Does your gut feeling tell you that you have gut problems? Check out how Eirik Stensrud, founder of Agriris, dealt with his own gut problems with lifestyle changes, diet, and functional medicine, and read about how you can do it too!
IBS and leaky gut don’t just manifest as chronic stomach cramps. They can lead to a whole smorgasbord of issues, like low energy levels, brain fog, and other things that can really mess up your daily life! If you’ve been feeling things like that, you’re not alone; Eirik Stensrud, a certified functional medicine health coach and the founder of the functional medicine community Agriris, went through such struggles himself, and he’s happy to share what he did to overcome them!
Learn more at https://agriris.com/2024/06/24/how-i-overcame-ibs-symptoms-brain-fog-burnout-my-personal-strategies-solutions/
While he suffered from IBS, Stensrud notes that his diet consisted primarily of processed foods, simple carbohydrates, and too often, alcohol. These factors, combined with medications, a stressful job, and poor sleep quality, led him to develop bloating, gut pains, brain fog, sudden food sensitivities, and worsening allergies.
Because rest alone did not improve his symptoms, Stensrud made gradual lifestyle and diet adjustments, implemented intermittent fasting protocols, and began adopting functional medicine into his healthcare regime. He also requested lab work to test for dysbiosis, food sensitivities, metal toxicity, gluten sensitivity and vitamin imbalances in his blood.
Through the results, Stensrud discovered the presence of parasitic organisms, dysbiotic bacteria, low levels of beneficial gut bacteria, and yeast overgrowth in his epithelial cells. He addressed these with a combination of low-glycemic foods, herbal remedies, prebiotics, and probiotics; integrating these with his aforementioned lifestyle and diet changes allowed him to eliminate his symptoms altogether.
Of course, the specifics of his condition may differ from yours. For example, you may not have a parasite living in your gut! But even without those nasty organisms, you may still have similar symptoms that can be treated with similar methods. And based on his experiences, Stensrud concludes that the most effective way to alleviate chronic digestive health issues, no matter what they are, is to treat the whole body.
So, where can you start? While functional medicine tests are helpful in identifying issues, they are also expensive to conduct, which is why Stensrud recommends that you first adopt a diet of whole, organic foods rich in lean proteins and healthy fats for metabolism and brain function, respectively. Intermittent fasting is also an effective way of reducing IBS symptoms, as this will stimulate your body’s natural detoxification processes.
Furthermore, Stensrud found that sleep, exercise, and stress management are also crucial for restoring optimal gut health. For this reason, he encourages you to develop a daily routine with regular bedtimes, engage in outdoor activities, and lower your stress levels where possible.
Keep up the habit, and you’ll eventually notice the changes. You may not even need all those fancy tests!
As a functional health community, Agriris offers additional lifestyle tips, food plans, recipes, and integrative medicine strategies for digestive health. Stensrud encourages anyone interested in improving their overall wellbeing to join the community for personalized support.
You can join for free, by the way! And if you sign up now, you’ll get access to Agriris’ eBooks and functional food courses for life, also completely free of charge! You heard that right: full access to functional health medicine strategies, all written by a certified expert! You will have to pay for those starting in September 2024, so take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity while it lasts!
Visit https://agriris.com/2024/06/24/how-i-overcame-ibs-symptoms-brain-fog-burnout-my-personal-strategies-solutions/ to learn more!
