Tag Archives: microbiome

Health Takes Guts®: Your Comprehensive Guide to Eliminating Digestive Issues, Anxiety, and Fatigue

Why is the gut so important?

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As promised, here is the second half of the introduction to my eBook. If you missed the first half, check it out here.

Bloating, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression, pain (anywhere in body), skin rashes, hormone imbalances, and brain fog are symptoms. A symptom is an indication that something is going on in the body. A symptom is not the answer as to what is going on, it is a clue. Getting a prescription to dampen these symptoms doesn’t fix the reason why the symptoms are happening. That is like clearing smoke out of a burning room without putting out the fire.

Doesn’t putting out the fire sound like a better idea?

Well, that’s what this book is all about—resolving the problems at the root of your symptoms.

And what’s the root of most health problems? The gut.

Why is the gut so important?

We have an estimated 100 trillion microbes (microorganisms) living in our gut. Ideally, most of these microbes are beneficial, there is lots of diversity (different types of bacteria), and no overgrowth of pathogens (really bad bugs). These microbes are mostly bacteria, but yeast and viruses are present too. Some of these microbes have health benefits for the host (that’s you), some cause health problems, and some don’t do either. This ecosystem is called our microbiome, and when our microbiome is out of balance, problems will emerge.  Unfortunately, most of us have too many pathogens, not enough beneficial microbes, and not enough diversity.

What’s important to realize about these microbes is that they run the show. They participate in or control all of our bodily functions, including:

  • nutrient digestion and absorption
  • protecting the interior lining of the digestive tract
  • how hungry or full we feel
  • what foods we crave
  • how well we utilize calories (metabolism)
  • how we detox
  • inflammation levels
  • how much neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) we make
  • our weight
  • our mood
  • our behavior
  • our ability to fight germs
  • how well we can focus
  • how tired we are
  • how our genes are expressed

The research on how these gut microbes affect illness is overwhelming. It is hard to find a medical condition for which the microbiome is NOT the underlying issue. Below is a list to illustrate this point.

Symptoms and diseases that are caused by or linked to an imbalanced microbiome: (and this is not even a complete list)

  • Bloating
  • Distension
  • Belching
  • Gas
  • Heartburn, reflux, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Pain and cramps
  • Lack of energy
  • Headaches and migraines
  • Frequent colds or illness
  • Memory problems
  • Joint pain
  • Bad breath
  • Hormone imbalances
  • Acne
  • Dizziness
  • Insomnia
  • Stuffy nose
  • Inability to lose weight
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
  • Inflammatory bowel disease: Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis
  • Celiac disease
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Lupus
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Arthritis
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD/ADD)
  • Autism
  • Asthma
  • Allergies
  • Tantrums in toddlers
  • Behavior problems in older kids
  • Chronic fatigue syndrome
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Eczema
  • Psoriasis
  • Cancer
  • Diabetes (both types)
  • Heart disease
  • Hypothyroid
  • Hashimoto’s disease
  • Grave’s disease
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
  • Endometriosis
  • Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
  • Overweight
  • Obesity

The influence that gut microbes have cannot be overstated. They are the root cause and solution for most health troubles. They are the answer.

Take IBS as an example. Irritable bowel syndrome affects 10-20% of the population. It is a collection of symptoms, such as diarrhea, constipation, bloating, and pain. When a patient presents these symptoms, a doctor will order conventional tests for all the diseases that might cause these symptoms. If all the tests come back negative, and therefore diseases are ruled out, the patient is diagnosed with IBS. It is a diagnosis of exclusion. It is the name for the bucket of symptoms. Often patients are told there is nothing wrong with them and are sent on their merry way. Sometimes prescriptions are given to deal with diarrhea, spasms, and motility issues, but these are merely bandages. IBS is an awful thing to live with. The hopelessness that comes with the idea that there is no treatment or cure is almost too much to bear. Well, guess what’s really going on with IBS? It is the result of gut bacteria imbalance, leaky gut, a hypersensitive gut-brain axis, and food sensitivities/intolerances. These are all things I cover in great detail in this book. If these things are addressed, IBS can be resolved! I resolve my clients’ IBS every day. There is hope!

Let’s look at another example: Celiac disease, a condition where the intestines are completely damaged from eating gluten. For this condition doctors will indeed say that food matters. They tell their patients to stop eating gluten and send them on their merry way. Now, giving up gluten is an absolutely necessary first step, but it isn’t the end of the story. We now know, due to research, that gut bacteria cause celiac in the first place, and these need to be killed and replaced with beneficial microbes. Also, the damage to the lining of the gut needs to be healed (no small feat) and nutrients need to be replenished.

