Digestive Health Solutions: What are you missing?
Whether you currently experience, or HAVE experienced chronic digestive issues, you understand just how disruptive digestive symptoms can be. And you’re not alone.
According to recent health data, the prevalence of IBD is steadily climbing in Canada, across all age groups – from 389 per 100 000 people to 636 per 100 000.
The body works a whole, and so poor digestive health does not simply stay within the gut but can significantly impact your overall wellness, negatively affecting nutrient absorption, the strength of your immune system, mental health, and more.
Whether you’re coming to Inspirit as your first attempt in addressing your digestive symptoms or you feel like you’ve tried everything already – our diversity of practitioners will ensure that we provide you with a unique approach to treating your symptoms and addressing the underlying cause.
While there are many possible underlying causes for digestive health, the focus will be on factors that are often missed, that if addressed, just might make all the difference for you.
1. Could it be SIBO?
- Many people are diagnosed with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)—a label for a constellation of symptoms including bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. But IBS isn’t a root cause—it’s a description. In many cases, the real issue is something deeper: Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
- What Is SIBO? SIBO occurs when bacteria that should primarily reside in the large intestine overgrow in the small intestine. These bacteria ferment foods (especially carbohydrates), creating gas, inflammation, and interference with digestion and nutrient absorption. All this happens the MMC is impaired. The MMC is a pattern of rhythmic contractions that sweeps through your stomach and small intestine when you haven’t eaten for a while—usually between meals or overnight. This ensures that microorganisms in the gut all move to the large intestines where they should be.
- Symptoms Often Include
- Feeling bloated after everything you eat
- Abdominal discomfort or cramping
- Excessive gas or belching
- Constipation, diarrhea, or both
- Fatigue, brain fog, or nutrient deficiencies
- Worse with probiotics and ‘healthy’ fibrous foods
How can we help? There are many different approaches to treating SIBO and pros and cons to each way.
Our Naturopathic Doctors can guide you through the necessary testing to confirm SIBO. If SIBO is confirmed then the overgrowth is addressed with targeted antimicrobials or antibiotics then gut healing. Finally, for a permanent solution, it’s important to heal the MMC.
If testing isn’t the right step for you, our holistic nutritionists and dieticians can recommend dietary changes, such as the FODMAP diet to help improve, and manage symptoms.
Our dietary habits are unique to us. Recommendations are tailored to your habits, your culture, your budget and your individual dietary preferences.
2. Is there scar tissue or adhesions in your abdomen?
Scar tissue and adhesions in the abdomen can interfere with normal digestive function by restricting the natural movement and motility of the organs. The intestines, stomach, and other abdominal structures rely on smooth, coordinated movement to digest and move food efficiently. When scar tissue forms—whether from surgery, infection, inflammation, or trauma—it can create fibrous bands (adhesions) that tether organs together or to the abdominal wall. This reduces flexibility and can distort or kink sections of the intestines, leading to symptoms like bloating, constipation, pain, or altered bowel patterns.
In more subtle cases, adhesions can affect nerve function, impair circulation and lymphatic flow to digestive tissues, reducing nutrient absorption and contributing to low-grade inflammation or visceral hypersensitivity, causing pain.
To best assess if you have adhesions or scar tissue in your abdomen, book in with our Manual Osteopathic Practitioner. In Manual Osteopathy, various hands-on techniques can be used to release adhesions to restore normal digestive function again.
3. Is stress keeping me from fully getting better?
This may seem like an obvious one, but the difficult part is realizing that you’re stressed and then understanding how it might be affecting your digestion. So often, patients respond that they are not stressed but it’s important to realize that stress can become such a REGULAR part of daily life that it becomes NORMAL, even though our bodies are showing various signs of stress.
One of these often-hidden signs of stress is jaw clenching or teeth grinding at night. With jaw tension, the jaw is unable to move back and forth to chew food, leading to improperly digested food and therefore symptoms of indigestion.
