Gut health: The Good the Bad and the Ugly!

"What?" You ask. Yes, your gut is critical to your overall wellness or sickness. Your gut believe it or not can affect every organ in your body including your brain! You see, your gut has good bacteria and good yeast, as well as bad bacteria, bad yeast., and viruses. Your immune system is constantly working to keep the bad bacteria and bad yeast in check. When things get out of balance, and foods cause sensitivities in your gut (often your favorite foods), your immune system flips on a fire drill and problems start to arise. Inflammation is rampant. Let's face it. Inflammation is FIRE! The permeability or integrity of your gut lining becomes impaired, and the pathogens (bacteria and yeast) and toxins get into your bloodstream. Yikes! Now what? Yikes is right. Now you have what we call a systemic issue meaning these toxins and pathogens are traveling to potentially any and every organ in your body. After all, how does each organ in your body stay alive? How does each organ (your brain, heart, kidneys, eyes, nervous system, liver, lungs, bones etc.,), get oxygen and nutrients? If you guessed "my arteries" ...Bingo. You are correct. So, if your organs are being fed by arteries with bad bacteria, yeast, viruses and toxins, what do you think will happen to these organs? They might be damaged? Bingo! Correct again. So, what are the consequences or symptoms of organ damage you ask? Well, which organ do you want to consider? 

Let's say we are talking about your brain. Did you ever imagine that headaches, hyperactivity such as ADD and ADHD, insomnia, dementia, depression, anxiety, and fatigue, bipolar illness, could be from this systemic impairment?

Let's take your lungs/pulmonary system. Asthma, shortness of breath, pneumonia, and fibrosis can be the end result. Perhaps even lung cancer may be triggered or turned on. 

Consider things like joint pain, auto immune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis and weight gain, bursitis, arthritis, swollen joints, muscle aches and pain may evolve. The list goes on and into upper respiratory issues, canker and cold sores, cough, bloating. Blood pressure issues may arise as your kidneys and heart are affected. You may experience diarrhea, bloating, eczema, IBS, blood sugar problems either too high or too low. 

What? You were thinking the Good the Bad and the Ugly? So, you have good bacteria and good yeast, bad bacteria, bad yeast, bad viruses, AND toxins, and the ugly. The ugly is bad problems, and bad chronic disease with lots of inflammation. It's just flat out ugly. But there is hope. 

There are ways to identify the culprits that are damaging your gut. There are ways to heal and protect your gut. It's doable and painless! So, don't fret the "bad and the ugly". Seize the good and conquer the bad and the ugly! Dr. Gaskill can help you!