My eBook is intended to give you hope and a new perspective on your health. It is full of crucial information to guide you in healing your gut, and thus healing every condition on the list above.

 

Health Takes Guts®: Your Comprehensive Guide to Eliminating Digestive Issues, Anxiety, and Fatigue

Fix the root problem or dampen symptoms?

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We are approaching the one year anniversary of the release of my eBook: Health Takes Guts® Your Comprehensive Guide to Eliminating Digestive Issues, Anxiety, and Fatigue. In honor of that, I am going to publish the introduction of the eBook over two blog posts. Here is the first half of the introduction to my book. Enjoy!

So many people have unwanted unpleasant symptoms. Are you one of them? Do you want to stop feeling like crap? Of course, you do, but how? The way to do this is to fix the underlying cause of your problem. Treating symptoms while not searching for and treating the source of the problem is like using a bandage. Which makes more sense: taking a pain killer for a shard of glass in your thigh, or removing the shard of glass?

Conventional medicine is really good at some things. Personally, I can say that doctors have saved my life on more than one occasion. However, conventional medicine is not always useful for getting to the bottom of why certain illnesses are happening. Many conventional treatments are aimed at helping to ease symptoms and they fail to address the root causes.

Enter functional medicine and functional nutrition, which are focused on uncovering the underlying causes of symptoms in order to address and resolve the problem at its source.

When clients come to me, they tend to say the same types of things:

  • Their doctors don’t believe that diet matters
    • How can food, that stuff you put INTO your body all day every day, not matter? In fact, there is a ton of evidence that it does matter and can hurt or heal.
  • Their doctors don’t address their suffering because there’s nothing ‘wrong’ with them (this happens with: IBS, anxiety, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and so on) according to test results
  • Their doctors say there is no treatment for their problem, this illness is something to just live with, this isn’t something that can be fixed
  • Their doctors give them five different prescriptions—one for each symptom—with no attempt to address what is CAUSING the symptoms, and, of course, these prescriptions cause their own side effects.

Bloating, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, depression, pain (anywhere in body), skin rashes, hormone imbalances, and brain fog are symptoms. A symptom is an indication that something is going on in the body. A symptom is not the answer as to what is going on, it is a clue. Getting a prescription to dampen these symptoms doesn’t fix the reason why the symptoms are happening. That is like clearing smoke out of a burning room without putting out the fire.

Doesn’t putting out the fire sound like a better idea?

Well, that’s what this book is all about—resolving the problems at the root of your symptoms.

And what’s the root of most health problems? The gut.

Stay tuned for the second half of the introduction!

IBS vs IBD

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It is a confusing topic. One that comes up a LOT in my world. People don’t know what IBS is or what IBD is or what the difference is. Why would you? I get it. Even health professionals say it wrong. (I have heard trained colleagues call it irritable bowel disease. Not it). So, let’s clear it up!

IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Irritable bowel describes the syndrome of symptoms; bloating, diarrhea, constipation, pain. This is a syndrome not a disease because there is nothing ‘wrong’ with the digestive tract. On all medical tests, people with IBS come up ‘normal’. They don’t have another diagnosis so the doctors call it IBS and send them on their way. Why? Because in conventional medicine, IBS is a group of symptoms for which there is no cause or treatment. (This couldn’t be more wrong. Those of us in the functional medicine world know that there are several causes of IBS, all treatable.) These symptoms might be happening because of an imbalance in the microbiome, damage to the intestinal wall (leaky gut), food sensitivities or intolerances, or a sensitive gut-brain connection (stress and emotions cause the symptoms).

IBD stands for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. These diseases include Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis. Crohn’s can affect any part of the digestive tract, but usually the latter part of the small intestine. Colitis is only ever in the colon. People with IBD have visible inflammation and ulcers on the inside of their GI tract. These diseases are auto-immune, where the person’s own immune system is attacking the intestine. The symptoms include pain, bloating, diarrhea, weight loss, fever, and fatigue. The disease shows up on the conventional medicine tests. And the primary conventional treatment is anti-inflammatories and immune suppressants. But the patients all have the same underlying problems as stated above (imbalance in microbiome and leaky gut, etc) in addition to the self-driven inflammation.

