A healthy gut is a key factor in whole-self health. You know that proverb “when mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy,” right? Well, the same can be said about your gut and its functions. Happy gut, happy life… and it’s more than just the typical things we may think about when we ponder our midsections.
If the thought of gut health brings to mind only things like unwanted weight or weight gain, bloating, IBS, constipation, or food sensitivities, then it’s time to expand your horizons. If you have eczema, psoriasis, or acne and nothing seems to help, it may be useful to consider your microbiome. What about anxiety or insomnia, nightmares, or a family history of Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease? Again, turning that ship around by starting with your midsection might be the answer. There are so many ways that a healthy microbiome or its opposite can affect your overall wellbeing.
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Do you want to create or restore a healthy microbiome with a long list of supplements or a Pharma prescription or would you rather make meaningful and lasting change by way of shifting your daily habits? Both on a personal level and professionally, my vote is for option two.
What about you?
If your answer is option two, then the next questions for you are: have you considered working with a health coach to improve your gut health and if so, do you know what to look for and what to expect when you do so? In this blog post, I’m going to write about the basics (gut and metabolic health, digestion) and some of the areas that might not usually be associated with coaching (mood, brain health, and skincare). By the end of this essay, I hope that you will be a savvy consumer of coaching for gut health.
Are you ready to begin?
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“If you want to lose twenty or more pounds in a month, I am not the health coach for you. If you want to restore your gut health, develop a realistic exercise plan, and learn how to love your body at a healthy-for-you weight that you can achieve and maintain, then yes, let’s talk. Different health coaches have different value systems, approaches, and backgrounds and the purpose of this blog post is to give you some ideas about how to find just the right one for you and your weight loss journey.”
—Health Coach for Weight Loss: Why, When, and How
Gut health and healthy weight
Most health coaches are trained to guide clients through their weight loss journeys. They’ll figure out a number of things about where you are via motivational interviewing. They may focus on your stage of change (anywhere from in denial to info gathering mode to all systems ready to go, for instance). Next, you address macros (carbs, fats, protein) and exercise and mind set. Your weight loss coach can be your accountability czar or your head cheerleader, or both. A health coach for weight loss can be a valuable investment in a worthy cause for an important person: you.
And yet… if you want to lose weight, stave off a diabetes diagnosis, or otherwise shift your metabolic health it does make sense to also pay attention the trillions of bacteria, fungi and yeasts, viruses, and more that live within your digestive tract and constitute your microbiome. Though your health coach should avoid pushing supplements, they can help you to rework your daily routine and they can educate and inspire you to better lifestyle habits, ones that support a healthy microbiome.
Remember: your stress levels, your sleep, your exercise habits, and yes, your nutrition are reflected in your gut health and your gut health in turn is reflected in how anxious you might be, whether or not you sleep decently, and whether your metabolism is working for or against you. It is really hard to achieve a healthy, realistic, and comfortable weight when you’re too tired to exercise, too anxious to sleep well, and overly-attached to eating habits that set you back and keep you stuck. Working with a health coach can change that dynamic, so why not do so and start with the goal of gut health?
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“From conditions (anxiety, hypersensitivity) that most people have experienced at one point or another in their lives to serious health developments that are best prevented whenever possible (Alzheimer’s disease, for instance), gut health is a key factor. When you pay attention to your microbiome you are supporting your mental health and making life today easier. You also could be paving the way for a healthier later stage of life. Gut health and brain health go hand in hand.”
—Gut Health for Mind, Body, and Soul
Mental and brain health
Have you heard much about the gut-brain axis? The biochemical and neural communication between your brain and your gut goes both ways, relaying information about sensory messages one way and when and how to digest food in the opposite direction. We’ve all heard about our vagus nerve, the largest nerve in our body and the one that regulates resting and digesting. But what about the microbiome and how it affects mood and wellbeing?
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What a person eats and how that intake is contextualized by nature (genetics) and nurture (environment and epigenetics, or genetic change in reaction to varying stimuli) is definitely key to mental wellbeing. More and more, science is demonstrating how ultra processed “food” products cause inflammation, for instance. It’s getting easier every day to find studies that outline the connection between sugar-laden Frankenfoods and depression or anxiety. Consequently, a person who is struggling with their moods might want to consider addressing their gut health before jumping straight to antidepressants which may or may not even work.1
Brain health is a long-term project. The ancient physicians in Chinese medicine described dementia and categorized it as “phlegm misting the mind.” Biomedicine today will refer to tau plaques on the brain and neurofibrillary tangles within the nerve cells. Western medicine calls it Parkinson’s disease; Chinese will speak of Wind and both recognize that excessive or vigorous dreaming can be a sign of problems to come in this realm. A person who has Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s in the family, or one who sleepwalks or who has nightmares or sleep paralysis would be very smart to work with a gut health coach now so that they protect their brain for later.
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“Nobody is happy to be bloated after every meal and having gas or gurgling or anything more extreme is a real buzz kill. Anyone with IBS or any other bowel condition knows how challenging these conditions can be. And what about metabolic disorder? Gut health doesn’t just affect digestion. Diabetes and dysbiosis are linked and these are issues that can be averted by prioritizing gut health.”
—Gut Health for Mind, Body, and Soul
Digestive health
As an acupuncturist, I place gut health front and center. One of our venerated medical ancestors, 12th century physician Li Dong Yuan, had theories that ring true even today. See if this sounds familiar: according to this sage, improper diet, excessive work, overthinking, and/or emotional upheaval could cause digestive disruption and generate internal Fire. Doesn’t that sound like chronic inflammation centered in the digestive system?
