Dr. Christine Green · Viata Medical

GI Health & Gut Health — Functional Medicine at Viata Medical

Conditions Treated

GI Health & Gut Health

Find the root cause of your digestive health problems — IBS, bloating, leaky gut, dysbiosis, and food sensitivities treated with functional medicine.

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Understanding the Condition

What Is GI Health & Gut Health?

Bloating. Gas. Constipation. Diarrhea. Reflux. Food sensitivities. Abdominal discomfort. Changes in bowel movements. If you are experiencing ongoing digestive symptoms, your body may be telling you that something is out of balance.

At Viata Medical, we take a functional medicine approach to gut health and digestive health. Rather than simply treating symptoms, we look deeper to understand what may be contributing to your digestive problems. Your gut affects far more than digestion — your gut microbiome, intestinal health, immune system, hormones, metabolism, and brain are closely connected. When your gut is not functioning properly, it can affect how you feel throughout your entire body.

Symptoms illustration

Signs & Symptoms

Common Symptoms We Treat

  • Frequent bloating or abdominal swelling
  • Excessive gas
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea
  • Alternating constipation and diarrhea
  • Abdominal pain or cramping
  • Acid reflux or indigestion
  • Changes in bowel movements
  • Feeling overly full after eating
  • Food sensitivities
  • New foods that seem difficult to tolerate
  • Mucus in the stool
  • Fatigue or brain fog
  • Skin problems
  • Difficulty maintaining a healthy weight
  • Mood changes
  • Symptoms that worsen after eating
  • Digestive symptoms that started after antibiotics, illness, or infection

Advanced Diagnostics

Don't Guess. Get More Information.

Standard labs often miss the root cause. Dr. Green uses advanced, targeted panels to get a complete picture of your health — not just a snapshot.

  • Comprehensive Stool Analysis
  • SIBO Breath Test (Lactulose or Glucose)
  • Zonulin (Intestinal Permeability / Leaky Gut)
  • Food Sensitivity Panel (IgG)
  • Organic Acids Test (OAT)
  • Calprotectin & Secretory IgA
  • H. Pylori Antigen
  • Inflammatory Markers (hs-CRP)
  • Genetics Labs to determine exactly what your body needs
Dr. Christine Green consulting with patient

Your PRACTITIONER

How Dr. Green Works With You

As a board-certified practitioner in precision medicine and a member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M), Dr. Green brings cutting-edge functional medicine tools to every case — from advanced genetics testing to compounded prescription therapies.

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The Functional Medicine Approach

Root Cause Medicine, Not Just Symptom Management

Your digestive system and brain are constantly communicating through the gut-brain axis. This communication involves the nervous system, immune system, hormones, neurotransmitters, and microorganisms living in your digestive tract. Most of the body's serotonin is produced in the gastrointestinal tract — which is why gut dysfunction can affect mood, energy, stress response, and overall well-being. At Viata Medical, we don't simply ask how to treat gut concerns. We ask: why are you experiencing these symptoms?

Your initial consultation is a comprehensive 60-minute deep dive into your entire health history — in person at our Greenwood, Indiana clinic or via telehealth. Together, you'll review past labs, medical reports, medications, symptoms, lifestyle, and family history to build a complete picture of your health.

What Dr. Green Evaluates

  • ✓Complete health history review
  • ✓Past labs & medical reports
  • ✓Advanced biomarker testing
  • ✓Comprehensive lab panels
  • ✓Diagnostic testing (as needed)
  • ✓Genetics panels
  • ✓Nutritional & hormonal assessment
  • ✓Lifestyle & environmental factors
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Intestinal Permeability

What Is Leaky Gut?

Leaky gut, also known as increased intestinal permeability, is a term used to describe changes in the intestinal barrier. Your intestinal lining acts as an important protective barrier between the contents of your digestive tract and the rest of your body.

When intestinal barrier function becomes disrupted, the lining may become more permeable than it should be. This can allow substances to interact with the immune system and may contribute to inflammation in some individuals.