Both conditions can be miserable to live with. But both are very treatable and manageable with diet, supplements, and other lifestyle interventions. For more information about how to treat these issues, check out my eBook!

woman breathing on the beach

Treatment for PCOS

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Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common hormonal endocrine disorder in women of childbearing age, affecting approximately 5 million women in the United States.(1,2) It is also the most common cause of ovulatory infertility but research shows that lifestyle changes can help restore ovulation and improve pregnancy rates.(3) High androgens (“male hormones”) like testosterone, high insulin/insulin resistance, and low progesterone are just some of the clinical markers of PCOS.(4) Symptoms include irregular and/or a painful menstrual cycle or no menses, facial hair, acne, infertility, and balding.(5) The term PCOS can be misleading as not all women with PCOS have ovarian cysts. Another common misconception is that all women with PCOS are overweight or obese, however, there are plenty of women (about 20%) with a “normal” BMI who are diagnosed with PCOS.(6) Regardless of BMI, a combination of diet, lifestyle, and supplements should be the primary treatment choices for addressing PCOS.

It is estimated that 50-70% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance(2) so making some simple changes to the diet like eating protein with each meal can help to stabilize blood sugar.  Sleep disturbances and obstructive sleep apnea are also common in women with PCOS and since sleep affects a variety of things including hunger hormones and insulin resistance, making sure to get adequate z’s is an important part of treatment.(7-10) Stress is an equally important factor to address and is even a potential cause of PCOS. Stress can cause the disruption or total loss of menstrual function in women (11) and as we know has an effect on everything else in our lives from what we eat to how much we sleep.

For these reasons we recommend treatment that focuses on the following 5 factors:

  1. Diet
  2. Sleep
  3. Stress
  4. Supplements
  5. Self-care
  6. The gut

Diet

  • Focus on whole foods with a variety of fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans/legumes, meat, fish, poultry, and oils
  • Limit starchy processed carbohydrates (high amounts increase insulin & trigger inflammation)
  • Have carbohydrates, fat, and protein at each meal to help stabilize blood sugar
  • Aim for 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½ cups of vegetables each day
  • Consume up to 6 ounces a day of whole grains like brown/wild rice, rolled oats, bulgur, and quinoa
  • Include healthy fats like olive oil, olives, avocado, nuts, nut butter, seeds, eggs, and fish
  • Use cinnamon which has been shown to improve insulin resistance and dyslipidemia
  • Add garlic to your diet to reduce total cholesterol and triglycerides, just one clove a day shows improvement! (12)

Sleep

  • Aim for between 7-9 hours a night (If you don’t feel rested with 7, you may need more.)
  • Choose a relaxing bedtime routine and aim to turn off electronics 30 minutes to one hour before you go to bed
  • If you have a hard time falling asleep consider taking a supplement like magnesium glycinate

Stress

  • Take 5 deep breaths when you feel stressed to remind yourself that you’re okay!
  • Take some time, even a few minutes, to practice yoga poses
  • Make a list of what needs to be done so you don’t have to think about it
  • Keep areas free of clutter to calm the mind

Supplements (5, 13-15)

  • D-chiro-inositol (DCI) & Myo-inositol (MYO) – helps with: Ovulation, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, androgen lowering, hypertension
  • N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) – helps with: Insulin resistance, infertility, inflammation, androgen-lowering, dyslipidemia, bronchitis, & immune support
  • Chromium Picolinate – helps with: improving glucose and insulin
  • Cinnamon Cassia – helps with: decreasing HbA1c and fasting glucose
  • Fish oil – helps with: Anti-inflammatory, dyslipidemia, hypertension, depression, androgen lowering, infertility, insulin resistance, Fatty Liver Disease
  • Magnesium, Vitamin D, and B12 – helps with: insulin resistance, infertility, dyslipidemia
  • Various herbs such as licorice, chasteberry, and milk thistle have been effective in the treatment of PCOS.
  • Many of these supplements can be found on my online dispensary

Self-care (16, 17)

  • Make the time to acknowledge your needs
  • Examples include taking a bath, sipping a hot cup of tea, or going shopping
  • Self-care is shown to improve health outcomes
  • Mindfulness, bringing one’s attention to the present moment, can help with all of these components and has been shown to improve outcomes in women with PCOS.(18,19)

The Gut (20,21)

The research on the gut and PCOS is strong and growing more astounding by the month. An unbalanced microbiome is the root cause of most hormonal issues. And fixing the gut is an evidenced-based solution for PCOS. For more on how PCOS and the gut are related and how to fix your gut, check out my eBook!

