Sometimes a new perspective on an old issue can make a difference, as can incorporating a new habit. This is especially true when it comes to health. Mountain Living Magazine spoke to three medical professionals who offered important insights that can make a difference in achieving your health goals.

Improve gut health

The saying goes the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, but, according to Root Natural Health naturopath Dr. Michael Knapp, it’s also the way to a person’s mind. Improving gut health can have a positive impact on both body and brain. 

The gastrointestinal tract has its own nervous system called the enteric nervous system (ENS) that operates independently from the central nervous system. The ENS not only controls the whole digestion process from the swallowing of food to its elimination, but research shows it also influences how you think. This is called gut-brain communication.

Evidence-based research found that the trillions of bacteria that reside in the human gut play a crucial role in gut-brain communication through an influence on neural, immune and endocrine pathways. Significant differences exist in the gut microbiome of patients with mental disorders. Ailments originally thought caused by anxiety and depression, like irritable bowel syndrome, now show they can trigger emotional shifts. This difference has made the gut microbiome a hot health topic.

“This is a really important area to continue to nurture for good health,” Knapp, who focuses on digestive problems, said. “One part of that is understanding what creates a healthy microbiome and what disrupts it to a state of imbalance.”

Simple sugars and food additives can wreak havoc with the microbiome, as can ibuprofen, painkillers and antibiotics. These things, along with environmental toxins, can disrupt the gut lining and microbial populations.

“That’s something we see frequently clinically,” Knapp said. “Somebody’s never been right since taking a course of antibiotics or, conversely, never been right since experiencing a digestive infection.”

He added that many digestive problems develop gradually and can go unnoticed.

“We may not notice the heartburn that happens two times a week may actually be indicative of some digestive disturbance that can use some tuning,” Knapp explained. “Or that the irregular bowel movement patterns of alternative constipation and diarrhea can be indicative of poor nutrient absorption and imbalanced microbes in the gut.”

Knapp recommends practicing mindfulness or meditation to help digestion and overall health. Mindfulness focuses your full attention on what you do, which is an invaluable tool to prevent overeating and noticing what foods cause discomfort. Meditation requires a separation from all activity to focus on one thing, such as the breath.

“Both of those change our brain,” Knapp said. “They change the connectivity of our brain and they have been shown, because of the gut-brain two-way communication, to have an effect on digestive health. Part of that is stress perception and stress response.”

Knapp recommended nourishing your beneficial bacteria by avoiding simple sugars and processed foods, as well as incorporating consuming pre- and probiotic foods or supplements into your diet. 

Fuel your body

Maintaining a good diet is so much more than just what we eat. It's also built on your relationship with food.

Most people come to Abby Chan, a registered dietitian and co-owner of Evolve Flagstaff, with the goal of losing weight. But Chan is committed to helping people improve their relationships with both food and their bodies. As a former competitive dancer, she knows firsthand how diet culture and the pressures of the world can impact one’s self-image. 

“A lot of that springs from our culture of basically unsustainable and unrealistic body norms,” Chan said about why people might choose unhealthy diets, “especially during the last 10 years’ expansion of social media. Much has been megaphoned into the world that you have to look a certain way, when we’re really negating the relationship to food and our relationship to cultural foods.

Chan refrains from focusing on weight loss in her practice. This is because the body is physiologically meant to survive, not lose weight. Rather, she helps her clients evaluate the role food plays in their lives along with nutritional counseling and meal preparation. Evolve Flagstaff also focuses on physical therapy and training.

Instead, Chan helps her clients embrace their body and learn how to fuel themselves to live life to the fullest.

"So much of our body shape and size is based on genetics, our economic situation, history — so many different things that are completely out of our control that we may or may not be able to change our weight," Chan said. "Given the ideal environment of having access to food, to move or exercise and sleep enough will set you up in the genetic pool where you can actually let your genes express themselves.”

However, that doesn't many people can't improve their nutritional intake. 

According to Chan, many northern Arizonan diets don't get enough dietary fiber from not eating enough fruits and vegetables. This is even more common recently due to a surge in popularity in low-carb and keto diets. However, carbs are critical as they provide a good portion of fiber, nutrients and fuel for the body. 

Northern Arizonans also have an inclination for plant-based, vegan or vegetarian diets. Chan said these options are fantastic, but people can become protein deficient without researching how to get enough plant-based protein into their diet or by working with a dietitian. Protein is necessary for muscle, neurochemicals, enzymes and hormones — basically everything.

If health equity and access were not issues, Chan said she wishes everyone could see a dietitian to improve their relationship with food and better understand their bodies. She encouraged people to see a dietician if they constantly feel tired, struggle to recover from physical activity or experiencegastrointestinal issues. Family history can also play a part.

