Gut health is pretty accepted these days thanks to some amazing advances in science.
The Human Microbiome Project launched in 2007, and since then, data has been flowing out about the role of bacteria in our gut, the effects of antibiotics, how the gut is linked to our mental health, and how probiotics can treat a number of diseases.
It’s exciting times for sure!
Today I want to dive into the signs of a toxic gut and how it affects metabolism – lets check it out!
What is the Microbiome?
Microbiome is a term that describes the genome of all the microorganisms, symbiotic and pathogenic, living in and on all vertebrates. The gut microbiome is comprised of the collective genome of microbes inhabiting the gut including bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi. All parts of our body have their own ideal microbiome – such as our skin, our eyes, our teeth and our sinuses!
Today I am referring only to the GUT microbiome.
Can our gut really affect our mood?
>>> Your microbiome is a key player in maintaining proper hormone balance. If your gut is out of balance, you can lose 20 percent of thyroid hormone activation! That means 1/5 less energy, slower metabolism, more hair loss, more brain fog, and of course, more weight gain.
Thyroid hormones affect our mood, and when they are low, depression and anxiety can set in.
>>> 90% of the body’s serotonin (our feel good hormone) is made in our gut by bacteria.
>>> Stress will affect our microbiome. The hormone cortisol changes the environment in the gut, allowing certain things to grown, and others to decline. Too much of this leads to dysbiosis – an unhealthy balance of gut microbes that result in negative health conditions.
What YOU eat feeds your gut bacteria
A diet higher in refined foods, sugars, carbs, grains, and artificial additives actually FEEDS bad bacteria, yeasts, moulds and fungi, whilst simultaneously starving the beneficial bacteria.
Instead, eat a natural diet full of fresh fruit and vegetables, and your bacteria will remain robust and keep you happy!
The role of the microbiome in Weight Loss
Gut bacteria can influence our weight in a number of ways. The reduction of t4 to active T3 hormone conversion is a major factor.
One study discovered two dominant types of bacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes, were different in obese and lean subjects. The microbiome in obese mice could harvest more energy from food than their lean counterparts. They also found that this effect could be transmitted. Colonising lean mice with microbiota from obese individuals significantly increased total body fat. This study indicates that the gut microbiome plays an important role in obesity.
The microbiome also affects insulin resistance, inflammation, and fat deposition in the body.
Getting answers
Functional pathology is designed to pick up these changes and show the practitioner what is needed to correct it.
Hormones that are affected by your microbiome and need to be tested to see if they are a concern include: 3-point cortisol pattern, insulin, fT3, rT3, CRP.
Dysbiosis organisms generally house themselves in biofilms, keeping them safe from your immune system, and any antimicrobial foods or medicines you take. These take longer courses of treatment to resolve, but we have several excellent botanicals that break down biofilms and destroy the pathogens.
What is different about an individualised detox?
An individualised detox will treat you exactly as you need to be treated. Thorough pathology will highlight nutrient deficiencies and excesses, hormone status, and energy factors, meaning that all these things are getting addresses at the same time.
This is especially important if you have tried diets, or other treatments yet still have the following symptoms:
- Fatigue
- Weight gain on the belly
- Mood changes – more depressed or anxious
- Sleep issues – trouble dropping off to sleep, staying asleep or waking tired
- Hair shedding or loss, brittle hair, dry hair
- Thin nails, brittle nails, ridges or white dots
- Dull, sallow dry skin
- Bowel irregularities – too loose or constipated
- Skin issues – eczema, psoriasis, rashes, hives
- Stress – nervous, jittery, jumpy, wired
- Dark circles under eyes
- Allergies
- Headaches
These are signs of a sluggish, toxic system. Call us and book a time so you can get your gut feeling great, and your health light and energised!
Spring is the perfect time to invest back into your body, clear the winter heaviness, and adopt a fresh new nutritional approach!