Every person is different and will need an individualized plan which is why working with a registered dietitian nutritionist who understands your needs and specializes in PCOS is so important.  Remember, it is our patterns over time that impact our health so don’t feel pressured to make all of these changes at once.  Making changes to an already busy life is stressful in and of itself so pick one of the five factors to start with and focus on that! For more information and help, read my eBook.

References

  1. How many people are affected or at risk for PCOS?. Nichdnihgov. 2017. Available at: https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/PCOS/conditioninfo/Pages/risk.aspx. Accessed November 7, 2017.
  2. Grassi A. 30 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PCOS. PCOS Nutrition. 2017. Available at: http://www.pcosnutrition.com/facts/. Accessed November 7, 2017.
  3. LEGRO R. Pregnancy Considerations in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2007;50(1):295-304. doi:10.1097/grf.0b013e31803057ed.
  4. Sirmans S, Pate K. Epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of polycystic ovary syndrome. Clinical Epidemiology. 2013:1. doi:10.2147/clep.s37559.
  5. Grassi A. Popular Supplements For PCOS. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-1AdyQf8ICwTXAtdzJLc0RXT1k/edit; 2017.
  6. Marshall J, Dunaif A. All Women With PCOS Should Be Treated For Insulin Resistance. Fertility and Sterility. 2012;97(1):18-22. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2011.11.036.
  7. Moran L, March W, Whitrow M, Giles L, Davies M, Moore V. Sleep disturbances in a community-based sample of women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Human Reproduction. 2014;30(2):466-472. doi:10.1093/humrep/deu318.
  8. Helvaci N, Karabulut E, Demir A, Yildiz B. Polycystic ovary syndrome and the risk of obstructive sleep apnea: a meta-analysis and review of the literature. Endocrine Connections. 2017;6(7):437-445. doi:10.1530/ec-17-0129.
  9. Donga E, van Dijk M, van Dijk J et al. A Single Night of Partial Sleep Deprivation Induces Insulin Resistance in Multiple Metabolic Pathways in Healthy Subjects. Endocrinology. 2010;151(5):2399-2399. doi:10.1210/endo.151.5.9998.
  10. Why Is Sleep Important?. Nhlbinihgov. 2017. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why. Accessed November 7, 2017.
  11. Berga S, Loucks T. Stress Induced Anovulation. Emory University School of Medicine; 2007. Available at: http://booksite.elsevier.com/brochures/stress/PDFs/berga.pdf. Accessed November 7, 2017.
  12. Zeng T, Guo F, Zhang C, Song F, Zhao X, Xie K. A meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials for the effects of garlic on serum lipid profiles. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 2012;92(9):1892-1902. doi:10.1002/jsfa.5557.
  13. Regidor P, Schindler A. Myoinositol as a Safe and Alternative Approach in the Treatment of Infertile PCOS Women: A German Observational Study. International Journal of Endocrinology. 2016;2016:1-5. doi:10.1155/2016/9537632.
  14. Grassi A. THE 4 BEST SUPPLEMENTS FOR FERTILITY. PCOS Nutrition. 2017. Available at: http://www.pcosnutrition.com/4-best-supplements-fertility/. Accessed November 7, 2017.
  15. Goswami P, Khale A, Ogale S. Natural Remedies for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) : A Review.IntJPharmPhytopharmacolRes. 2012;1(6):396-402.
  16. Lorig K, Sobel D, Laurent D, Hobbs M. Effect of a self-management program on patients with chronic disease. Effective Clinical Practice : ECP. 2001;4(6):256-262. doi:11769298.
  17. Adams R. Improving health outcomes with better patient understanding and education. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy. 2010:61. doi:10.2147/rmhp.s7500.
  18. Stefanaki C, Bacopoulou F, Livadas S et al. Impact of a mindfulness stress management program on stress, anxiety, depression and quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. Stress. 2014;18(1):57-66. doi:10.3109/10253890.2014.974030.
  19. Raja-Khan N, Agito K, Shah J et al. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for overweight/obese women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome: Design and methods of a pilot randomized controlled trial.Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2015;41:287-297. doi:10.1016/j.cct.2015.01.021.
  20. Association between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Gut Microbiota.Guo Y1, Qi Y1, Yang X1, Zhao L1, Wen S1, Liu Y1, Tang L1.
  21. Dysbiosis of Gut Microbiota (DOGMA)–a novel theory for the development of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.Tremellen K1, Pearce K.

 

*This is a non-sponsored post written by Crystal Longo Savoy

How to Lose Weight-the secret that you don’t know

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Have you tried numerous diets and even when sticking to them with perfect discipline, still can’t seem to lose weight? Well, within the last few years, research has revealed a fundamental breakthrough that could be the key to weight loss…a healthy microbiome!

