(Originally posted on April 10, 2015)
When I first began telling people I was a Microbiome Rejuvenation Specialist I would mostly get blank stares and glazed looks. Now thanks to the wide spread information starting to come out in mainstream media on the microbiome I actually get people who nod their heads and say yes! I’ve been hearing that word bandied about and am curious to know more; tell me more about what you do. Since I wish to write a series of blogs on the microbiome and how it affects specific health issues, I figured starting with a very simple breakdown of the microbiome would be a good place to start. Each ensuing blog will take it a bit deeper.
What Is The Microbiome?
Back in September 2014 I wrote a blog about bacteria being your friends which was my first mention of the microbiome in print. Working to rebalance my own health issues over the years is how I discovered that my entire microbiome played a major role in that success or lack of improvement. Since then I have gone on to deepen my interest and studies on this; to me fascinating subject. The more I learn the more I want to learn! What is the microbiome though? This is what Dictionary.com says: “Biology: the totality of microorganisms and their collective genetic material present in or on the human body or in another environment: The wide diversity of species that make up the microbiome is hard to fathom.”
The term microbiome was coined by Joshua Lederberg, American molecular biologist in 2001. I often like to keep it simple though in my description; the bugs (microbiota) that live in us and on us in symbiotic relationship with us.
How Does The Microbiome Work?
Again to keep it simple we have both friendly bugs and unfriendly bugs. The goal is to keep the friendly bugs healthy, strong and balanced so they keep the unfriendly bugs in check, so they don’t overrun us. The problem is that today between environmental toxins, genetically modified so called food, processed chemical laden so called food, antibiotic overuse, medications, EMFs, lack of crucial bacteria in the soil and so on the friendly bugs have their work cut out for them as all of these things support the unfriendly bugs to thrive. Basically we are bacteria powered. If the friendly bugs thrive, we thrive. If the unfriendly bugs thrive, we suffer. Sometimes very intensely, sometimes less so but suffer we do whether we feel it or not and if left to proliferate can destroy a person’s quality of life, which is what I will go into more detail in subsequent blogs. Question then becomes…
How Does One Support The Microbiota That Support Us To Thrive?
Well, we can’t always control environmental toxins but we can choose to eat only traditional, unprocessed, whole, organic live foods. Approach to antibiotic use can be adjusted, as with approach to medications. In our homes we can control the amount of EMFs.
Here are 5 things you can do right now:
- Eat only traditional, unprocessed, whole, live foods; it deserves repeating. Eliminate chemical, gmo, sugar laden, processed items deceivingly labelled as safe to ingest food and beverage.
- Take 3 – 5 deep breaths before you ingest any food; this turns on digestion. More in blog to come on digestion.
- Add live fermented foods to your meals. These include but are not limited to raw sauerkraut, lacto-fermented veggies, water kefir, kombucha tea, unpasteurized miso. Most of these are available online or at your local health food store. I have linked these here to my favorite products to give you an idea.
- Stay hydrated; drink plenty of pure water not from a plastic bottle. Best if filtered right at home. This is the filter I use. I also recommend the shower and bath.
- Get plenty of sleep. Lack of good, uninterrupted, restorative sleep is detrimental to your health and supports your unfriendly bugs. Your friendly bugs have their own mini biological clocks that sync up with ours; how awesome is that!! Your thriving bug clock can be thrown off by repeatedly interrupted sleep, jet lag; messed up sleep schedules in general.
Some Fun Facts:
- Your microbiome is unique to your genetics; it’s your personal, biochemically-individual microbiome.
- Your microbiome can control your thoughts, feelings and food cravings; ever wonder why even though you try to make healthy changes the cravings still won’t go away?
- Your microbiome has a direct link to the level of autoimmune activity against your thyroid, which means your gut is connected to your thyroid health. (according to PubMed some groups estimate that 27 million Americans have thyroid disease, and about 13 million of them are undiagnosed)
- Your microbiome’s health influences your health. It’s directly related to your hormone health. This includes the brain’s leptin receptors (hormone that tells us when we’re full or not) which plays a huge role in our appetite and storage of fat. Yes! Our “bugs” can affect how we lose or gain weight!!!
Microbiome Rejuvenation
Simply put what that means is that I help you determine the health of your friendly bugs, remove unfriendly ones as necessary to restore balance and vitality, while supporting friendly bugs to regenerate. This includes working with food as your foundation, food as medicine, herbal nutritional formulas for deeper cellular support, lifestyle approaches to support your friendly bugs and much, much more. How healthy your microbiome is = how healthy you are.
When the unfriendly bugs are thriving you are NOT and many health issues including but not limited to digestive issues, celiac, hypo and hyper thyroid issues, autoimmune issues, weight gain and inability to lose it, depression, anxiety, hormone imbalance, just to name a few can manifest as a result. So why not support your microbiome to thrive so you can be the thriving, vibrant soul you are!
Each week I will add a new blog to cover a new area starting from our heads down to our toes. Stay tuned!
Eager to get started and find out more? See what’s a good fit for you on the “work with me” page and go there to schedule your free 45 minute discovery call. I am available Dec.27 and again starting on Jan.3.
And exciting announcement! I’m in the midst of creating my brand new private 1:1 coaching programs specifically for women under the “Cyclical Wisdom for the Modern Woman” brand. Here’s the link to the online program if you’re curious and if interested to know more just shoot me an email with the heading “CWMW Coaching” to jt@ilivevibrantly.com or set up your discovery call from my “work with me” page.
Until next time, post questions and comments below…I look forward to your questions and hearing from you!!
Live Vibrantly!
Posted in Allergies, Colds & Flus, Immune, Menopause, Vibrant Life, Womens Health.
