If there’s one word that encapsulates my approach to naturally fixing stomach dysfunction, it’s this:

Safe.

This is because there are so many irresponsible approaches being pitched today by pop-up gut gurus, which can – in reality - be quite dangerous and lead to more confusion.

(Read: no HCl needed!)

Often, those trying to address chronic stomach issues can be met with surprising obstacles that work to complicate and deter progress.

Many clients have relayed their fear of working with hydrochloric acid, of experiencing burning symptoms, and frustrations about not knowing how to proceed in a rational way.

Because of this, I’ve found that there is great need to articulate and systematize the various considerations I suggest keeping in mind while undertaking this task.

Because even though navigating these waters can be complex, the step of normalizing your stomach function remains one of the most foundational pieces to good gut health and immune health.

 Hence, the S.E.E.D. method to fixing your stomach function was born.

“What is the S.E.E.D. method for fixing stomach function?”

S.E.E.D. is an acronym for our unique 4-step approach that I suggest you follow – in order – to safely and efficiently fix your stomach function. It entails the following:

STEP 1: Soothe your tissue.

STEP 2: Enzyme support.

STEP 3: Elevate populations of beneficial microbes.

STEP 4: Drain and detoxify your tissue.

Let's examine this a bit more closely - shall we?

STEP 1: Soothe your tissue

The first step is to ‘soothe your tissue’ – but not just any tissue. We’re talking specifically here about your digestive mucosa.

Your digestive mucosa is your gut lining, and it secretes protective mucus that serves as an important barrier between the potentially irritating contents in your GI-tract (food, microbes, toxins, etc.) and your tissue.

For many reasons that occur in modern life (read: toxins), your digestive mucosa can become impaired and degraded, leading to less mucus secretion and a vulnerable and damaged gut lining that inevitably leads to down-stream inflammation. Some of these impairment factors include:

• Consistent exposure to certain drugs and pharmaceuticals
• Pesticide intake
• Excessive sugar and carbohydrates in the diet
• Underlying infection
• And the delayed emptying time caused by low stomach acid

In order to ensure that whatever you consume and allow into your GI tract will not further irritate your already angry mucosa, then slip past its broken structure and into your tissue where it will cause an immune response, you’ve got to first focus on repairing and strengthening.

When this step gets skipped, there’s an exponentially greater likelihood that you will remain sensitive and irritated by whatever other gut therapy or food you decide to try – because everything will be irritating to tissue that is already irritated.

It’s sort of like your gut is a kitchen that’s a bit of a fixer upper. There’s a way to prioritize how you choose to complete that work. If there’s a small fire in the pantry, for example, you won’t ignore the fire while you replace the countertops. It doesn’t matter whether you use the nicest countertops money can buy or if you are super disciplined with your work on the countertops, they will still get ruined eventually by the fire. Instead, it makes sense to tackle the fire first, then do those countertops.

This is our logic with the stomach as well: we want to tend to the emergency structural threat, and do the prep-work necessary to get the tissue into the shape it will need to be in so that we can actually fix function without making anything worse, and without wasting your time and effort.

It doesn’t matter how disciplined you are or how much money you spend on gut therapies – without this step you likely won’t get very far.

The way that I suggest going about this process involves:

• making sure to avoid gut irritants
• intensively emphasizing targeted foods that nourish the mucosa
• and by supporting your endogenous mucus production with specific herbs, amino acids, and phytonutrients.

Ready to get started? Check out our simple and affordable week-long workshop on the topic: The 7 Day Gut Soothe.

STEP 2: Enzyme support.

After you've tended to the fire in your tissue it's time to bridge the gap between your low stomach acid and your digestive needs.

Did you know you have literally dozens of digestive secretions beyond just stomach acid?

Now, to be fair, most of them you’re allowed to forget about, especially once you’ve optimized your stomach’s pH – they just kind of follow suit when the pH is in line. 

But for many of us who may have had low stomach acid for quite some time that has resulted in digestive stress, or for those who experience active burning distress, or who have gut-related conditions, we need to turn next to provide some much needed support at mealtime.

There main additional player we need to think about here is our pancreatic enzymes.

Especially if you're sensitive to food or are finding you aren’t breaking food down completely then you need to consider enzymatic support. If you have low stomach acid symptoms like heartburn, reflux, or burning, then enzymes are a non-negotiable for you.