What is the Microbiome?

I have written about the microbiome many times (here, here, here) as well as in my eBook. But let’s refresh our memories.

The microbiome is made up of trillions of non-human microbes that govern our gastrointestinal tract. The microbes are a combination of bacteria (both good and bad), yeast (both good and bad), and some viruses and other microbes. Bacteria make up the majority of the microbiota and we hope, ideally, that we have more good than bad bacteria.

The bacteria have many roles: digesting our food, controlling our appetite, metabolism, and immune system, as well as cuing our body to store fat. They can also affect our mood and how genes are expressed. The microbiome make up about 90% of all your cells, and they are not human. The microbiome is an entirely separate ecology that works in conjunction with the rest of our body’s processes. When the bacteria and organisms of our microbiome function at optimal levels, so do we. But when our microbiome is out of balance due to things like damaged intestinal walls, too much bad bacteria, not enough of the good bacteria, and stress, our microbiome suffers, and we will feel the effects. With lots of bad bacteria, our gut often craves sugar and can be responsible for: an individuals inability to lose weight, increased fatigue, anxiety, depression, brain fog, headaches, acne, congestion, frequent colds and infections, joint pain, and muscle pain- many things you may not realized were linked to our gut! In fact, an unhealthy microbiome is linked to ALL illnesses and diseases.

When damaged, healing our microbiome and keeping it balanced is essential to our overall health. A healthy microbiome ensures we digest our food properly and get the vitamins and minerals we need.

Research shows our microbiome is tremendously dynamic and can change composition within 24 hours in response to stress, antibiotics, and illness, and can also change within weeks or days in response to diet, supplements, and exercise. The typical western-American diet is full of highly processed high fat and sugary foods which feed the bad bacteria and yeast.
The microbiome and your weight

Some scientists have argued that the destruction of the microbiome is a huge factor behind the obesity epidemic. There was a study done on mice, where germ free mice were given gut bacteria from an obese person and the mice became obese. What are some of the ways this happens?

  1. An unbalanced microbiome can negatively affect our immune system leading to inflammation. Inflammation is an immune system response that can lead to weight gain.
  2. An unbalanced microbiome has lead to damage of the intestinal wall creating a problem called Leaky gut. Leaky gut is a condition where the tight junctions of your intestinal wall open allowing contents/food to leak through. This causes the immune system to attack foods that normally would be healthy, leading to even more inflammation. In addition to inflammation, the research shows leaky gut leads to: impaired glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, obesity, and contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases, autoimmunity and carcinogenesis. (Study: The role of dysbacteriosis in obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes and metabolic syndrome)
  3. An unbalanced microbiome can disrupt our hormonal balance. As a result, the hormones that make you feel full or hungry are out of sync, making it hard for you to notice when you are full or have eaten enough. (Study: Gut microbes affect satiety-inducing signaling leading to weight gain)
  4. Some bacteria species can extract MORE calories from the same foods, compared to other bacteria species. (Study: Bacteria causing weight gain are thought to induce the expression of genes related to lipid and carbohydrate metabolism thereby leading to greater energy harvest from the diet. )
  5. Bacteria can influence the way your cells store and release fat. (study:  Gut Microbiota interacts with the individual’s epithelial cells to indirectly control energy expenditure and storage.

All these things can cause the body to gain weight.

What to do

Fortunately there are things we can do to heal our guts back to health! In my practice I use the 5 R program which is more rigorous that what is described below (and in my eBook) but it is comprehensive and personalized. And it works! But what is described below is a good general plan for a lot of people.

  1. Eliminate the processed, high fat, sugary foods in our diet. By eliminating the processed foods and sugar we stop feeding the bad bacterial in the gut.
  2. Eat a lot of vegetables and fibers. These feed the good bacteria.
  3. Be sure to eat healthy fats such as avocado, fish, olive oil and nuts. These are good for the gut but also keep up your metabolism while you ‘diet’.
  4. Eat fermented foods such as kefir and sauerkraut. These fermented foods have tons of beneficial bacteria.
  5. Take a probiotic. (good bacteria in a concentrated pill form)

What is a good probiotic?

