DIGESTIVE HEALTH

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.  

IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a collection of digestive complaints lumped into a catch-all term.  Often there is alternating constipation and diarrhea, or a prominence of one or the other.   There is no definitive diagnosis outside of there being a lack of findings for other diagnoses. Many patients are frustrated that once they have this label, it is hard to get further help. We believe that it is possible to help most patients feel better through identifying food sensitivity, improving the quality of digestion, balancing gut flora and developing lifestyle techniques that support digestive health.

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.

Constipation and other lower digestive tract issues also frustrate many people, and often they feel they have tried everything without finding lasting benefit. The GI Effects Digestive Stool Analysis offers insight into digestive function, parasites, pathogens and the microbiome. Dr Joe understands your discomfort 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.