“Start with the gut” is a mantra of functional medicine. As a functional and integrative medical doctor, I help patients heal by finding the reason or “root cause” of their dis-ease, and focusing on the patient’s gastrointestinal health is foundational to this healing process.
 
The human body is quite remarkable, and our gastrointestinal tract does not get enough recognition for its incredible role in keeping us healthy. When it is not functioning properly, it is often the reason we get sick. From mouth to anus, it is approximately 30 feet long in adults, and the surface area of the small intestine alone is approximately 250 square meters—the size of a tennis court! When the digestive tract is functioning optimally, with proper digestion and absorption of important nutrients and elimination of unneeded waste, we thrive. What many may not know—the gastrointestinal tract is also responsible for maintaining a healthy mood and immune system.
 
A healthy gut is a strong immune system. According to Hippocrates, “disease begins in the gut”, and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is at the core of this proverb. The vagus nerve (or superhighway of the ANS) connects the brain, heart, lungs and gut, keeping us alive by automatically controlling breathing, heartbeat, blinking, digestion, etc. We often take for granted a properly functioning ANS, but what if it’s not properly functioning? Stressful situations trigger the sympathetic branch of the ANS or “fight or flight” response which is pivotal to our survival, increasing heartbeat, blood pressure and breathing rate to survive an acute threat through the production of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. At the same time, we lose our parasympathetic drive or “rest and digest” response which is where we should spend 80 percent of our lives.
 
How do we return to “rest and digest” mode? Remaining in “survival mode”, our health declines, resulting in elevated heart rate, blood pressure, hormonal imbalances, immunosuppression, insomnia, indigestion, and even constipation. Our Shea-Way Slo-Fil Colon Hydrotherapy is designed to improve your ANS superhighway by gently supporting the parasympathetic drive, improving relaxation and digestion by reducing the production of stress hormones, and through the natural stimulation of intestinal motility which has many positive impacts on your health.
 
Here, I share two patient cases to illustrate the role of colon hydrotherapy in improving digestion, mood, metabolism and the immune system:
 
D.C., a 65-year-old female with chronic constipation, chronic allergies, sinusitis and asthma, really struggled with her mood and energy levels with frequent sinusitis/asthma exacerbations, having only one to two bowel movements per week. Chronic constipation is almost ALWAYS a sign that one has poor ability to remove cellular waste or detoxify cells (the inability to sweat is another). We started her on a comprehensive integrative treatment plan using colon hydrotherapy to detoxify. After her first series of three consecutive Shea-Way Slow-fil colon hydrotherapy treatments, she noticed almost immediate improvement in her energy and regularity of her bowel movements. After several more consecutive sessions (and with the help of daily magnesium), she no longer struggled to have a large bowel movement daily for the first time in her life. She has maintained a 15-lb. weight loss without significant change in her normal diet. She is also experiencing fewer sinus, allergy and asthma exacerbations; we noticed the side-perk of beautiful and glowing skin.
 
M.D. is a 56-year-old female with a history of chronic low back pain and erosive arthritis on imaging (often a manifestation of autoimmune disease labeled as “non-specific mixed connective tissue disease” when a more specific label cannot be found on testing). She also had significant difficulties with anxiety, insomnia and menopausal hormone symptoms. She admittedly had IBS that flared when her anxiety flared. She started a comprehensive integrative treatment plan, including dietary changes, bioidentical hormones and gut healing with Shea-Way Slow-Fil colon hydrotherapy. This foundational approach helped improve her digestion, mood and immune system by supporting her detoxification pathways and decreasing overall inflammation. She has since noted significantly improved sleep, mood and energy, and her chronic back and wrist pain are not nearly as debilitating as before.
 
Planet Earth is not the pristine place it once was. Healing and detoxification are ongoing life-long processes. I know of no other method that does this more effectively, efficiently and gently than the Shea-Way Slow-Fil colon hydrotherapy technique.
 
Jaimie L. Mickey, MD, of Restoring Wellness, in Pinellas Park, Florida, is Board Certified in Family Medicine (ABFM), Board Certified in Integrative and Holistic Medicine (AIHM), and a Member of American Academy of Anti-Aging and Metabolic Medicine (A4M).
 
Restoring Wellness is located at 10597 US Hwy. 19 North, Pinellas Park. For more information and to schedule an appointment, call 727-351-1700 or email H[email protected].