  • Can make it through stomach acid with the microbes still alive
  • Contains many (5-14) strains of bacteria
  • Has 25-225 billion CFUs
  • Some specific strains to look for:
    • Acidophilus
    • Plantarum
    • Rhamnosis
    • Gasseri
    • Bifido bacteria (many good strains)

Getting a good probiotic at the store is difficult. I recommend Klaire Labs or Pure Encapsulations, both of which can only be bought through a health care practitioner. Feel free to use patient assess code “dianne” at emersonecologics.com to order whatever you need.

Fibromyalgia and the Gut

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Protected individual repelling bacteria and viruses show on tablet made in 3d software isolated on white

 

And yet another connection between the gut and a seemingly unrelated condition: Fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia describes a condition where a person experiences widespread musculoskeletal pain. Similar to IBS, a total work up is done, and if Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus or other diagnoses are ruled out, and there is nothing tangibly ‘wrong’, then a diagnosis of exclusion is given to explain the symptoms.  There are 18 tender points, and if 11 or more hurt for 3 months or more, that’s fibromyalgia. The symptoms of fibromyalgia don’t stop at musculoskeletal pain. They also include fatigue, brain fog, and memory issues. Fibromyalgia can begin suddenly after a trauma, surgery, infection or psychological stress, or it can come on slowly with no triggering event. There is usually a genetic predisposition.

Fibromyalgia seems to affect the way the brain processes pain. This is yet another similarity to IBS, where there are overactive pain signals, an overactive immune system and a hypersensitivity to pain.

But here is the third and most astonishing similarity: nearly all fibromyalgia patients have IBS and Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth! In the case of these patients, the bacteria release toxins that get into the blood stream (b/c of damage to the GI track) and this causes the pain and sensitivity to pain.

If you have fibromyalgia, get to the root of the problem: your gut.

The Great and Powerful Microbiome

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I have written about the microbiome before. Those trillions of bacteria, viruses and yeasts that live in and on us that are absolutely crucial to our health. If we have beneficial microbes, we have health. If we have harmful microbes, we are sick. But I am not talking about getting food poisoning and being sick for a few days. I am talking about having an imbalance of good to bad microbes in your gut that causes subtle but serious damage to your health. There is growing evidence (daily) that these bugs are the number one influence on your health (or lack of it).

Just to give you an idea, here is an incomplete list of what the microbiome has influence over:

Here is a partial list of disorders that have been linked to dysbiosis (having too many bad bacteria and not enough good):

I hope that you respect those little powerful bugs and appreciate the importance of acquiring and maintaining gut balance to promote health.

Happy Bugs?

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New research comes out every day showing the benefits of probiotics and beneficial microbes. I make it a point to keep up with this news, so I can better serve my clients and sharpen my expertise. I also INTEND to share these amazing research findings on this blog, but the research is coming out faster than I can post!

Two new studies that confirm what we already knew: that your gut microbes affect your emotional state.

One study (triple-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial) gave subjects probiotics (with multiple strands of bacteria) or placebo for 4 weeks. The subjects in the probiotic group experienced a significantly reduced overall cognitive reactivity to sad mood compared to the placebo group. The reduced overall cognitive reactivity was accompanied by less rumination and fewer aggressive thoughts.

Another study had three groups of participants. One received yogurt with active microbes and a placebo capsule, one received probiotics and yogurt without active bacteria and one received yogurt without active bacteria and a placebo cap. The two groups who actually got probiotics and bacteria experienced significant improvement in the general health questionnaire and depression anxiety and stress scale score.

Got Sauerkraut?

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And the third Fermented Food: Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut is an effective way to get your probiotics without worrying about FODMAPs or dairy. There are FODMAPs in cabbage but the bacteria eat them in the fermentation process. Bacteria basically ferment the FODMAPs in a jar instead of in your intestines. It is relatively easy to make your own sauerkraut with cabbage and salt. After shredding and pounding the cabbage, the salt pulls water out of the cabbage and creates the brine. And it can be left in a loosely sealed jar (to let the gas escape) for 2-3 weeks. If you buy sauerkraut, make sure the product is jarred and needs refrigeration. That indicates live organisms. Canned sauerkraut has had all the microbes killed in the canning process. Start with ¼ of a teaspoon a day and work your way up to as much as you can tolerate several times a day.

mage courtesy of Lavoview at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Got Kefir?

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In the second in my Fermented Foods series: Kefir.

Kefir is a thick fermented milk beverage. Like yogurt, kefir also has the protein and calcium, however the method of fermentation and the types of organisms differ from yogurt. A kefir grain is used in the fermentation process and the products of that process are 1% alcohol as well as yeast.

You can find Kefir at most health food grocery stores.

Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti at FreeDigitalPhotos.net