Bloating, unpredictable bowels, reflux, food reactions, most gut symptoms have a pattern underneath. Most patterns are addressable.
“The gut runs your immune system, produces your neurotransmitters, and metabolizes your hormones. When it's off, everything feels off.”
Most people with chronic gut symptoms have been told their tests are normal, or handed an IBS diagnosis with no explanation of what's causing it or what to do. I look upstream: dysbiosis, SIBO, intestinal permeability, food sensitivities, impaired motility, each points to a different protocol.
The gut-hormone connection is particularly relevant for women. Your gut microbiome directly regulates estrogen recycling through an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase. A dysbiotic gut is often a hidden driver of estrogen dominance, heavy periods, and mood swings, even when hormone levels look fine.
A dysbiotic gut recirculates estrogens that should be cleared. This drives estrogen dominance, heavy periods, PMS and mood instability, even when blood tests look normal.
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth causes bloating, gas, and irregular bowels in a large proportion of IBS cases. It has a specific breath test and specific treatment protocols that work.
IgG food reactions contribute to gut inflammation in some people. Treating the gut environment usually reduces sensitivities more reliably than elimination diets alone.
Comprehensive stool analysis: microbiome diversity, pathogens, inflammation markers, short-chain fatty acids. SIBO breath testing where indicated. Food sensitivity panel (IgG) selectively. Intestinal permeability markers. Nutrient absorption: B12, iron, zinc, fat-soluble vitamins. Thyroid, hypothyroidism is one of the most commonly overlooked causes of constipation.
Antimicrobial herbal protocols for SIBO and dysbiosis. Gut-repair nutrition: specific carbohydrate diet, low-FODMAP as a short-term bridge, targeted probiotics chosen by strain and case. Digestive enzyme support where motility or output is the issue. IV therapy when malabsorption has created significant deficits.
For women with both hormonal and gut symptoms, I treat both simultaneously. Improving the microbiome changes how estrogen is metabolized, which often shifts cycle symptoms, mood, and energy in ways that hormonal treatment alone can't achieve.
Most gut cases take three to six months of active work. Stool testing at baseline, protocol, retest at three months. The goal is a gut that functions without you having to manage it.
Therapies I'd likely use
It rules out structural disease, which matters. But colonoscopies don't assess the microbiome, SIBO, intestinal permeability, or enzyme function. Normal anatomy doesn't mean normal function.
IBS is a symptom description, not a diagnosis. It tells you what's happening, not why. Most cases have a treatable upstream pattern when you look with the right tests.
The gut microbiome produces an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase that reactivates estrogens for reabsorption. High beta-glucuronidase means more estrogen recirculating, driving estrogen dominance. Treating the gut is often the most direct path to shifting a hormonal pattern.
I treat the totality of the person: body, mind, and spirit as one interconnected system. Naturopathic medicine gives me a wide toolbox: clinical nutrition, herbal medicine, acupuncture, IV therapy, somatic approaches, and more. I don't apply protocols; I look for the pattern underneath your symptoms and build care that fits your specific life.
