Not Just PMS — How PCBS May Be Affecting Your Gut
So, how about that questionnaire?
If some of the statements surprised you, I don’t blame you—a lot of those symptoms seem like they shouldn’t be connected to your endocrine system, but they indeed are. The most important connection is actually the gut and intestinal system.
It’s so important that I wanted to dedicate a whole lesson to exploring how exactly hormonal birth control affects your gut.
Some guy who lived 2500 years ago once said, “All disease begins in the gut.” His name was Hippocrates, and he was spot on.
An unhealthy gut simply isn’t able to absorb the nutrients your body needs to function optimally, so gut health should always be top priority—no matter how seemingly unrelated your symptoms might be. (Joint pain? Check your gut. Headaches? Check your gut. Acne? Definitely check your gut.)
But how does the pill affect your gut, specifically?
Sadly, chronic medication use is one of the biggest contributing factors to inflammation in the gut. First, it begins to shift the beneficial bacteria cultures towards pathogenic ones (and good gut bugs are required to keep estrogen levels healthy, by the way), then, if use of medication continues, the integrity of your gut becomes compromised.
And the impact of the birth control pill on autoimmune disorders of the gut is profound.
There is a 300% increased risk of developing Crohn’s disease (an inflammatory disease of the bowel) if you take the pill. 70% of your immune system is in your gut, so it can become easily overwhelmed after an extended period of time on the pill. Not to mention, so many of us are very stressed out these days, and our diets as a collective are less than perfect, so really it’s all just kindling for the fire.
The final lesson of this Thinkbook includes a protocol that will help to seal the gut and soothe gut inflammation while balancing hormones and replenishing important nutrients depleted by the use of the pill. But if you suspect you suffer from an imbalanced gut, here are a few quick fixes that will help in the meantime:
Drink bone broth or take collagen peptides
Reduce or eliminate alcohol and caffeine
Eat something fermented daily
Drink more water and eat more fibre
That, my friends, is a very simplified overview of how the pill affects your gut. In fact, I could do an entire Thinkbook on the topic, but I’ll stop there. Remember – if you have any questions, come check out our bimonthly Q+A session!
