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?
Great article Sue…and yes, it is absolutely necessary to focus on any digestive issues (working on that now). Thanks for pointing out the importance of that!
It’s a work in progress, right Gerry? Thanks for your comment!
I find by taking a probiotic every morning that it makes a huge difference to my intestinal health and ultimately my overall health, it is the one thing that I will not compromise on.
Ruth — so glad you have found probiotics helpful. I’ve found profound benefits with them, too. Wish I’d known more about intestinal health 10 years ago!
Thank you for this article. It is so timely to my life right now. Working on having the best digestive health possible. It is making a difference for me. Reading this just reinforced my belief in a clean diet!
Alida — I’m so glad to provide validation for your efforts. I can promise you that they’ll be greatly rewarded! Any effort made to “Eat Clean” and to rebuild the body from the inside out has amazing potential. Keep up the good work and check back her every Tuesday for more education and encouragements. You can also hop onto my newsletter list (www.RebuildingWellness.com) so that you can get my newsletter once per month and get my weekly blog posts emailed to you. Thanks again!
Hi pleases if you can help me out with anything I would be very great full I have Fibro very bad all over my body head to toes…thanks so very much …I will try the honey and the cinnamon…Again Thank You…Joanne-hernandez@hotmail.com. Joanne…
Sue,please if you have anything at all to give me some info about Fibro I would be most great full my email is ….Joanne-hernandez@hotmail.com. Again thank You from the bottom of my heart…hugs…Joanne…hope to here from you soon…
Joanne,
Feel free to email me to my website (www.RebuildingWellness.com) so that I can ascertain what, specifically, information you’re looking for.
Thanks!
Sue
Hi thank you and yes I will go to your website,now and I am so happy that I know that you can help me get Fibro under contrôl. ,,and I hope to here from you soon and please let me know if it is ok for me to take the honey and cinnamon ok because I take a lot of meds but not much help to me …thank you so very much …God Bless You For Helping out with this battle of hell…Again thanks so very much ….Joanne…
Joanne,
Thanks for contact me here! I’m afraid I don’t know what honey & cinnamon remedy you’re referring to. I also don’t know enough about your personal health to make specific recommendations. Cinnamon is definitely a helpful anti-inflammatory and can be very beneficial in the diet. Honey can be healthy, too, however it is sugar (of course) so if yeast/candida is an issue, it wouldn’t be your best choice.
Sue
Joanne,
I’m sorry you’re dealing with overwhelming symptoms at this time. I have almost 200 blog posts here to review and if you like, feel free to sign up for my newsletter (www.RebuildingWellness.com) so that you receive my newsletter (monthly) and my blog posts (weekly) directly to to your email.
In wellness,
Sue
Thank you Sue I am going to your website now and if you can please let me know if I should take the honey and cinnamon now or I should say today…Again thanks so very much….Joanne…
I just read the article. I have been recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I have horrible digestive issues. Just diagnosed with delayed gastric emptying along with possible irritable bowel. Please any advice that can help will be great. Has anyone tried vitamins other than probiotics, if so what kind?
Thanks
Christine Scott
Christine — you’re on the right track to find the solutions that work best for you. Healing the digestive system and reducing overall symptoms is possible. I’ve done that myself through changing what I eat, along with incorporating important supplements such as probiotics. Please email me here on this website if you’d like to discuss this in more detail. Thanks!
Hi there I hope to here from you soon, for some info about Fibro.I so hope that you can help me out will this hell that I am living in I am a single mom now because my husband has finished with me and my sweet son So it is very important that I try anything at all so I can be the best mom for my sweet son that needs me so much…So I hope to hear from you soon and I will wait until I here from you about taking the honey and cinnamono ok …thanks again so much God Bless You And Your Family…Joanne…I do have problems with my gi track and Intake asit reflex. Meds for years now and I have gi problems just befor all thia Fibro started..ttyl…thanks again…Joanne
Good points to follow for everyone, Fibro or not!! 🙂
Chron’s Disease survivor..always a work in progress
Thanks so much for the cheer, Eileen. You’re spot on!
I have Fybro which is generally controlled through a food supplement. My problem over the past 3-4 years is gaining an incredible amount of weight! (4 even sizes) My intestines look swollen (I look pregnant). I’m not sure what kind of doctor to visit-most want you to pop-a-pill. What kind of Naturalistic doctor do you suggest? (one that will “Listen!”)
Donna – that’s a great question because seeing an MD who is an internist, isn’t likely to prove beneficial. It would be my suggestion that you see a traditional naturopath. They can do testing to determine if there are gut challenges and/or nutritional challenges that are causing the issue. The great thing is that many naturopaths can even work with you from a distance. Testing can be done through the mail and sessions can be done over the phone or on skype. Let me know if you’d like a suggested referral. Thanks!