An Environment Filled with Toxins: Not the Planet, Your Gut!

In your gut, there are trillions of bacteria that live in your gut but, according to J. E. Williams, OMD, FAAIM, a pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, longevity, and natural health, these bacteria are as damaged as the environment of the planet. Just like we are damaging environmental wellness with the harmful substances we put in the atmosphere, we’re ruining our gut ecology with the toxins we put into our bodies.

 

According to Williams, ‘Over the course of my practice, I’ve seen ever increasing incidences of cancer, autoimmune diseases, thyroid and adrenal glandular conditions, autism, Alzheimer’s and other progressive neurodegenerative diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, mood disorders, and obesity. We blame meat eating, viruses, stress, and weak adrenals. But, clinically, none of these, unless taken to the extreme, hold up as underlying causes. Rather, they appear to be tag-along conditions. Is the gut the missing link?’

 

Williams explains that, in the 90s, wellness experts thought probiotics would be the solution to the gut problem, but this came with certain difficulties. ‘Laboratories had a hard time keeping bacteria alive,’ Williams notes. ‘Then, the acid bath of the stomach knocked them dead on arrival. How many friendly microorganisms made up the right dosage? How many times a day? To take with or without food became the naturopath’s dilemma. Nobody really knew the right answer.’

 

However, hope came when scientists made an important discovery. ‘Laboratories got smarter, and made available more choices of probiotics with greater viability,’ says Williams. ‘We already knew about fibre and gut health, so we made sure our patients got at least 25 grams daily in their diet or included a fibre supplement. Fibre helps friendly bacteria stay alive. We learned about prebiotics: fibre and carbohydrates—like Jerusalem artichoke flour, which probiotics feed on to help colonies thrive.’

 

So where do we go from here? Williams advises, ‘We have to learn respect for the ancient bacteria that live with us, and in many ways, “are” us. Each of us has a unique mixture of bacteria. Healthy populations of friendly bacteria are associated with robust health. Restoring health requires effective therapy for repairing the gut.’ Williams outlines five steps you need to take to restore your gut ecology if you have a chronic disease:

 

1. Get a stool test to evaluate your microbiome.


2. Maintain a plant-based, high-fibre diet.


3. With meals, take aedical grade probiotics up to 50 billion units daily.


4. Take a prebiotic supplement.


5. In six months, retest your levels of bacteria, changing probiotics and carrying on if no improvement is found.

 

Categories: Bacteria, fibre, friendly bacteria, gut bacteria, gut ecology, nbsp, probiotics, williams

Gut Bacteria: A Cause of Autism?

With growing concerns over vaccines triggering autism in young toddlers, the last thing that parents want to hear is about another vaccine; however in light of ground-breaking research, a new vaccine has emerged to fight against gut bacteria which, it is said, can also fight against autism symptoms.

The gut bug known as Clostridium Boltae is said to caught disorders in the gut, which are also said to be found commonly in autistic children, with over 90% of children suffering from chronic, severe gastrointestinal symptoms and another 75% suffering from diarrhoea.

Whilst it is unclear as to why autistic children are susceptible to the bacteria, the vaccine is an attempt to reverse the effects. With autism cases rising sixfold within the past two decades, the rising concerns and sheer mystery as to why remains unclear. Whilst some researchers claim that it is the environment, others believe that the gut is the primary cause – even though they are not sure why.

The vaccine is the first of its kind that is designed to fight this type of gut bacteria. There are some suspicions that the bacteria inject toxins or metabolites into its host, which may then control or trigger the symptoms and causes of autism – in particular, regressive autism.

The downside to this vaccine is that it may take more than ten years to go through pre-clinical and human trials – longer still will be the process of making the drug marketable. It is uncertain as to whether this two-decade increase will continue to grow within the next decade.

For researchers however, this is the first – and significant – step into resolving the autistic mystery. With the vaccine able to introduce antibodies quickly for the body’s immune system to detect and identify, the toddler can be protected from the risks of intestinal infections and also, perhaps more importantly, the lifelong risk of autism. For them, it is better late than never at all.

Gut Bacteria: A Cause of Autism?

Categories: autism, autistic, autistic children, Bacteria, bowel, Children, Fight, gut bacteria, intestinal, Mental Health, Toddler, Vaccine

New Cholesterol Discovery Could Mean Better Diabetes Drugs

You probably know by now that an imbalance of your ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol can put your wellbeing at risk. Whether it increases your chances of developing diabetes, or your heart health suffers due to cardiovascular disease, we can all agree that controlling your cholesterol is a handy thing to know about.

Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have found that bacteria in your small intestine are responsible for regulating your cholesterol metabolism. Cholesterol is mainly synthesised in your body, but you also obtain it from dietary sources. Your liver converts it into bile acids, which are then secreted into your intestine, and, after this, your intestine either removes it from your body, or recycles it back to your liver.

More and more research is being done into how your gut bacteria affects your wellness and your risk of certain diseases. This research group in particular, led by Fredrick Bäckhed, are leading experts in this field and is examining how gut bacteria is associated with lifestyle diseases, such as heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

According to Sama Sayin, medical doctor and PhD student at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, and the study’s first author, ‘Drugs that reduce cholesterol levels have, in recent years, greatly reduced deaths from cardiovascular disease. Our study is a step forward because we have shown how gut bacteria regulates the formation of bile acids from cholesterol.

The study showed that your gut bacteria use a protein in the small intestine, known as the FXR receptor, to signal your liver to reduce bile acid synthesis. Not only does the FXR receptor affect your cholesterol metabolism, but the researchers also found that it is involved in your sugar and fat metabolism too.

The results of this study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, mean that scientists may now be able to develop better drugs to treat diabetes, as well as cardiovascular disease. Study leader Fredrik Bäckhed, professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy, explained, ‘If future research can identify the specific bacteria that affect FXR signalling in the gut, this could lead to new ways to treat diabetes and cardiovascular disease.’

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New Cholesterol Discovery Could Mean Better Diabetes Drugs

Categories: cholesterol metabolism, gut bacteria, Research