Are You Part of the Digestive Disease Epidemic? (and What to Do About It)

Digestive disease is an epidemic…

It’s estimated that over 64 Million People in the US are affected by digestive disease…

• 600,000 have Crohn’s Disease
• 1,000,000 have Ulcerative Colitis
• 3,000,000 have Celiac Disease
• 60 Million have IBS

What’s worse? It’s expensive! Based on 2004 data that’s beginning to get outdated, the burden of digestive disease costs $141.8 billion annually.

It’s absolutely frightening so many of us are dealing with these types of stomach problems, and what’s worse? Hiding them because poop is a taboo topic in today’s world.

Steve and I were both are part of these statistics… and we personally feel like we’re no longer a part of it. I’m no longer suffering from the symptoms of Digestive Disease. And that’s what this community is all about: lowering these digestive disease statistics…

If you’re reading this right now, you’re probably part of these statistics.

If you’re dealing with any of the following symptoms on a regular basis… it’s likely you have a digestive problem:

• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Acid reflux
• GERD
• Gas
• Bloating
• Cramping
• Hemorrhoids

This list of symptoms doesn’t mean you’re broken or sentenced to a life of suffering…

But these symptoms are a sign you’re not pooping healthy and likely another statistic in the digestive disease epidemic, but the good news is that you can actually do something about it…

I’m a Statistic, What Are My Options?

Most Crohn’s and Colitis patients, dealing with bleeding colons and flaring immune systems, get a prescription for toxic drugs like corticosteroids.

Celiac Disease patients are ordered to follow a strict gluten-free diet… which research is beginning to show isn’t enough… and sadly, they’re slowly dying from it.

IBS patients are being prescribed band-aids, like being told to take more fiber, try laxatives, eat less fiber, try enemas, etc.

Thankfully, a growing minority are seeking better health and perfect poops through natural, curative, and non-toxic methods…

Interest in real food diets like The Specific Carbohydrate Diet, WAPF, GAPS, and the Paleo Diet,  have been skyrocketing since 2009:

And the growing list of success stories is incredible, from reversing heart disease to weight-loss, all the way to overcoming diabetes and autoimmune conditions.

But Sometimes Food Isn’t Enough

Sometimes just changing your diet isn’t enough to eliminate digestive concerns. It’s the foundation of a health turnaround… but in some cases it doesn’t eliminate symptoms as fast as we’d like for people experiencing digestive problems. It doesn’t mean diet doesn’t work; it just makes it more advanced for those of us with stomach problems…

If you’re someone who doesn’t feel better after taking the first step and changing your diet, it doesn’t mean you can’t get out of the digestive disease epidemic.

In some cases, jumping head first into a real food diet might even make someone with digestive problems sicker. Here’s why:

1) Eating difficult-to-digest foods triggers symptoms

Switching to a diet with higher amounts of fruits, veggies, and nuts can increase insoluble fiber and irritate the gut, causing people with digestive problems horrendous nightmares… but that doesn’t mean they aren’t healthy and it also doesn’t mean you can’t graduate up to eating them very soon.

2) Safe starches can make Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth worse

Healthy people have a healthy balance of good and bad bacteria in their gut… people with digestive problems don’t. Eating “safe starches” like sweet potatoes, plantains, or starchy tubers that are very important for long-term gut health, but in the short-term they can cause people with certain digestive problems like Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) fits because they feed their already out-of-whack bacteria.

3) Not healing the root causes problems

This blog first started because Steve and I changed our health with the SCD Diet. And for years it was all about taking control of your symptoms with food. But ultimately our own health journey didn’t get completely symptom free until we found a skilled practitioner to help us treat root cause problems.

Things like Adrenal Fatigue, Gut Infections, and Toxicity.

So, as we continue to evolve this blog to support you, we continue to write more and more about these root causes that go way beyond diet – the things that need to be treated and healed that food just can’t do well enough.

That’s Where Working with a Skilled Functional Practitioner Comes into Play

If you have digestive problems like we did, it’s important that you realize a calm belly can be a reality for you. You deserve to live a symptom-free life so you can go out and share your gifts with the world.

You deserve good health. You deserve to no longer be affected by the digestive disease epidemic.

And working with a Skilled Practitioner is the one big giant step that helped us reach the level of health that we’re currently enjoying in life.

But if you’re sick and tired of banging your head against the wall trying to feel better on GAPS, SCD, or Paleo, we highly recommend you find a skilled practitioner to help you do some testing and treat common root causes.

If you need help finding a good practitioner, we’ve built relationships with skilled Functional Medicine Practitioners and you can learn more about them here:

Practitioners

A happy belly can be a reality for all of us. Thank you for being brave enough to talk about poop with us 🙂

– Jordan