Gut Health: Why It’s An Essential Part Of Our Health
If you are experiencing digestive distress, fatigue, excessive bloating along with unexplained weight gain, and feelings of anxiety, it might be a good time to understand what’s happening in your gut. Complex in nature the human gut impacts everything to do with a person’s wellbeing be it positive or negative.
Image by: Brooke Lark
Why A Healthy Gut is Important
There are very few diseases that can’t be helped by getting the gut right, and contrary to belief, gut health is not only important to get right in those with ADHD, Autism, Chronic fatigue, or auto-immune diseases - it’s important for anyone currently living in our modern world. Lack of sleep, an uncontrolled diet along with high inflammatory foods, including high-stress levels all contribute towards damaging our gut microbiome. An unhealthy gut affects our immune system, skin, hormone levels, weight, brain function, and contributes towards sleep disturbances like insomnia which can intensify chronic fatigue. Roughly 90% of serotonin is made in our gut and a lack of this hormone can lead to bloating, mood, and sleep disturbances.
What Is The Gut Microbiome?
The gut microbiome is our body’s ecosystem of gut microbes (tiny microorganisms consisting of bacteria, fungi, and viruses) some of which are either highly beneficial and some not - especially when there is an imbalance that can affect not only the gut but also the mind. Published studies have shown when there’s an imbalance in the gut microbiome due to the use of certain antibiotics or eating processed foods. It can influence a person’s pain management, neurodevelopment, and emotional behaviour and how our stress systems respond. In Chinese medicine, the gut is the separator of the pure from the impure. When our guts are healthy, it helps us to emotionally separate the information we need to keep and use and throw out the information not needed which is also true for the food we consume. When the gut does not function well it can cause leaky gut, meaning unwanted toxins leak into your system.
Leaky Gut? What It Is?
A leaky gut is when our gut permeability becomes compromised due to damage to the gut lining. Immune responses in the body get triggered due to toxins and unwanted bacteria that are supposed to stay in the gut passing through the gut barrier. These toxins all contribute towards an unbalanced gut biome leading to nutrient deficiencies and many ailments in the body including skin diseases such as Eczema, Acne, Psoriasis or skin allergies. Lung diseases like Asthma and autoimmune diseases, candidiasis or Arthritis is also common with Leaky Gut Syndrome.
Ways To Keep Your Gut In Balance
It is hugely important to treat the gut to improve physical problems. 80% of our immunity is mediated through our bowels and gut. Many chronic diseases and autoimmune issues come from a lowered immunity – when our gut doesn’t work properly our immunity is easily compromised. Ways to support a healthy gut biome and achieve balance is to tweak lifestyle and dietary changes into your wellbeing schedule to feel healthy and beautiful inside and out.
Introduce good functional supplements like a probiotic to help improve the balance of good bacteria in the gut and boost your body’s immune response with nutrient-rich antioxidants like vitamin C
Consult with a homeopath who can better advise you on which homeopathic medicine’s you would need to add into your lifestyle to either support skin health, lung health, or brain and mental health challenges due to toxicity in the gut.
Avoid inflammatory foods such as gluten, alcohol, sugar, and overly processed items and try an anti-inflammatory diet consisting of leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, fatty fish, berries, and nuts like almonds or walnuts.
Read: 5 ways to supercharge your immune system pronto!
Introduce natural herb and powder supplements like Ashwagandha, Reishi Mushroom Powder, Lion’s Mane powder and turmeric aimed at boosting immunity, lowering stress and anxiety levels, and improving your mood to get your gut right and you feeling amazing
Please note Reishi Mushroom powder, Lion’s Mane Powder, and Ashwagandha is not to be used by breastfeeding/nursing mothers
Ashwagandha - $30
Reishi Mushroom - $25
Lion’s Mane - $40
Turmeric Powder - $14