5 REASONS WHY FIXING YOUR DIGESTIVE HEALTH HELPS FIBROMYALGIA SYMPTOMS

It seems redundant, but just about every health topic I discuss comes back around to the subject of digestion and colon health. How your digestive system works (or rather, how it doesn’t) is a core function of your overall health.

An imbalanced digestive system is a daily experience for most people with chronic health challenges such as fibromyalgia, ME/Chronic Fatigue, and many autoimmune conditions.

While the symptoms of digestive distress vary, the impact shows up in some pretty predictable ways.

Here are just 5 (of the many) reasons why improving your digestion can set you off on the path toward whole body healing:

1)      So you can stop feeling sluggish. An impaired digestive system is inflamed. An inflamed digestive system causes other bodily systems to be bogged down and unhealthy, too. That’s why the topic of inflammation is often in the news. Stress, food allergies/intolerances, and toxic exposures are complicit to this scenario, but the overarching result here is FATIGUE. When the body is inflamed, it has to work much harder than it should for even the simplest of processes. For this reason, for those who are looking to increase energy levels, a key place to begin (along with exercise) – is improving the digestive system.

2)      So you can stop the cycle of nutrient deficiency. As mentioned in item #1, an inflamed body doesn’t perform well. The walls of an inflamed digestive tract become porous (leaky gut syndrome) and the ability to properly digest foods is hindered. This includes the fundamental process of absorbing and assimilating nutrients from our food. When the nutrients we consume can’t be utilized, we live in a state of MALNOURISHMENT. Being malnourished, by the way, has nothing to do with weight. There may be those who are overweight, underweight, or even at an “ideal weight” who still demonstrate the tell-tale signs of malnourishment.

3)      So you can fight off infections and foreign invaders. Do you catch every cold that comes along? And, if you do, does it hang around for a month of Sundays? Do you frequently deal with bouts of food poisoning? Living in a state of malnourishment comes at a price – LOWERED IMMUNITY. When your defenses are down, infections can gain traction faster and linger longer than need be. An impaired digestive system makes a “hospitable environment” for infections (i.e., bacterial, viral, and systemic infections such as yeast/candida), food borne illnesses, and foreign invaders such as parasites and other pathogens.

4)      So your body can detoxify more efficiently. The body is assaulted with toxins (both external and internal) every day. A compromised digestive system has a diminished capacity to detoxify. When this filtering process is weakened, toxins are allowed to build up creating HEIGHTENED SENSITIVITIES and chemical overload issues. Excess toxins in the body can contribute to pain, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, skin conditions, and issues related to malnourishment (i.e. the development of bacterial/yeast overgrowth, food sensitivities, etc.). Those with chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia and ME/chronic fatigue are often highly sensitive to chemicals in the air, in foods, in medications, skin and hair care products, and in the environment.

5)      So you can think more clearly. Did you know that the digestive system and the brain are made up of the same type of communication system? The same neurotransmitter activity that’s part of brain function is found in the gut (or the digestive tract). This is why the enteric nervous system (the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines) is often referred to as the Second Brain. It’s no coincidence that we have a “gut feeling” about things, and feel sick or nauseous when stressed or upset. An inflamed digestive system also contributes to mood issues including depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances and mood swings. Do you have an impaired digestive system? Then it’s likely you experience IMPAIRED COGNITIVE THINKING. Intestinal health has everything to do with cognitive health.

See if any of the following symptoms look familiar to you. All can be linked (at least in part) to a compromised digestive system. It’s always a good idea to address core issues at the root.

FATIGUE/ENERGY LOSS

PAIN

IMPAIRED IMMUNITY

IBS/COLITIS, ETC.

LEAKY GUT

YEAST/CANDIDA OVERGROWTH

MULTIPLE CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY

SKIN CONDITIONS

MOOD DISORDERS

SLEEP DISTURBANCES

FIBROFOG

Is it time to tackle your health issues at the root? You may wish to read this post on doing just that.  You may also wish to review the 10 Root Causes of Chronic Illness as detailed in my book, FibroWHYalgia.

Do you have signs of digestive dysfunction? What remedies have you tried?