What can contribute to intestinal barrier problems?

  • ✓Chronic stress
  • ✓Poor diet or highly processed foods
  • ✓Excessive alcohol
  • ✓Certain medications or frequent antibiotic use
  • ✓Gastrointestinal infections
  • ✓Changes in the gut microbiome
  • ✓Inflammation
  • ✓Food intolerances or sensitivities
  • ✓Poor sleep and lifestyle factors
Intestinal gut health digestive system

Bacteria, food, medications clog up your gut lining causing it to allow the 'bad stuff' into your blood stream. Making you sick.

Gut-brain connection mood and digestive health

IBS & Gut Health

Is IBS Really Just a Sensitive Stomach?

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common digestive conditions. Symptoms can include abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, or changes in bowel habits. But why does IBS happen? There is not always one simple answer.

The gut-brain axis connects the digestive system and nervous system. Gut motility, intestinal sensitivity, the microbiome, immune activity, stress, and intestinal barrier function may all play a role in digestive symptoms. This is why two people can eat the same food and have completely different reactions.

At Viata Medical, we don't simply ask:

"How do we treat IBS?"

We ask:

"Why are you experiencing these symptoms?"

Bloating & Gas

Why Am I Always Bloated?

Persistent bloating is one of the most common reasons people seek help for their gut health. Occasional bloating can be normal — but frequent or uncomfortable bloating may have several possible causes.

Bloating can be associated with:

Constipation or slow digestion
Changes in the gut microbiome
Fermentation of certain carbohydrates
Food sensitivities
Changes in intestinal motility
Bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
Yeast or fungal organisms
Certain gastrointestinal infections
Parasites
Inflammation
Eating too quickly or swallowing excess air

Sometimes foods you have eaten for years may suddenly become difficult to tolerate. That does not necessarily mean you have a food allergy. Your digestive health, microbiome, stress levels, hormones, medications, and overall health can change over time. Instead of simply eliminating more and more foods, we want to understand why your body may be reacting differently.

Food Sensitivities

Why Can't I Eat Foods I Used to Tolerate?

Have you noticed that certain foods now cause bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, reflux, fatigue, or brain fog? Food reactions can be complicated.

Other foods — including dairy, certain carbohydrates, highly processed foods, alcohol, and artificial sweeteners — may cause digestive symptoms in some individuals.

The goal is not to create an unnecessarily restrictive diet. The goal is to understand what may be triggering your symptoms and why.

Gluten & Digestive Health

Could Gluten Be Affecting Your Gut?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. For people with celiac disease, gluten can trigger an immune response that damages the small intestine. Other individuals may experience symptoms after eating gluten-containing foods for different reasons.

If you suspect gluten is affecting your health, proper evaluation is important before eliminating gluten on your own — particularly when testing for celiac disease may be appropriate.

Functional medicine looks beyond simply asking "Should I stop eating gluten?" We want to understand the larger picture of your digestive health, symptoms, nutrition, and individual response to foods.

Gluten and digestive health

The Gut-Brain Connection

Can Gut Health Affect Your Mood?

Have you ever noticed that your stomach feels worse when you're stressed? Or that when your digestion is off, you feel tired, foggy, anxious, or simply "not yourself?" There is a reason.

Your digestive system and brain are constantly communicating through the gut-brain axis. This communication involves the nervous system, immune system, hormones, neurotransmitters, and microorganisms living in your digestive tract.

Your digestive health may be one important piece of the bigger picture when you are experiencing changes in mood, energy, stress response, or overall well-being.

The Gut & Serotonin

Serotonin is commonly known as a neurotransmitter associated with mood. However, most of the body's serotonin is produced in the gastrointestinal tract — particularly by specialized cells in the intestinal lining.

Serotonin also plays an important role in the digestive system, including intestinal movement and signaling. This does not mean that every mood problem is caused by poor gut health — but it does show just how closely connected the gut and brain are.