One of my specialty areas is MCAS, or mast cell activation syndrome. As I explain to people unfamiliar with this condition: autoimmune disease is when your immune system inappropriately attacks you; MCAS is when your immune system attacks everything, from food to smells to your stress levels and more. By now, most people know about leaky gut syndromes and celiac disease. More and more, people are also learning about MCAS and histamine intolerance (this is a metabolic disorder whereby the system can’t process histamine the way it should, thus leading to allergy-like symptoms, extremes of anxiety, and inability to eat certain foods, among other outcomes).
And what about IBS, chronic bloating, and/or gas? There are a lot of ways your digestive system can make a person’s life hard. Normally, and especially in the cases of chronic inflammation or MCAS or histamine issues, a person will start at their doctor’s office and next, especially if the Pharma prescription doesn’t work, they end up down the rabbit holes of gut health, supplements, and elimination diets.
An excellent gut health coach can help to shorten that health journey. It all comes back to daily habits and practices. A lot of people get overwhelmed by their gut health issues and just lurch around, going from one supplement to the next restrictive diet but they just don’t find relief. How about working with someone who knows how to support you as you make healthy change?
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“From dull skin to painfully flaring acne, the microbiome is never far from the root cause. The same goes for more complicated skin issues, from eczema to rosacea to MCAS-driven rashes. Some people are fortunate and can go to a dermatologist, get their prescription, take it, and voilà: all is resolved. That’s not always how it goes, though, and though even dermatologists will give recommendations for probiotics and even, maybe, diet shifts, to go along with the prescription, that doesn’t always mean success. Sometimes, a person really needs to take a longer route and make their health journey an intentional and steady quest to heal their gut.”
—Gut Health for Mind, Body, and Soul
Skin health
What if that prescription for spironolactone doesn’t work for you, either because taking it doesn’t resolve your acne or because you experience adverse events in response to this drug? How many times can you take oral antibiotics and not end up with other problems? Not everyone with eczema is fine with getting injections or taking drugs; same goes for psoriasis sufferers.
As with any diagnosed medical condition of this sort, you do want to start with your medical doctor’s assessment. However, once what they offer doesn’t work… then what? Or what if their regimen kind of works (but not really) or you have unpleasant reactions to the Pharma drugs?
Focusing on your microbiome can change this dynamic. As with any of the conditions discussed above, your health coach can help you to create a daily routine that fosters better sleep, better digestion, reduced inflammation, and clearer skin.
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“You get a bit more life philosophy when your coach seasons your practice with Chinese medicine, just saying. You figure out what makes your wellbeing and your life move forward in a flow state, not a fight state. You find that right balance that works for you. You succeed in not just goals but also in outlook.”
—Holistic Health Coaching + Chinese Medicine: Two Great Approaches That Go Great Together
Working with a health coach
Resolving gut health issues can be a medical project (in that case, you are relying on your MD or your acupuncturist) or a lifestyle and mindset change. For the second, that’s when you work with a health coach.
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Your health coach for gut health is not so different from a coach for any kind of lifestyle change related to wellbeing. When a person’s day to day habits are not in alignment with their health goals, a coach can help to change that. When self-talk and past failures and seemingly insurmountable obstacles are blocking progress, an excellent health coach can inspire new frameworks and practices. When lack of confidence or motivation keep you stuck, your health coach can get you all fired up and feeling much better about your prospects.
Do you want to learn how to take the best care of your microbiome? It is time to do something about your weight, metabolism, and digestion, isn’t it? Or do you have a condition that should be “fixed” by a prescription but it just hasn’t worked out for you? Do you want to change your daily habits and your lifestyle? If you’ve read this far, the answer is probably yes, so one last question for you, then:
Are you ready to get started with a health coach?
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Dr. Paula Bruno, Ph.D., L.Ac., is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, an AOBTA-CP traditional Chinese bodywork therapist, a health coach, and an author. She maintains an active and growing practice at her Austin, TX office. Dr. Bruno is also available for distance appointments for wellness consultation or coaching.
In her first career, she was a Spanish professor.
Dr. Bruno’s specialties as a Chinese medicine practitioner include: • Musculoskeletal health (acute or chronic pain relief; Ehlers Danlos syndrome & hypermobility support) • Digestive support, gut health, and weight loss • Aesthetic treatment, including scar revision • Men’s health • General preventive care and wellness support for all persons.
She is the author of Chinese Medicine and the Management of Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome: A Practitioner’s Guide. Dr. Bruno also maintains a second website, holistichealthandheds.com, with resources and information curated specifically for people with hEDS and HSD.
When you are ready to discover what traditional medicine plus a vibrant and engaged approach to holistic health can do for you, either contact Dr. Bruno or book an appointment online.
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Note: Material on this web site site is not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease, illness, or ailment. A Chinese medicine practitioner in Texas identifies syndrome patterns but does not diagnose illness. Material on this web site does not purport to identify syndrome patterns.
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- For more on the topic of antidepressants and whether or not they are effective, refer to “Chemically Imbalanced: A Review and Some Replies.” In this blog post, I pull six key quotes reflective of the main themes discussed by the author of the book in question, Joanna Moncrieff. She is psychiatrist, researcher, and University College of London professor, and her premise is based on her knowledge of the profession and her work as a professor and psychiatrist. To wit: “One of the main arguments of Chemically Imbalanced is that Pharma’s story about serotonin is not only based on shady science but that it also misses the point about depression and anxiety. Are we really depressed and anxious because there’s a li’l imbalance in our brains, she asks, one that can be resolved by Pharma’s drug regimens? Or are we depressed and anxious because life is getting harder and harder, and it’s getting tougher and tougher to bounce back?” The book is worth reading but if you want a TL/DR (with additional remarks about my career in academia and thoughts on placebos, do read my blog post and marvel. ↩︎
