{"id":14554,"date":"2014-02-17T19:41:58","date_gmt":"2014-02-18T00:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2014\/02\/tips-for-healthy-digestion.html"},"modified":"2017-11-28T13:37:44","modified_gmt":"2017-11-28T18:37:44","slug":"tips-for-healthy-digestion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/living-well\/2014\/02\/tips-for-healthy-digestion\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Healthy Digestion"},"content":{"rendered":"

In keeping
\nwith the theme of the month of love, I discussed on my homepage blog<\/a> the
\nbackground and contributing factors to the unwelcome chest pain of heartburn.
\nIn this blog, I will provide some tips on how to ensure your digestion stays
\nhealthy and happy.<\/p>\n

Here are some natural tools and tips
\nfor your wellness toolkit if you feel you need digestive support.<\/b><\/p>\n

1. Slow
\ndown when you eat. If you are stressed, your body’s nervous system will be too
\nheightened to enter into rest and digest mode. This alarm stage prevents the
\nformation of digestive enzymes. <\/p>\n

2. Avoiding
\ndrinking while you eat, unless its warm water with ginger or herbal tea. Otherwise,
\nyou’ll dilute your body’s enzymatic release.<\/p>\n

3. Eat
\nwhole, unprocessed, and organic foods as much as possible. Avoid sugar and junk
\nfood. This is to prevent the additional stressors of chemicals, hormones, anti-nutrients,
\nand antibiotics on your digestive function.<\/p>\n

4. Use the
\nproper digestive enzymes. I like to work with my clients to find the perfect
\nblend of pancreatic, stomach, and liver support. If you know you don’t have an ulceration
\nin your digestive lining, you can ask your integrative provider to test your
\nneed for hydrochloric acid using the HCL test. <\/p>\n

5. Heal any
\nintestinal inflammation with herbals and nutrients such as glutamine, zinc
\ncarnosine, or DGL (de-glycrrhizzed licorice) as needed.<\/p>\n

6. Consider
\nmicrobial balance support using natural antimicrobials, probiotics, or a
\nprescription as indicated.<\/p>\n

7.
\nEssential oils such as ginger and peppermint<\/a> can alleviate symptoms of
\nindigestion and help treat the cause at the same time. These oils support the secretion
\nof enzymes for digestive health. Some of my essential oil clients have said
\nlemon water has also trumped their heartburn. Perhaps its by balancing the pH
\nand its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory effects?.<\/p>\n

If these
\ntools don’t work or you are getting frequent heartburn, you may want to investigate further. You can request
\nthe following tests from your doctor<\/b>. This is in order to address the root
\ncause and prevent the complication of too little or too much stomach acid:<\/p>\n