Nikki Hawkes

Medical Herbalist & Gut Health specialist

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digestion

Can a leaky gut make you ill?

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As a practitioner that uses functional medicine principles it is clear to me that to improve the health of someone with a complex, chronic condition, factors that contribute to the progression or the severity of that condition must be addressed. We might start by optimising lifestyle factors, such as diet, quality of sleep, type of exercise, stress management, and so on. But, how well someone digests their food has a key role in any functional medicine assessment, especially in relation to how gut health might be linked to overall health and vitality.

There are thousands of research studies that support the importance of good gut health. This article is about the findings of one of these studies, a 2018 systematic review about the association between a leaky gut and disease.

See What can go wrong with the digestive system?

[Read more…] about Can a leaky gut make you ill?

Does ginger protect against stomach ulcers?

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Ginger is a well known pungent, culinary spice, but it also has remarkable health-promoting properties. For instance, I’ve previously written about the use of ginger for easing painful periods and preventing menstrual migraines. But, ginger offers much more than pain relief. In this scientific review in the Royal Society of Chemistry Journal: Food and Function, researchers discuss the potential ability of ginger to protect against stomach ulcer.

The culinary and medicinal part of ginger is the rhizome, often described as a root, but actually an underground plant stem. Thought to have it’s origins in northern India, the remedy is now grown in many parts of the world. No doubt, at least partly due to its valuable contribution to several systems of traditional herbal medicine, including Chinese, Ayurvedic, Unani, Arabic, Greek and Roman. [Read more…] about Does ginger protect against stomach ulcers?

Home remedies for heartburn

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Heartburn is a symptom of GORD or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, also known as GERD. This burning sensation is due to liquid from the stomach rising up the gullet or oesophagus. Which can also leave a nasty taste in the mouth. This can be an occasional nuisance or it can be a severe and lifelong problem. So, it’s good to know a few simple home remedies for heartburn.

It is important to be aware that over the long term GORD can cause complications. These include ulcers in the stomach and oesophagus. Or, even a narrowing of the oesophagus, causing difficulty swallowing. These complications need more medical care than simple remedies can provide. Yet, if your symptoms are occasional or mild, research has shown that simple home remedies for heartburn may really help. [Read more…] about Home remedies for heartburn

Reduce your IBS symptoms with a low FODMAPs diet

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Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition of the gastrointestinal tract, and many people say that food either triggers or exacerbate their IBS symptoms. Yet, there is considerable evidence that making a change to a diet low in FODMAPs can help to reduce these symptoms.

IBS is a functional condition, meaning that there are no structural changes to the gut, but that does not mean that the symptoms are not real. The main symptoms of IBS are abdominal pain, bloating and a feeling of distension, with an altered bowel habit that is not explained by other causes. This might entail abnormal stool frequency, stool form, or passage of the stool through the gut.

If you suspect you have IBS it is important to be checked out by a doctor. This is because there are other conditions that may have similar symptoms and these should be ruled out before a diagnosis of IBS can be given. [Read more…] about Reduce your IBS symptoms with a low FODMAPs diet

Is all processed food unhealthy?

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The extent to which a food is processed is a major determinant in how healthy that food is. The Western diet includes many processed foods and even some ultra-processed foods. Researchers now think that this processing may have a large role in what makes the typical Western diet unhealthy.

Food processing includes food preparation methods such as chopping, mincing and blending. As well as cooking methods such as steaming, poaching, roasting and grilling. Food extrusion is a modern method of food processing used for making products such as breakfast cereals and snack bars. In fact, breakfast cereals are likely one of the most highly processed of food categories. [Read more…] about Is all processed food unhealthy?

How to prevent traveller’s diarrhoea

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Research suggests that Delhi belly, or traveller’s diarrhoea affects up to half of travellers to developing countries. With around a billion international traveller’s per year, that makes traveller’s diarrhoea a common problem. Yet the microbes that cause this gut infection are present in developed countries too. So, wherever you travel, knowing how to prevent traveller’s diarrhoea could help you avoid some nasty symptoms, incapacity or even hospitalisation.

Traveller’s diarrhoea usually occurs as an infection passed by fecal-oral transmission. Escherichia coli ( E. coli) bacteria are the culprit in about 40% of cases, but other common pathogenic species include Campylobacter, Salmonella and Shigella. As well as parasites such as Giardia, Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora species and viruses such as norovirus or rotavirus. Of course, if you’re really unlucky your infection can be caused by more than one microbial species, and in many cases the cause of the diarrhoea may remain unknown. [Read more…] about How to prevent traveller’s diarrhoea

How to get rid of bloating

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This is the second part in a series of posts. The first article covered What causes bloating, and this one follows up with how to get rid of bloating.

Though relieving the symptom of bloating is important, as with many chronic health concerns to make a permanent improvement, it is necessary to find the underlying causes of the problem. In the first part – what causes bloating – I gave a list of conditions that are linked to the symptom bloating. If your doctor has ruled out any serious medical conditions as the cause of your bloating, and you continue to have symptoms, then you could speak to your local qualified herbalist to help you find the underlying cause. Then it could simply be a matter of making some dietary or lifestyle changes. Along with some herbal remedies or supplements to help relieve symptoms. [Read more…] about How to get rid of bloating

What causes bloating?

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A lot of people know the feeling of having a bloated tummy. That uncomfortable, unpleasantly full feeling, similar to the sensation of having eaten too much over the festive season for example. Yet, up to 25% of healthy people report having bloating frequently, and for some people bloating can be a daily occurrence. This is the first of a two part article about abdominal bloating. In this first part I discuss what causes bloating and in the second part I will cover how to get rid of bloating.

Having said that, it is important to note that this article is about the temporary type of bloating that occurs in relation to eating. There are other causes of bloating that you may need to ask your doctor about. [Read more…] about What causes bloating?

4R – Nutrients that repair a leaky gut

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This is the next in a series of blog posts about the 4R program for optimising your digestion and gut health. Here I discuss ways to repair a leaky gut. You can read the previous posts in the series by following the links below.

1 Optimise your digestive health
2 4R program – Remove the triggers
3 4R – Replace whats missing to optimise your digestion
4 4R – Reinoculate with probiotics

The fourth R in the 4R program is for repair.

So, once the factors causing gut inflammation have been removed. You’ve improved your digestion with supplements such as digestive enzymes, and you have added back some probiotics. It is now time to aid the repair of the gut lining to support the proper absorption of nutrients. [Read more…] about 4R – Nutrients that repair a leaky gut

Why am I reacting to everything I eat?

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As a herbalist, I am often asked this question. If you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, avoiding your trigger foods can help to prevent symptoms. Yet, if you’re not sure what your trigger foods are. Or you find yourself eating fewer and fewer foods, it can be a scary outlook. As well as creating a scenario where you also have several nutrient deficiencies. Understanding why this happens shows us how to improve the problem.

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common digestive problem that some people endure throughout their life. It is identified as a collection of symptoms, typically, stomach cramps, bloating, and constipation and/or diarrhoea. Your doctor may tell you that there is no cure. So, when most of the foods you eat cause these symptoms, life can be difficult. In fact, many people with irritable bowel syndrome are offered antidepressants to help them cope with the anxiety and depression that often result. [Read more…] about Why am I reacting to everything I eat?