Microbiome is a Must. With Steven Horne, RH(AHG), CCII

Transcription

1 Microbiome is a Must With Steven Horne, RH(AHG), CCII

2 Good Practices, Bad Explanations Many of our traditional practices result in better health, but often our explanations of what they are doing, or how they work, are incorrect.

3 Old School Thought on Colon Cleansing

4 Understanding the Gut New research is confirming what herbalists and traditional healers have known for a long time Gut health is essential to good health

5 First Line of Immune Defense Dr. Henry Bieler, MD, author of Food is Your Best Medicine, called the mucus membranes of the gut the first line of immune defense Research is confirming this is true The GI tract is the primary home of the innate immune system

6 Friendly Microbes Not all microbes are Bad! Bacteria in the soil break down minerals and make nutrients available to plants Soil with more microbes actually produces healthier crops Beneficial bacteria also create fermented foods like yogurt There are plenty of good yeasts, too Yeasts and molds are important for soil health Yeasts cause bread to rise, beer and wine to ferment, and help produce certain kinds of cheese

7 Are We Germ-O-Phobic? Advertising prompts us to disinfect everything in order to protect our health This can actually be harmful to our health Children raised in highly sterile homes have more problems with allergies and asthma their immune systems are weaker Also, the highest risk for catching an infection is a hospital

8 Factors Which Can Disrupt Friendly Gut Flora Antibiotics Prescription corticosteroids (e.g. prednisone) Prescription hormones (like birth control pills) NSAIDS (ASA, ibuprofen, indomethacin) and aspirin Chlorinated water

9 How Do Probiotics Protect Us? Friendly bacteria are a critical part of the immune defense of the gut A diverse gut flora helps to regulate the entire immune system How does this happen?

10 Understanding Microbes Our current methods of studying microbes don t reflect how microbes actually live and interact with us For example, they do not live naturally in nutrient rich petri dishes and flasks Healthy microbes in the gut are not free floating The colonize the mucus membrane linings as a biofilm

11 Biofilm Microbes live naturally in biofilms communities that may consist of one or several species of bacteria Examples of biofilm include: Dental plaque Fuzzy material on the roots of plants Pond scum Intestinal microbes (probiotics)

12 Understanding Biofilm Gathering of one or more species of sessile (permanently attached) organisms, encased in a self produced matrix of hydrated exopolysaccharides, criss-crossed by microchannels that allow nutrient and water flow Organisms co-operate and communicate with each other for protection Microbes living in biofilm are different than free-floating organisms. Biofilm organisms co-operate to defend themselves against disinfectants and antibiotics, phagocytes and even our own immune system This helps explain the problem of recurring infections yeast,

13 Establishing Gut Biofilm Occurs through breast feeding Immune system transports bacteria from the intestines to the breast milk to introduce intestinal microbes to infants Mother s milk also contains prebiotics

14 Fermented Foods All traditional cultures ate cultured vegetables, fruit and sometimes dairy Fermented foods supply enzymes and probiotics that greatly enhance digestion and immunity Adding fermented foods to your diet can be very beneficial if you have any kind of GI tract problem You can use probiotic supplements to make fermented vegetables

15 Microbial Biofilm Mucus Microvilli Your First Line of Immune Defense

16 Dysbiosis Imbalances in the friendly flora can cause fermentation in the small intestines This results in gas, bloating, foul belching and other signs of indigestion

17 Sugars and Dysbiosis Disaccharides are sugars like lactose (milk sugar), sucrose (table sugar) and isomaltose (starch) These sugars are broken down by enzymes in the small intestines for absorption Overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestines damages the enzymes that break down disaccharides This causes disaccharide sugars, such as to sit in the intestines, unabsorbed. This unabsorbed sugars and starches feed bacteria in the small intestines, who then produce gas and acids. Bloating, constipation, diarrhea and gut irritation follow

18 Steps to Restoring a Healthy Microbiome Ensure adequate HCl and enzymes Reduce undesirable organisms Avoid refined sugars and flour Be careful with medications Use herbs and supplements which rebalance gut flora Repopulate the gut with friendly bacteria Feed the friendly flora with prebiotics