What’s in your Gut --- It’s more than a feeling.

Have you ever had a Gut Feeling? Or maybe you told someone that you, Should have listened to your Gut. Come to find out there may be more truth to that, than we thought.

With more than Five feet of bowel in our gut, it has in important story to tell and maybe we should listen more often.

Up to 80% of our immune cells are in the lining of our bowels.

Between 80 - 100 Trillion bacterial microbes make the bowels their home. That’s almost enough to fill up a quart jar. (32 ounces, 4 cups or One Liter for those that need a better picture.)
Those bacteria or bugs as some of us call them, are both good and bad. When the good out number the bad or are close to equal in number, things go as planned. When they don’t we begin to experience changes. Some we notice right away, some we blame on other things in life and others may go unnoticed or undiagnosed for years.

Bodily changes that we may have or notice are; Occasional or Frequent Constipation
Occasional or Frequent Diarrhea
Sour Stomach Heartburn Acid Reflux Gas Cramping Bloating Bad Breath Increased Sweating
Dark Circles around the Eyes Headaches Fatigue Joint Pain Body Aches Weight Gain Frequent Colds or Flu’s Skin Rashes Sinus Problems Allergies Urinary Tact Infections Yeast Infections Acne

Doctors and Scientists from around the world have shown that humans have very serious Bowel Problems.

Autopsies have shown that most people have 10 - 20 pounds of Rotten, Decaying and hardened gunk in their bowels.

Autopsies have also revealed that the normal bowel of 2 -3 inches in circumference is often distended to 2 times its normal size, with some up to 12 inches. Now that’s a lot of crud!

So how did we get to this point? How did we let the bad BUGS take over? Here are some things that affect our bowels.
Stress Inactivity Poor Water Intake Poor Diet Smoking Increased Alcohol Daily Toxins from the air, water food & personal care products we use Use of Medications like Birth Control, Steroids, Antacids, Etc. Use of Antibiotics (from up to 20 years ago)

So now that I can honestly say, “I think we all fit in these categories somewhere“. What is my answer or my suggestion. What do I encourage every one (and I mean every one) of my patients to do.

Do some research and start taking Probiotics, these are the good bugs. Look for ones that have mutiple strains or types of bacteria. The more the better. It has been reported that the average healthy person needs between 5-10 billion and that any one that is sick, has health problems or has recently been on antibiotics take closer to 30 billion micro organisms of various strains. Eating Yogurt every day will not even get you close.

There has also been talk about Pre-biotics. These are the nutrients that help Probiotics do their job. Remember you car can’t run on gas alone, it needs oil, water, etc. Things in your body are the same, they work as a team.
Some Prebiotic - Rich Foods include;
Asparagus Peas Garlic Bananas Peanuts Herbs Onions Berries Tea Leeks Cherries Red Wine Oats Dark Chocolate Whole Wheat
Now like I always encourage; Do some more research. Decide where you fit in this very large picture of Bowel Problems, general health, bodily stressors and GET ON PROBIOTICS. Oh and don’t forget the kids. Probiotics are encouraged for children as young as Newborn.