Under stress, the nervous system stays in fight-or-flight or sympathetic mode, where both blood flow to the digestive tract is decreased and digestive function decreases (among many other changes).
So what can we look for? How many signs are there that your body is stressed? Do you have ways to release stress?
There’s so much more to improving your digestion than can be covered here but ultimately, our team at Inspirit Health Group is here to help you determine where things can be improved to better support your digestion. Is it helping you with your eating habits? Is it putting you on a supplement to help with stress? Is it reducing inflammation in your gut? Is it healing your gut since an episode of food poisoning? Is it determining food sensitivities? The list goes on and on.
Little has been said about acupuncture here because the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) view of digestion is extremely unique.
Below, our acupuncturist – Carrie Lee, R.Ac., R.TCMP explains more.
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Guts: Healing with TCM
In our modern world, gut health is a hot topic—and for good reason! Many people are struggling with frustrating symptoms like bloating, acid reflux, and chronic fatigue. While Western medicine offers important perspectives, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) provides a deeply holistic and personalized roadmap to a happy, balanced gut.
“The Spleen and Stomach are the root of post-natal existence and the source of the generation of Qi and Blood.” — from《Yellow Emperor’s Medical Classic 》 (Huangdi Neijing)
In TCM, your digestive engine is the Spleen and the Stomach.
- The Stomach is your “cooking pot,” responsible for breaking down food.
- The Spleen is your “transformer,” taking those broken-down nutrients and turning them into Qi (vital energy) and Blood.
The TCM View: Beyond the Anatomy
1. TCM Concept: Spleen Governs Transformation & Transportation
Modern Equivalent: Metabolism & Nutrient Absorption
The Critical Link: The Spleen extracts energy (Qi) from food. Spleen Deficiency (脾虛) reflects low metabolism and chronic fatigue.
2. TCM Concept: Spleen Governs the Blood
Modern Equivalent: Gut Barrier Function (Leaky Gut)
The Critical Link: A healthy Spleen “seals” the system. When it fails (脾不統血), toxins leak into the bloodstream—similar to “leaky gut”—causing systemic inflammation.
3. TCM Concept: Source of Phlegm (生痰之源)
Modern Equivalent: Gut Dysbiosis & Endotoxins
The Critical Link: Impaired Spleen function causes fluid retention and “Phlegm-Dampness (痰濕),” linked to conditions like high cholesterol, obesity, and chronic gut imbalance.
The 3 Most Asked Questions About TCM Gut Health
1. Why am I constantly bloated and tired?
The Root: Spleen Qi Deficiency and Dampness accumulation.
Your Spleen (the energy transformer) is weak, leading to low energy (fatigue).
It cannot process fluids, causing “sticky” moisture (Dampness) to build up, resulting in bloating and brain fog.
The Fix: Strengthen the Spleen. Favor warm, easy-to-digest foods (congee, cooked root vegetables) and consider herbs like Bai Zhu (Atractylodes) to dry up dampness.
2. Does my stress really cause my acid reflux and IBS?
The Root: Liver Qi Stagnation attacking the Stomach.
The Liver controls the smooth flow of energy (Qi). Stress, worry, and anger cause this energy to get “stuck.”
This stagnant energy often turns inward, invading the Stomach and causing spasms, pain, and irritable bowel movements (like alternating diarrhea/constipation).
The Fix: Smooth the flow. Engage in stress-reducing practices (walking, meditation) to soothe the Liver. Acupuncture is highly effective at releasing this physical tension and restoring smooth Qi flow.
3. Should I stop eating raw and cold foods?
The Root: Protect your “Digestive Fire.”
TCM believes the body needs warmth for optimal digestion. Cold foods, salads, and iced drinks force your Spleen to expend significant energy just to “warm them up.”
This repeated effort weakens your digestive fire, resulting in sluggishness and poor absorption.
The Fix: Eat warm. Favor cooked meals (soups, stews, roasted foods) and drink warm water or herbal teas. Use warming spices like ginger and cinnamon to naturally stoke the fire.
