True health starts with a thriving, balanced microbiome and the health industry’s increased awareness on good gut health probiotics proves this. But how does your microbiome work exactly? Do we really have bacteria living in and all around us?

Believe it or not, the human microbiome is the collection of all the microbiota (bacteria, archaea and fungi) that live on or inside the human body. Contrary to what society makes you believe, not all bacteria is bad. In fact, less than 1% of the different types of bacteria make humans sick.

The rest of the bacteria in our body uses help digest food and also build important vitamins for the body to use such as Biotin and Vitamin K among other things. Our bodies need a healthy microbiome to function properly. in fact, microorganisms make up about 1-3% of your body’s mass which would be about 2-6 pounds for a 200 lb. person.. Below are the ways that the human microbiome impacts overall health:

The Gut Microbiome

The gut microbiome helps your digestive organs work better by releasing lactic acid, which stimulates your immune system and promotes the secretion of the digestive enzymes needed to digest food. It regulates gut pH making an environment less hospitable for pathogenic microbes to grow in.

The good gut bacteria produce nutrients, like vitamin B12, vitamin K, and Biotin to keep us healthy. They also produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) from specific types of fibers and prebiotics, which promotes gut healing and gut health. When your intestinal bacteria is healthy then you are healthy. In reality, you are only about 10% human and 90% other (viral and bacterial cells). So your microbiome is very important to maintain.

Gut-Brain Axis

The gut is our second brain! The tissues that make up your brain are the same tissues from which your digestive system develops. The gut-brain axis is the term used to describe the communication between the central nervous system in the brain and the enteric nervous system in the gut. Due to these close connections, what we feel (our emotions), and what we think (our cognition), have a direct link to our digestive system. Your gut bacteria have minds of their own and are involved in the bidirectional relationship with the gut-brain axis. Intestinal bacterial sends signals to the brain and the brain sends signals back via the neural, endocrine and immune cells. So IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is a clear sign of gut-brain axis communication disruption and an unhealthy microbiome.

To keep the nervous system happy and healthy, you must keep channels of communication open between the intestines and brain (aka the gut-brain axis). A healthy intestinal microbiome facilitates proper communication within the gut-brain axis.

Unmanaged stress can quickly turn into nervous system imbalance which is common in people with anxiety and PTSD. To overcome anxiety and PTSD, you must balance the nervous system through stress reduction techniques. An example of a stress reduction technique would be the Transformational Trauma Technique that I use with my clients when they are facing overwhelm. If you struggle with gut problems and chronic stress and want more information to improve your gut health, then read my blog: How to Decrease Stress Related Gut Problems.

 

Microbiome & the Immune System

The microbiome acts like an army guarding your whole body, including your digestive tract. In addition to guarding our body, a healthy microbiome also makes us less susceptible to disease by boosting our immune system. In scientific studies, animals with a sterile gut (i.e. they have no gut flora at all) are especially prone to infections because of their weak immune system.

In fact, 70-80% of the immune system is found in the gut. Because of this close connection, the gut flora can either protect or promote issues related to immunity, such as allergies and autoimmune conditions.

Your microbiome also acts as your body’s ‘set-point’ for the pro-inflammatory response to infection. When you have a healthy microbiome, your body experiences less sympotoms of inflammation and inflammation related diseases.

Microbiome & the Cardiovascular System

Up to 90% of all diseases can be traced back to the gut microbiome, including cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular disease is one of the top causes of death, and diet can contribute to cardiovascular diseases possibly because processed foods contribute to imbalances in the gut flora that can then lead to cardiovascular diseases.

 

Neurological Microbiome

Many mental health conditions are closely related to the gut flora. In addition, childhood neurological disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disease, anxiety, and other mood disorders have been associated with gut dysbiosis.

Microbiome health (or lack there of) also increases the risk of depression which is further compounded by an imbalance of hormones or neurotransmitters.

Thomas Szaz, an American-Hungarian psychiatrist argues that there is no such thing as a mental disease because the mind is non-physical and cannot be diseased in the sense of cellular pathology. He admits in some cases of mental illness (depression & anxiety), there is simply disordered living or disordered thinking which is causing significant distress. This may be true, but for individuals who live with chronic anxiety, depression or other mental health diseases, it would benefit them to look into getting tested for brain chemical imbalances as well as testing for gut bacteria imbalances to see if  they are contributing factors for ongoing symptoms.

 

Vaginal Microflora

The vagina has an active and (hopefully) thriving microbial community. When this community is unbalanced, yeast infections and other uncomfortable conditions can result. The vaginal microflora is a newborn’s first exposure to many different types of microbes, and these microbes help build and develop the infant’s immune system. Its important to maintain a healthy microbiome to ensure that your vagina stays healthy as well as increasing your unborn child’s immunity in the process.

 

Maternal immune Activation

Maternal immune activation is a phenomenon that looks at the relationship between the immune system of mothers and the connection between that and neurological developmental problems that can occur in children. The hypothesis is that exposure to certain inflammatory markers and other products of immune activation inside the womb may result in negative effects on the cognitive development of babies later in life.

 

Nose, Mouth, and Lungs Microbiome

The nose, mouth, and lungs each have their own microbiome, which attempts to maintain homeostasis in the local environment. In the case of the nose and mouth, which serve as a primary entry point for air, toxins, and pathogens, the immune system must have a significant presence to ward off invaders.

 

Skin Microbiome

The skin is covered in microbes. When this microbiome becomes unhealthy and unbalanced, there will be dry, patchy, or flaky skin. As with other parts of the body, skin health depends on the health of its microbes!

 

Tips to Improve Your Microbiome:

1. Avoid sugar and processed foods.

2. Avoid artificial sweeteners.

3. Limit grains.

4. Avoid vegetable oils like canola oil, soybean oil, and peanut oil as well as margarine and shortening, which are high in inflammatory fats like omega-6 fatty acids and trans-fats. Instead, switch to healthier fat options like grass-fed ghee, extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil.

5. Eat an abundance and a variety of plant-based foods. Choose organic and local as much as possible

6. Drink spring water or filtered water

7.. Avoid unnecessary antibiotic treatment

8. Avoid antacids

9. Limit alcohol

10. Avoid smoking

11. Reduce stress

12. Increase self-care

13. Use natural cleaning products

If you need help balancing your microbiome then let me know! Our nutritionist services can work with you to do the proper testing to get to the root cause of your issues and create the perfect lifestyle plan to correct any microbiome imbalances. I hope this helps!

In Good Health,
Amber Stewart BS,
Holistic Nutritionist
Certified Master Life Coach
ACSM Exercise Physiologist,
CTNC Mental Health Specialist
TBMM Corrective Exercise Specialist