The G.E.M.M. Protocol
What is the G.E.M.M. Protocol?
The G.E.M.M. protocol is a way to improve your gut and overall health by utilising your body’s own defence mechanisms and healing abilities. It utilises an inclusive diet together with effective natural therapeutics to encourage your body to heal itself.
The digestive system and its underlying immune network are the starting point for addressing a whole range of common disorders. The cells of the Gut-Immune Network send thousands of biochemical signals throughout the body, normalising the function of many cells in other parts of the body. When your cells are functioning at their peak, your body can begin to repair itself, regardless of the names of any conditions you may have.
Why do I use the G.E.M.M. protocol with my clients?
G.E.M.M. really embodies everything about why I became a nutritionist in the first place.
Back when I was just a mum trying to help her kid’s health issues, I (eventually) stumbled upon the gut-wellness connection and witnessed first-hand the power of food when it comes to our health.
Having completed an undergraduate degree in 2021 (BHSc [NUTDMED]), going on to become an accredited G.E.M.M. practitioner has been an natural continuation of my passion for supporting patients with their own gut health.
G.E.M.M very closely aligns with my own personal philosophy of, “You can’t out supplement an unhealthy diet.”
Time and time again I’ve had people come to me for help, wanting a magical supplement to “fix” their health situation while they keep eating and living the same way they always have.
Except, if you keep doing the same things you’re going to keep getting the same results. And unfortunately, there’s no magical-anything which can make up for our everyday habits!
G.E.M.M is a food-first approach to health care which is combined with appropriate lifestyle modifications and targeted therapeutic supplementation to support the body as a whole to target to root-causes of poor health.
Why is G.E.M.M. different from other gut repair systems?
GEMM relies largely on the ability of food molecules to mobilize the body’s own defences, beginning at the cells lining the gut. GEMM activates the capacity of these cells to maintain and regulate the environment within the digestive tract and body as a whole.
Rather than trying to micro-manage individual microbes within your gut, G.E.M.M utilises foods that allow the gut cells to ‘decide’ on the correct microbial balance. This approach means that your native bacterial flora can flourish whilst the undesirable species are out-competed; gradually the appropriate balance is restored, utilising the remarkable properties of the single layer of cells lining the gut.
This means there’s no need for the old “weed, seed & feed” approaches that attempted to eradicate undesirable gut microbes using aggressive, anti-microbial treatments which were often equally disruptive to our beneficial microbes.
G.E.M.M is a gentle, yet powerful approach for restoring and maintaining good health.
Is G.E.M.M a “one-size-fits-all” protocol?
The underlying principles of G.E.M.M can be applied across a wide range of health conditions and situations, however the way it’s put into practice may vary slightly between patients.
Differences in health conditions and symptoms (both past & present), standard blood pathology, environmental exposures and existing dietary patterns can all influence how the G.E.M.M protocol is put into practice for each person.
As your health practitioner I will take all of these factors into consideration when guiding you through the protocol and make appropriate adjustments for your personal circumstances.
Does G.E.M.M. require a specific ‘diet’?
For many other programmes targeting digestive health, it is common practice that patients are required to exclude long lists of foods in order to obtain relief of symptoms. Such food intolerances are typically the result of a severe imbalance in the gut ecosystem and although avoidance may provide temporary relief, the G.E.M.M. approach, by correcting the underlying causes, quickly restores tolerance to previously-reactive foods.
Restrictive diets suggested in other programmes and followed over weeks and months are likely to lead to nutrient deficiencies, a situation that further reduces the person’s ability to heal and repair. Recognising the power of food as medicine, by contrast, G.E.M.M. promotes a Diet of Inclusion, not Diets of Exclusion. The food choices for a patient following a G.E.M.M. programme are so much more enjoyable - and G.E.M.M. patients don’t experience the added emotional stress of having to conscientiously avoid long lists of restricted foods.
A few foods may need to be excluded initially when embarking on G.E.M.M but you will not be required to undertake any tests to establish what can or cannot be eaten. The knowledge and skills of your G.E.M.M. clinician will establish what you can eat, guiding you through the process of introducing different foods as your system repairs. With G.E.M.M., most food intolerances become a thing of the past.
The ultimate aim of the G.E.M.M. Protocol is to encourage a diverse array of minimally processed whole foods which are introduced sequentially as you progress through the programme. With G.E.M.M, you will leave fad diets at the door to enjoy foods that are both delicious and nutritious!
What conditions does this approach treat?
The human body contains literally trillions of cells, grouped into different types of tissues, organs and systems. Each one of these remarkably complex cells contributes in its own unique way to your health. When these cells aren’t working at their peak, lots of things can start to go wrong – and that means that disease is likely to develop in that particular group of cells.
Because the G.E.M.M. approach is to implement treatment at the cellular level, ALL the cells of your body should benefit. What this means is that the name of your condition doesn’t matter very much. G.E.M.M. adopts the principles of Nature to restore cellular function in whatever tissue or organ your condition lies.
So whether you’ve got an auto-immune disease, IBS, type 2 diabetes (or pre-diabetes), cardiovascular disease, asthma, skin conditions, or something else, G.E.M.M can be applied to address the underlying gut, cellular and immune health which is involved in all of these.
How long will this programme take?
The length of the treatment phase of the G.E.M.M Protocol will vary from one person to another. It will be dependent upon a range of factors which include the nature and extent of your health issues, your genetic predisposition and how readily you can adopt the necessary lifestyle changes.
As a guide, most patients will experience substantial improvement within 3 months; more complex and longstanding conditions may take longer. On the other hand, many patients feel beneficial changes in just a few weeks. As you see your symptoms disappearing, you will know that there are important cellular changes taking place.
Will G.E.M.M. give me long term results?
It’s important to think of the G.E.M.M diet and lifestyle principles as new, long-term habits to adopt rather than a temporary change where you “go back” to your old habits once you’re “finished”.
The G.E.M.M. Protocol is designed to stimulate healing and repair at a cellular level. To sustain the beneficial changes you are likely to experience, it will be necessary for you to maintain the new diet and lifestyle practices you will have learned. With such a diverse array of health promoting foods from which to choose and a genuine desire to stay well, it becomes remarkably easy to maintain the new lifestyle habits.
This is usually much easier to imagine once you start feeling better – why would you want to go back to your old ways after experiencing the health benefits of your new habits!?!
Will G.E.M.M. help to improve my immune function?
Improving immune function is at the core of what G.E.M.M. will achieve. Your immune system begins in the gut, the reason we focus there first.
While targeting digestive health is the first step of the G.E.M.M. Protocol, the second step focuses on restoring the communication between the gut and its underlying immune network. In doing so, G.E.M.M. balances the complex immune system, thereby enhancing the response to infection while reducing allergy and autoimmune reactions.
Is this programme underpinned by science?
The G.E.M.M. Protocol was developed by Australian Nutritional Biochemist, Dr Christine Houghton PhD, who after several decades in clinical practice, realised that existing therapies for addressing gut health, metabolic and other chronic diseases were not effectively targeting the underlying causes of ill health. It was the combination of her scientific knowledge and extensive clinical experience that led her to the realisation that any truly effective approach needed to mimic the principles of Nature.
All aspects of the G.E.M.M. Protocol have their foundation in peer-reviewed scientific evidence, with the accompanying nutrigenomically-active G.E.M.M. formulations based on food-derived ingredients for which clinical trials demonstrate efficacy.
Ready to book an initial consultation?
Still not quite sure if G.E.M.M. is for you?
Contact me to arrange a free, no obligation call for more information. (Australian residents only)