Gut health doctor in Victoria BC & Manitoba

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is the by-product of a chronically imbalanced digestive system, often stemming from a combination of causes including, but not limited to, inadequate stomach acid or digestive function, structural imbalances, an overactive stress response, intake of food intolerances, and gut microbiome imbalances, oftentimes secondary to medication use (ex: antibiotics, birth control pills, NSAIDs).

Before ordering any tests I always want to understand how the test results will inform or change a treatment plan. After years of treating patients with SIBO-like digestive complaints, I have found that a thorough discussion regarding presenting symptoms is sufficient. While I am happy to order the test if a patient wishes for these objective findings, in my experience it has not been necessary.

When digestive function is restored, structural imbalances are corrected, nervous system activation is calmed, and food intolerances are removed, SIBO resolves.

Leaky gut is a general term for intestinal permeability and is often used when describing the symptoms of IBS – gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation (or a combination of both), reflux, abdominal pain/cramping. In the world of natural medicine there is so much that can help.

If you are looking for a natural gut health doctor in Victoria BC or Manitoba, I can help you.

A food intolerance is the genetic absence or weakness of the enzyme required to break down specific foods properly. Food intolerances do not necessarily produce immediate, noticeable reactions, thus making them difficult to isolate. They exert more of an accumulative effect that disrupts normal digestive function and creates localized and systemic inflammation.

Chances are you had an immunological food sensitively panel run and, if that is the case, the food intolerance evaluation I utilize in my practice is very different.

Those lengthy panels are assessing your body’s antibody response to the foods you eat. We have antibody responses to all foods we eat and assessing variances in intensity of response is a poor and inaccurate marker of a true food intolerance.

Note: Even for patients who have done testing in the past, for those coming for my services as a gut health doctor in Victoria BC and Winnipeg MB will find new insights and guidance from any testing we undertake.

A food intolerance is not an allergy or sensitivity. These three words are often used interchangeably, but they are different modes of reactivity. Allergies and sensitivities are variable and often just a part of the immunological symptom picture, created by more fundamental causes.

Not all responses to food intolerances show up immediately. The rush to the bathroom after the intake of ice cream (when dairy intolerant) is a common and noticeable one.

Reactions to foods can take as long as 72 hours to occur.

I am really happy to hear your doctor is providing you with nutritional guidance and acknowledging the correlation with your current health. The FODMAP diet can work great for some people as a therapeutic intervention, but it is not a long-term strategy and for some, it doesn’t help at all!

It may be your normal, but it doesn’t mean it’s healthy. There is a balancing act with how timely foods should be digested through your system called transit time. If you are not having at least one bowel movement a day, you are likely hanging onto toxins a lot longer than is healthy.

Welcome to my practice!

When working with a naturopathic doctor specialising in gut health, timeline and frequency of care is very specific to you and there is no one size fits all answer.

Sometimes my patients only need a 2-3 sessions to get their health back on track and they follow up as needed for “tune ups” down the road. More commonly, I work with gut health patients for an average of 6 months with follow-ups occurring monthly.

During your initial session we discuss your immediate concerns and what it is you would like to achieve both short and long-term with your health. We discuss your past and current medical history, as well as family and social history.

Since I want to understand the whole picture of your health, I also ask about your appetite, energy, mood, sleep, movement, how you feel in your body, and more.

I explain my approach and philosophy and together we develop an initial treatment plan for you.

Follow up visits strategically build upon this initial session as I support you through the changes required to restore the health you envision for yourself.

Yes, I do! As a naturopathic doctor I love offering telehealth visits because it allows me to reach you even when we are in different places.

I am a licenced naturopathic doctor in British Columbia and Manitoba and I also offer Compassionate Inquiry throughout Canada.