It’s All About The Gut Pt.2
Hi guys,
This is a Part 2 of my Series on “It’s All About The Gut”.
Read Part 1 HERE
If you recall in Part 1 – the Gastrointestinal Tract is the ‘conveyor belt’ from your mouth to your anus.
That’s a maaaaassive conveyor belt!
Imagine the food you ate is on the conveyor belt and as it moves down the line the food gets processed into smaller and smaller pieces.
When the food is small enough it can pass through the intestinal wall and be used by the body.
So it’s like the food pieces move down the conveyor belt and can be ‘packaged into boxes’ for shipping (used by the body) and the remaining pieces of food is sent to the bin (excreted via anus)
So where can problems occur and eventually breaks down and what are recommended remedies to help fix it?
Ok so sticking with the conveyor belt example here’s where things can go wrong.
#1 – The Enteric Nervous System and The Vagus Nerve is like the electricity that powers the conveyor belt.
If there’s no electricity then the conveyor belt stops working.
The Enteric Nervous System powers the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous System which is the ‘fight or flight’ response.
If you are always in constant stress, under pressure and over stimulated then you can start to have problems.
So here’s some simple measures if you’re stressed out:
Yoga/Meditation
Wim Hof Breathing/Forced Hyperventilation (3-4 Rounds 30-40 breaths)
Ice Therapy (Cold showers 2-3 mins and weekly ice bath
#2 – Breaking Down Food are like the workers who work on the conveyor belt
Food is broken down into Macro Nutrients – Protein, Fats and Carbohydrates.
Imagine if on the conveyor belt there are workers who are employed to break down each of these macronutrients.
Those workers on the conveyor belt are proteins called enzymes that help break the food down in your gut.
To help make the enzymes work more efficiently you can try supplementation (with your health professional’s advice):
- Methyl B vitamins
- P-5-P Thorne Research
- 5-MTHF (Methyl Folate
- Zinc L-Carnosine
- Magnesium Glycinate
- Organ Meats
- NAC2 Plex (Poliquin)
- Ox Bile Support
- Apple Cider Vinegar with lemon
- Sinoplex electrolytes
- Omega 3
- Cod Liver Oil
- Curcumin
- Boswellia
- Reduce Inflammation like ice therapy
#3 – The Cogs that turn the conveyor belt are your Gut Hormones and the Microbiome (Good & Bad Bacteria)
The walls of your gut are lined by epithelial cells which secrete gut hormones that provide the body information on how the digestion of the food is going.
Your microbiome is like your inner garden. If you have good soil then it will bear good fruit. If you have weeds growing then it will take nutrients from the body. The balance of the good and bad bacteria ensures that you have fruit or grow weeds.
If you overgrow the bad bacteria in your gut then you can develop SIBO which I previously described in an earlier blog post.
Having functioning intestinal wall lining allows optimal gut hormone function and a balanced good and bad bacteria is very important (75% good and 25% bad bacteria) to ensure the ‘cogs keep turning’ on the conveyor belt.
To help improve your cogs try the following with professional advice:
- Megaspore Biotic
- Bifidobacterium (Lactobaccilus Gasseri)
- Kakadu plum (powder)
- Goats colostrum
- Biofilm Agents – Biophase
- Glutathione
- Low FODMAP
- Zinc L-Carnosine
- Burburin (Thorne Research)
- Magnesium
- Allimed (Allicin)
This is an extremely complicated process that I’ve tried my best to simplify.
All this information is presented from the Dave O’Brien/5th Element Wellness seminar I attended on 22 June 2019.
Please seek medical advice before considering taking any supplements.
As always… #MakingHealthySimple
– Leki