Gut health and digestive disorders

Why gut health matters beyond digestion

The gut is a complex system, closely linked to the rest of the body, including the brain. Long-standing gut problems can affect how you feel day to day, not just your digestion.

Even so, many people with long-term digestive problems are given a functional diagnosis (IBS is the most common) without much investigation into what's driving their symptoms. An integrative approach to gut health starts with a proper assessment.

Concerns people often bring to Reece

• IBS symptoms such as pain, bloating and changeable bowels, whether it's mainly diarrhoea, mainly constipation or mixed
• Bloating, distension and excess wind
• Already diagnosed with SIBO? Reece can work alongside your GP or gastroenterologist to support your gut symptoms, such as bloating and changes in bowel habits.
• Working out which foods don't agree with you
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): supportive care alongside your specialist
• Reflux and indigestion (see your GP first if it's new or severe)
• Constipation, where acupuncture may help
• Nausea and poor appetite

Functional medicine investigation

SIBO and breath testing

SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) is one possible cause of bloating, wind and changed bowel habits. Reece can arrange a hydrogen and methane breath test through a private lab. It's the least invasive way to look for SIBO, though the results need careful reading.[1] Reece will talk you through the cost of any functional testing, and whether it's right for you, during your consultation. Medicare doesn't cover these tests when Reece arranges them. Reece will go through your results with you in plain words and, with your OK, share them with your GP. If SIBO looks likely, treatment is usually guided by your GP or gastroenterologist, and Reece can support your gut symptoms alongside them.

Detailed stool analysis

Advanced stool testing gives a detailed picture of the gut microbiome, markers of gut inflammation, how well digestive enzymes are working, and whether pathogens, parasites or opportunistic organisms are present. Reece explains what it can and can't tell you, and what it costs, before you decide.

Working out food intolerances

True food allergies are uncommon. Food intolerances, such as lactose or fructose intolerance, are more common. Reece can help you work out which foods don't agree with you, using a careful elimination and reintroduction diet.

Increased intestinal permeability

The lining of your gut acts as a barrier. Research shows it can become more permeable ("leakier") in inflammatory gut conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, and in some people with IBS. It can also happen after things like hard endurance exercise or anti-inflammatory medicines.[2][3] Researchers are studying possible links with conditions outside the gut, but it isn't yet known whether permeability causes them, or whether improving the barrier helps.[2] As part of your care, Reece looks at your diet and the everyday things that affect your gut health.

Classical Chinese medicine for digestive disorders

Chinese medicine has a detailed clinical framework for digestive disorders, built on two thousand years of clinical observation. Patterns such as Spleen Qi deficiency, Liver-Spleen disharmony, Damp-Heat, Cold-Damp and Stomach Yin deficiency each have their own symptoms and respond to particular classical herbal formulas. Acupuncture is often used for motility problems, nausea, pain and stress-related gut problems.

Diet and your gut

Diet can make a big difference to gut symptoms. Reece works with you on evidence-informed diets, which may include a low-FODMAP diet, specific carbohydrate diets, anti-inflammatory eating or a targeted elimination and reintroduction, as part of a full treatment plan. The aim is to find your own dietary triggers and work towards a diet that helps and that you can keep up long term.