Get Your Gut Right – Digestive Health Week
Did you ever get that terrible, aching, painful feeling in your stomach after eating certain foods? It’s sometimes a sensation that can’t be described but can leave you feeling bloated and tired for hours after. It may even result in you spending a fair bit of time in the bathroom, if you know what I mean! For many people, an upset stomach is a rarity, and is often self-inflicted due to over-indulgence, meaning that there’s no one to blame but yourself, but what if you felt sick after every meal of the day? Maybe it’s something more serious, like an allergy or an intolerance.
Surprisingly, there are a countless foods that you can develop an intolerance to. For Filipinos, the most common food intolerances are egg, wheat, peanuts, shellfish and milk. An intolerance is difference to an allergy, in that intolerances are caused by a deficient enzyme in the digestive system or a chemical substance in the food such as carbohydrates like lactose or glucose, or food additives or toxins which may irritate the digestive system. Allergies on the other hand, are caused by an abnormal reaction of the immune system against certain substances or proteins within foods. These substances are known as allergens. Intolerances can occur from birth or can develop over one’s lifetime.
In the Philippines, March 5-11 marks Digestive Health Week, an initiative aiming to encourage Filipinos to take charge of their gut health and take positive steps towards a healthier gut. For those interested, there are organised events on March 5 and 8, established by the Philippine Society of Gastroenterology.
For those wanting some more definitive answers as to what might be contributing to their gut issues, a DNA test from EasyDNA Philippines. Offering a wide range of health testing services, the suite of DNA tests has something for all conditions and curiosities. One of the key factors that affects your health is your unique genetic code, and by looking at selected genes and understanding their impact on an individual, health tests can help improve your health and pave the path to wellness and vitality. For gut related concerns, there are three tests that may provide peace of mind.
Celiac Disease Genetic Testing – Celiac disease is a serious genetic autoimmune disorder and could lead to long-term complications that could adversely affect your life. Around 83% of celiac diseases suffers go undiagnosed. Could you be one of them?
Lactose intolerance – A lactose intolerance test will establish whether you carry certain a gene mutation which makes you unable to produce the enzyme which helps digest lactose. This test may be beneficial if you experience extreme discomfort, bloating and indigestion after eating dairy foods.
Intolerance Sensitivity Test – Did you know that skin irritations, migraines and constipation can be caused by a food intolerance? This test examines a range of food items including common foods and everyday fridge items, and non-food items such as pets and pollens. This test covers more than 800 trigger items, and testing includes a nutritional deficiency, metal toxicity, gut biome and hormonal balance analysis.
So, if you have a gut feeling that all isn’t right with your insides, get on board with Digestive Health Week, and try a DNA test that can help to answer your questions about your internal health.
