Why is your gut (a.k.a the microbiome) so important?
The classic Chinese medicine principle goes, “one disease, many symptoms, one symptom, many diseases.”
The key to all of the digestive issues, skin irritations, hormonal imbalances, anxiety, depression, autoimmune diseases, lack of energy, or any other puzzling symptoms happens to be linked to our gut flora. That’s right! The microbes that live in our digestive system help us to thrive as humans. Eastern medicine and, now, Western medical research reveals that these little critters are responsible for so much more than we ever thought possible and are the missing key to healing our minds, bodies, and spirit.
If we are not taking care of our digestive ecosystem, we begin to starve the beneficial bacteria and other microbes of their essential nutrients. Pathogens, harmful bacteria, and toxins take over and begin to damage the thin lining of our intestinal tract leading to something commonly known as a leaky gut.
Would you be surprised if I told you that only a very small percentage of you is actually human? At least half of what you consider to be your body is not human at all. In fact, its trillions of cells known as the human microbiome.
These little critters play many roles as the gateway to our health. First, they influence our stress response, immune system, hormonal balance, cravings, sleep, inflammation, digestion, assimilation, and elimination (our poop!). Secondly, they act as our guardians while they detect and remove harmful bacteria that create diseases and break down toxins from our food and environment. They also produce vitamins and minerals absorbed by our bodies and create hormones such as serotonin. Thus, we rely on them greatly to feel comfortable in our bodies and our minds.
We are unknowingly killing off colonies of our beneficial bacteria with modern food and environmental toxins. Leaving our intestines vulnerable. Long-standing damage to the intestinal lining leads to leaky gut and systemic inflammation, which is the culprit of many of the symptoms we experience as mysterious illnesses. Not to mention, it makes it hard to digest food that is good for us, like vegetables and whole grains.
Common disorders associated with leaky gut are bloating and digestive issues like SIBO and Candida, immune deficiencies leading to autoimmune disease, fatigue, allergies, brain fog, joint pain, eczema, and psoriasis, along with depression and anxiety. Eventually leading to chronic diseases. The list of symptoms continues to grow as more people experience a range of discomfort. A leaky gut is more common than you think and the root of many modern health problems.
