Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects approximately 1 in 10 people (1).
Have you been struggling for a long time with constipation, diarrhea, pain and low energy? It is impacting your work and social life? Are you over it?
You’re in the right place. It’s time for you to regain your health!
In my virtual clinic often see clients who have tried lots of things and seen lots of people. They have a “bucket of symptoms with no cause and no resolution”. A lot of the time they’ve been tested for Crohn’s and Coeliac Disease, had colonoscopies and endoscopies, blood tests, tried low FODMAP diets, been poked and prodded but haven’t found anything to elevate their symptoms.
The most important first step in taking a Functional Nutrition Medicine approach is delving into your health and family history. This helps me learn about some of the potential root causes and triggers of your symptoms, and to identify if gut (poop) microbiome test is needed.
Digestion is complex (click here to read more about how it all works) – and it’s important that you work with a health professional that is thinking through the whole process from top to bottom.
What’s the interaction with your gut microbiome (all the gut bugs, the lining of your gut), your digestive organs (stomach, small intestine, large colon, liver, gallbladder etc), your digestive ‘juices’ as I call it (enzymes, stomach acid, bile) your hormones, your stress levels and of course your nutrition and hydration?
I had a client the other day ask “what’s the 1 thing that you find always helps people”. My answer… “taking a bio-individual approach”. I think he was waiting for answer such as a particular probiotic or food – but I’m afraid that’s not the case. There’s no silver bullet, it’s about working out what’s going on in there for you!
If you haven’t tried the Low FODMAP diet, that might be a good first step (you can buy a 7-Day LOW FODMAP Meal Plan here). But if you have been-there-done-that and want to explore what’s going on in there, click here to book a consultation with me.
Before I finish up today’s article, I thought I’d share an interested statistic I came across the other day.
It’s estimated that Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth (SIBO) causes up to 80% of IBS cases, with an estimated 500 million people with SIBO worldwide (2). To learn more about SIBO, click here.
If you've been struggling with IBS symptoms - then it's time to get to the bottom of it and work out what's going on in there!
Here's how to get started working with me:
Click here to watch my free workshop: Is It IBS, SIBO, IMO, SIFO? All Of The Above… Or Something Else?
Download my FREE eBook: The 5 Things I Learned About My Gut Health & Energy. In this eBook I've shared the top 5 things I have learned about my gut health and my client's (bloating, constipation, diarrhea), low energy, and other symptoms, so you too can finally stop searching for answers. Click here to get immediate access!
Book an initial Functional Medicine Nutrition consultation with me - click here. You will be directed to my secure platform called Better, where you can choose a time (and time zone) that suits you. Whilst I live in Canberra, Australia, I work with clients from around the world in my virtual clinic. If there's not a time that suits your time zone, book in for another time and drop me a message - I will fit you in!
Complete the Client Intake Forms in my secure platform (Better) at least 24 hours before we meet. Also please upload any test results (bloods etc) in Better so I can review them. This approach enables me to best prepare for our time together.
In our initial consultation we will undertake a comprehensive review of your Health & Family History and determine the appropriateness of functional testing (gut, urine, hair etc).
Based on this I'll develop for you a Bio-individual Plan and explain to you what you're doing and why. If we are waiting on test results, you'll be given an interim plan to get started.
Vanessa Vanderhoek is a functional medicine nutritionist specializing in the gut microbiome, biochemistry and nutrigenomics. She helps people to regain their health by taking a “food as medicine” approach that's unique to their body. Vanessa is based in Australia and has clients around the world. To get started book an initial Functional Medicine Consultation by clicking here.
References: