What Is Gut-Health?
There has been lots of talk recently about what has become known as “gut-health.” The Johns Hopkins Medical Center website, one of the most well-respected hospitals and Medical Schools in the United States, there is a good reason for this. Hidden within the walls of your digestive system is what is known as “your second brain” and this “brain in your gut” is changing the way that we look at the links between mood, digestion, health and even the way that you think.
Does Disease Begin with Gut-Health?
The answer is “NO”. Not all the diseases start in the gut. For an example, it doesn’t apply to the genetic or inherited diseases. But, there are evidences that lots of chronic metabolic diseases do. They begin in the gut. We can prevent these diseases by following some easy steps.
Step 1: Know What Second Brain and Why Does It Matter
This “little brain” is called the “enteric nervous system” or ENS and it comprises 2 thin layers of over 100 million nerve cells that line your GI tract from your esophagus to your rectum. The role of the ENS is to control digestion, including swallowing to releasing the enzymes that help break food down, to the control of blood flow, which aids with both nutrient absorption and elimination. The ENS communicates with our brain with significant results. When you have an unhealthy gut the symptoms of that can manifest themselves in other parts of your body. It’s your body trying to tell you that something is wrong or out of balance. Studies have found that increasing your gut-health can lead to improvements in:
- Immune function – 80% of our immune system is located in our guts
- Brain function
- Symptoms of anger, sadness, and depression
- Obesity
- Toxin levels in the body
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Allergies
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
What Results? How Is This Even Possible?
The ENS may sense things that our cerebral brain can’t. Evidence has been found that when the GI tract is irritated it sends signals to the central nervous system, which can trigger our mood and ultimately affect it. When you consider that between 30%-40% of the population has bowel problems of some kind and that a higher percentage of these individuals develop depression and/or anxiety it’s easy to see how there could be a connection.
Our bodies are filled with bacteria – good and bad. There are more bacteria in a human body than there are cells and there are an estimated 100 trillion microorganisms living in our bowels alone (http://www.naturallivingideas.com/ 13-ways-to-improve-gut-health/.) The key here is to have more good than bad bacteria in your gut – the fancy name for the good microorganisms is probiotics. Probiotics help us do things like:
- Digest food;
- Absorb nutrients;
- Break down medications; and
- Kill some of the bad bacteria that lead to infection.
Step 2: Get More Probiotics
There are quite a few ways to get probiotics, but one of the easiest is to take a supplement called a probiotic. You will find many different kinds under different brand names and it would be a good idea to talk to your physician or pharmacist to see which is the brand that they recommend.
doTERRA has created two products: PB Assist®+ and PB Assist®+JR.
PB Assist® is a proprietary blend of six active strains of friendly probiotic microorganisms that support healthy colonies of friendly microflora in the gut.* It employs a unique double-layer capsule delivery system that provides a short chain FOS pre-biotic fiber in the outer capsule and a time-release inner capsule providing active probiotic cultures. FOS, or fructooligosaccharides, are indigestible fibers that are found in fruits and vegetables that have the ability to selectively promote the growth of friendly bacteria.
Inside the outer capsule delivering the pre-biotic FOS is a small inner capsule with 6 billion CFU (Colony Forming Units) of six active strains of lacto- and bifido-probiotic cultures. The timerelease inner capsule is designed to help protect the probiotic cultures from the harsh environment of the stomach delivering the active benefits of the cultures to the site of adhesion in the intestinal tract. The combination of pre-biotic FOS and active probiotic cultures in a single delivery system represents a comprehensive intestinal flora support system that is safe and effective.
PB Assist®+JR is a powdered probiotic supplement designed for children or adults who have trouble swallowing pills. It includes 5 billion live cells of a unique blend of six different probiotic strains, specifically selected for their benefits among children. These probiotics have been blended into a delicious powder that can be poured directly into the mouth for a fun and tasty way to integrate probiotics into anyone’s daily routine.*
There are foods that are also high in probiotics. Unfortunately, many of them are not widely available or thought very high of in America. These foods include:
- Unpasteurized Cheese – Gouda, Cheddar, Provolone, and Gruyere are some examples
- Buttermilk
- Kefir
- Miso
- Sauerkraut
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Yogurt – be sure and read the labels on the different yogurts
- Getting more probiotics into your system is one of the best ways that you can improve your gut-health.
More Probiotics, What Else?
The ones we hate. The ones that your grandmother and mother told you. Stress Less. Laugh More.
Stress, especially long-term stress, not only affects our gut bacteria, but it also affects the productions of hormones and neurochemicals that communicate with our brain. When it is long-term stress these chemicals and hormones can change permanently (unless you specifically work to change them back). Long-term stress may also lead to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), stomach ulcers, IBD, IBS, and potentially food allergies
Laughter really is the best medicine. It helps to reduce stress and floods your body with the happy hormones and chemicals that make the good overtake the bad. There was even a study conducted (you can read more about it by clicking the link,) https:// http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19543102, where researchers studied healthy people as well as those with atopic dermatitis – a disease that is often associated with imbalances in gut bacteria. The researchers had the participants watch funny movies daily for one week. In only one week, the patients’ gut flora had changed and resembled the healthy participants.
Step 3: Play in The Dirt!
This is true both literally and figuratively. Gardening is good for you because it gets you outside, gives you exercise, and putting your hands in soil introduces your body to the microorganisms that are found on the plants and in the ground. In a more figurative way, stop killing all the bacteria. They have recently stopped putting anti-bacterial agents in things because humans are killing all the bacteria, the good and the bad. And what is happening? The bad bacteria are getting stronger and the good bacteria are dying. Studies have shown that kids who grow up with a dog have both a lower risk of allergies and a healthier immune system. Dogs are associated with a type of house dust that actually exposes us to important strains of bacteria, L. johnsonii is one, which is essential within the digestive tract (http://www.naturallivingideas.com/13-ways-to-improve-gut-health/.)
Dogs also work somewhat like a probiotic, helping develop healthy bacteria that boost your immune system, stopping you from getting ill, and possibly reducing allergies. Dogs also help you, or in some cases force you, to exercise more and help relieve stress in your life.
Conclusion
It may well be that a large part of maintaining good health is maintaining good gut-health. There are many ways that you can do this, including exercise, and learning to listen to your body; however, some of the easiest changes that you can make are to:
- Get plenty of probiotics – through supplements and food
- Laugh
- Manage your stress better
- Don’t over sterilize or try to kill all bacteria
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Resources:
- http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/healthy_aging/healthy_body/the-brain-gut-connection
- http://www.naturallivingideas.com/13-ways-to-improve-gut-health/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1954310
- http://www.menshealth.co.uk/healthy/how-dogs-boost-your-immune-system
DISCLAIMER: This website does not provide medical advice and all content on it is for informational purposes only. The information on this page is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, nor treatment. Before incorporating any complementary therapy into your health regimen, always seek the advice of your medical doctor or qualified healthcare provider, and do not delay seeking nor disregard medical advice because of something you have read here.
This is a Christmas of withs and withouts. I celebrate and mourn all at the same time.
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