The 4 R's of Gut Health - Top Docs Radio

The 4 R’s of Gut Health

Did you know that as much as 80% of your body’s immune capacity comes from your gut? Neither did we. That’s why we’re glad Dr. Ellie Campbell of Campbell Family Medicine came by to blow our minds(again) with information (The 4 R’s of Gut Health) about ways we can dramatically improve our health. She shared how she progressed from her traditional primary care practice to a Direct Pay model to get away from the pressure to see more patients, faster, in order to make a respectable physician’s income. In her office she doesn’t work with insurance companies. Instead, her patients simply pay a monthly membership fee to have access to her 24 hours a day, 7 days per week (sometimes even when on vacation!). She also wanted to be able to provide care to her patients that is based on best practices and evidence rather than being simply limited to what an insurance company will or won’t pay for.

We talked about the fact that, with limited time per patient, prescribing a medication and moving on to the next patient is often the way physicians must conduct their practice. She shared how allergic responses to foods and other environmental sources are behind many of our illnesses (or mirror many illnesses). We also talked about how important what we eat and drink is in our overall health. Dr. Campbell described how food and beverages have such dramatic impacts on our hormone levels and cellular health that we need to look at what we consume much like drugs one can take in a pill.

Dr. Campbell discussed The 4 R’s of Gut Health, going over foods we should eliminate (or at a minimum significantly reduce) from our diets because they cause inflammatory responses in the gut and vascular system (and elsewhere). Things like wheat and plants from the nightshade family such as tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and eggplant can, for many, create allergic reactions. The challenge is, many of these allergic responses don’t manifest in immediately-recognizable ways. It could be a general feeling of malaise, skin problems, GI problems that can emulate reflux, and more.

The 4 R’s of Gut Health (Explained in greater detail in the interview):

Remove offending substances from the diet.
Replace digestive enzymes, bile salts, immunoglobulins, DAO, and stomach acid where necessary
Re-inoculate the bowel with pre- and probiotics
Repair gastroentestinal mucosa through proper nutritional support