Red Flags Your Gut Health Is Out Of Whack

For me, for so long, my mood was impacted by my digestion. I walked around irritable and anxious as hell because of what was going on in my gut and the fact that after my first big meal of the day, I couldn’t button my jeans anymore.

Truly, there’s no greater frustration than feeling like there’s something in your belly you can’t move and like your clothes don’t fit after you eat something that doesn’t agree with you.

It took me years of research and understanding to finally get control over what was going on in my gut but once I did, I swear not only did it create an improvement in my confidence and body image, but it also made my metabolism more efficient and my mood 180 so my relationships were no longer taking a hit.

When clients tell me now that their digestion is “fine” I still look at their estrogen to progesterone ratio, cortisol, detox pathways, and the microbes in their gut because usually there’s something off and when they focus on gut health, they get relief from the other symptoms they’ve been experiencing.

So many symptoms are a reflection of poor gut health even when you think your gut health is “totally fine”

So today I want to share some red flags that your digestion is out of whack.

1. Estrogen dominance

Breast tenderness, heavy periods, painful periods, fibroids, PMS, PCOS, endometriosis, cellulite, acne, cyclical headaches, bloating, water retention, weight gain, and fatigue

Estrogen is eliminated through your kidneys, bile, intestines, and poop. If any organ along the digestive process is out of whack it will impact how your body eliminates excess estrogen. The estrobolome in your gut handles the excretion of excess estrogen and when the estrobolome is impacted, estrogen gets recirculated. Progesterone plays an anti-inflammatory role and also protects against estrogen.

2. Adrenal fatigue

Fatigue, dizziness, light headedness, poor stress response, brain fog, low energy in the AM, increased energy at night, frequent urination

If you’re not absorbing and assimilating the nutrients from your food or supplements you’re taking due to poor digestion you will end up in a deficit regardless of how much nutrient-dense food you’re consuming. Digestive distress from SIBO, Candida, and leaky gut can be a huge stressor on the adrenals.

3. Thyroid issues

About 20% of thyroid hormones are converted in the gut and 40% in the liver. The key to a healthy thyroid is adequate intake and utilization of vitamins and minerals by our bodies. When absorption is impaired by slow digestion, pathogens or lack of stomach acid our cells will not be getting the nutrients they need. Another example of a feedback loop is that while digestion affects the thyroid, the thyroid also impacts digestion. It’s all connected.

4. Skin issues

Acne, eczema, psoriasis, hives, and rosacea.

Most skin issues are a reflection of what’s going on internally. The answer is not eliminating a bunch of foods but rather finding out what’s actually going on in your gut: Candida, liver congestion, dysbiosis, parasites, estrogen dominance, poor fat digestion

5. Anxiety, depression, or mood issues

There is an intimate connection between digestion, mood, and the way you think. The gut-brain connection is real. Irritation of the gut sends signals to your central nervous system that change your mood and trigger the fight or flight response which is why most people with IBS deal with anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression are like the chicken and the egg syndrome and that connection goes back to the gut causing more digestive symptoms. Mineral and nutrient deficiencies due to poor digestion are also correlated with anxiety, anger, and mood disorders.

6. Arthritis, inflammation, and autoimmune conditions

There are specific gut bacteria strains that correlate with arthritis, inflammatory activity, and autoimmune conditions. 80% of your immune system is located in your gut lining. Any imbalances you have in your gut can trigger the onset of an autoimmune disease.

If someone has leaky gut partially digested food, bacteria, toxins, and pathogens start to pass through into the bloodstream and cause inflammation and activation of the immune response

7. Allergies

There are specific strains of bacteria that produce more histamine or inhibit the breakdown of histamine. Intestinal inflammation and gut infections contribute to a decrease in enzymes that help you break down histamine in the gut. There is also an intimate connection between estrogen, the adrenals, the thyroid, mineral imbalances, and histamine issues.

8. Dairy intolerance

There is a reason you’re reacting to dairy and it lies in your gut. When your small intestine is damaged you will not be able to break down dairy. Lactose intolerance is due to losing the enzyme lactase that is produced in the small intestine needed to break down dairy.

If you’re struggling with digestion I highly recommend jumping into our mastermind or taking my hormone health, metabolism, and gut health course where you will get your own professional healing protocol based on your symptoms and your testing.

Send me an email to [email protected] to learn more!