michelle@thegoodhealthshop.co.za
039 315 5351

Exciting new studies are coming out every day exploring the connection between gut bacteria and every other aspect of human health. The conclusion is clear: the healthiest people have the healthiest gut bacteria. The probiotic environment is ever-changing, and if you can change your gut, you can change your health status.

Gut bacteria number more than 100 trillion cells and have an enormous impact on our health.

Not all gut bacteria are created equal. Among other things, “good” gut bacteria improve digestion, strengthen the immune system, and manufacture the vitamins your body needs. On the other hand, “bad” gut bacteria can cause digestion nightmares, mental problems and skin conditions. For heartburn relief options visit https://www.zantacotc.com/en-us/.

These are some common signs that your ‘good’ bacteria are out of balance:

Digestive problems including
1. Gas
2. Bloating
3. Heartburn/acid reflux
4. Diarrhoea
5. Constipation
6. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
7. Crohn’s and Ulcerative colitis

Mental issues including
1. Depression
2. Anxiety
3. Brain fog
4. OCD
5. Autism

Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies
Including but not exclusively:
Vitamin D
Vitamin K
Vitamin B12 and B7
Magnesium

Antibiotic intervention, even if it was many years ago;
When used correctly, antibiotics are one of the greatest innovations of modern medicine, but even using them appropriately can create gut issues. A single course of antibiotics can change the gut flora for up to 1 year and in many people there is no recovery of lost flora. The food industry uses antibiotics indiscriminately on factory-farmed animals. Some doctors even use them on viral infections (which is useless). Antibiotics wipe out bad bacteria, but they also wipe out many of the good bacteria in the gut that are essential for your health. Research also suggests that good bacteria wiped out by antibiotics don’t replace themselves unless you intervene. (More details: NatuRoids)

Chronic, Unmanaged Stress
Stress can wear you down, make you anxious, and increase your blood pressure…and it can also wreak havoc on your gut! Stress is inevitable, no matter how hard we try to avoid it. That isn’t an issue — until you let it go on for too long without managing it. Unmanaged stress raises cortisol levels, which can stop the gut from working properly. Blood and nutrients are drawn from the digestive and immune system to other organs more appropriate to the stress response, leaving you exhausted, depleted and damaged. If you’ve been stressed for the past few months (or years, or decades) but haven’t acted to manage your stress, you’re more likely to have an unhealthy gut.

Skin Conditions
We have as many bacteria on us as in us so any imbalance is bound to be reflected on our skin. For many skin conditions, the problem isn’t with the skin itself. It’s with an unhealthy gut. If you have any of these skin conditions, it could be due to unbalanced gut bacteria:
Acne
Rosacea
Psoriasis
Eczema
Fungal infections (athlete’s foot, jock-itch, tinea (white spots) and nail fungi

Looking forward to next weeks blog? It’s all about re-balance and repair… Until next week then.