Empowering You to Reclaim Your Health and Live the Full Life you Deserve!

Diastasis Recti – What the heck is that?

I know I was gone for a month – sorry about that!  Things have been a little busy so I wasn’t able to send out a newsletter for the last 3 weeks!  Oy!  But I’m back!

And I am super excited to share with you the work of a wonderful colleague – Kelly Dean, Physical Therapist and owner of The Tummy Team.

I feel it might be something many of you might be missing in your healing journey!

Have you EVER heard of something called Diastasis Recti??

Maybe so but probably not.  It is something that affects SO many people and they don’t realize it and is horribly underdiagnosed as a cause of pain, constipation, abdominal issues and more.

And it has hormonal and gut connections! 

Imagine that – the structural body is intertwined with the functional body! 🙂

OK – so what the heck is Diastasis Recti?  Well, first we need to discuss a tiny bit of anatomy.

We have 3 layers of abdominal muscles – Rectus Abdominus (6 pack), Obliques (wrap around the ribs aiming toward belly button) and the Transverse Abdominus (TA – the deepest “girdle” that wraps all the way around the entire belly).

Diastasis Recti (DR) is when the abdominal muscles stretch apart in the center of the belly and are only held together by thin fascia – weakening our true core strength (no matter how fantastic your 6 pack is!).  In pregnancy this is essential to provide space for the developing babe but should come back together and get “zipped” back up at some point after delivery. 

But, hold one, there are many other reasons the abdominal muscles stretch that have nothing to do with pregnancy!

Most people associate it with post-pregnancy however it is extremely common in all types of people (men included!)


SOME SYMPTOMS OF DIASTASIS RECTI
Pain – especially Low back pain
Incontinence
Poor core strength
Flabby-feeling belly
Constipation
Poor Posture

SOME RESULTS OF DIASTASIS RECTI
Sacroiliac dysfunction
Pelvic floor dysfunction
Pelvic pain
Pubic pain
Leg Length difference
Hip pain
Sciatica
Poor core strength
Poor Gut motility
and more!

The Hormone Connection
Connective tissue in our body is very susceptible to shifts in hormones – specifically estrogen and progesterone causing increased stretchiness and cortisol causing active damage to connective tissue.  There it is – hormonal imbalance can cause significant dysfunction in your musculo-skeletal system.  Always need balanced hormones!

The Exercise Connection
Some of the most common abdominal exercises and fitness routines actually DECREASE core strength by worsening abdominal muscle cohesiveness – like crunches, sit ups and Pilates!  Oy!

Who doesn’t do these things to try to strengthen their abs, right??  Would you stop if you knew it actually worked AGAINST core strength and worsened diastasis recti?

The Bowel Movement/Gut Connection
DR can cause constipation and constipation can cause DR!  Wow!

 

Kelly Dean of The Tummy Team explains Diastasis Recti in this awesome video below, what it is, what symptoms you might see, why you might have it and that it is treatable!  

For some it’s the game-changer they have been looking for!

After watching the video below, I highly recommend checking out her website and check yourself for a DR!
 
 
Click HERE to watch the video!
 
 
The Tummy Team Website


You know, I’m always looking for ways to show you the importance of gut and hormone balance – this is yet another way imbalance can affect our lives and result in fixable symptoms!

 
Big Hugs!

Dr. K​

Interested in chatting with Dr. Kelley?  Call our office or click on the button below to schedule a zoom call!  

 

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For many years and counting – so many people are getting diagnosed with “Depression”.

I covered this before but thought it was worth bringing up again.  Not only are so many practitioners labeling their patients but so many patients are “owning” their diagnosis without question. 

I get it – they feel it gives them an “answer” to why they don’t feel “right”. 

But is it the “answer” for most?

I am in no way saying there aren’t those that are “depressed” but what I AM saying is that not ALL people who get diagnosed with depression are depressed in the classic sense.  But honestly “classic depression” has been found predominately to be a disorder based in gut and hormones imbalance.

About 2 years ago we learned though a meta-analysis research study that there was NO correlation with depression and low serotonin levels and that taking anti-depressants (SSRIs) actually made serotonin even lower – SEE HERE.

If you go to your conventional (or even holistic) practitioner and report feeling “blah” or have a lack of zest for life then it is likely that you will walk out with the diagnosis of depression and some pills. 

