Is your gut giving you a “hard” time?
Are you constipated, gassy, bloated or experience unexplained diarrhea? Pay attention to these symptoms do not ignore them. None of this has to happen if you just trust your gut.
Gut Bacteria (Body Bugs or Probiotics) Affects Health
More than 100 trillion body bugs (bacteria, fungi, yeast), live harmoniously in your gut. Good gut health will keep you happy and healthy.
On the other hand, if bad body bugs dominate the landscape of your belly you will feel sick. Obviously, they can affect your belly.
However, did you know gut bacteria can compromise your immune system, metabolic and moods too? Leaving you emotionally drained, sick and tired.
Medications (steroids/antibiotics/birth control pills), excess coffee, alcohol, sugar, stress all tip the bad body bug scale. Particularly, this is true for those who have diabetes and blood sugar related medical conditions.
Good Gut Bacteria Gone Bad
Candida, yeast, or ant bacteria overgrows and dominates the gut. You have no clue why yet start living with these embarrassing symptoms.
| Symptoms of Yeast Overgrowth |
| Gas/Bloat |
| Constipation/Diarrhea |
| White Tongue Coating |
| Headaches |
| Fatigue |
| Sinus Infections |
| Vaginal Yeast or Urinary Tract Infections |
| Skin/Nail Fungus (athletes foot/toenail fungus) |
Yet you are unsure of what is happening. Moreover, how to get rid of these issues.
Gut Strong
Seventy percent of the cells that make up the body’s immune system is found in the gut. As the remaining 30% is divided between the blood, bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, and thymus.
Gut body bug balance is essential to supporting the immune system. Moreover, body bugs have been found to:
- Assist in brain development.
- Create a physical and acidic barrier to foreign immune system invaders.
- Harness inflammation and work to prevent metabolic conditions, such as obesity and diabetes.
- Produce natural anti-microbials to fight various forms of bacteria.
However, when the balance is disrupted, these functions suffer and so do you.
Emotionally Sick to your Stomach
Our Gut may just be at the core of mental and physical well being. The feelings you get with the loss of a loved one or a job promotion often trigger an emotional reaction. Would you have thought these feelings are coming right from the pit of your stomach?
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter associated with happiness and positive moods. A significant amount is produced in the gut. The gut and brain work and communicate together via signals. Both organs play a role in how you feel and what you eat.
One 4-week study found that a multi-strain (not just one strain like acidophilus) probiotic supplement given to participants ages 20-40 years old had significant mental and physical benefits.
Physically there were positive changes in gut body bugs. There was also a significant impact on the brain relating to behavior, emotional decision making, and memory processing.
Therefore, in addition to the physical benefits, it seems the route to happiness may be through our stomach and what we eat after all!
Body Bugs In Your Gut
Probiotics (body bugs) are various strains of bacteria that live in your gut, mouth, skin, and vagina. However, you may be more familiar with the term as they are used as a supplement in foods, like yogurt.
In light of new research, we know probiotics help:
- Digest food
- Absorb vitamins/minerals
- Produce vitamin B and K
- Breakdown toxins
- Reduce inflammation
- Boost the immune system
- Support the brain and the gut
Prebiotics are nondigestible carbohydrates that are used by probiotics to increase the growth of good bacteria.
To give you natural ways to add prebiotics to your meals, try these 10 foods:
- Jicama
- Flaxseed
- Cocoa
- Dandelion greens
- Asparagus
- Garlic
- Jerusalem artichoke
- Saurkraut
- Onion
- Leeks
Therefore, when you eat prebiotic foods they fuel good probiotic balance.
Which Gut Bacteria Affect Specific Medical Conditions?
The World Gastroenterology Organization Global Guidelines includes a compilation of medical conditions, associated strains, and dosages of recommended probiotic supplementation. Additionally, here is a simple list of 5 specific probiotics that support health.
- Lactobacillus is found in the digestive and urinary tract. As a supplement, it aids in treating yeast and urinary tract infections, diarrhea, bowel issues, gas, bloating, and acne.
Notably, lactobacillus has a few varieties of probiotics:
- Acidophilus maintains the integrity of the intestinal cell wall. It aids in the absorption of vitamins and minerals and supports the immune system.
- Fermentum helps neutralize toxins and promotes a healthy balance of good gut bacteria.
- Rhamnosus produces lactase to help digest dairy foods. Also, it is an effective treatment in reducing diarrhea.
2. Bifidobacteria live in the colon. They help to digest fiber for the purpose of producing short-chain fatty acids. Bifido primarily works to alleviate bowel diseases (IBD, inflammatory bowel disease or IBS, irritable bowel disease). With this in mind, it helps relieve constipation too.
Similarly, bifido has a couple of different strains.
- Bifidum aids in digestion especially for dairy products.
- Longum, like Lactobacillus fermentum, helps neutralize intestinal toxins.
- Saccharomyces boulardii is considered the yeast probiotic. It is an effective treatment for yeast overgrowth in the intestine and vagina. Furthermore, it protects against clostridium difficile (c-diff, life-threatening diarrhea), and H. pylori (bacteria that can cause ulcers).
- Bacillus Coagulans form spores. These spores help populate the intestine with good bacteria. Results of a 50-day rat study showed its’ effectiveness in helping to improve total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and VLDL cholesterol levels.
- Streptococcus thermophilus produces chemicals that are similar to antibiotics. In doing so, it protects against pneumonia infections, ulcers, and lactose intolerance.
What We Eat & The World Around Us Affects Gut Bacteria
A comprehensive overview of the delicate gut bacteria balance is provided in this two-part video series, “Gut Reaction | Could our food be making us sick? | IBS” and “Gut Reaction Pt. 2 | Gut Health, Bacteria, and Food”.
- Feed your gut bacteria fiber, and avoid processed foods in order to detox.
- Gut bacteria is a driving factor for obesity, diabetes, cancer and other chronic medical conditions.
- Use probiotic supplements to keep body bugs in balance. Especially, if you live a stressful lifestyle. And, you drink excessive amounts of alcohol/coffee, you eat excess amounts of sugar and carbs, you use the medications listed above or gut bacteria. Use a multi-strain probiotic containing a minimum of 1 billion bacteria. Actually, you can use higher amounts if tolerated. If not build up slowly: Start with lower amounts, take a quarter or half the amount and build up to higher doses.
Trust Your Gut Wrap Up
Gut Health is at the core of your physical and emotional well being. Trust your gut. Bacteria overgrowth is a root cause of stomach upset, mood disorders, and metabolic conditions. Feed your body bugs gut supporting foods. Speak with your doctor about probiotic supplementation. Strive for a happy gut to live a happy life.
