Gastrointestinal Dysregulation: Connections to Chronic Disease (Functional Medicine Clinical Monogra

Increasing evidence demonstrates that imbalances in gastrointestinal immune responses, permeability, and microflora contribute to the epidemic of chronic disease. While disease in the gastrointestinal tract itself may be easily recognizable, medical practitioners trained in an organ-system model may not recognize how inflammation that begins in the gut may manifest in signs, symptoms, and dysfunction throughout the body. In an era of high stress, poor diet, environmental contamination, and heavy pharmaceutical use, patients are particularly vulnerable to impairments in gut function and thus to debilitating illness. This monograph responds to the urgent need for education and new approaches in the treatment of complex, chronic disease.