“Genetics are the main indicator for what could be coming down the pipeline for you,” Chan explained. “If everyone in your family had a heart attack, maybe you should start to dive into this when you’re young and healthful to look at preventative things you can do down the road. Genetic history is one indication that people should seek professional help for preventative type of care.”

Keep it moving

Well-rounded activity is just as important as a well-rounded diet. Diversity in activity helps build a resilient lifestyle because the body thrives on a range of activities.

Medical guidelines recommend about 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week and strength training three or four times a week.

“Both of those together have been shown in research to reduce the risk of disease, reduce pain, promote healing, improve the resilience and strength of tissues and bones, and enhance mood,” Kameron Harder, a physical therapist at The Physio Shop Clinic, said. “Typically people just live longer and happier lives.”

“We have a saying,” Harder added, “motion is lotion and movement is medicine. People rapidly start feeling better once they start moving. That’s how our body works. We respond to stress very well and thrive off making our body move. That’s what we were built for. We’re moving beings. In order to continue to move we have to move.”

Harder noted that people who have significantly high blood pressure, heart issues, breathing issues or chest pain should consult a professional before delving into an exercise regime.

Aspiring athletes should also see a physical therapist if exercising results in pain in the muscles, tissues or joints to determine what's happening and if it's safe to proceed.  

“If it’s not, “then you need to get something else done before we can continue,” Harder said. "Pain is complicated. It’s not always a muscular-skeletal issue. Sometimes it’s a pathological issue, meaning we determine that from start and we’re not missing anything important and make sure we’re progressing someone in the safest way possible.”

Exercising can result in immediate gratification. Harder said the activity can immediately help symptoms of pain, stiffness and discomfort. The rub? You only get long-term benefits if you make a habit out of exercising, and forming the habit is the hardest part of any exercise routine.

“The best way to make exercise a habit is to make it fun and different,” Harder suggested. “And pay attention to improvement. Find community in it. Even myself as a PT, I know how to strength train, but I still utilize my coworkers for a running coach and strength training because everyone needs a little bit of assistance. Someone looking from the outside looking in to see what’s missing and how you can improve.”

If you change the way you think, can you change your life? Sometimes a new perspective on an old issue can make a difference. It sure can when it comes to your health. We spoke to three medical professionals who offered important insights that can make a difference in achieving your health goals.

It’s all in your mind

The saying goes the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. It’s also the way to a person’s mind. If you want a healthy life, the best place to start is with your gut. 

 Your gastrointestinal tract has its own nervous system called the enteric nervous system (ENS) that operates independently from your central nervous system. The ENS not only controls the whole digestion process from the swallowing of food to its elimination, but research shows it influences how you think. This is called gut-brain communication.

Evidence-based research found that the trillions of bacteria that reside in the human gut play a crucial role in gut-brain communication through an influence on neural, immune and endocrine pathways. Significant differences exist in the gut microbiome of patients with mental disorders. Ailments originally thought caused by anxiety and depression, like irritable bowel syndrome, now show they can trigger emotional shifts. This difference has made the gut microbiome a hot health topic.

“This is a really important area to continue to nurture for good health,” said Dr. Michael Knapp, a naturopath at Root Natural Health who focuses on digestive problems. “One part of that is understanding what creates a healthy microbiome and what disrupts it to a state of imbalance.”

Studies from academic circles to the National Institutes of Health have elucidated how simple sugars and food additives can wreak havoc with the microbiome. Knapp added ibuprofen and most painkillers to the list of things we ingest that can disrupt the gut lining and microbial populations, along with environmental toxicants, including air quality. Antibiotics can also disrupt microbial populations.

“That’s something we see frequently clinically,” Knapp said. “Somebody’s never been right since taking a course of antibiotics or, conversely, never been right since experiencing a digestive infection.”

Knapp said many digestive problems happen slowly and in such a way that they become a part of a person’s steady-state unnoticed.

“So we may not notice the heartburn that happens two times a week may actually be indicative of some digestive disturbance that can use some tuning,” Knapp explained. “Or that the irregular bowel movement patterns of alternative constipation and diarrhea can be indicative of poor nutrient absorption and imbalanced microbes in the gut.”

Knapp recommends mindfulness and meditation or contemplative prayer to help digestion and overall health. Mindfulness focuses your full attention on what you do — an invaluable tool to prevent overeating and noticing what foods cause discomfort. Meditation requires a separation from all activity to focus on one thing, oftentimes the breath.

“Both of those change our brain,” Knapp said. “They change the connectivity of our brain and they have been shown, because of the gut-brain two-way communication, to have an effect on digestive health. Part of that is stress perception and stress response.”

Knapp recommended nourishing your beneficial bacteria by avoiding simple sugars and processed foods in addition to consuming prebiotic foods (healthy foods that don’t totally digest, which your gut bacteria uses for food) and probiotic foods (foods that contain healthful bacteria cultures). Some disease specialists also recommend supplementing with probiotics.

The definition of diet

Maintaining a good diet means more than just what you eat. It also involves how you consume the food you choose and why you choose it.

Most people that come to Abby Chan, a registered dietician and co-owner of Evolve Flagstaff, want to lose weight. Chan, a competitive dancer growing up, knows how image and reality can turn into a frustrating dilemma. Just as in any other aesthetic or weight-related sport, the dance world caused Chan to struggle with her own relationship to food.

Chan refrains from focusing on weight loss because the body is physiologically meant to survive, which means not lose weight. Rather, she helps her clients evaluate the role food plays in their lives along with nutritional counseling and meal preparation. Evolve Flagstaff also focuses on physical therapy and training.

“A lot of that springs from our culture of basically unsustainable and unrealistic body norms,” Chan said about why people might choose unhealthy diets, “especially during the last 10 years’ expansion of social media. Much has been megaphoned into the world that you have to look a certain way, when we’re really negating the relationship to food and our relationship to cultural foods.

“Just like our height and shoe size,” Chan continued, “there is maybe a little bit we can play with. But so much of our body shape and size is based on genetics, our economic situation, history — so many different things that are completely out of our control that we may or may not be able to change our weight. Given the ideal environment of having access to food, to move or exercise and sleep enough will set you up in the genetic pool where you can actually let your genes express themselves.”

Chan said many northern Arizonan diets lack enough dietary fiber due to not eating enough fruits, vegetables and whole grains. This can also be caused by a reliance on low-carb or ketogenic diets. The diets cause a shortage of carbohydrates, which provide a good portion of fiber and nutrients.

Northern Arizonans also have an inclination for plant-based, vegan or vegetarian diets. Chan said these options are fantastic, but people can become protein deficient without personal research or working with a dietitian. Protein is necessary for muscle, neurochemicals, enzymes and hormones — basically everything.

If health equity and access were not issues, Chan said she wishes everyone could see a dietitian. Chan said some of the signs to see one are if you’re feeling tired, feeling like you’re not recovering from physical activity very well or have gastrointestinal issues. Family history can also be a reason.

“Genetics are the main indicator for what could be coming down the pipeline for you,” Chan explained. “If everyone in your family had a heart attack, maybe you should start to dive into this when you’re young and healthful to look at preventative things you can do down the road. Genetic history is one indication that people should seek professional help for preventative type of care.”

Motion is lotion

Just as important as a well-rounded diet is well-rounded activity. Diversity in activity helps build a resilient lifestyle because the body thrives on a range of activities. Medical guidelines recommend 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week and strength training three or four times a week.

“Both of those together have been shown in research to reduce the risk of disease, reduce pain, promote healing, improve the resilience and strength of tissues and bones, and enhance mood,” Kameron Harder, a physical therapist at The Physio Shop Clinic, said. “Typically people just live longer and happier lives.”

“We have a saying,” Harder added, “motion is lotion and movement is medicine. People rapidly start feeling better once they start moving. That’s how our body works. We respond to stress very well and thrive off making our body move. That’s what we were built for. We’re moving beings. In order to continue to move we have to move.”

Harder added the caveat that people who have significantly high blood pressure, heart issues, breathing issues or chest pain should get professional help before delving into an exercise regime.

 “It might just be as simple as going to a PT or physician and making sure that it’s okay to start an exercise routine,” Harder said. “Some people need to very gradually start exercising so they don’t make things worse. The average person doesn’t need to do that.”

 Another reason to see a physical therapist is when that exercise starts causing pain in joints, muscles or tissues to figure out what it is, why it’s occurring and if it’s okay to continue.

“If it’s not, “then you need to get something else done before we can continue,” Harder said.  Pain is complicated. It’s not always a muscular-skeletal issue. Sometimes it’s a pathological issue, meaning we determine that from start and we’re not missing anything important and make sure we’re progressing someone in the safest way possible.”

Once you start exercising, you get immediate gratification. Harder said the activity can immediately help symptoms of pain, stiffness and discomfort. The rub? You only get long-term benefits if you make a habit out of exercising, and forming the habit is the hardest part of any exercise routine.

“The best way to make exercise a habit is to make it fun and different,” Harder suggested. “And pay attention to improvement. Find community in it. Even myself as a PT, I know how to strength train, but I still utilize my coworkers for a running coach and strength training because everyone needs a little bit of assistance. Someone looking from the outside looking in to see what’s missing and how you can improve.”