Any thoughts on the role our internal flora may have on our health and well being?

Fuzzipeg

Holistic and integrated physicians often refer to "leaky gut", reflux, Ibs and other gastric issues in relation to thyroid problem. They then indicate prebiotics will have a beneficial effect.

Recently IBS is being treated by healthy faecal transfer. Within the clinical environment all known issues are accounted for. It has also been discovered along with the relief of IBS symptoms in the majority of those treated, some have experienced a change in the way their body behaves, more needs to be learned. Some normally slender persons became more rounded and the reverse was also observed. An extract in a recent copy of the New Scientist quoted the case of a curvy daughter to sleek mother transfer which caused the mother to become more curvaceous. These findings were taken to indicate the flora may have additional functions to those we currently know. (Self help is cynically inadvisable yet because of lack of availability of treatment in a clinical setting some are trying to relieve Ibs for themselves)

By the by, The cells which line the digestive tract and the alveoli in our lungs owe much of their dna to the micro organisms which joined together in our extremely distant past staying functional as we progressed to the intelligent life form we are and have been for thousands of years.

Please, any thoughts, might internal gardening help?

CSARdiver

Is this the article Fuzzipeg?

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22530083.600-not-just-obesity--faecal-transplants-weird-effects.html?page=1#.VXBf3c9VhBc

One of the greatest deficiencies in medical training, especially allopathic, is microbiology. For most its one semester in undergrad and another in medical school.

We literally cannot live without those critical prokaryotes in our guts, however very little research is done in humans considering the difficulty of analysis in the human intestine. While we can observer how bacteria act in vitro, how they truly interact in the GI with competing organisms is unknown. There are so many variables including the transposon phenomenon "jumping genes", that impacted genes from the donor patient may be transferred to the recipient. One of the many reasons the medical community is pushing for greater regulation and screening regarding faecal transplant.

Dr. Michael Madigan is one of the leading professors (and one of my personal favorite people) on environmental prokaryotic life and its impact on biological systems. Note that we all have similar bacteria in our GI tract, but as they are all competing your diet determines which bacteria thrive - yogurt is an excellent promoter of good GI health. While probiotic pills and supplements are very popular, there isn't much evidence proving them superior than yogurt.

lindsey1979

I've definitely read things over the years, and in particular why some scientists and medical professionals think that gluten is a problem for many (not just the celiacs) -- that it contributes to "leaky gut", which may be a cause of certain or exacerbate autoimmune diseases. My SIL has two very rare AIs (or so they think), and following her journey, it just reinforces for me how much we don't know about the body, and autoimmune diseases (including Hashi's) altogether.

From what I've read, I think the leaky gut and gut health sounds like a reasonable hypothesis, but it's far from definitive. I figure a lot of things that contribute to good gut health don't really hurt me, so I incorporate some of them in hopes that there is some validity to this theory. I take probiotics regularly and try to work more of the fermented foods into my diet -- I like yogurt but not a lot of the other fermented foods. I also generally avoid grains (non-gluten oatmeal on a occasion being the only exception) -- and I know that I feel a lot better when I do this. I don't know if it's due to leaky gut or what, but I definitely feel a lot better without grains and grain products. I used to love pasta and bread, but after discovering this about myself, my desire for them pretty much imploded. I still have quite a sweet tooth and love dessert, luckily there are a lot of dessert options out there that don't include grains.

I hadn't read this article on faecal transplants -- very interesting stuff. Thanks for the link and the discussion.

Fuzzipeg

Thank you for providing a link. This article is similar to the one I read in hard copy not all publications post as hard copy.

I agree yoghurt is probably a good place to find the "healthy bacteria". Unfortunately this may not be an answer for those who are subject to lactose intolerance. I hope someone will share with us what they find really helpful and any guidance they have received

Fuzzipeg

I too thought I had an issue with gluten, I gave up my toast at breakfast and lunch sandwich the problem resolved. I concluded the problem was with yeast because I was fine with other gluten containing foods. There are so many ways yeast can plague us. Certainly the right amount of "little critters" giggle can certainly help.

When the intestinal mucosa lining is replaced every 36 hours or so this would probably explain why we need to keep ingesting prebiotics. Could exceeding the 5 a day for fruit and veg help maintain good bacteria levels especially if they are raw. After visiting a dentist I became aware the body's best ph level is 7 but this is now regularly seen only in vegetarians. Many of us exist at a ph of only 5. Does anyone have an idea if consuming fresh fruit and veg will promote a better ph and level of bacteria as well as a self regulating one?

It is not unusual for someone with one autoimmune issue to have others. Often it is only by controlling dominant symptoms that others can come to the fore.

ElizabethKalmbach

This is interesting to me, but I have nothing useful to add. I try to maintain healthy gut flora and deal with a lot of raw milk and fresh vegetables. I have very few intestinal difficulties in my normal, healthy state. I can both drink milk and eat gluten without any trouble. I am following the research, but have no evidence to add one way or the other.