This month our focus is on Gastrointestinal Health.  The GI tract serves as 70% of our immune health.  This is because the pH in our stomach, as well as helpful bacteria in our digestive tract, serve to kill off most of the bad bugs that enter our system orally.  If our stomach pH is off balance or we don't ingest enough helpful probiotic bacteria, our immune system as well as our ability to breakdown food efficiently are lessened.  When considering if your digestive tract is healthy, first ask yourself how many firm bowel movements you have in a day.  If the answer is 1 to 2, you are on the right track. If the answer is less or more, or if your stool is loose or tough to pass, you may want to begin looking at improving your GI health.  Also, if you have indigestion, nausea, cramping or gas on a regular basis or if you get sick often, these are also signs of an unhealthy or imbalanced GI tract.  

Increasing water intake, eating green leafy vegetables daily, eliminating ALL simple carbohydrates and supplementing with a high quality probiotic bacteria daily will have a very beneficial impact on your digestive health. Ensuring that you have proper nerve supply to the stomach, small intestine and colon is also key.  See the research below explaining how misaligned vertebrae cause nerve pressure to your vital organs.  I regularly treat infants with constipation and adults with various forms of GI distress by adjusting the correlating vertebrae.  This relieves the nerve pressure allowing the organ to function optimally.  If you have any digestive issues or concerns we packed this issue with resources that will help, and as always, feel free to talk with me on your next visit if you still have questions!