole, so it addresses each of these issues.
Supplements That Improve Gut Health
Several types of supplements aimed at improving gut health are available to you through Tri-Cities Functional Medicine in Tennessee. Which ones you need depends on several factors, including the conditions you have and which nutrients you lack. Some of the most helpful types of supplements for gut health include probiotics and certain vitamins and minerals.
Probiotic Supplements
Probiotics supplements help the good bacteria in your gut to thrive. Good bacteria are critical to your gut health. They not only help your digestive tract directly but also work to get rid of the bad bacteria that can cause so many problems. Keeping your gut microbiome in balance is especially difficult if you have to take antibiotics for any reason because those medications can destroy good bacteria. However, whether you are taking antibiotics or not, your functional medicine doctor may suggest probiotic supplements to help balance your gut.
Vitamin Supplements
Certain vitamins have either a direct or indirect effect on the balance in your gut. The essential vitamins for gut health include B, C, D, and A.
Vitamin B – B vitamins aid with digestion by converting carbohydrates into energy. Thus, they impact your energy levels and appetite. B3, or niacin, breaks down not only carbs but also fats and alcohol. Without enough of this vitamin, you could develop pellagra, a condition that causes severe diarrhea and vomiting. B6 helps your body process proteins. Biotin makes cholesterol and processes protein, carbs, and fats. B12 nourishes your nervous system and helps make blood cells. If you don’t have enough B12, you could easily become anemic.
Vitamin C – Vitamin C, along with aiding your immune system, also helps with digestion in an indirect way. Because having enough Vitamin C supports healthy teeth and gums, eating a healthy diet is easier. In addition, Vitamin C helps your body to absorb the iron you take in.
Vitamin D – You need Vitamin D to help your body absorb calcium. However, it also helps in maintaining a healthy nervous system, strong muscles, and a healthy immune system. It helps reduce your chances of getting colon cancer and can even reduce depression. People with certain medical conditions tend to be low on Vitamin D and may need to supplement. Examples include Crohn’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease.
Vitamin A – While Vitamin A does not directly impact digestion, there are several gastrointestinal diseases that can increase your vulnerability to a Vitamin A deficiency. Once a deficiency develops, free radical production and destruction get out of balance for people who have Crohn’s disease.
Mineral Supplements
Mineral supplements can also be helpful for people suffering from poor gut balance. Iron supports the good gut bacteria and reduces inflammation. Selenium also improves the balance of your microbiome and improves your inflammatory response. Not having enough Selenium could contribute to the development of leaky gut, Chron’s disease, or ulcerative colitis. Zinc aids in the production of digestive enzymes. Therefore, your functional medicine treatment plan might include a mineral supplement to improve your gut health.
Why You Need Expert Guidance
With so many supplements that could possibly improve the balance in your gut, what should you do? You could buy all the possible gut health supplements available or choose just one or a few and take them on your own. The problem is that, without a lot of knowledge about supplements and how they impact your health, you could cause yourself more problems than you have now. You could end up taking supplements you don’t need or missing the ones that would help you the most.
Besides that, there are many supplements that are harmful to people who don’t need them, especially if taken in the wrong amounts. For example, not everyone needs iron, and taking more than you need can cause serious health problems.
Therefore, when seeking to improve the balance in your gut, it is always better to work with a qualified functional medicine professional who has years of experience with supplements and other treatments that work together to balance the gut. Dr. Radawi and team at Tri-Cities Functional Medicine in Tennessee knows how to assess your need, recommend the ideal supplements and specific treatment plan for you, and guide you to improved health.
How Functional Medicine Can Help Restore Your Gut Balance
The functional medicine approach to gut health takes the entire body into account. Because your doctor sees you as a whole person, they formulate a treatment plan that improves your overall health. A functional medicine doctor looks beyond the most obvious signs of trouble to discover the underlying sources of your health problems.
Adding supplements to your diet may be an excellent option for you. After you come into our Tennessee Clinic, your doctor assesses your current physical condition and uncover any deficiencies. Then, they can determine what you need and recommend the right treatment plan for you which will often include supplements..
As you continue your treatment, your doctor watches your progress and adjusts your treatment plan accordingly. Because your gut health is so critical to your physical, emotional, and cognitive well-being, improving it often brings dramatic, life-changing effects.
Want to find out how functional medicine could help you achieve better gut balance? Take the first step:
1. Watch our free webinar to learn about our approach to improving gut health.
2. Schedule a Free Discovery Call to discuss your gut health concerns and goals to find out if our practic3e is a good fit for you.
3. After your discovery call – If you decide we are a good fit, you’ll schedule a consultation with our doctor to dive deeper and create an individualized treatment plan for you.
Tri-Cities Functional Medicine, located in Johnson City, Tennessee, serves patients throughout Eastern Tennessee and into Virginia and North Carolina. Some of the locations included in these areas are Washington County, TN, Sullivan County, TN, Carter County, TN, Greene County, TN, Knox County, TN, Bristol County, TN, Holston County, TN, Tri-Cities, TN, Walnut Hill, TN, Elizabethton, TN, Greeneville, TN, Morristown, TN, Blountville, TN, Bluff City, TN, Kingsport, TN, Jonesboro, TN, Colonial Heights, TN, Limestone, TN, Knoxville, TN, Bristol, VA, and Abingdon, VA.
