{"id":2913,"date":"2022-10-28T02:22:58","date_gmt":"2022-10-28T02:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/healing-health-wellness\/?p=2913"},"modified":"2022-10-28T19:52:55","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T19:52:55","slug":"the-8-most-common-digestive-issues-that-occur-with-aging-a-naturopathic-and-functional-medicine-approach-to-staying-young-at-gut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/healing-health-wellness\/2022\/10\/the-8-most-common-digestive-issues-that-occur-with-aging-a-naturopathic-and-functional-medicine-approach-to-staying-young-at-gut\/","title":{"rendered":"The 8 Most Common Digestive Issues That Occur with Aging: A Naturopathic and Functional Medicine Approach to Staying \u201cYoung at Gut\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Keeping Our Bodies and Minds Healthy Over Time\u2026 by Focusing on the Gut<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are certain biological changes<\/a> that occur and impact our body\u2019s biological functioning over time. Some general wear and tear on the body is inevitable, but it can eventually lead to an accumulation of damage. This can result in lowered physical and mental functioning if one is not actively trying to prevent this.<\/p>\n

By 2030<\/a>, 1 in 6 people in the world will be 60 years old or over. As the world\u2019s population<\/a> ages at a faster pace, it\u2019s becoming obvious that our current medical model is not positively influencing our health span<\/a>. In fact, our healthcare <\/strong>approach<\/strong><\/a>, aka managing diseases, is not only NOT<\/em> producing healthier people, it\u2019s actually <\/strong>decreasing<\/em><\/strong><\/a> life span!<\/strong><\/p>\n

I call this \u201csick care\u201d and it\u2019s much different than optimizing wellness.<\/p>\n

To change our nation\u2019s health trajectory, we need to stop the craziness of doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. We need to address the root cause of why <\/em>one\u2019s body and mind deteriorate in the first place.<\/p>\n

One area to zero in on for our answers is our gut.<\/p>\n

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Why Focusing on the Gut Can Help with Better Aging<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The more researchers discover about the gut microbiome<\/a>\u2019s impact on both our physical and psychological states, the more conventional practitioners are realizing how our digestive health is a hub for overall wellness and maintaining vitality. (Many integrative physicians have been touting this for years.)<\/p>\n

Our gastrointestinal tract supports the assimilation and absorption of nutrients, excretion of wastes, contains over 70% of our immune cells, produces 90% of our serotonin, makes various neurochemicals, helps regulate<\/a> hormone excretion, and communicates with our brain through the gut-brain axis<\/a> to help co-manage many bodily processes. And, yes, it even impacts the skin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So, rather than thinking of preventing aging and disease progression by \u201cfighting\u201d wrinkles and bandaging aches and pains with drugs, shouldn\u2019t we really be focusing on how to keep our guts in tip-top shape as we grow older<\/a>?<\/p>\n

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8 Common Issues of the Aging Digestive Tract and Integrative Solutions to Address Them<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In my latest<\/a> post and video, I provide an overview of eight common digestive issues that occur with aging. I then offer an overview of a personalized naturopathic and functional medicine approach to help reduce symptoms and optimize digestive health.<\/p>\n

The interventions suggested can be taken no matter what age you are.<\/p>\n

Topics<\/a> include:<\/p>\n