Gut Microbiome

The Bacteria Living Inside You

Your digestive tract is home to trillions of microorganisms. This community of bacteria and other microorganisms is called the gut microbiome. A healthy gut does not mean having no bacteria — it means having a diverse and balanced microbial environment that supports normal digestion and other functions.

Changes in the gut microbiome may occur after:

  • ✓Antibiotic use
  • ✓Illness or infection
  • ✓Dietary changes
  • ✓Chronic stress
  • ✓Poor sleep
  • ✓Certain medications
  • ✓Changes in digestion

Understanding your gut microbiome can be an important part of investigating unexplained digestive symptoms.

Gut microbiome bacteria probiotic health

Yeast, Bacteria & Parasites

Could an Imbalance or Infection Be Contributing to Your Symptoms?

Your digestive tract naturally contains bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. In some situations, changes in the microbial environment or certain gastrointestinal organisms may contribute to digestive symptoms. Depending on your symptoms and medical history, comprehensive stool testing may provide information about:

Beneficial and potentially harmful bacteria
Yeast and fungal organisms
Parasites
Digestive function
Nutrient absorption
Intestinal inflammation
Immune activity
Gut microbiome patterns
Certain infectious organisms

Comprehensive GI Stool Testing

Don't Guess. Get More Information.

When appropriate, Viata Medical uses advanced comprehensive stool testing to investigate digestive health from multiple angles. The information gathered can help us create a personalized functional medicine treatment plan rather than relying entirely on trial and error.

Digestion & Absorption

Are you properly digesting and absorbing the food you eat?

Gut Microbiome

What does your intestinal microbial environment look like?

Bacteria, Yeast & Parasites

Are there organisms that may be relevant to your symptoms?

Inflammation

Are there markers suggesting inflammation within the GI tract?

Immune Function

Are there signs of immune activity within the digestive system?

Intestinal Health

Are there findings that may help us better understand your overall GI health?

Comprehensive GI stool testing laboratory analysis

Functional Medicine for Gut Health

Treat the Person, Not Just the Symptom

There is no single gut healing protocol that works for everyone. Your symptoms, laboratory findings, medical history, nutrition, lifestyle, and health goals all matter. Your treatment plan may include:

Personalized nutrition
Targeted dietary changes
Food sensitivity evaluation
Digestive support
Probiotics or prebiotics when appropriate
Vitamins and nutrients
Targeted supplements
Support for healthy bowel movements
Treatment for identified GI concerns
Lifestyle changes
Stress management
Sleep support
Prescription medications when medically appropriate

We don't believe everyone needs the same supplements, the same elimination diet, or the same treatment plan. Your gut doesn't operate in isolation — digestive health can intersect with immune health, hormones, metabolism, weight management, energy, brain fog, and more.

Natural Support

Supplements & Natural Therapies

Give Your Body What It Needs to Thrive

Nutrition and supplements are about more than simply taking a daily vitamin. Your body needs the right nutrients, in the right amounts, to support energy, metabolism, hormones, immune function, and overall health. The challenge is knowing what your body actually needs.

At Viata Medical, we look beyond a basic supplement list. By evaluating your nutrition status, genetics, and laboratory results, we can identify areas where your body may need additional support — and create a personalized nutrition and supplement plan designed to support your health, wellness, and longevity.

  • Supplements Plan for Your Current Health Status & Goals
  • Nutrition Evaluation Testing
  • Body Genetics Testing
  • Food Intolerance & Allergy Testing
  • Yeast & Mold Testing
Natural supplements and wellness nutrition

Stop Living With Digestive Symptoms

Ready to Find Out What's Really Going On?

You don't have to keep guessing why you're bloated after meals, why your bowel habits have changed, or why foods you once tolerated now seem to bother you. Your symptoms are information. Let's take a closer look at your gut health.

Schedule a GI Health Consultation

Or call us at (317) 881-8119