You depend on your gut microbiome for good physical health. Those legions of bacteria, yeasts, and fungi living in your digestive tract process food for you, supplying you with energy and nutrients. Now new research suggests those microscopic creatures can have a dramatic impact on your mental health as well.
Stomach pain strikes all of us at some point, with varying degrees of discomfort from mild to extreme. While stomach pain can be caused by relatively benign issues, there are also causes that should be addressed medically.
Microbiome. It’s a word that has seen a great deal of press coverage of late, for good reason. Your microbiome is the collection of bacteria living on and within your body. Hundreds of species, and billions of individual bacterial cells, make it up. Many of them you simply cannot live without. They process food in your gut, transferring nutrients to your bloodstream. Some boost your immune system by acting as a first line of defense against infection.
If you suffer from debilitating migraines, you know the pain is not all in your mind. In fact, the cause may be in your gut. Recent research at the University of California San Diego suggests imbalances in gut bacteria may be to blame for at least some migraines.
Splenda, the artificial sweetener also known as sucralose, is in common use but may not be a healthy choice. Splenda risks appearing from new research have caused the CSPI (Center for Science In the Public Interest) to downgrade Splenda’s rating from “Caution” to “Avoid”.
An increasingly large body of evidence shows a clear gut-skin connection. Your digestive system and your skin respond in similar ways to body issues. In fact, skin conditions can indicate problems with your digestive tract.
Your intestinal barrier protects you from toxins and bacteria in your gut, while allowing nutrients to pass through unimpeded. Damage to it can be a significant factor in many health issues – here’s what you need to know.
The mucosal barrier allows nutrients to pass from our stomach and intestines into the body while blocking toxins and infection. The health of the barrier is vital to our overall health, since a breakdown in the barrier can open us to bacteria, viruses, parasites, and toxins.
Your digestive tract is full of bacteria that help break down the foods you eat. When bacteria in your intestines work against you rather than for your benefit, this is gut dysbiosis.
Fibromyalgia affects muscles and tissues, causing fatigue, poor sleep, and chronic muscle pain. While conventional western medicine treats the symptoms, the goal of functional medicine is to understand the root causes and treat them directly.
