Dr. Says It’s All About Digestion

probiotics

I saw this article recently about how pretty much everything in our body relates to our digestion.

It’s by Dr. Martin Gleixner and was published in the New Brunswick Times & Transcript on August 18th.

You can read the full article here, but I’ve pasted some of my favorite exerpts below:

Digestion Is The Foundation For All Health Conditions

To help understand why improving your digestive health is so important, I’ll use the analogy of your house’s foundation (see diagram). A properly built foundation for your house (like the digestive tract in your body) is perhaps the most important criteria for it’s long-term health. The foundation of a house keeps everything above it in place and allows us to build upon it. The state of your kitchen (like your nervous system), living room (hormonal system), front entrance area (liver), bedrooms (circulatory system), family members (immune system) and roof (skin) all depend on a strong foundation. Maintaining your house’s foundation is equally important. Any cracks or leaks should be quickly taken care off (like seeking solutions for any changes in your health).

Gut flora helps the body in multiple ways: The presence or absence of good bacteria in your digestive tract (such as acidophilus) can influence our health in many ways.

The formation of vitamin K (MK7 subtype) in the digestive tract for example, is dependent on adequate levels of good bacteria. Taking an antibiotic prescription can deplete gut flora thereby decreasing the formation of vitamin K.

Good bacteria in our gut also have an important immune function. Recent studies indicate that the prophylaxis use of probiotics in hospitals decreases the risk of acquiring opportunistic infection such as C. difficile. Other studies indicate that probiotics decreases the incidence of childhood allergies.

On the other hand, abnormal gut bacteria can lead to digestive upset and improper hormone metabolism. As part of its detoxification function (as described above), the liver conjugates hormones and excrete them from the body via the digestive tract (this is done by the liver’s production of bile). Once in the gut, unwanted hormones are usually evacuated via our bowel movements. Bad gut bacteria, however, can release enzymes that can lead to the re-circulation of these hormones. Hormonal imbalances contribute to conditions such as PMS, irregular menstrual cycles, changes in libido, etc…

And what is Dr. Gleixner’s advice for improving digestive health?

1. Re-establish gut flora using quality probiotics. Use probiotics that have been well researched for strains, potency and clinical success.

We couldn’t agree more. To find out more about the probiotic supplement we recommend, click here.

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