Another View Magazine Orillia Winter 2014

Your Digestion The wind and I could come by and Is a Window to Your Health carry youBy Dr. Katy Howard of your the last part While it may smell and look unpleasant, your journey a you become light poo is actually if fantastic window into your overall health. enough... by just letting go of a few As a rule our society generally avoids talking about feces whenever possible. We use pet names, like ‘poo’, when we more things you are clinging to... absolutely must broach the subject, and otherwise try our best to pretend it never happens. As a Naturopath, on the other thattalking about poo is one of gravity. on hand, still believe in the first things my list! While it may smell and look unpleasant, your poo is actually a fantastic window into your overall health. The consistency of your stool, and how often you go, are both key indicators of your body’s internal balance. While society tends to believe that going once a day is healthy, truly healthy bowel function involves going once for every substantial meal that you eat. This generally equals 2 times per day, at the least! Inside this issue: Being outside of this range can be a sign that something in your system is out of balance. Some potential causes are: dehydration, nutritional imbalance, imbalanced gut flora (the probiotic “bugs” that grow in your gut), or food sensitivities. Other signs of unhealthy digestion are: reflux, diarrhea, constipation, excessive gas, cramping, undigested food, mucous, or blood present in the stool. If you have any of the symptoms listed above, you don’t need to panic. Changes in our stool are simply the body’s way of getting our attention to let us know something is wrong. Often some simple diet and lifestyle changes can make a big difference in the health of your poo, and not at all coincidentally, in your overall health too! ■ Dr. Katy Howard, ND Naturopathic Doctor & Owner at Renewed Health & Wellness 2 - 25 Mississaga St. E., Orillia, ON www.RenewedHealthWellness.com 705-302-1103 14

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