August 2018 | Linden and Arc

Welcome to your brain. We like to also think of it as your cerebrum, which represents the physical, your intelligence or mental capacity, and your psyche, or your emotional side.

It’s fascinating to be here.

Weighing in at only 3 pounds, the human brain is unbelievably one of the largest and most complex organs in the human body. It is made up of over 100 billion nerves that communicate with each other through trillions of links, called synapses. Working similar to a computer, it requires specific components and specialized areas that work together to perform optimally. This also includes other important body functions.

Functional medicine, root cause medicine, and integrative medicine show the relationship of all body systems to one another. At Linden & Arc Vitality Institute, the brain is a huge part of the overall wellness process. Learn how it and your gut work symbiotically for your optimal health.

The Linden & Arc Vitality Institute team of functional medicine physicians offers a Collaborative Care Model that is designed to offer the highest level of care. With this model, our practice leaves no stone unturned and minimizes wait times. Dr. Lynne Murfin, Dr. Michelle Van Der Westhuizen, and Dr. Daniel Ruttle, Functional Medicine Physicians, as well as Dr. Ayla Lester and Dr. Trevor Hoffman, Naturopathic Doctors, work closely with one another on patient care at Linden & Arc Vitality Institute.

Contact us for a full assessment of your brain health today and ways we can help to prevent or reverse cognitive decline.

About the author:

Dr. Murfin is wholeheartedly focused on her life’s mission to help people heal and achieve extraordinary outcomes. She believes that health is more than merely the absence of disease. It is a total state of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing through the creation of a whole and meaningful life. Dr. Murfin leaves no stone unturned to determine the root cause of illness or imbalance.

Without a doubt, one of the most common conditions I see in my practice is IBS or irritable bowel syndrome. It has become so common that it is estimated to be the second leading cause for missing work in the US and costs the government 30 billion dollars per year (1).

Equally staggering is that 60% if these patients suffer from a condition called SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).

Functional Medicine vs. Conventional Medicine

Whilst conventional medicine focuses mainly on managing the symptoms of IBS and SIBO, a functional medicine approach aims to uncover the underlying root cause. For many IBS patients, SIBO may be a very important underlying factor which, when treated, can result in the resolution or improvement of symptoms to the point where pharmacotherapy for IBS is no longer needed.

This functional medicine approach looks slightly different for each patient, depending on their genetics, epigenetics, lifestyle, diet, environmental factors, and biochemical markers. However, for most patients a few key components form part of an effective management plan:

The Functional Medicine IBS/SIBO Treatment

Functional Medicine treats IBS and SIBO by implementing the following 6 practices. Doing these will optimize gut flora and overall gut health.

1. Optimizing the function of the Vagus Nerve and Migrating Motor Complex

A functioning vagus nerve seems an insignificant component but makes all the difference in preventing recurrence of SIBO. The Vagus nerve and migrating motor complex form part of the central and enteric (intestinal) nervous systems. These are largely responsible for regulating the intestinal transit time so to speak. Ensuring that our bowel content is making its journey in a timely way is imperative to achieving and maintaining a healthy bacterial balance in the gut. Using a prescribed motility agent, practicing intermittent fasting, doing breathwork, mindfulness, meditation and yoga have all been clinically proven to help optimize the function of the Vagus nerve and the MMC (2).

I have witnessed my patients achieving long term SIBO eradication over and over again. These patients are the ones that put time and effort into supporting this functional system.

2. Diet

The majority of my SIBO patients show rapid improvement when guided through a two-staged therapeutic diet. We initially remove foods high in Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyol. I then transition them to a plan tailored to their individual food sensitivity results, whether they have associated co-infections (such as SIFO), all whilst addressing their nutritious, metabolic, and immune-related needs.

3. Supporting digestive enzymes and using food/nutrients to repair intestinal tight junctions

Having the right level of acidity and the appropriate presence of bile in the upper digestive tract plays a key role in eradicating unwanted bacteria. It is not advisable to take digestive enzymes without seeking professional advice. Having a comprehensive stool analysis done will assist your functional medicine provider in advising you on how to optimize your digestive enzymes.

4. Anti-microbial (with or without anti-fungal) treatment

Many different treatment protocols (pharmaceutical and botanical) are used to treat SIBO and /or SIFO (small intestinal fungal overgrowth). Looking at your underlying antecedents, triggers and mediators helps me determine which regimen is right for you.

5. Probiotics

A careful choice of probiotic can go a long way to help eradicate the bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine. It also helps to maintain healthy, balanced colonies of beneficial bacteria in the large intestine and prevent the recurrence of SIBO.

6. Other treatments

Intravenous gut-healing formulas, diatomaceous earth, biofilm disruptors, and fecal transplants are some of the other approaches we’ve used successfully in treating selected patients with refractory / non-responsive SIBO.

