If you are suffering from any chronic symptoms, the answer can be in your gut. Therefore, it is always a great idea to check your microbiome and digestive function.
Just in case you didn’t know or forgot, we, humans, are animals just like our pets, lions, cows, etc. We are just different species of primates, and we have a prefrontal cortex which gives us cognition. Sometimes we think we are superior. However, I recently watched a documentary on mantis shrimp, and now I have my doubts about the concept of human superiority.
Anyway, we are animals and, for the sake of this article, I will concentrate only on purely physical human body specifics such as multiple colonies of microbes living on us and in us.
Overall, each individual contains an average of 3.5 lbs. of microbes, parasites, fungi, and other microorganisms spread through his/her body! You are probably thinking you don’t have that much of it and thinking of that someone special who has way more parasites than you. Wrong. It’s the average, and you have to make peace with it. We are animals, and it means we host parasites in a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship.
Microbes Protect Us
Our microbes protect us from danger, digest our food, influence our food cravings, attract mosquitoes, and do a million other things you thought were happening automatically! Nothing happens automatically; the colonies of your personal microbes are working day and night to ensure your existence and support their comfort. You indeed cannot survive without most of them, and you must obey some of them.
Thank your microbes!
I’m kidding … just simple acknowledgment will do.
So, as gracious hosts, we have to be responsible for the balance in our kingdom because balance is the key. Most of your microbiome is harmless, and some constitute most of your immune system. You almost always have some pathological microorganisms in you, and when the balance is in place, these organisms are in check.
But, if that balance is tipped to the pathological side by any internal or external events, severe damage can happen to many of your body systems and functions.
Just in case I failed to capture your attention, check this out:
Scientists discovered that gut microbiota dramatically affects your emotional state and susceptibility to stress. Perhaps your microbes have consciousness and influence your thoughts and behaviors…
Also, every day you can be a subject to accepting and hosting somebody else’s microbes along with all their abilities to affect you. How does that sound?
I can talk about the microbiome for hours, especially about its abilities to influence our thinking. However, I want to make it practical and share with you what you can do and what’s in your control.
Chronic Symptoms
If you are suffering from pretty much any chronic symptoms, the answer could be in your gut. Therefore, it is always a great idea to check your microbiome and digestive functions with a stool test.
Regular stool tests will not do. I’m talking about comprehensive analysis revealing a lot of information. We, who are practicing functional medicine, love this test. It gives us great insight into identifying problems and creating a treatment approach for leaky gut.
This test can reveal the balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria, the presence of yeast, candida, indications of an allergic reaction, and the leaky gut biomarker. That’s right, and we can even test for zonulin – the indicator of a leaky gut to know for sure what is going on.
There are protocols to restore the inner lining of the gut, heal the perforation, and close the opening through which particles of food are escaping to your bloodstream and causing an immune reaction.
These treatment protocols vary from one person to another depending on the test findings. The best thing about it is that by having test results, your doctor’s extended explanation of it, and a treatment plan, you can take control of your health and heal yourself.
If this information piqued your curiosity, let me know by emailing me maya@doctormayaclinic.com and ask for more interesting and relevant information.
