Prolonged stress can be toxic to your digestive health, which is true for many of my clients that come to my functional medicine practice.
Meet Helen
Helen 40 is suffering from digestive issues that started six months previously. Her symptoms include abdominal cramps, alternating constipation and diarrhea, bloating, gas and heartburn. She has a full-time job working for the federal government and is a mother of two young children. She describes her diet as poor because she has to rely on many processed products and to eat out. Lack of time also means she infrequently exercises, socialises rarely and has not played her piano in a year. Her husband is often away on business leaving Helen to manage the home. She usually thrives on stress but since her last child was born she feels less able to cope with her busy home and work life. She suspects that the increased stress may have triggered her symptoms but is not sure how.Scientists have identified some ways in which stress affects digestion.
Stress has been shown to cause:
- Increased Intestinal Permeability or Leaky Gut, which would predispose her to develop food sensitivities.
- Reduced gut immunity and reduced stomach acid production, predisposing her to the possibility of infections.
- Reduced gut motility, predisposing her to bacterial overgrowth in the small intestines.
Establishing that stress is the root of Helens digestive issues is easy, trying to untangle her from its grasp is the tricky part. Many people feel trapped in their lives and making any changes can seem monumental.
Change must happen however to begin the process of healing which means slowly unpicking stress making behaviours and replacing them with stress reducing or managing behaviors. For Helen, initial changes could be walking, catching up with her friends and sitting down at her piano.
Finally
I hope you found these ideas useful. More importantly, I hope you do something with them.
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