5 Ways to Improve Digestion
Are you aware that digestive problems can increase the likelihood of pain pretty much anywhere in your body?
At Thrive with Dr. C, we like to ask and educate regarding nutrition habits in order to address your pain from the inside-out!
By now, I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “the gut is your second brain.” Do you know why “they” say that?
It’s because your gut has as many nerves as the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord)! Nerves are like the hard wiring for how our different body regions communicate with the brain and the brain to the other parts of the body. Further, about 80% of the nerves in the gut are designed to SEND INFORMATION TO THE BRAIN vs. receiving information from the brain.
So if you’re ever feeling anxious or nervous you might notice either an intense need to utilize the facilities or you could end up constipated. On the flip side, if either of those are occuring (constipation or diarrhea/”bubble guts”), you might start sweating, your heart beats faster, and you start to feel anxious or stressed.
If on a regular basis, you’re anxious/stressed; eat a lot of dairy , simple carbs (white rice, potatoes, etc.), processed foods and sugar, your body is more likely to produce chemicals and hormones that promote inflammation and pain.
Optimizing your digestive health not only will improve the overall functioning of your system to reduce risk for conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, but can help you feel more emotionally stable, balanced, focused, and experience reduced pain levels.
5 Tips to Improve Digestive Health
Start your day by drinking warm/room temperature water (maybe with some lemon in it)
Incorporate fiber into your breakfast with whole grains, oats, ground flax, vegetables, broccoli, carrots
if you start your day with fiber, you’re already ahead of the game since most Americans don’t get enough in their diet
Ingest prebiotic and probiotics: foods that help balance/strengthen the good bacteria in your gut
probiotics are found in fermented vegetables, soy products, and yogurt. because of somewhat limited options, people often supplement probiotics
prebiotics: apples, bananas, onion, garlic, whole oats
Exercise/physical activity- the physical movement of trunk/waist helps mechanically massage the contents of your gut improving breakdown and elimination
Increase the function of your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) by humming, singing, or intentionally breathing from your stomach for 2-5 minutes
If you’ve tried physical therapy before, but pain reduction was always short-lived EVEN though you were doing your home exercises, it could be because your digestive system was limiting your ability to heal. At Thrive with Dr. C we help people recover, train, and maintain because we focus on you as a WHOLE person.