But if the practitioner took a moment to really listen to (and HEAR) what this person is saying you would hear that there’s so much more at play than a simplistic “depression” diagnosis.

So, we must dig deeper always!

One of the first things I ask my clients who say they have been diagnosed or think they are depressed:  How is your energy?

99.5% of them respond “horrible”.

Then I ask – “If your energy was good then would you still feel down or depressed?” And almost all said they wouldn’t.

So, what does that tell us?  The issue isn’t depression – the issue is fatigue – physical and/or mental.

The new focus then becomes addressing fatigue.

There is also the possibility of grief at play.  Some that are depressed are dealing with grief and too many practitioners put a timeframe on grief.  There should never be a timeframe on grief.  And this can be addressed through so many different types of modalities.

So overall I find most depression diagnoses to be yet another way to lump people together that might share a certain set of superficial symptoms which allows practitioners to quickly “prescribe something”.

Then where might this fatigue be coming from/WHY is it present?

Some places to look:

  1. Thyroid Imbalances
  2. Poor Nutrition
  3. Inflammation
  4. Gluten Intolerance
  5. Fighting Infection/Parasite/Lyme, etc.
  6. Cancer
  7. Adrenal Burnout/Stress
  8. Sex Hormone Imbalances
  9. Genetic mutations

In other words – demand that your practitioner look for a deeper cause instead of simply medicating you for “Depression” (convention or holistic).

If your practitioner won’t search beyond the diagnosis of depression, then find a new one that will!

 

Never Give Up!

Dr. K

 

SCHEDULE A FREE 15 MIN ZOOM APPT WITH DR. KELLEY

Return to main Blog page

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For many years and counting – so many people are getting diagnosed with “Depression”.

I covered this before but thought it was worth bringing up again.  Not only are so many practitioners labeling their patients but so many patients are “owning” their diagnosis without question. 

I get it – they feel it gives them an “answer” to why they don’t feel “right”. 

But is it the “answer” for most?

I am in no way saying there aren’t those that are “depressed” but what I AM saying is that not ALL people who get diagnosed with depression are depressed in the classic sense.  But honestly “classic depression” has been found predominately to be a disorder based in gut and hormones imbalance.

About 2 years ago we learned though a meta-analysis research study that there was NO correlation with depression and low serotonin levels and that taking anti-depressants (SSRIs) actually made serotonin even lower – SEE HERE.

If you go to your conventional (or even holistic) practitioner and report feeling “blah” or have a lack of zest for life then it is likely that you will walk out with the diagnosis of depression and some pills. 

But if the practitioner took a moment to really listen to (and HEAR) what this person is saying you would hear that there’s so much more at play than a simplistic “depression” diagnosis.

So, we must dig deeper always!

One of the first things I ask my clients who say they have been diagnosed or think they are depressed:  How is your energy?

99.5% of them respond “horrible”.

Then I ask – “If your energy was good then would you still feel down or depressed?” And almost all said they wouldn’t.

So, what does that tell us?  The issue isn’t depression – the issue is fatigue – physical and/or mental.

The new focus then becomes addressing fatigue.

There is also the possibility of grief at play.  Some that are depressed are dealing with grief and too many practitioners put a timeframe on grief.  There should never be a timeframe on grief.  And this can be addressed through so many different types of modalities.

So overall I find most depression diagnoses to be yet another way to lump people together that might share a certain set of superficial symptoms which allows practitioners to quickly “prescribe something”.

Then where might this fatigue be coming from/WHY is it present?

Some places to look:

  1. Thyroid Imbalances
  2. Poor Nutrition
  3. Inflammation
  4. Gluten Intolerance
  5. Fighting Infection/Parasite/Lyme, etc.
  6. Cancer
  7. Adrenal Burnout/Stress
  8. Sex Hormone Imbalances
  9. Genetic mutations

In other words – demand that your practitioner look for a deeper cause instead of simply medicating you for “Depression” (convention or holistic).

If your practitioner won’t search beyond the diagnosis of depression, then find a new one that will!

 

Never Give Up!

Dr. K

 

SCHEDULE A FREE 15 MIN ZOOM APPT WITH DR. KELLEY

Return to main Blog page

Categories

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