SIBO continues to be one of the most challenging conditions to manage. Traditional treatment efficacy rates are low and recurrence rates are high. If you suspect that you have SIBO and need experienced help in finding the right treatment plan, the team at Linden & Arc Vitality Institute can help you find that plan. Contact them today for a consultation.

References:

1. Grace E., et al. (2013). Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth – prevalence, clinical features, current and developing diagnostic tests, and treatment. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.
38:674-688.

2. Umesh Pal Singh, Subharti Medical College, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India. Evidence-Based Role of Hypercapnia and Exhalation Phase in Vagus Nerve Stimulation: Insights into Hypercapnic Yoga Breathing Exercises. Journal of Yoga and Physical Exercise ISSN: 2157-7595.Published Date: Oct 25, 2017

There is a key to healing that is 100% free and you are consuming it right now!

Autonomic Nervous System

The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) regulates many of our essential body processes automatically. This saves us from exhausting our mental capacity every day. We try to keep track of the food we’re digesting, remembering to breathe, and other essential bodily processes. As well, it allows us to use our conscious mental effort for higher thinking. We perform simultaneous activities without having to remind our hearts to beat, all thanks to our ANS.

The ANS contains within it the wisdom of life itself. It is a primitive system concerned primarily with survival, not thriving.

Sympathetic Nervous System & the Parasympathetic Nervous System

Two primary subdivisions of the ANS are the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). These act as opposing forces, telling the body either ‘it’s time to react’ (SNS) or ‘you’re safe to heal’ (PNS). You may have heard of this as the ‘fight/flight/freeze’ response (SNS) and the ‘rest and digest’ body state (PNS).

The PNS activity must be dominant for optimal body and brain health, healing, and longevity, repair, growth. In this state, our body’s own repair and renewal mechanisms work better. Plus, any healing therapy implemented such as dietary supplements, nutritional IVs and injections, and ozone therapy, can be more effective. This is because they don’t have to fight against the body’s stress response before doing your body good.

Overstimulation of the Nervous System

The majority of our population sits with SNS dominance as their baseline. This is caused by the overstimulation of the nervous system, toxic exposure, psychological stress, and other perceived and physiological stresses inherent in daily life. Our bodies are stressed out! At any given moment, the average person’s body is preparing for attack, not attending to its own repair and optimization. Survival is the focus. Over time, chronic SNS dominance can lead to imbalance and disease of almost every kind.

The good news is, there is a bridge between your conscious mind and your ANS. With this key to healing, you can willfully shift your operating system from “panic mode” to a healing state.

What is this Key to Healing?

Your breath. While breathing happens automatically every day thanks to your ANS, it can also be regulated consciously by the mind. How the breath moves in the body also happens to be an easy gauge of your subconscious state. The body is in a stressed state when it exhibits shallow breathing, mostly visible in the movement of the upper chest, shoulders, and collarbones. The body tends to breathe in a relaxed state when the lower “belly” breath is initiated by the diaphragm movement. The diaphragm is the barrier between respiratory and digestive organs- found approximately at the level of the low ribs)

Knowing this, the breath can be a diagnostic tool. As well, the mind’s capacity to overturn autonomic breathing patterns can be the key to wiring our system to heal. There are a few more mechanisms by which conscious breathing works to heal your body.

Try it yourself: Deep belly breathing

Find a quiet, comfortable spot in your house. Sit on a chair, a cushion, or the floor. Set a timer and spend sixty seconds observing your breath.
Inhale slowly and deeply; exhale slowly; repeat.

Take note: Without changing it, where does your breath go?

Place the palm of your right hand on the area of your torso that moves the most with each breath. If this is not the low belly, use the following steps to help your body relax.

Close your eyes and place your right hand gently on your low belly. Exhale fully through your nose and observe your hand moving in toward your spine as the belly contracts.
Inhale through your nose, and feel the right hand slowly drift away from your spine as you direct your breath into the low belly.
Set a timer for five minutes. Repeat steps 2 & 3, working on making the breath as smooth and full as possible.

Take note: Is there any resistance to deep belly breathing in the body or the mind?

If the breath is choppy or shallow, see if there is tension in your body and let go of it bit by bit on each exhale. You should feel your shoulders, your eyebrows, your jaw, and your glutes relax. Deep belly breathing will become more comfortable as tension is released.

Take note: How do you feel after five minutes of deep belly breathing?

Set a goal to practice deep belly breathing once a day for two weeks by following the above steps. Be sure to journal how you feel before and after each session. Write down any observations you have.

Set the intention to practice deep belly breathing for 40 days and train your body to use the breath to its advantage.

Resources:

Parasympathetic Repair pdf – click here.

Effects of Meditation and Pranayama – click here.

Month: August 2018