What Affects Our Gut?

Part 2

We’re continuing our convo today on how digestive struggles like gut dysbiosis can occur.

The factors that play a role in our microbiome (straight copied from a PN article):

  • Age, gender, diet, geography, hygiene, stress and medication use.
  • ????Birthing method (C-section vs. vaginal delivery) and even first foods (breast milk vs. formula) can also determine what bacteria colonize our gut, with breast milk being an immunological asset, because it generally increases the number of friendly bacteria.
  • Using antibiotics can eliminate beneficial bacteria in our gut, creating a prime environment for yeast (Candida albicans) growth. Candida, in turn, can provoke inflammation and symptoms associated with IBS.
  • ????Low iron levels
  • Low carbohydrate diet
  • Excessive carbohydrate consumption can contribute to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (the bad kind), aka SIBO.
  • ????Fiber - Eating enough adds bulk and improves regularity, reducing our exposure to potentially dangerous compounds.
  • Our emotions - READ THAT AGAIN CUZ I DIDN'T MAKE THIS UP.

Clearly there are a ton of factors at play here. But let's spotlight the emotions factor real quick.

We learned a couple weeks ago in my stress post that according to the Centre for Disease Control around 85% of all diseases have an emotional element. Our gut is at the center of this - it acts as a courier and communicates with ALL the cells in our body. This means that if our digestion is impaired or we sense disturbances that then impair digestion - we'll potentially experience adverse effects in other systems. This is one reason why the gut is often called the "second brain" - we FEEL through our guts (how crazy is that? gut instincts are scientifically a thing).

Tomorrow we’ll finally get to the nitty gritty - what symptoms could be an indication that your gut needs some TLC and what you can do to provide an assist. Chief among them is getting some professional help on your team. Information is free and widely available - the question is are we applying the right things. A practitioner or coach ensures we are working to heal ourselves properly.

Let's return to health, together.