Photo Credit: Cason Asher
I had a professor in medical school tell me that when in doubt on where to start with a difficult patient case, fix the hole in the middle. She meant to fix the gut. How does this relate to fertility? We’ll get to that soon. But first, let’s take a look at the wide-ranging impact a gut problem has on the body.
The Importance of the Digestive Track
Our digestive tract extends from mouth to anus. It is a lengthy tube similar to a garden hose (to use very simple analogy). If there are issues anywhere in the tract, it influences the following functions:
· Breakdown of food - fats, carbohydrates and proteins need water and a very tightly-kept pH balance to digest foods. If the stomach pH isn’t between 1 and 2, your proteins will not be properly broken down. When this happens, food will not utilized correctly in the body.
· Absorption – our body needs minerals and vitamins found in food to help nurture and rebuild every cell in our body. So, it’s important that our digestive tract is functioning properly to support the absorption of vitamins and minerals to rebuild our cells.
· Secretions - our GI tract secretes the following things: 1.) enzymes to help our bodies break down foods we ingest, 2.) hormones, in order to support our endocrine system, and 3.) neurotransmitters in order to maintain and keep our moods stable and happy. If stressed, you may not be producing enough of these essential products.
· Production of vitamins - your body takes the foods you eat and converts them into usable forms of vitamins. For instance, in order to activate Vitamin D, you need a fully functional liver to convert it from a non-active form to an active form vitamin.
· Elimination - your body has to have a proper way of getting rid of end products of hormone metabolism, toxic waste (which we’ll talk about next post) produced by the body, as well as those encountered in the environment, etc. So if you struggle with chronic diarrhea or constipation (most people do), this system is constantly under stress. (Even if you do not have diarrhea or constipation, your system may be taxed.) If your body doesn’t properly eliminate waste (in the kidneys, liver, large intestine, etc.), you can feel very sick. This can ultimately impact ALL of the other normal physiological processes. Did you know that estrogen is also processed by the liver in females and can contribute to hormone imbalance if the liver is not functioning optimally?
So, how does this impact fertility?
That’s nice, you’re saying. But how does this impact fertility?
Well, I’m glad you asked. For example, if you do not properly absorb foods, the healthy foods that you’re eating to support your body won’t be utilized properly. As a result, the cells of your endocrine (hormones and reproductive) will not be rebuilt and replenished, causing a functional weakness.
If your body doesn’t secrete proper hormones in the GI tract, your hormone cycles will be completely off. If your liver doesn’t function well, then the hormone balance will not be sustained and completed. This impacts hormones such as thyroid, which you need to help sustain a viable pregnancy, and hormones such as estrogen, which you need for healthy reproductive cycles.
So what can you do to promote digestive health?
1. Diet modifications – I typically recommend elimination of wheat, dairy, soy, and sugar. This is general advice, though. In my office, dietary recommendations are made on a case- by-case basis depending on what else is going with your health. Of course, each person is different and can’t be driven by a general protocol.
2. Having a healthy emotional life - if there is past trauma, pain or unhealthy emotional patterns, those WILL impact your digestive tract. In practice, we use mental/emotional techniques to identify and remove those blocks to healing.
3. Hydration - simply drinking enough good, quality water will highly improve your digestive health.
Proper digestion in all of its forms, many not mentioned above, touches every single aspect of our health including but not limited to fertility. It is important to address and FIX the underlying aspects of your GI tract health. These may include allergies, subclinical infections and unresolved emotions, which can impact every organ of the body.
Some people like to take enzyme, which helps to take care of digestive symptoms, but doesn’t fix or address the underlying issue.
Through the tool of muscle testing in our office, I look at the underlying functions of each of the GI organs to ensure that they are not only functioning properly, but that they functioning optimally.
Stay tuned for my last blog post of the series, where I will cover how you can have normal blood work but still be functionally having signs and symptoms. Tomorrow, though, we will talk about toxicity. I look forward to sharing that with you tomorrow.
Feel free to check out my other blog posts in this fertility series about understanding fertility and managing hormones, how toxicity impacts fertility, and other less known fertility factors!
If you or someone you love wants natural support with fertility, click the link below to schedule your appointment!
If you are interested in further addressing this topic, please feel free to reach out and schedule an appointment. Dr. V is a Chiropractor and Functional Medicine Doctor in Elmhurst, Illinois who evaluates patients from the inside out, focusing on areas including hormone imbalance, digestive health, anxiety/depression, autoimmune disease, and many others.