Gut health
Anxious?
Are you anxious? Well, if you are, you’re not alone. …anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older. 1 Anxiety disorders account for almost one-third of the country’s $148 billion total mental health bill in 1999, and currently mental illness is the most costly condition in America: $201 billion in direct costs in addition to loss of productivity. 2 While many of us are unaware, neurotransmitters in our bodies are the chemical messengers that can have dramatic effects on how we feel, on our behavior and our drive, our outlook and even how we interact with those around us. There are 4...
Read MoreImproving Brain Function by Optimizing Gut Health
Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter and is biochemically derived from tryptophan, the amino acid inhibited by glyphosate (the main ingredient in Roundup). Serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals and humans. It is popularly thought to be a contributor to feelings of wellbeing and happiness. Approximately 90% of the human body’s total serotonin is located in the gut where it is used to regulate intestinal movements. The remainder is synthesized in serotonergic neurons of the central nervous system, where it has various functions. These include the regulation of mood, appetite, and...
Read MoreEnzyme and Probiotic Supplements for Gut Health
A youthful healthy gut produces digestive enzymes such as pepsin, protease, amylase, and lipase, to break down food into the amino acids necessary for healthy metabolism. As a person ages, these enzymes, which are dependent on the pancreas, decrease, resulting in less than optimal digestion of foods. Probiotic bacteria are the digestion factory in the gut. The common probiotics such as lactobacillus are not as effective, since they do not survive the strong acidic environment of the stomach. Unlike lactobacillus, the majority of Bacillus coagulans survives and thrives in the gut. What about yogurt? Manufacturers of processed yogurt expose the finished product to...
Read MoreThe Presence of Pesticides – The Dangers of Roundup
Most of the genetic modifications in our food make them resistant to pesticides. The most common pesticide used in the U.S. is “RoundUp,” and its active ingredient glyphosate is being detected in high levels in human beings. The German journal Ithaca reported that city dwellers had urine concentrations of glyphosate that were 5 to 20 times the limit for drinking water. There are few independent studies on glyphosate, because Monsanto will not allow independent research on their patented products. However, a few studies have reported birth defects in frogs and chickens, and damage to human cells. When sprayed on growing food, pesticides becomes systemic in the food,...
Read MoreObesity and Inflammation
Obesity in teenagers has more than quadrupled since 1971. A study funded by the National Institutes of Health has identified 26 species of bacteria in the human gut microbiota that appear to be linked to obesity, inflammation, and related metabolic complications such as insulin resistance, high blood sugar levels, hypertension and high cholesterol. The researchers’ sample included 310 members of the Amish community of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, because their diet and lifestyles are very similar to one another. It is very easy to increase the colonies of healthy gut flora by taking supplements containing live cultures. An Irish scientist published research in the journal...
Read MoreEndocrine Disruptors & Pollution
There are thousands of studies that show the adverse hormonal effects of petrochemical pollutants which originate outside the body, but which find their way inside the body through drinking water, the air we breathe, and the lotions, creams and make-up we put on our skin. These pollutants disrupt the delicate endocrine system, which manages the glands that make brain hormones, reproductive hormones, adrenal hormones, as well as insulin and thyroid hormones. For simplified discussion here, these endocrine disrupters or EDs have an estrogen-like effect upon the body. Some or all hormone imbalance may be due to these environmental factors. The concern over these pollutants...
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