Digestive Wellness: Strengthen the Immune System and Prevent Disease Through Healthy Digestion, Fourth Edition (6 page)

PART 2

This part of the questionnaire will help you discover where your digestive system is having problems. It is a screening tool and does not constitute an exact diagnosis of your problem. However, it can point you in the right direction in determining where the highest priorities lie in your healing process.

Circle the number that best describes the intensity of your symptoms. If you do not know the answer to a question, leave it blank. Add the totals for each section to assess which areas need your attention.

0 = Symptom is not present/rarely present

1 = Mild/sometimes

2 = Moderate/often

3 = Severe/almost always

SECTION A: HYPOACIDITY OF THE STOMACH

Total:
__________

Score 0–4: Low priority

Score 5–9: Moderate priority

Score 10 or above: High priority

SECTION B: HYPOFUNCTION OF SMALL INTESTINES AND/OR PANCREAS

Total:
__________

Score 0–6: Low priority

Score 6–10: Moderate priority

Score 10 or above: High priority

SECTION C: GASTRIC REFLUX

Total:
__________

Score 0–3: Low priority

Score 4–6: Moderate priority

Score 7 or above: High priority

SECTION D: ULCERS OR TOO MUCH STOMACH ACID IN THE WRONG PLACE

Total:
__________

Score 0–4: Low priority

Score 5–8: Moderate Priority

Score 9 or above: High priority

SECTION E: LIVER AND GALLBLADDER

Total:
__________

Score 0–2: Low priority

Score 3–5: Moderate priority

Score 6 or above: High priority

SECTION F: SMALL INTESTINAL BACTERIAL OVERGROWTH

Total:
__________

Score 0–4: Low priority

Score 5–9: Moderate priority

Score 10 or above: High priority

SECTION G: INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY/LEAKY GUT SYNDROME DYSBIOSIS

Total:
__________

Score 1–5: Low priority

Score 6–10: Mild priority

Score 7–19: Moderate priority

Score 20 or above: High priority

SECTION H: GLUTEN SENSITIVITY

Total:
__________

Score 0–6: Low priority

Score 6–10: Moderate priority

Score 10 or above: High priority

The section on gluten intolerance was adapted with permission from:
Drs. Vikki and Richard Petersen, DC, CCN,
The Gluten Effect,
True Health Publishing, 2009;
http://www.healthnowmedical.com
. Sunnyvale, CA.

SECTION I: COLON/LARGE INTESTINE

Total:
__________

Score 0–5: Low priority

Score 6–9: Moderate priority

Score 10 or above: High priority

In
Part I
, we begin to really look at the digestive system in its glory and wonder. We’ll examine the role it plays in our overall health, metabolism, and immunity. Join me as we take a voyage through the digestive system. You’ll learn more about the structure and function of the digestive organs and how they work in concert to keep us well.

“I am a cardiovascular surgeon infatuated with the challenge and promise of ‘high-tech’ medicine and surgery. Nonetheless, I have become convinced that the most overlooked tool in our medical arsenal is harnessing the body’s own ability to heal through nutritional excellence.”

—Mehmet Oz, M.D.

When working with clients, I always begin by looking at simple solutions. Recently, a woman in her mid-50s came to see me. Her neck, back, and wrists hurt. She was losing strength in her right arm and hand and was experiencing numbness in her hand. Her memory was “going down the tubes.” Her anxiety and stress levels were high and she wasn’t sleeping well. Her neurologist had diagnosed her with some sort of undifferentiated autoimmune disease. She was about 35 pounds overweight, which she wanted to lose to see if that made a difference in how she felt. Her lifestyle was terrific; she ate whole foods and a well-balanced diet. She taught pilates and did gentle yoga practices daily. Over the past few months she’d been getting a massage weekly.

So, you’re asking, what does this have to do with digestive wellness? Sometimes systemic pain and autoimmune disease can be modulated with changes in diet and lifestyle. The word
diet
comes from the Greek word
diata
, which literally means “our manner of living.” Our diet consists of everything we take in. So, I recommended several things. First, I recommended that she see a chiropractor or osteopath to determine whether the weakness and numbness on the right side of her body could be helped with manipulative therapy. Second, I recommended that she go on an elimination diet for two weeks. Third, I recommended that she rest when tired. These are simple solutions.