Key Term
The Gut Health Guide
End the bloating and discomfort
Gut issues are incredibly common—and incredibly frustrating. Bloating, irregular bowel movements, food sensitivities, mysterious discomfort after eating. The internet is full of claims about "leaky gut" and miracle cures, but what does the science actually say? This guide separates gut health facts from fiction, covers the real conditions that cause symptoms, and explains what interventions have evidence behind them.
Why gut health is so confusing
Understanding Your Gut
Your gut is a sophisticated system. Explore each layer to understand how it works—and what can go wrong.
The Gut Barrier
Your intestinal lining is just ONE cell thick, yet it must selectively allow nutrients through while blocking bacteria and toxins.
Personalize Your Gut Health Plan
Tell us about your gut symptoms and diet so we can give you the right starting point.
Your Options
There's no single right path. Choose based on your situation, and know that you can combine approaches.
Step 1: Get a Real Diagnosis
Before assuming you have "gut issues" and reaching for supplements, you need to know what's actually going on. Self-diagnosing with Dr. Google often leads to wasted money and missed conditions. Many gut symptoms have specific, treatable causes: • IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) - functional disorder, very common • SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) - testable, treatable • Celiac disease - requires testing, not just "going gluten-free" • IBD (Crohn's, ulcerative colitis) - autoimmune, needs proper treatment • H. pylori infection - common, easily treated Getting a proper diagnosis changes everything. "Generic gut issues" require guessing; specific conditions have proven protocols.
- See a gastroenterologist if symptoms are persistent
- Get tested for celiac disease before eliminating gluten
- Consider SIBO breath testing if bloating is your main issue
- Rule out red flags: blood in stool, unexplained weight loss, family history
- Keep a symptom diary before your appointment
- Assuming you know your diagnosis from the internet
- Starting elimination diets before proper testing
- Ignoring symptoms that could indicate something serious
- Self-treating with antibiotics or prescription medications
- Spending money on "gut health tests" from supplement companies
Step 2: Dietary Interventions
Diet changes are first-line treatment for many gut conditions, but the approach matters more than finding "superfoods" or avoiding everything. The low FODMAP diet is the most evidence-based approach for IBS—it reduces fermentable carbohydrates that can trigger symptoms. But it's designed to be temporary, followed by systematic reintroduction to identify your specific triggers. For most people without diagnosed conditions, the focus should be on: • Fiber diversity (many plant types, not just supplements) • Limiting processed foods and artificial sweeteners • Regular meal timing (your gut runs on a schedule) • Adequate hydration (essential for motility)
- Work with a dietitian for elimination diets (they're tricky)
- Try low FODMAP properly if you have IBS (it has 3 phases)
- Focus on adding fiber diversity, not just supplementing
- Pay attention to eating patterns, not just food choices
- Give dietary changes 4-6 weeks to show effects
- Eliminating entire food groups without guidance
- Staying on restriction diets indefinitely
- Assuming "healthy" foods can't cause symptoms (they can)
- Drinking bone broth expecting it to "heal" your gut
- Following influencer diets that lack evidence
Step 3: Targeted Treatments
Once you have a diagnosis, targeted treatments become possible. These range from well-established to experimental. **For IBS:** Low FODMAP diet, peppermint oil, certain probiotics (strain-specific), gut-directed hypnotherapy, and medications like rifaximin or low-dose antidepressants. **For SIBO:** Antibiotics (rifaximin +/- neomycin), followed by addressing underlying causes. Herbal protocols exist but have less rigorous evidence. **For IBD:** This requires proper medical management—biologics, immunosuppressants, and close monitoring. Not a DIY condition. **For general dysbiosis:** Prebiotics and specific probiotics may help, but the microbiome field is still young. We know less than we claim.
- Match treatment to your specific diagnosis
- For IBS, consider gut-directed hypnotherapy (strong evidence)
- Choose probiotics by strain, not marketing (VSL#3, specific Lactobacillus)
- Address root causes, not just symptoms
- Give treatments adequate time before declaring failure
- Taking random probiotic combinations
- Assuming all fermented foods are equally beneficial
- Doing frequent "cleanses" or "detoxes" (your liver does this)
- Using antibiotics without proper indication
- Ignoring the stress-gut connection (it's real)
Step 4: Emerging Therapies
If standard approaches haven't worked, or if you have specific structural damage, there are emerging therapies worth knowing about. **Peptides (BPC-157):** This peptide has extensive animal data showing gut-protective and healing effects. It's been studied in models of ulcers, IBD, and gut injury. However, human clinical data is extremely limited. Many people use it, and anecdotal reports are often positive, but we're still waiting for proper human trials. **Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT):** Highly effective for recurrent C. diff infections. Being studied for other conditions but not yet approved for general use. DIY FMT is risky and not recommended. **Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN):** Some evidence for IBD. Works through immune modulation. Requires a prescription and physician guidance. These are not first-line treatments. They're options when conventional approaches have been properly exhausted.
- Exhaust evidence-based treatments first
- Work with a physician if considering experimental options
- Understand that "promising preclinical data" ≠ proven in humans
- If using BPC-157, source matters enormously (purity issues are real)
- Continue lifestyle optimization alongside any experimental therapy
- Jumping to experimental therapies before trying basics
- Buying peptides from random internet vendors
- Attempting DIY fecal transplants
- Treating the microbiome like a simple problem to "fix"
- Ignoring safety concerns because something is "natural"
Your Toolkit
Testing (Work With Your Doctor)
Evidence-Based Supplements
Lifestyle Interventions
Dietary Tools
Emerging/Experimental
Troubleshooting
Tap an issue to see the fix.
Deep Dives
Common Questions
Take the Next Step
You've read the guide. Now it's time to act. Whether you start with lifestyle changes or explore medication options, the most important thing is to begin.
Related Treatments
Further Reading
Glossary
- IBS
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome—a functional gut disorder causing pain, bloating, and altered bowel habits without structural damage
- SIBO
- Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth—bacteria growing in the wrong part of the gut
- FODMAP
- Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols—short-chain carbs that can trigger symptoms
- Microbiome
- The community of trillions of bacteria, fungi, and viruses living in your gut
- Dysbiosis
- An imbalance in the gut microbiome; often used loosely but refers to disrupted bacterial communities
- Visceral hypersensitivity
- When gut nerves are overly sensitive to normal stimuli like gas or stretching
- Migrating motor complex
- The gut's cleaning wave between meals; impaired in SIBO
- Intestinal permeability
- The technical term for "leaky gut"—how easily substances pass through the gut barrier
- Prebiotics
- Fibers and compounds that feed beneficial gut bacteria
- Probiotics
- Live microorganisms that, when consumed in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit