Heartburn, irregular bowel movements, gassiness, and bloating are all too common, but they are certainly not normal! Proper digestive health is critical for anything from immune function to nutrient absorption and healthy brain function – that’s why we are committed to helping you restore robust digestive health once and for all!
Have you already seen your primary care doctor (or even GI specialists) about chronic gut issues, only to be given a prescription to deal with the symptoms?
Perhaps you are dealing with regular bloating, acid reflux or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), diarrhea, stomach cramps, or even fatigue and brain fog?
Unfortunately, most doctors recommend antacids (like Tums, Pepto-Bismol) or proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) to deal with “overactive” stomach acid or some other medication to deal with the symptoms.
While some OTC medicines may temporarily ease symptoms, they can seriously harm you in the long term because you’ll never explore what caused your symptoms in the first place.
This is emblematic of a conventional medicine approach – going downstream from observed symptoms towards a diagnosis (to be addressed with a symptomatic prescription medicine). In an insurance-based practice, that’s really the only thing that can be accomplished in a typical 7-minute visit!
The problem with this is that there are many reasons why you could experience chronic digestive distress, and unless you understand the true root cause of what’s ultimately leading to the observed digestive symptoms, you don’t know how to fix it for good.
That’s why the conventional approach to chronic digestive disorders is really frustrating for both patients AND doctors:
Patients never get to truly resolve their digestive issues… instead just managing their symptoms, while primary care doctors feel ill-equipped to identify what’s really causing the observed gut issues.
While the symptoms of gut diseases are literally the same (bloating, gassiness, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain), they may be caused by very different mechanisms that require a specialized approach.
That’s why it’s dangerous to mask the warning symptoms with over-the-counter remedies like antacids, laxatives, or antidiarrheals – without investigating the true root causes.
In the 1990s, we made incredible advances in understanding that our health is deeply linked to our microbiome – a collection of microbes including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses that live on and inside the human body.
The bacteria in our gut microbiome help digest our food, protect our immune system, fight harmful bacteria or viruses, and produce important nutrients like B12, thiamine (B1), and riboflavin.
They also produce important neurotransmitters that allow for proper brain function. This is why people with poor gut health oftentimes report brain fog!
Unfortunately, these new advances in science take around 17 years to find their way into conventional doctors’ practices… so that’s why you may be better served by a functional medicine provider like our team at The Real Gut Doctor.
he functional medicine approach to healing the gut is relying on advanced lab testing, followed by creating a custom-tailored, personalized protocol to restore your body’s innate healing potential so we can bring your body back into balance.
Since the gut impacts our health on so many levels, it’s the first place we focus on when we explore a new patient’s case – determining whether they have leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), or its cousin small intestinal fungal overgrowth (SIFO).
The lab tests help us arrive at a precise diagnosis, so we understand how to address the underlying dysfunction for good – whether it’s unresolved stealth infections, environmental toxins, food allergies, or other endocrine or system-wide issues.
Sadly, conventional doctors aren’t equipped to untangle these complex, interdependent issues because there’s simply not enough time in a standard 7-minute visit – nor was the topic covered in their standard medical school training.
Oftentimes, I’ve heard from patients things like “I have a “sensitive stomach” which seems to have become an accepted term for “just grin and bear it.”
But what it could actually mean is a serious gut imbalance that might have far-reaching consequences for your overall wellness.
Don’t just chalk it up to having a “sensitive” stomach or “getting older,” seek out care from a functional medicine-trained provider to avoid compromising your long-term health.
At The Real Gut Doctor, our expert team is trained to investigate the symptoms and causes of your chronic digestive disorder and craft an effective treatment plan that’s supported by the appropriate lab tests.
If you have been experiencing chronic symptoms that may be connected with digestive problems and are looking for answers, schedule a free discovery call today!
Caring for your health properly is so much more than just the basics of eating right and exercise.
With current medical research, we have discovered that the body is a complex collection of organs and systems and even bacterial colonies (the microbiome) that greatly impact each other.
While the standard of care hasn’t quite “caught up” yet with most of the current science, conventional doctors and “specialists” are still treating parts of the body separately without taking into account the fact that these areas greatly impact each other.
When you are healthy, they work together like a symphony in perfect harmony. But when one of these systems is off-balance, the whole symphony is out of tune! When you need a tune-up, not only do you need to look at areas that aren’t working right but also that everything is balanced with the rest of your body.
Sadly, most people receive medications to treat symptoms associated with a body part that “isn’t working” when in reality, it’s a systemic issue that needs to be treated in a completely different way.
In our practice, we follow a more modern “functional medicine” approach. This includes using advanced lab testing so we can get a more complete picture of how your body’s systems are functioning together – like your gut health or your hormones.
We also use up-to-date nutritional science to help you restore your body’s healing potential. This in-depth approach is the only successful way of addressing chronic health issues because most chronic illnesses have many causes.
Instead of simply addressing different symptoms across separate areas, functional medicine seeks to resolve the underlying root cause – while looking at lifestyle factors such as diet, environment, emotional health, and mindset that usually brings on the health issue patients are seeking to heal.
At our core, we’re here for the 40s, 50s, and beyond crew who are dealing with cardiometabolic, hormonal, and tummy troubles.
At our core, we’re here for the 40s, 50s, and beyond crew who are dealing with cardiometabolic, hormonal, and tummy troubles.
If you’re tired of shuffling from doctor to doctor without ever getting to the root of your chronic health issues, and if you want to optimize your health holistically through sound lifestyle modifications, advanced lab testing and mind-body techniques without unnecessary medications, then our program may just be what you’ve been looking for all along. Just know that it takes a serious commitment to make the lifestyle changes necessary to transform your health once and for all.
As a prospective patient, you may wonder about additional costs not included in our program fee. We know that you’ve likely been to other providers before that may have already run lab tests. That’s why during our comprehensive intake consultation, we will review any existing lab results – so that we can determine if additional, more advanced lab testing is needed to confirm a diagnosis. In terms of supplements, we may recommend certain pharmaceutical-grade supplements for a limited time to support your body’s innate healing process. But long-term, we believe that supplements can’t make up for a poor lifestyle – so our intent is to get you off supplements and unneeded prescription meds as soon as possible.
During the free discovery call, we’ll determine whether partnering with our team is the best next step for you. We’ll go over any questions you may have about our approach, and how it differs from what you’ve tried before – so you feel comfortable about the journey ahead.
Ahead of the initial paid appointment, you will complete our extensive background history forms so that we can properly review your history and lab results ahead of your appointment. During the appointment, we will together review your completed intake form, medical history, current and past lab tests – as well as any medications taken, so that we can arrive at a baseline assessment of your overall health and nutritional status. If needed, we may decide on more advanced lab tests to confirm (or rule out) a specific diagnosis, so we can create a personalized treatment protocol.
Our team at The Real Gut Doctor strives to provide you with the most effective and medically advanced techniques available. We are here for you… to help you finally reach your desired health goals.
When we speak, we’ll assess whether this program is right for you… and answer any questions you may have. Simply pick a time and date that works best for you!
