OPTIMAL DIGESTION

It is said that as many as half of visits to family physicians for chronic complaints involve digestion. Many of our patients describe being frustrated with trying to get help for their ongoing issues. Dr Joe is dedicated to helping you find the root cause of your problems. He takes the time to genuinely listen to his patients’ stories and understand how their health is affected. He believes that understanding the function of the gut, and the importance of a healthy gut flora (microbiome) are key to helping you have healthy digestion. 

Celiac disease is becoming more common in the western world and is a serious delayed-sensitivity immune reaction to gluten. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a similar immune reaction to wheat and gluten, but the pathology is not centred on the gut lining, but can aggravate many inflammatory conditions. It is interesting to know that gluten intolerance and non-celiac gluten sensitivity can appear at any stage in life, even after many years of being able to tolerate these foods.  Although an immune issue, it does not look like a typical allergy, and this causes confusion to many people.  It is a type III allergy and so can take days to manifest after an exposure, and the reaction can persist for weeks or longer.

There are a number of testing options that help to inform us of gut conditions. A celiac screening panel measures delayed-reaction antibodies against gluten, and also measures damage to the small intestine lining that is unique to celiac disease.   The GI Effects Digestive Stool Analysis offers insight into digestive function, parasites, pathogens and the microbiome. Dr Joe understands your goals to feel better and in addition to food sensitivity testing, and the GI Effects, Grassroots Naturopathic offers colon hydrotherapy to help stimulate a sluggish bowel and to increase the elimination of accumulated fecal matter.