Are you fed up with ongoing gut symptoms?

Has your diet has become so restricted that what you can eat is getting more limited?

Do you suspect that your gut health is the cause of other complaints you’re experiencing?

Naturopathy has always offered a number of effective solutions for improving gut health. In recent times though, I’ve seen more and more complex gut conditions, as well as people who’s food intolerances have become more restrictive. This often comes alongside SIBO, helicobacter or other infections. I found that many of the usual naturopathic approaches were not working, or they were, but then clients relapsed. This has been frustrating, but wanting answers sent me on a search to understand why this happens, and what approach can help them. Enter G.E.M.M!

The G.E.M.M. Protocol (Gut Ecology & Metabolic Modulation) is a unique system of health care designed to harness the principles of Nature in helping to restore normal function to human cells. As the function of individual cells returns to normal, so too does the function of the disordered organs and systems that had allowed disease to flourish. The digestive system and its underlying immune network are the starting point for addressing a whole range of common disorders. The cells of the Gut-Immune Network send thousands of biochemical signals throughout the body, normalising the function of many cells in other parts of the body. When your cells are functioning at their peak, your body can begin to repair itself, regardless of the names of any conditions you may have.

The science of Nutrigenomics plays an important role in the programme’s success. Nutrigenomics is the science that investigates how certain food molecules are like signals that ‘talk to our genes’, promoting either health or disease, depending on what foods we eat. After considering your health history and current health status, your G.E.M.M. clinician will tailor your treatment programme, sequentially addressing all key aspects of cellular function. As you progress through the G.E.M.M. levels, you will find symptoms disappearing as your overall state of health improves. The culinary and lifestyle skills you will learn as a G.E.M.M. patient will enable you to maintain your new sense of wellbeing for the rest of your life.

The Missing Link in Healing the Gut

G.E.M.M was developed by Australian Nutritional Biochemist, Dr. Christine Houghton PhD. This approach is the missing link in addressing gut health and whole body health. A most important difference lies in the fact that G.E.M.M was developed to mimic the principles of Nature. G.E.M.M is based on replicating the natural processes human cells use to maintain and repair themselves. The initial G.E.M.M. focus is on restoring essential balance within the ecosystem of the gut, rather than on using specific medicines, probiotic supplements or plant extracts to destroy undesirable gut bacteria or other microbes.

Although G.E.M.M. uses several Nature-compatible formulations as medicines to help restore this balance, it relies heavily on specific ‘functional’ foods that send chemical signals to activate protective genes. By ‘talking to’ our genes, these food molecules can beneficially influence repair and minimise the inflammatory processes that lead to disease. In this way, these food molecules act a bit like a volume control that can ‘turn up’ or ‘turn down’ the expression of our genes. With no need for anti-microbials, probiotics or high-dose vitamins, G.E.M.M is a gentle, yet powerful approach for restoring and maintaining good health.

Inclusion Diet Approach

For many other programmes targeting digestive health, it is common practice that patients are required to exclude long lists of foods in order to obtain relief of symptoms. Such food intolerances are typically the result of a severe imbalance in the gut ecosystem and although avoidance may provide temporary relief, the G.E.M.M. approach, by correcting the underlying causes, quickly restores tolerance to previously-reactive foods. Restrictive diets suggested in other programmes and followed over weeks and months are likely to lead to nutrient deficiencies, a situation that further reduces the person’s ability to heal and repair. Recognising the power of food as medicine, by contrast, G.E.M.M. promotes a Diet of Inclusion, not Diets of Exclusion. The food choices for a patient following a G.E.M.M. programme are so much more enjoyable – and G.E.M.M. patients don’t experience the added emotional stress of having to conscientiously avoid long lists of restricted foods.

A few foods may need to be excluded initially when embarking on G.E.M.M but you will not be required to undertake any tests to establish what can or cannot be eaten. The knowledge and skills of your G.E.M.M. clinician will establish what you can eat, guiding you through the process of introducing different foods as your system repairs. With G.E.M.M., most food intolerances become a thing of the past. The ultimate aim of the G.E.M.M. Protocol is to encourage a diverse array of minimally-processed whole foods which are introduced sequentially as you progress through the programme. With G.E.M.M, you will leave fad diets at the door to enjoy foods that are both delicious and nutritious!

Is G.E.M.M right for me?

Because the G.E.M.M. approach is to implement treatment at the cellular level, ALL the cells of your body should benefit. What this means is that the name of your condition doesn’t matter very much. G.E.M.M. adopts the principles of Nature to restore cellular function in whatever tissue or organ your condition lies.

The length of the treatment phase of the G.E.M.M Protocol will vary from one person to another. It will be dependent upon a range of factors which include the nature and extent of your health issues, your genetic predisposition and how readily you can adopt the necessary lifestyle changes. Your clinician may be able to provide approximate timeframes based on the information you provide, together with his or her clinical experience in treating other patients with similar conditions. As a guide, most patients will experience substantial improvement within 3 months; more complex and longstanding conditions may take longer. On the other hand, many patients feel beneficial changes in just a few weeks. As you see your symptoms disappearing, you will know that there are important cellular changes taking place.

Read more about the G.E.M.M protocol here: https://cell-logic.com.au/gemm-gut-ecology-and-metabolic-modulation/?v=6cc98ba2045f