The Gut Isn’t Just a Digestive System—It’s an Ecosystem
Here’s what a lot of conventional care overlooks: your gut isn’t just there to break down food. It’s where your immune system lives. It’s where hormones interact. It’s where neurotransmitters are made. And when this internal ecosystem falls out of balance, it impacts everything—from your mood and skin to your sleep and stress.
That’s why Dr. Mary K. Geyer, NMD looks beyond surface symptoms. Through a functional, whole-person lens, she helps uncover what’s really going on in your digestive system—and why.
Whether it’s SIBO, IBS, reflux, constipation, or even vague, unexplainable food sensitivities, we start by listening. We slow things down. We ask better questions.
Because healing doesn't start with answers—it starts with curiosity.
Your Gut As Messenger, Not Just Machine
The Empower Gut Healing Method
For years, we were taught that the gut’s job was simple: process food and move it out. But it’s so much more. Your gut is a communicator. It responds to your environment, your history, your hormones, your stress levels—and it does so with remarkable accuracy.
It’s not uncommon for Dr. Geyer to uncover old stressors or unresolved trauma contributing to GI dysfunction. Maybe it was a difficult postpartum recovery. Or a stressful job that never gave your body time to rest. Or years of antibiotics that were necessary but disruptive.
When patients begin to understand that over 70% of their immune system lives in the gut, and that 95% of serotonin—a key mood hormone—is also produced there, things start to click. Symptoms start to make more sense. And with that clarity comes a deeper trust in the healing process.
Functional GI testing (GI-MAP, SIBO breath, zonulin, food sensitivities)
- Nutritional support tailored to gut and immune recovery
- Herbal antimicrobials or probiotics based on your unique microbiome
- Digestive enzyme and bile support for absorption and motility
- Adrenal and mitochondrial restoration for long-term stamina
- Nervous system regulation through breathwork or gentle somatic tools
- Detoxification support for mold, metals, or processed food residue
And none of it happens in isolation. Empower treats the gut and the body around it. Because real health is always interconnected.
Dr. Geyer’s work doesn’t stop at managing symptoms. It begins at the root. What’s feeding the inflammation? What’s creating the reactivity? What’s disrupting your gut’s ability to function?
She looks for patterns and triggers most conventional doctors don’t even test for. That might include:
Hidden infections
Parasites or yeast overgrowth
Gut permeability (“leaky gut”)
Microbial imbalances
Food sensitivities
Stress hormone disruption
Environmental toxins or mold exposure
The Root-Cause Approach (Not Just a New Diet)
Gut healing here isn’t a 30-day detox or elimination diet. It’s a process—one that unfolds in phases, with care.
The Emotional Side of Gut Healing
Dr. Geyer often sees women who’ve tried everything: every probiotic, every elimination diet, every late-night rabbit hole on Reddit. And they’re still in pain—not just physically, but emotionally.
That’s because gut healing isn’t just about food—it’s about safety. Safety in the body. Safety in digestion. Safety in trusting that what you eat won’t hurt you.
At Empower Integrative Health, we bring in tools that help rewire those stress pathways. It might be mindfulness. It might be calming supplements. It might even be changing the pace at which you eat or the way you relate to food. Because no supplement can fix a nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight.
And that’s not about weakness. That’s biology. That’s healing.
Subtle Wins That Build Over Time
You might not wake up one day 100% better. But you’ll start to notice things: less bloating after lunch. Easier mornings. A calmer mood. Better sleep. The flare-ups will fade. Your clothes might feel better. Your energy might stabilize.
These wins matter. They are not small. They are signs that your body remembers how to heal.
Dr. Geyer often says, “We’re not here to eliminate symptoms—we’re here to build resilience.” And in gut healing, that’s everything.
Frequently Asked Questions About GI
Nope. Many patients come in with “weird GI stuff” no one has named. You don’t need a label to get support. If your digestion is off, we’ll help explore why—and what to do next.
Most of our functional gut testing is done via at-home kits (stool, breath, or blood spot). We walk you through everything and help interpret the results thoroughly.
Probiotics are helpful, but only if they match your gut’s needs. Sometimes they can even worsen symptoms if they’re the wrong strain. We test to know what’s actually going on first.
Absolutely. We serve clients from all over the Valley and offer telehealth for Arizona residents in Tempe, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills, and beyond.
It varies, but most patients feel better within 2–3 months, with deeper healing continuing over 6–12 months. It’s a process—but it works.
If you’ve felt dismissed, ignored, or like you’ve tried “everything” and nothing stuck, Empower is here to change that. You don’t need to push through. You don’t need to settle. You just need a path that honors your body, your story, and your pace.
Gut issues are real. They’re complex. And they’re absolutely treatable—when someone takes the time to listen.
At Empower Integrative Health, that’s exactly what we do. We listen deeply. We heal gently. And we believe in your body’s ability to thrive—starting right from the center.
