The human gastrointestinal (GI) system is designed to allow us to get nutrients from the food we eat and eliminate waste products we don’t need. And a healthy gut should be relatively silent.

In other words, a patient whose gut function is optimal hardly thinks about anything related to his or her digestion. There’s no pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, bloody stools, or vomiting. The person simply eats when they’re hungry and eliminates waste routinely and effortlessly.

In order to understand how to promote and maintain a healthy gut, we need to review the anatomy and physiology of the human GI tract.

For those suffering with a gut illness, properly diagnosing the condition is the first step. The GI tract is primarily made up of hollow tubes filled with trillions of microscopic organisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Yes, you read that correctly: Your gut normally contains not only bacteria but other organisms, including fungi (yeast) and parasites.

In a healthy individual, the GI tract is estimated to contain more than 4,000 different strains of microbes. Those microorganisms play a crucial role in promoting health. When gut microbiota are properly balanced, a person will have a healthy gut. Conversely, imbalanced gut flora can lead to inflammatory bowel diseases, autoimmune illnesses, and even cancer.