If you have struggled with gut health challenges for a while despite antimicrobials, probiotics, low-lectin and/or low FODMAPs diets, gut-support supplements like butyrate, and more ...

... then chances are you need to look further "upstream".

22+ "Upstream" Factors

Here are some factors "upstream" of the gut that can cause or perpetuate chronic gut health issues:

1. Mold exposure (Mold can directly colonize the digestive tract, creating a strong inflammatory response in the gut, but short of colonization, mold toxins can contribute to gut problems by worsening many of the other factors listed below.)
2. Lyme disease (Lyme pathogens can directly infect the lining of the gut.)
3. Parasites (Most people with parasites don't realize they have them, or that they have not yet sufficiently eradicated them.)
4. Jawbone cavitations, especially at wisdom tooth extraction sites (Cavitations are pockets of infected bone in the jaws, typically where teeth have been extracted, that interfere with the function of the electrical circuits commonly known as acupuncture meridians that pass through the jawbone, thereby affecting the function of organ(s) associated with the meridians(s) affected, such as the heart and small intestine when it comes to cavitations where wisdom teeth have been extracted.)
5. Scars, especially on the midline of the body (Scars can create interference fields that block the flow of voltage through the electrical circuits commonly known as acupuncture meridians, contributing to dysfunction of organs served by the the meridians that are affected.)
6. Oral or nasal dysbiosis (This can continuously seed the digestive tract with dysbiotic species.)
7. Low stomach acid (Low stomach acid enables potentially dysbiotic bacteria from food, water, the nose, and the sinuses to populate the digestive tract, and low stomach acid also promotes low bile flow, which also promotes gastrointestinal problems.)
8. Low bile flow (Low bile flow, usually due to liver inflammation, reduces gut motility and enables dysbiotic bacteria to grow in the small intestine.)
9. Low thyroid function (Low thyroid signaling can reduce gastrointestinal motility and contribute to low bile flow.)
10. Dysregulated adrenal function (Low or high adrenal hormones can alter gut motility and digestive secretions, potentially contributing to dysbiosis and nutrient malabsorption.)
11. Traumatic brain injury (Head and neck injuries often create neuroinflammation and overly excited neurons in the brain that can dysregulate the function gastrointestinal tract.)
12. Dysautonomia (Dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system can dysregulate gut function.)
13. Vagus nerve dysfunction (Since the vagus nerve controls the gastrointestinal tract, dysfunction of the vagus nerve due to head and neck injuries, craniocervical instability, past psychological trauma, and other factors can be the cause of persistent gut health challenges.)
14. Past psychological trauma (This can cause the emotional and threat-monitoring centers of the brain to be hypervigilant and stuck in "fight, fight, or freeze" responses that turn off normal, healthy gut function.)
15. Chronic psychological stress (Chronic stress is one of the main drivers of gut dysfunction, and most people are not aware of how stressed they are, how much this affects their health, or how to gain more control over their stress response patterns.)
16. Insufficient quantity or quality of sleep (Insufficient sleep can alter the gut microbiome and other factors that affect gut health.)
17. Certain nutrient deficiencies (For example, deficiencies in phosphatidylcholine, taurine, or glycine can reduce bile production.)
18. Sulfate deficiency (Small intestine bacterial overgrowth of sulfur-reducing bacteria might be a result of the body allowing these bacteria to proliferate in order to provide a potential source of sulfate, according to a hypothesis advanced by Greg Nigh, ND, LAc (R).)
19. Immune system dysfunction (Low SIgA or a Th1 / Th2 imbalance can allow dysbiotic bacteria to flourish.)
20. Mitochondrial dysfunction in the colon (This can impair the colon's ability to control the level of oxygen in the gut, causing the loss of beneficial anaerobic bacteria that require a low-oxygen environment to produce important fuels (e.g. short chain fatty acids) for colonic cells.)
21. Bowel obstructions (Common factors like anti-inflammatory drugs and adhesions from endometriosis or scar tissue that develops after abdominal injuries and surgeries can partially or fully block the gastrointestinal tract.)
22. Long COVID (The virus can dramatically reduce populations of certain species of the microbiome, contributing to dysbiosis.)

Assessment

Other factors can also be involved, but have you at least fully considered these 22?

Do you know how to do that?

There are ways to assess each of these factors, including symptom analysis, various types of lab and clinical testing, and kinesiological and bioenergetic testing.

I've built all of this and more (including almost any kind of testing you might need) into the Bio-Individual Blueprint system, which you can learn more about it here.

If you would like help with identifying the factors causing your gut symptoms, let's have a chat. You can schedule a call on this page (scroll down).