This column is the final in a series on how to heal your gastrointestinal tract to improve your health and change your life. To begin, science is in its infancy of discovery about how the gastrointestinal system contributes to your health. One important discovery has been the relationship between your diet and your immune system. In short, dysfunction of digestion can impair your immune system which can lead to disease.
The detrimental effects of a poor diet on our health take time to develop. Gut dysfunction is the result of cumulative effects. Some of the disease associated with gut dysfunction include coronary artery disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, autoimmune disease and back pain. These conditions do not develop overnight, but rather over extended periods of time.
In other words, our health and fitness are a process and not an event. Eating a TV dinner once in a while is not going to make you sick, but eating a TV dinner every single night over many years, will likely cause problems. The consequences are subtle, and often unnoticed until it’s too late.
In my own life, I can demonstrate with an example. One year ago, I herniated a cervical disc in my neck that pinched a nerve causing significant pain and weakness in my right arm. This was a serious injury that compromised the quality of my life.
Being proactive, I purchased a book about the rehabilitation exercises one can do to recover from a cervical herniated disc. Within the first few pages of this book the author explained that I did not get a herniated cervical disc in one day. A lifetime of poor posture contributed to the eventual development of the herniated disc. The other significant finding was the relationship between body weight, diet and the development of back pain.
I spent 10 months practicing the exercises recommended in this book, and I did get better. However, it wasn’t until I began a clean gut diet, that my neck had a full recovery. I discovered my herniated disc condition was due to many factors over many years time. Poor posture was an element. Weight gain was an element. My diet was also an element.
My recovery was also a process combining several different modalities together over an extended period of time. First I had to correct my posture at work. Then I had to do the exercises outlined in the book every day. The final ingredient to my recovery was to improve my diet. Eating the right foods reduced the inflammatory response within my body and now one year later my neck has fully recovered.
There are several important things to remember about your gastrointestinal system. The food you choose to eat will contribute to the health of the system over your lifetime. Ninety percent of the serotonin the body produces to keep us happy comes from the gut. A healthy diet is a happy life. Seventy percent of the body’s immune system is coordinated in the gastrointestinal tract. A healthy diet reduces adverse inflammatory reactions in the body.
The gastrointestinal tract surface area is 200 times the surface area of your skin. If you touch poison oak, you may get a rash on your skin. Some of the chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics found in processed foods can cause irritation to the lining of your gut in the same way poison oak can cause a rash on your skin. The difference is you can’t see the reaction inside your body.
Think of a clean gut diet as one rich in whole foods. Whole foods are foods with a single ingredient. Berries, avocado, salmon and spinach are all super food choices that have a single ingredient. If the food you want to eat has a label with 10 components, it is not a whole food. Concentrate on whole foods and avoid multi-ingredient processed foods.
Finally, it is wise to understand that life is a process and not an event. Each day does matter. Every decision you can make to improve your health has positive cumulative effects. Each decision is for better or worse.
Matthew McQuaid, DPM is a board certified foot surgeon practicing in Lakeport. He has a particular interest in Mind/Body medicine and its impact on healing. He is an award winning author and teacher. For more information please call (707) 263-3727 and visit www.drmcquaid.com.
