Microbiome: Your are the Host

Microbiota are ecological communities of pathogenic microorganisms found in and on all multicellular organisms. Our own bodies include trillions and some are good and some are bad. Keeping this in balance is critical for all most everything. It’s all connected

Probiotics are crucial to gastrointestinal health. We start life getting them from our mothers. Their microbiome becomes ours in the beginning. We also get them from breast milk if we are breast fed. We have about 1200 types of bacteria in our digestive tract. The two most important types are lactobacillus and bifidobacterial.

Our intestinal bacteria are always busy even when we aren’t although they do like to sleep when we do. The produce tiny amounts of some vitamins like K and short chain fatty acids. They create acidic environment unfriendly to pathogenic (the bad) bacteria. They assist in digestion and nutrient assimilation and provide protective barrier to prevent entry to bloodstream. They regulate immune function. They help to regulate mood through production of neurotransmitters like serotonin.

When we have an imbalance of these gut microbes, it can lead to many diseases of the gut and diseases related to immunity. Our health suffers and we feel it.

The composition of our diet affects the diversity of gut bacteria. Microflora thrives on partially digested food remnants. What we eat determines the ratio of beneficial to pathogenic bacteria. Only plant foods and breast milk contain these ingredients. Vegetarians have higher counts of beneficial bacteria than meat eaters.

Antibiotics also have a detrimental effect on beneficial flora. 90% of microflora can be eliminated by broad spectrum antibiotics. If taking antibiotics, its best to take probiotics also according to Pam Popper of the Wellness Forum. They must be taken with food or will not make it alive to your small intestine because of the acidity in your stomach when it is empty.

Some stomach problems related to lack of biome diversity include Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, GERD, Crohn’s Disease, Colitis, and autoimmune diseases. If you have constipation, bloating, heartburn and diarrhea, your body is talking to you. It’s not a normal thing if you are eating correctly.

Treating GI Disorders (Pamela A. Popper) The wellness Forum Institute for Health Studies

The Probiotic Promise (Michelle Schoffro Cook)