Your gut includes everything from your esophagus to your intestines. It is home to trillions of microorganisms, or bacteria, viruses, and fungi, that are collectively called the gut microbiome. Optimal gut health means that your digestive function and gastrointestinal tract are healthy and efficient. A healthy gut is one without disease or GI symptoms that impact your daily life. A balanced gut digests and absorbs food effectively, triggers immune responses necessary to protect against infections, and communicates efficiently with your central nervous system via the gut-brain axis. At Kore Regenerative Medicine, our nutritionist Kristin Newton can help you better understand the role your gut health plays in your overall health and quality of life. If you recognize any of these six signs of gut dysbiosis in Golden, CO, call us today to book an initial consultation and get to the root cause of your symptoms.
Chronic Gastrointestinal Symptoms
Everyone experiences occasional gas or bloating, but persistent, recurring symptoms can indicate a problem with your gut health. If you regularly experience any of these symptoms and can’t find relief from home remedies, you may need to undergo a more extensive diagnostic process to rule out food allergies or sensitivities and make changes to your diet to support gut health:
- Persistent bloating or trapped gas
- Excessive or frequent flatulence
- Irregular bowel movements
- Acid reflux or heartburn
Sudden or Unexpected Changes in Weight
If your gut microbiome is unbalanced, your body will no longer process and store nutrients the same way. You may experience unexpected and unwanted weight changes that you can’t explain, including:
- Sudden or severe weight loss
- Unexplained weight gain despite diet and exercise
- Metabolic shifts that affect weight, energy, and mood
Sleep Problems and/or Chronic Fatigue
Your gut health plays a much bigger role in your overall energy levels and mood than you might think. An imbalance can affect your ability to concentrate and may contribute to or worsen sleep disorders. Poor sleep quality can lead to chronic fatigue, which in turn can cause memory problems, mood swings, anxiety, depression, and trouble at home, work, or school. Some of the most common issues are:
- Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
- Restless or poor sleep quality
- Restlessness or anxiety
- Depression
- Trouble concentrating
- Memory problems
- Chronic fatigue
- Low energy levels
- Mood swings
Recurring Rashes or Skin Irritation and Inflammation
Your gut-skin axis means that any internal digestive issues can manifest external inflammation or irritation. When you have gut dysbiosis, you may notice:
- Patches of dry, red, itchy skin on different parts of your body
- Dermatitis, or a localized reaction to lotions, soaps, and other cleaning, skin, or hair products
- More frequent eczema or psoriasis flare-ups
- Hot, inflamed skin that comes and goes
- Persistent acne
- New or worsening rosacea
Intense Food Cravings
Occasionally craving something salty, sweet, or savory is normal. If you suddenly are experiencing intense, overpowering, or unusual food cravings, the culprit could be an overgrowth of harmful gut microbiomes. You might notice:
- Intense sugar cravings at strange times of the day
- Late-night snacking
- Going to bed feeling hungry more often than normal
- Frequent carbohydrate cravings
- Cravings that occur or persist even after you’ve eaten
New Food Allergies or Sensitivities
If you suddenly have trouble digesting certain foods or ingredients, it may not be a true food allergy, but an intolerance or sensitivity caused by a problem with your gut mucosal barrier. Kristin can run a comprehensive food sensitivity panel to identify problem foods. Some symptoms include:
- Sudden dairy or gluten intolerance when you could handle those foods just fine before
- Feeling nauseated or experiencing bloating, gas, stomach pain, or diarrhea after having eggs, seafood, aged cheese, or wine
- Leaky gut syndrome or symptoms like bloating, gas, brain fog, fatigue, and joint pain
- Systemic inflammation, which causes skin rashes, weight fluctuations, dizziness, muscle aches, and digestive issues
How Kore Regenerative Medicine Can Help
Kristin will work closely with you to understand any new, sudden symptoms you’re experiencing and how they are affecting your life. During your initial consultation, she will assess your medical history, go over your lifestyle and habits, ask you about your diet, and consider your home and work environments. She may run hormone, metabolism, inflammation, and food sensitivity panels to determine the root cause of your symptoms. She will then create a targeted, personalized nutrition and wellness plan that addresses the underlying cause and targets symptoms to restore gut health and overall health. She will act as your partner in resolving chronic digestive issues, going beyond just cutting out potential problem foods and instead offering a sustainable, long-term plan tailored to your personal symptoms and triggers. The process may include:
- Keeping a food diary to identify symptoms and reactions
- Following an elimination diet to find triggers
- Systematically reintroducing foods to fine-tune a healthy diet
- Designing a personalized microbe-building strategy to introduce healthy prebiotics and microbial diversity
- Providing personalized, expert guidance on selecting supplements like probiotics to ensure safe, healthy enzyme and mucosal support
- Co-managing complex conditions that affect your gut and overall health
Schedule a Consultation with Our Nutritionist and Find Out How to Improve Gut Health in Golden, CO
At Kore Regenerative Medicine, we combine nutritional counseling with regenerative medicine, functional medicine, and IV therapy to restore gut health and quality of life. Dr. Jordanna Quinn, DO, MS and Kristin Newton will work together to help you understand the complexities of balancing your gut microbiome to optimize health and wellness. Our targeted, personalized solutions can improve energy, clarity, focus, mood, and physical and mental health. Call us now or contact us online to schedule an initial phone conversation and get to the bottom of your troubling gut health symptoms in Golden, CO.
