I know, we need to get to the root cause. So let's start with food, supplement, and lifestyle approaches to reduce symptoms so you can get back to living your life the way you want.

What approach will we take? This entirely depends on the symptoms you're experiencing. Trust me when I say that the interventions we use for diarrhea are vastly different than ones we use for constipation. The same goes for IBD–the evidence-based interventions for Crohn's aren't the same that hold evidence for Ulcerative Colitis.

Whatever the symptom reduction approach we use, we'll work together to make sure you can actually do it –because the only thing that will ever work is the one you can do.

In functional medicine training, you’re often told that regardless of the condition, it’s nearly always the right move to start in the gut. But where do you start when the problem is the gut?

You start in the brain.

Yup, you heard me right. Your gut is the “canary in the coal mine” for the health of your entire body - it is incredibly responsive to the stress you experience.

The good news? We can feed your gut in a way that increases the gut’s own felt sense of safety. What does it feel like when your gut feels safe? It feels like fewer symptoms, better mood, great nutrient absorption, less inflammation, and less perceived stress. Also, it feels like not always having to know exactly where the nearest bathroom is.

I think we both want that for you.

Many factors contribute to inflammation in the gut–from intestinal permeability, reactions to components in food, and stress-related dysbiosis. Any inflammation in the gut is messaged to the rest of the body and influences overall health.

In this stage of the SWIFT Protocol, we’ll work together to identify inflammatory triggers and find ways to block the feedback loop.

Your microbiome is a community that deserves tending. When we have a supportive cheerleading squad in the gut, our health flourishes. We’ll spend time working to increase foods and supplements that benefit a diverse gut microbiome.

In most SWIFT Protocols, I like to "hit it hard" at first to lessen symptoms quickly. But ultimately, we want to taper down all the interventions to those that are the most effective and the least invasive in your life.