ARE YOUR INSIDES UNHAPPY? And by insides I mean your digestive system? It is likely that you suffer from some type of digestive disorder – bloating, irritable bowel, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, reflux, gas, and things that sound too yuck to mention in print.

You are not alone. Over 100 million Americans have digestive issues. Some of the top selling drugs in America are for digestive problems costing us billions and billions of dollars. Not to mention, more than 200 over-the-counter remedies are available for digestive disorders, many of which – unfortunately – can create additional digestive issues. Visits for intestinal disorders are among the most common to primary care physicians.

And that’s not even the worst news.

Most of us do not recognize or know (including most of our doctors) that digestive issues wreak havoc over your entire body leading to allergies, arthritis, autoimmune disease, acne, rashes, chronic fatigue, mood disorders, dementia, autism, and more.

Having a healthy gut means A LOT more to you than just being annoyed by a bloating or heartburn! It is central to your entire health.  So why your gut is so important?

Optimal Gut Health

The health of your gut determines what nutrients are absorbed and what toxins, allergens and microbes are kept out, and therefore it is directly linked to the health of the total organism. There are five hundred species and tons of bacteria in your gut; think of it as a huge factory that helps you digest your food, produces vitamins, helps regulate hormones, excrete toxins and produce healing compounds that keep your gut healthy. Too many of the wrong ones like parasites, yeasts or bad bacteria, or not enough of the good ones like lactobacillus or bifidobacteria can lead to serious damage to your health.

Why Your Gut May Be In Trouble?

Even in a perfect world, it is not easy for our gut to keep things in balance, and especially in our world today there are many things that knock our digestive system off balance.

Things like:

• Low fiber, high sugar, processed food, nutrient poor, high calorie diet makes all the wrong bacteria and yeast grow in the gut leading to a damaged ecosystem.
• Overuse of medications cause damage the gut or block normal digestive function – this includes antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and steroids.
• Chronic low-grade infections or gut imbalances with overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine, yeast overgrowth, parasites, or even more serious gut infections.
• Lack of adequate digestive enzymes  – which can occur due to zinc deficiency or taking acid-blocking meds.
• Stress can alter the gut nervous system causing a leaky gut and changing the normal bacteria in the gut.

It is crucial to understand that many conditions may seem totally unrelated to the gut, such as eczema,  psoriasis, or arthritis, are actually caused by gut problems. GOOD NEWS is  you CAN get better simply by focusing on eliminating toxins from your gut.

How Do You Know You Are Toxic In The First Place?

I used to think that even sitting in sauna or taking a hot yoga class helps us detox.  But that’s not what I am talking about here.  Although our skin does play a role in detoxifying our system, our liver, kidney, lungs and colon play a much more significant role.  I am referring to the science of how our bodies get rid of waste.  If waste builds up, we get sick.  And the key is to figure out how to enhance our body’s capacity to detoxify and get rid of waste while minimizing our exposure to toxins.

Many of you may have symptoms of chronic toxicity that you don’t label as being toxic. Here is a list, and if any of these sound familiar, detoxifying might be critical for you to get healthy and feel good again.

• Fatigue
• Joint pain
• Sinus congestion
• Headaches
• Bloating
• Gas
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Heartburn
• Sleep problems
• Difficulty concentrating
• Food cravings
• Water retention
• Trouble losing weight
• Rashes
• Acne and skin problems
• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Canker sores
• Puffy, dark circles under your eyes
• Menstrual disorders
• Bad breath

If you answer YES to any of these questions you may be toxic.

• I am constipated and only go every other day or less often
• I urinate small amounts of dark, strong smelling urine only a few times a day
• I almost never break a real sweat
• I have one or more of the following symptoms: fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, concentration and memory problems
• I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• I drink tap or well water
• I dry clean my clothes
• I work or live in a building with poor ventilation or windows that don’t open
• I live in a large urban or industrial area
• I use household or lawn garden chemicals or get my house or apartment treated for bugs by an exterminator
• I eat fish such as swordfish, tuna or shark more than once a week
• I am sensitive to one or more of the following: gasoline or diesel fumes, perfumes, new car smells, dry cleaning, hair spray or other strong odors, soaps, detergents, tobacco smoke, chlorinated water
• I feel discomfort when I consume foods containing MSG, garlic, onion, sulfites (wine, dried fruit), sodium benzoate (preservative), cheese, red wine or even a small amount of alcohol
• When I drink coffee or caffeinated products I feel wired up or have hypoglycemic symptoms (anxiety, palpitations, sweating, dizziness)
• I regularly consume any of the following substances or medications: acetaminophen, acid blocking drugs, hormone modulating pills, patches or creams, ibuprofen, medications for recurrent headaches, allergy symptoms, nausea, diarrhea or indigestion

How To Safely Detox?

Here are five key steps to optimal detoxification:

• Identify and Get Rid of Toxins
• Fix Your Gut — a source of toxic load for many
• Get Moving — to help your blood and lymphatic circulation do its job
• Get Your Liver and Detox System Working
• Detox your Mind, Body and Spirit

If you need more practical ideas and guided support, you can start now with the DIY Detox Program.