Microbiome Magic, Why You Should Care.

30 Jan Microbiome Magic, Why You Should Care.

I love a good magic show… I’m always in awe when I see Dynamo or Criss Angel or even an entertainer at a wedding, but a part of me knows it’s all an illusion. I also can’t help but look at the body and have that same feeling of awe… like it is magic.  All of these important processes are happening inside us every second without us knowing, we are the ones being entertained.

Your microbiome is the magician and influences the majority of your health. Learning what influence your microbiome has over your health is like unlocking the magician’s secrets. If you want me to spill the beans listen up.

Magic : “The power of apparently influencing events by using mysterious or supernatural forces”.

So where am I going with all of this???

We have had some pretty big breakthroughs in medical history and over the last 10 years has seen probably the biggest discovery in our lifetime. In 2008 a scientific study began (called The Human Microbiome Project) to profile all the bacterial species in the human microbiome and what role they play in our health. Since the beginning of that study we have gained so much insight into how our microbiome affects our health. Science calls this conglomerate of bacteria living in and on us the “microbiome”. When it comes to health if you nourish a healthy microbiome you can literally make magic happen with your health.

We have more bacterial cells than human cells so technically we are not the ones in charge, we are just along for the ride. However learn the magician’s tricks and you could learn to run the show.

Dr.Kellman (functional medical doctor and author of the microbiome diet) sums up the importance of your microbiome in such a simple way.

“The health of your microbiome orchestrates your health, controls your immune system, hormones, mood and weight” – Dr.R.Kellman

How can you argue with that?

This epic 10 year scientific study has really helped bring awareness to the importance of gut health and what roll your microbiome plays in the health of humans.

The majority of your microbiome is housed in your gut and really where all the magic happens so from here on out we are going to refer specifically to your gut biome and (as Dr Kellman puts it) dive into how it orchestrates your health.

Your gut is closely linked to your skin health and can be the cause of your acne, hormonal outbreaks, eczema, psoriasis and rashes. Your gut is so closely intertwined with your mental health and can affect your mood, anxiety and depression issues. Your gut health controls your weight, hormones (stress, sleep, fertility, hunger, thyroid), what nutrition you assimilate from your food and the health of your gut can induce food intolerances and autoimmune diseases if not kept in tip top shape. Keep it in tip top shape and eat with intention and you can have the ability to reverse issues you thought you were stuck with for life.

Thankfully another great scientific discovery was the discovery to sterilize our hands before undergoing medical procedures we (clearly referring to humanity) saw less infection and lower rates of death from medical procedures… what a genius discovery! But have we taken it too far??

These days it seems like we are doing everything in our power to sterilize and kill off ALL bacteria present in our lives… we spray our benchtops, spray toxic chemicals in the air, use antibacterial sanitizers and soaps, mouthwash and obliterate our gut bacteria with antibiotics. When you pick up a spray or soap you are actually doing a real disservice to your health because we cannot live in a sterile environment, when we kill all the bacteria you are killing the beneficial guys too. Let’s just be clear for a moment though, antibiotics are a lifesaver in some cases but when it is misused for insignificant ailments (and in food farming) antibiotics destroy your gut microbiome leaving you almost sterile, unprotected and with a compromised immune system, mouthwash disrupts your oral microbiome and antibacterial handwashes are seriously overused.

So what can you do about it?

Firstly educate yourself how you can nourish your gut biome, secondly stop and think about what could be compromising your bacterial diversity and thirdly think about ways you can  increase the diversity of bacteria in your gut.

I have had one hell of a health journey and if I could share one thing with you, it would be this…

“Learn to fall in love with your guts and it will change your life” – Sarah Lloyd (Welcoming Wellness)

• Eat for the love of your gut, nurture your gut health and create an environment that is going to let the beneficial bacteria thrive in your gut so they can protect you. Approx 70-80% of your immune system is housed in your gut so it is imperative for a healthy immune system. Think twice before reaching for sugary processed foods because they will damage your gut lining, feed the undesirable (health hindering) bacteria and override the good guys.
• Remove toxic chemicals from your life that you breathe and bathe in. A lot of chemicals in the beauty industry are not actually tested for human safety and a lot of them are detrimental to your gut and skin biome. If you need to take antibiotics make sure that it is a last resort (because they are commonly over prescribed) and really look at replenishing your gut bacteria with probiotics and fermented foods if you need to take antibiotics.
• I thought I tried everything to get my hormones back in working order and was running out of money to treat myself with expensive doctors appointment and supplements… nothing seemed to help until I addressed my gut health and microbiome. Learning to increase the diversity of my gut bacteria with fermented foods was the single most effective thing I did that not only helped to balance out my hormones but it also helped a plethora of health issues I had. While it didn’t happen overnight, I can now look back at the long list of items that I no longer battle with daily. I was dealing with post pill amenorrhea (loss of period), acne, anxiety, poor sleep, brain fog, fatigue, rashes, multiple food intolerances, mood swings and if I had of gone to a conventional Doc, they would still be sitting in their chair (3 yrs later) looking for a pill to give me and wondering where to start.

The most amazing component to the microbiome is that we no longer need to focus on treating one symptom, the body can’t be broken down into compartments to treat a symptom, everything is connected. Thankfully medicine is finally coming around to realise that we need to look at nourishing our gut health and mastering our microbiome because it truly orchestrates our health.

I have only scratched the surface on some of the issues that correlate to the health of your gut and your microbiome. So the choice is yours… be a bystander in your health and watch it unfold both good and bad OR learn the magician’s tricks and learn to master your microbiome and welcome wellness into your life.