Stress and Poor Digestion
by Dr. Keith Giaquinto
Weak digestion and malnourishment affects many people today, sending body signals such as a heavy, sleepy or bloated feeling 60 minutes after eating a meal; poor reaction to certain foods like dairy, grains or meat; or an autoimmune condition or chronic unresolved health problems.
One or a combination of these four things can contribute to the body having weak digestion:
A poor diet, high in processed and GMO foods
● High stress level or poorly managed stress
● Subluxations (misalignment of the vertebrae)
● Enzyme deficiencies
Many people might not think about how stress affects the digestive system, and the word often has a vague meaning to most people. According to Noble Prize nominee Dr. Hans Selye, stress was very specific. Selye spent over 50 years researching stress and its effects on the body. To him, stress came from a mechanical, emotional and/or nutritional source, and he believed stress is the only condition humans need to fight, as all other health challenges come from stress.
The body cannot distinguish the source or form of stress and will react the same way every time. Stress stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight mode) and the adrenal glands. Stress burns more nutrition, creates more waste and uses up our enzymes faster. If the stress is not removed or managed better, the body will become sympathetically dominant. Sympathetic dominance can cause weak digestion, insomnia, headaches, sinus challenges or allergies and subluxations. Weak digestion can then lead to leaky gut, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and bowel toxicity. Leaky gut and bowel toxicity then leads to many other health challenges.
That domino effect stems from stress and negatively impacts the body. This is why the first thing anyone needs to do in order to begin to heal is to identify and better manage the sources of stress on the body. If the source of stress isn’t located and managed better, the body simply won’t heal. Health really is that simple.
Eating organic food, chewing each bite thoroughly while eating and taking digestive enzymes can help to strengthen digestion. Regular chiropractic adjustments help to pull the body out of the sympathetic dominance and minimize subluxations. Being an expert on stress and one’s own body is really where health begins.
We are holistic beings; anything can cause disruption within the body. Rounding out stress, diet and lifestyle are the habits needed for health and longevity. Health is a relationship between an individual and his or her own body. Just like any relationship, it requires daily energy and effort to work great. There are no magic bullets or quick fixes when it comes to good health.