Inflammatory bowel disorders: The nebulous category of digestive distress
Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ulcerative colitis, and others are a collection of digestive disorders that have been lumped into the bin of inflammatory bowel disorders (IBD). For years they have been known as notoriously stubborn conditions for which no permanent solutions exist. Although the medical industry claims there is no cure for the collection of irritable bowel conditions, there are, in fact, many solutions that have provided long-term relief to a great many people. In treating these conditions, our primary goals are to restore the function of the digestive system, reduce inflammation and give you the resources to create lasting healing.
Irritable bowel disorder and associated conditions have many causes, and as with many medical conditions, it is common to see contributing factors occurring simultaneously. One of the most prevalent factors that impacts digestion is stress. Stress activates a component of our nervous system that suppresses digestion and other healing processes in the body. This leads to insufficiency in the digestive process by decreasing enzyme production and altering the way the muscles that surround your digestive tract are functioning. By addressing how you respond to stress, we can help mitigate the impact on your system.
Inflammation in the digestive tract is another factor that causes significant digestive distress and dysfunction. This inflammation can result from food sensitivities, the collateral damage of chronic digestive insufficiency and trauma, among other things.
Other causes of irritable bowel conditions include imbalances in gut flora (the good and bad bacteria that inhabit your digestive tract), autoimmune conditions and hormone dysregulation. My favorite part of my work is that I get to be a detective, looking for the underlying cause or causes of my patient’s symptoms to help them find permanent solutions to their conditions.
Searching for any of these inflammatory bowel disorders will turn up many a medical reference stating, “there is no cure for this condition.” However, we have seen many a patient make long-term recoveries from digestive conditions like these by addressing the underlying causes of their symptoms. I often see marked improvements in patients’ digestive symptoms in a short period of time by addressing varied, and sometimes complex, enzymatic needs. Yet this is just the beginning of my options for healing the digestive tract.
We take our patients through an in-depth, 27-point, bio-functional analysis to determine the underlying cause of their conditions. This allows us to create customized treatment plans to provide the right nutrients and through acupuncture treatments, regulate the right systems to get the healing process started. Many of the people who come through our doors have been told that there are no answers to their medical problems, and yet we have helped many of them find long-term solutions to those problems. We provide hope for complicated medical issues. That’s just what we do!
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Jonathan M. Sasser holds a Master of Science degree in Oriental Medicine, is a Licensed Acupuncturist, and is board certified in Oriental Medicine by the NCCAOM.
He has more than 3,000 hours of training in acupuncture, classical Oriental Medicine, herbal medicine and nutrition. Additionally, Jon also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sport’s Medicine. Jon is a “Health Detective,” he looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place.
Jonathan is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements at Vital Health in Coeur d’Alene. Visit our website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Jonathan, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Jonathan can be reached at 208-765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.