Start with Healing Your Gut in Diabetes

A lot of chronic illness comes from our lifestyle and typically starts with an unhealthy gut. Learn some of the main processes of your gut and why it's important to keep them healthy.

Health begins in the gut. So many diseases and problems that we have start because our gut isn't working properly somehow.

There are six key basic functions that happen in the gut.

First is ingestion. This is where we take in food or fluid from the outside world and we put it into our body. In the mouth, we chew food and break it into smaller pieces. And that chewing also helps mix the food with saliva which has enzymes and buffers and minerals and other things in it that actually start the digestive process.

Next is secretion. During the digestive process, many cells will secrete fluid into the digestive tract. This fluid contains water, acid, buffers and many other substances. This is important because there's a lot of mixing and breaking down and in order to be able to get the food all the way to absorption, you have to mix it with a lot of fluid.

Third is mixing and propulsion.  We have something in our gut called the migrating motor complex. This is where the smooth muscle contracts and relaxes and contracts and relaxes. This action moves food along through the digestive tract so that it can be completely digested and absorbed. That process is governed by the vagus nerve. We're going to come back to that.

Fourth, digestion.  This is where the food particles have been somewhat broken down in the mouth and a little bit more in the stomach when it arrives at the small intestine. This is where food particles are broken down even more so they can begin to be absorbed.

Fifth is the actual absorption process. This is where the material is absorbed from the gut into the blood system or the lymphatic system and delivered to the cells so they can do their work.

Finally, we have elimination. This includes waste products,  indigestible food components, dead cells and toxins. These are things our body can't use and needs to get rid of so out it goes.

We run into a problem in diabetes when there is damage to the nerves, or neuropathy. This is where you have that 'pins and needles' feeling in your feet, and maybe in your fingertips.  Remember I said that the mixing and propulsion component of digestion is governed by the vagus nerve. When that nerve is damaged, that muscle complex slows or even stops. This is a condition called gastroparesis. The problem is that the food isn't moved along as it is supposed to be so it takes a long time to actually digest and absorb it.

So how do you feel when you have gastroparesis? Usually you feel uncomfortably stuffed and that could last for hours. The discomfort may start after a meal or right as you start to eat. This creates a lot of problems and if left untreated, it can lead to malnutrition.

Some of the symptoms are vomiting, bloating, really feeling distended, perhaps nausea, physical discomfort and pain.

So how do you deal with gastroparesis?  First, get your blood sugar into control as quickly as possible and as consistently as possible.

Next, limit the amount of fat and fiber in your diet. Even though these are really good for you, they extend the time that food is in your stomach and make you feel full longer.  This is a good thing when you don't have gastroparesis because it makes you feel full longer and helps keep your blood sugar more level.

Next, make sure you drink a lot of water. This is will be a little bit problematic because you're already feeling full and you're not really going to want to drink a lot of water.  Talk to your doctor about the excessive thirst that comes with gastroparesis and see how best you should handle this situation.  Also check to see if any medication you're taking impacts your digestive tract. If it does speak, ask your doctor if a substitution can be made.

Thank you so much for listening.

You can download my free 30 day guide for managing or reversing your type two diabetes. There's a link below.

Thank you.

Dr. Elaine

Download my free 30 Day Guide to Manage or Reverse Type 2 Diabetes

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or healthcare provider. Please consult your healthcare provider for advice about a specific medical condition.

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