Pediatric Integrative & Functional Medicine

Gastrointestinal Disorders

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Gastrointestinal Disorders

Over 30 million people in the U.S. suffer from imbalances in the gastrointestinal system. This can lead to diagnosis such as Crohn’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Celiac disease, Ulcerative Colitis, food allergies and sensitivities, bloating, and weight gain. The key to controlling these symptoms is finding the root cause, which is typically gut dysbiosis. Gut dysbiosis means that digestion is compromised and toxic bacteria are invading the intestinal tract, leading to improper absorption of nutrients, immune system dysfunction, and negative neurological symptoms. Since gut flora colonization starts before birth, many people have poor gut health from the beginning.

Poor gut health can begin if a pregnant woman is passing along suboptimal gut flora to her fetus, if a baby is born by C-section, primarily formula fed, given many antibiotics growing up, the child lacks proper detoxification pathways, fed a poor diet or food sensitivities were not recognized. Over time, the inner lining of the intestines start breaking down and allowing toxic molecules to pass through to the blood stream. Bacteria, viruses, parasites and undigested food particles can leak out, activate the immune system and increase the release of cytokines, or inflammatory substances, to break down the intestinal wall. Inflammation has adverse health consequences and is the root cause of many chronic diseases.

To start the healing process with gastrointestinal disorders, we evaluate your child’s gut health using specialized testing, discuss diet in detail, and determine ways to remove offending foods, decrease inflammation and seal the gut wall.