Gut Health

As many as 70 million Americans have gut health issues that disrupt their daily lives. At Candid Apple: Nutrition & Functional Medicine, Kerri Rachelle, RDN, LDN, CSSD, and the registered dietitan nutritionists and functional medicine specialists use a combined treatment path that provides clarity about the cause of your symptoms alongside effective treatment solutions. The Charlottesville, Virginia, office welcomes telehealth patients in every state, and they look forward to helping you with issues like bloating, gas, and food sensitivities. Book an appointment online or call the office now.

What does gut health refer to?

Gut health, or digestive health, refers to the state of wellness of your gastrointestinal (GI) system. Your GI system encompasses all the parts of your body, from in to out, that help you digest food, with the small and large intestines being of particular importance. 

Can poor gut health cause digestive disease?

Your gut contains vast amounts of bacteria — the microbiome — that play a crucial role in your digestive and whole-body health. Most bacteria are good, but imbalanced bacteria can wreak havoc on your health.

An imbalanced microbiome may contribute to leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).   

Gut health problems can lead to bloating, gas, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, constipation, and many other disruptive and frustrating health problems. 

How does gut health affect whole-body health?

Gut health can affect virtually every part of your body. It’s linked to:

• Immunity
• Mood and behavior concerns
• Autoimmune problems like Hashimoto's thyroid disease, Type 1 diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis
• Endocrine disorders like Type 2 diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease
• Some types of cancer
• Sleep problems like insomnia
• Skin rashes

Research continues into the importance of gut health, and more connections between gut health and bodywide wellness are being discovered every day. 

What causes poor gut health?

At Candid Apple: Nutrition & Functional Medicine, the team of experts specializes in a comprehensive streamlined approach to uncovering and treating the causes of poor gut health. 

Functional medicine lab testing is extremely important in detecting and pinpointing the causes of your symptoms. Lab tests, such as the breath test for SIBO, measure the hydrogen, methane, and CO2 in your breath. This test can detect gut microbiome changes, specifically excessive bacteria in the small intestine.

Another common test for patients with gut and general health issues is the DUTCH Complete™ test, which evaluates hormones and their metabolites as well as gut health indicators and neuro-markers. It can find problems that aren’t visible on routine lab tests. 

Other blood and stool tests can check for problems that may contribute to your gut health, such as gut integrity, food sensitivities, food allergies, thyroid dysfunction, and malabsorption. 

After testing, the team creates a map to wellness, tailored for you. Most gut health issues resolve after targeted therapy, including nutritional changes, supplements, and other methods of restoring a healthy microbiome. 

Call Candid Apple: Nutrition & Functional Medicine or book your appointment online today.