Digestive Health

Digestive symptoms can have a surprisingly large impact on your everyday life. Bloating, abdominal discomfort, reflux, constipation, diarrhea or unpredictable bowel habits can affect what you eat, how you plan your day, your energy and your overall quality of life.

As a naturopathic doctor in Red Deer, I work with adults experiencing a range of digestive concerns, from common functional gastrointestinal symptoms to more complex or persistent problems. My approach is individualized and evidence-informed, with attention to your symptoms, medical history, nutrition, medications, lifestyle and other factors that may be contributing.

Digestive Concerns I Work With

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

IBS can involve abdominal pain, bloating and changes in bowel habits, including constipation, diarrhea or alternating between the two.

Symptoms can be frustratingly unpredictable, and what helps one person may make another person feel worse.

My approach to IBS focuses on understanding your individual symptom pattern and identifying practical strategies that may improve digestive function and quality of life.

Depending on your situation, this may include consideration of nutrition, fibre intake, meal patterns, stress, sleep, medications, gut motility and other contributing factors.

Bloating & Abdominal Discomfort

Bloating is common, but persistent or significant bloating shouldn't simply be dismissed as something you have to live with.

Bloating may be associated with constipation, IBS, food intolerances, eating patterns, changes in gut motility, reflux and other digestive or medical conditions.

Rather than automatically assuming that bloating is caused by a particular food or gut imbalance, I look at when your symptoms occur, what makes them better or worse, and what other symptoms occur alongside them.

Constipation

Constipation can involve more than simply having infrequent bowel movements.

Hard stools, straining, incomplete evacuation, abdominal discomfort and changes in bowel frequency can all be signs that your bowel habits need attention.

Assessment may include consideration of fibre and fluid intake, medications and supplements, physical activity, meal patterns, bowel habits and other potential contributors.

When constipation is persistent, severe or associated with concerning symptoms, appropriate medical assessment is important.

Diarrhea & Urgency

Frequent loose stools, urgency or unpredictable bowel movements can make everyday activities difficult and may significantly affect quality of life.

Depending on your history, diarrhea may be related to IBS, dietary factors, medications, infections, inflammatory conditions or other causes.

The goal is not simply to suppress the symptom. We first want to understand the pattern and make sure appropriate medical evaluation has been considered.

Reflux & Upper Digestive Symptoms

Heartburn, reflux, nausea, early fullness and upper abdominal discomfort can have a number of possible causes.

Naturopathic care may include looking at meal timing, food patterns, medications, alcohol or caffeine intake, sleep, body position and other relevant factors.

Persistent or worsening reflux symptoms should be appropriately evaluated, particularly when accompanied by difficulty swallowing, unexplained weight loss, vomiting, bleeding or other concerning symptoms.

Food Sensitivities & Intolerances

Some people notice that particular foods consistently trigger digestive symptoms.

Identifying genuine food triggers can be useful, but broad food restriction isn't always the answer. Extensive elimination diets can become unnecessarily restrictive and may make it harder to meet nutritional needs.

When food appears to be contributing to your symptoms, I focus on identifying meaningful patterns while keeping nutrition and quality of life in mind.

My Approach to Digestive Health

Digestive symptoms are often interconnected.

For example, constipation can contribute to bloating. Poor sleep can affect gastrointestinal symptoms. Dietary restriction can affect nutritional intake. Medications can alter bowel habits. Stress can influence gut function without necessarily being the underlying cause of every digestive problem.

For this reason, I don't use a single protocol for everyone with digestive symptoms.

Your assessment may include consideration of:

  • Your specific digestive symptoms and their timing

  • Bowel frequency, consistency and urgency

  • Food and meal patterns

  • Fibre and fluid intake

  • Medications and supplements

  • Sleep and stress

  • Menstrual and hormonal factors when relevant

  • Previous infections or illnesses

  • Existing laboratory and diagnostic investigations

  • Other symptoms occurring alongside your digestive concerns

The goal is to understand the bigger picture and identify the factors most likely to be relevant to you.

Testing & Assessment

Testing can be useful in some digestive cases, but it isn't automatically necessary for everyone.

Depending on your symptoms and medical history, assessment may include reviewing existing laboratory work or considering appropriate testing related to areas such as anemia, nutrient status, thyroid function, celiac disease or other medical conditions.

