I have worked in some aspect of medicine for almost 30 years, 21 as a licensed Acupuncturist and Natural Health Practitioner. After helping hundreds, if not thousands, of Patients recover from chronic health issues, I have determined that a key factor to success is treating the digestive system in it’s entirety and, if necessary, supporting it’s function so that that person may get the most out of their diet. Without a properly functioning digestive system, inflammation, dysfunction and degeneration will result
and/or persist.
I bet you didn’t know that 1 in 5 people have GERD or Reflux! This is one mechanism in the digestive system. You add in colitis, crohn’s, diverticulitis/diverticulosis, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, yeast overgrowth, and then all the diseases that spin off due to insufficient stomach acid leading to bacterial overgrowth, destruction of probiotic (good bacteria) colonies that have important roles in our health, damage to the intestinal lining leading to leaky gut syndrome and subsequent allergies, and you have over 50% of the people in the U.S. who need digestive help!
Now, you might think that you have it covered because you’ve been to your Dr and been prescribed palliative (symptom-focused) pharmaceuticals to treat your complaints. You would be wrong. Although some drugs are helpful, short-term, they do not treat the root and thus, the underlying conditions will most often lead to deeper and more severe health issues.
It is imperative to identify the underlying roots and follow a treatment plan that takes them into account. There is a saying among well-trained health practitioners: “WEED, FEED and SEED.” This means we get rid of the bad bacteria, yeast, viruses and parasites that interfere with digestive function and at times, the organs themselves. We then support the tissue, mucosal lining, function and good microorganisms that help us digest our food and fight off the “bad guys” I just mentioned. This is followed by giving the body probiotics or “the good guys” so that they may “keep the peace” in the tissue in which they live.
Acupuncture for digestive problems is used to stimulate function, calm over-active nervous system activity, create movement where fluids, blood and waste are sluggish and easing and pain or discomfort.
There are also important dietary additions and subtractions along with proper food combining and mechanics of eating that will lend to optimal digestion and thus, optimal healing in the body. There are AK (Applied Kinesiology) or Muscle-Testing systems that provide both answers and treatment for all the systems of the body. Meridian Autonomic Testing gives the Practitioner and Patient answers to what is stressed in the body and what nutrition will help it. Neurolink exposes areas that the brain isn’t optimally communicating and cooperating with and restores this communication, very much like resetting a circuit- breaker that has been flipped in your circuit-breaker box from an overstressed circuit.
If you are interested in identifying and treating the roots of your health issues, always remember to start with the digestive system, and of equal importance, work with a trained Practitioner who can guide you through a comprehensive treatment plan.
Paul Gerst L.Ac. of The Balanced Path Wellness Center may be reached for consultation,
speaking, workshop presentations and treatment by contacting Paul here or by phone at 774-283- 2726.