Health begins and ends in our guts. When we have digestive issues, it can wreak havoc on our entire body. Although we may not realize it, our gut is the root of many symptoms we experience. This article lists seven clues your body gives to alert you that your gut might not be functioning at its optimal level and what acupuncture can do to help.

Clue # 1: Are your limbs feeling heavy or weak?

• When we are unable to break down the food we eat to extract the right amount of nutrients from our diet, our cells become malnourished and with time get weak.

• Over a prolonged amount of time, we will experience weak and heavy limbs.

Clue # 2: Are you finding it difficult to focus?

• The heaviness, swelling, nausea, irritability and general discomfort that make us feel unwell can also cause concentration issues.

• When our bodies are preoccupied with not feeling good and are busy trying to fix the issue at hand, we lack the energy to focus on another task, resulting in poor concentration.

Clue # 3: Do you constantly feel fatigued?

• If your body is not able to absorb the nutrients from your food, you will feel constantly fatigued and will have low energy.

• Have you heard the saying, ‘You are what you eat?” Well, the truth is you are what you can absorb.

• Do you feel tired when you haven’t eaten for a while? When our bodies are not able to absorb nutrients (food) from our blood, our cells starved. This makes them lack the energy to carry out their functions, leading to us feeling tired.

Clue # 4: Feeling out of sorts or emotionally imbalanced?

• The gut is our second brain. Recent studies show that our brain affects our gut health and our gut may even affect our brain health.

• The communication system between our gut and brain is called the gut-brain axis.

Clue # 5: Do you frequently suffer from infections?

• The nutrients we eat create our immune systems. If we are eating foods that do not support healthy digestive function, the immune system suffers.

Clue # 6: How are your bowel movements?

• Both constipation and diarrhea are very evident symptoms that something is wrong with the digestive system.

• If waste gets stuck in the body, it starts to release toxins. This is known as auto-intoxication.

• When the bowel is healthy, bowel movements are regular and painless. When they are not, we experience discomfort.

Clue # 7: How’s your sleep?

• Sleep is an indicator of health.

• If we find it difficult to sleep and notice that we are waking at the same time every night, this could be a sign of a malfunctioning digestive system.

Without a doubt, your gut health is paramount to your overall health. When our gut isn’t functioning well, it can affect other systems in the body. But if you take the time to listen to your body, know the signs to look for, and heed the advice of your acupuncturist, you’ll get your gut healthy in no time.

At The Point of Health, gut health is our No. 1 priority. Come see us so that we can restore your gut to peak performance!