And bonus, unlike supplemental HCl, this digestive support is powerful but gentle. (Check.)

There are clear diet, supplement, and lifestyle supports we can implement – temporarily or on a more continuous basis depending on need – to create the digestive synergy between stomach acid, enzymes, and other upper GI actors that results in optimal function.

Ready to get your enzymes in gear? You're ready for Energize Your Enzymes!

STEP 3: Elevate populations of beneficial microbes.

Most people have no idea that pounding some probiotics can have an incredible impact on their upper GI health – after all, our gut bugs are pretty famous for hanging out down south in the intestines – so what do probiotics have to do with the tummy?

So much!

To explain I’ll have to mention those infamous tummy villains from above: toxins.

When we understand that toxins are largely what works to suppress our digestive secretions to begin with, and by extension, are what impair our stomach function, then it becomes a no-brainer to begin to ask: how can we help our bodies to better process and eliminate their toxin burdens so that we can resurrect our stomach acid?

Probiotics are one answer to that question (though they are rarely, if ever, marketed that way).

In fact, for all the hoopla about probiotics in the gut space, they serve one incredibly important role that gets virtually no attention: probiotics are detoxification powerhouses.

We have evidence in literature that probiotics help our bodies to metabolize and eliminate glyphosate, candida, mycotoxins, heavy metals, environmental pollutants, and more.

It boils down to this: a healthy and diverse population of microbes in the body protects against toxins by providing plenty of ability to break them down and get rid of them.

In fact, this toxin-centric point of view is what I would argue is the most important role of probiotics, and why so many people see diverse benefit from implementing them, even beyond digestion.

Not to mention, the digestive boons afforded by intensive probiotic strategy can serve as a game-changer for those with low stomach acid, who typically also deal with a stagnant GI. Probiotics can facilitate needed movement!

However, many people go about probiotic supplementation in completely the wrong way, with no consideration of the strain, type, or synergies of the probiotic supplements they’re using. But we've got you covered! We talk all about this topic in-depth in the “3 Amigos Masterclass” and “Probiotic Prowess Protocol” inside of Funnel Flush - learn about that here.

STEP 4: Drain and detoxify your tissue.

Finally, we need to actually address the root cause of your stomach issues: toxin presence.

While the rest of the steps will help with symptoms like reflux, burning, gastritis, bloating, and burping, the drainage step is the only step that will remove your body’s toxin obstacles to proper digestive secretion and naturally restore function.

We know from literature that toxins like heavy metals, mold, endotoxin from pathogenic bacteria, and environmental chemicals work to suppress digestive secretions.

When you couple this with unprecedented modern toxin exposures, it’s no wonder so many struggle with digestive issues today:

• The EPA actively monitors over 86,000 toxic chemicals that circulate in our environment.
• Radioactive elements have been found in the tap water of 170 million Americans. And dangerous PFAS chemicals in the tap water of 110 million.
• 98% of basements experience some kind of water damage. And 45 million US buildings have unhealthy levels of mold.
• 91 million Americans have amalgam fillings and are constantly exposed to mercury.
• And the list goes on…  

In order to facilitate an effective binding strategy we use the B-Fourmula, our proprietary 4-step framework taught in Funnel Flush, our signature program on how to safely kick off your detox journey and finally get your digestive secretions back online.

But fair warning: detoxifying your tissue is a journey, it can take a while. Afterall, many of us are dealing with toxin burdens that have accumulated over a lifetime. It’s fair to assume you’ll require 1 month of detox work for every year you’ve felt unwell.

This is why in the meantime, in order to bridge the gap between natural function restoration and symptom onset, we need to employ the three additional steps above while we bind your toxins.

How to implement the S.E.E.D. method

As I mentioned previously, there are many variables we need to consider when we’re thinking about upper GI health and how to optimize it. This was the impetus for my creation of the S.E.E.D. method which I use with clients, and teach inside our our acid reflux programming. My intention was to provide an easy and intuitive framework for how to prioritize and move through this process.

Ready to get started? Get going on your Gut Soothe today!

Confused about whether or not you need to think about fixing your stomach? Consider taking our free quiz on whether or not you have low stomach acid.