WHY IS GUT HEALTH IMPORTANT?
"ALL DISEASE BEGINS IN THE GUT" HIPPOCRATES
Over the past 4 years I have been studying the connection between the GUT and the body. The journey started when my teenage daughter began having issues with blood sugar imbalance, inflammation, joint pain and severe hair loss. These issues developed after she was on several months of antibiotics. The traditional medical approach was not helpful to resolve her issues so I continued to search for answers. This took us down a path of strict diet regulation and various programs to detox and cleanse the gut hoping to get her body back in balance. Over that time period, she continued with her issues and I personally developed more sensitivities to foods and chemicals and developed severe eczema on my hands. From all that I researched, I truly believed that the answer was in balancing the gut; however, with the many variations of programs and supplements it was overwhelming to figure out just how to accomplish this.
I am excited to report that I finally discovered a gut health program that it "user friendly" and works! Balancing the GUT has created such a transformation for myself and my family with regards to our health that I have decided to add GUT HEALTH education into my physical therapy practice.
This blog will be a way to provide additional information and education. I look forward to helping others experience the incredible benefits of a balanced GUT!
This is an excerpt from Go With Your Gut —-
"It’s common to overlook the health of our gastrointestinal system, even though it contains 10 times more health-determining bacteria than the rest of our body. Protecting us from infection, supporting our metabolism, and promoting healthy digestion and elimination.
There are over 100 trillion organisms in the gut, that make up ¾ of our immune system.
Unfortunately, the majority of the population has inadequate beneficial (good) bacteria, excessive damaging (bad) bacteria, and a lack of bacterial diversity. Largely because of a poor diet, but also because of:
Over-Medicating – with antibiotics, birth control, NSAID’s, anti-depressants, antacids, etc
Chronic Stress – which can alter digestive secretion, gut permeability, blood flow, sensitivity, and even change bacterial composition
Exposure to Environmental Toxins – notably pesticides, PCBs, herbicides, arsenic, BPA
Inadequate Bacterial Acquisition at Birth - C-section birth, parents gut health and mothers dietduring pregnancy, infants transition from breast milk to adult food, etc
Current Health & Body Composition – Poor overall disease status (1, 2)
And this is ultimately leading to unbalanced gut flora (dysbiosis), and an increased susceptibility to intestinal permeability (leaky gut). Since the same things that destroy our gut flora, can compromise our gut barrier; while the fungal infections and bad bacteria that prosper instead, can do the same.
The scary part being, that for some this presents itself as something that seems relatively harmless like bloating, heartburn, IBS, and excess gas, while for the not-so-lucky ones it can mean something more serious like a chronic inflammatory condition of the skin, joints, bowel, or brain and nervous system.
This is because, although the gut is inside our body, it’s actually an external organ, that’s main role is to prevent harmful substances from entering our body. So when that barrier (that’s supposed to separate us from the external environment) is compromised, large foreign molecules are able to pass through to the bloodstream, and serious damage ensues. As the body launches an immune response to protect itself, but ends up damaging it’s own organs and tissues. With the latest research clearly showing that a leaky gut is connected to 100’s of untreatable (and often unexplainable) medical conditions.
Fibromyalgia (or Chronic Pain)
Rheumatoid Arthritis
ADHD, Tourette’s and Autism
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) - Chron’s, Ulcerative Colitis
Depression and Social Anxiety
Multiple Sclerosis (1, 2)
Lupus
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (1, 2)
Type 1 Diabetes
Asthma and Allergies (1, 2)
Parkinson’s
Schizophrenia and Other Mental Health Disorders
Dermatitis - Acne, Eczema, Psoriasis
Chronic Kidney Disease