In some situations, additional gastrointestinal testing may be appropriate.

Functional medicine testing is used selectively and thoughtfully. I don't recommend a large panel of tests simply because digestive symptoms are present. Testing should be guided by a clinical question and should have the potential to meaningfully change what we do.

If your symptoms suggest a need for medical investigation, imaging, endoscopy or specialist assessment, I will recommend appropriate conventional medical care.

My Approach to Treatment

Treatment depends on what is contributing to your symptoms.

Depending on your situation, recommendations may include changes to meal patterns, fibre or fluid intake, nutrition, sleep and lifestyle, as well as evidence-informed nutritional supplementation or herbal medicine when appropriate.

For some people, a short-term dietary modification may be useful. For others, adding more foods and reducing unnecessary restriction is the more appropriate goal.

I aim for the least restrictive approach that is likely to be helpful while keeping nutritional adequacy and quality of life in mind.

If you have already tried multiple elimination diets, supplements or digestive protocols without lasting improvement, we can step back and reassess rather than simply adding another protocol.

What to Expect

Your first appointment gives us time to understand your digestive symptoms in context.

We'll discuss your current concerns, bowel habits, symptom patterns, nutrition, medications and supplements, health history and other factors that may be relevant.

We'll also review any previous investigations or laboratory results you have available.

From there, we'll determine whether further assessment is appropriate and develop a practical plan based on your symptoms, goals and circumstances.

You don't need to arrive with a perfect food diary or a list of every food you've ever eaten. We'll start with the information that is most useful.

Why Work With Dr. Jen Pilon?

I am a registered naturopathic doctor with more than 10 years of clinical experience working with adults experiencing both common and complex health concerns.

My approach to digestive health is individualized, evidence-informed and practical. I don't believe that every digestive symptom requires an elimination diet, a long list of supplements or extensive functional testing.

Instead, I focus on understanding your particular symptom pattern, considering appropriate medical evaluation and identifying the interventions most likely to make a meaningful difference.

My goal is to help you feel more confident about what is happening with your digestion without making your relationship with food unnecessarily complicated.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Naturopathic care can be used to support people with IBS by addressing individual symptoms and potential contributing factors such as nutrition, fibre intake, bowel habits, sleep, stress and other aspects of health.

    The appropriate approach varies considerably from person to person.

    Persistent or unexplained fatigue deserves appropriate assessment rather than assuming that it is simply caused by stress or a busy lifestyle.

  • Not necessarily.

    A low-FODMAP diet can be helpful for some people with IBS, but it is not appropriate or necessary for everyone. It can also become unnecessarily restrictive if used indefinitely without appropriate guidance.

    When dietary modification is appropriate, I aim to use the least restrictive approach that provides meaningful benefit.

  • Not automatically.

    Digestive symptoms such as bloating, constipation and diarrhea can have many possible causes. Whether breath testing or another investigation is appropriate depends on your particular symptoms, history and previous evaluation.

    Testing should answer a clinical question rather than simply be part of a standard digestive-health protocol.

  • Bloating can have many causes, including constipation, IBS, dietary factors, food intolerances, changes in gut motility and other digestive or medical conditions.

    The timing of symptoms and what else is happening alongside the bloating can provide useful clues about where to focus.

  • Not necessarily.

    A food that causes symptoms isn't automatically a food that you need to avoid permanently. Sometimes the amount, timing, combination of foods or underlying digestive issue matters more than eliminating the food itself.

    I prefer to identify meaningful patterns while avoiding unnecessary dietary restriction whenever possible.

  • Persistent, severe or new digestive symptoms deserve appropriate medical assessment, particularly when accompanied by symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, gastrointestinal bleeding, persistent vomiting, difficulty swallowing, anemia, fever or a significant change in bowel habits.

    Naturopathic care can complement conventional medical care, but it should not replace appropriate investigation of potentially serious symptoms.

  • Yes. Naturopathic care can complement conventional medical and specialist care.

    I encourage patients to maintain appropriate primary and specialist care and to consider how different aspects of their care can work together.

Ready to get started?

If digestive symptoms are affecting your comfort, food choices or quality of life, we can take a closer look at the bigger picture and determine reasonable next steps.

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