Vol. 14

No. 3

THE MICROBIOME MANIA

Hippocrates, father of medicine, taught some 2500 years ago that "all diseases begin in the gut." The worlds of medicine, immunology, microbiology and nutrition are confirming this finding concerning the popular topic of the microbiome.

The bacteria and fungi living on the skin and inside of us, numbering about 100 trillion (human cells total 30 trillion), comprise the microbiome or microbiota. There are somewhere between 1000 and 2500 different species teaming in our intestines, skin, mouth, nose, urinary tract and lungs and most of them are beneficial for health.

The organisms that live in the stomach have a close relationship with the brain, and this "gut-brain axis" continues to reveal its astounding secrets to researchers. When intestinal balance is not optimum, we are prone to obesity, diabetes, nerve diseases, allergies, asthma, stomach conditions, inflammatory diseases, low thyroid, rheumatoid arthritis, colon cancer, autism, learning disabilities and mood disorders.

A healthy balance of gut flora is essential for good immune function. Most of us have a damaged microbiome due to over-use of antibiotics and pharmaceuticals such as antacids, eating the standard American diet, environmental chemicals or prolonged mental stress. Martin Blaser, M.D. author of "Missing Microbes," has sounded the alarm that antibiotic overuse may have caused permanent damage to the microbiome creating an epidemic of the illnesses listed above.

The bacteria, fungi, and protozoa living within us perform a myriad of functions to defend the immune system by controlling harmful organisms. They also assist with vitamin and antioxidant production and nutrient absorption. Bodily inflammation is controlled by the microbiota's effect on immune cells living in the intestines.

The Vagus nerve is the major communication highway between the microbiota and the brain. A recent study demonstrated anxiety and depression improvements with the simple addition of cultured yogurt in the diet. Michael Gershon, M.D., author of the "Second Brain," remarked: "If there isn't smoothness and bliss going up to the brain in the head from the one in the gut, the brain in the head can't function."

Not all organisms are of equal importance to our survival and many have very specific functions to perform. Lactobacillus rhamnosus reduces anxiety. Lactobacillus reuteri reduces high cholesterol and protects the heart. Research is showing that many health conditions respond to specific species, but it is not yet determined the best treatment approach to restore the depleted bacteria.

The best approach to microbiome restoration includes the following recommended protocols:

  1. Probiotic supplements to restore the normal bacteria flora.
  2. Supplementation with Prebiotics or plant fiber to feed the healthy bacteria.
  3. Daily use of fermented vegetables to feed the microbes.
  4. Elimination of the bad organisms such as Candida with specific herbal protocols. Simply re-introducing the good bugs is not enough to make a difference.
  5. Treatment with Neurovascular Dynamics, a chiropractic method that works primarily with the nerve reflexes in the gastro-intestinal system.
  6. A high fiber, whole food diet that is high in vegetables.

The current explosion of the healing potential of the microbiome has expanded our awareness of how one gets ill and how one can heal. It has also given us great hope that the internal ecological crisis can be addressed both simply and naturally. The medicine of the future is here now and it is deep inside of us.

 

Newsletter Archives

The following previous issues can be accessed by clicking on the title:

Vol. 14, No.2: "The Magic of Sleep"

Sleep is an activity that all humans do automatically and is often underestimated in regards to its healing potential. In fact, restorative sleep is the foundation of physical and mental health. Lack of adequate nighttime rest has been associated with dementia, high blood pressure, increased blood sugar levels, depression, increased cancer risk and obesity.

Vol. 14, No.1: "Mystery of Persistent Back Pain"

Lower back pain has been a challenge for all professions. In fact, many years ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that lower back pain is more prevalent than the common cold. Medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, physical therapy and many allied professions have tackled this epidemic malady with varying results. Of these, the chiropractic profession has had the best success record in dealing with this painful condition, although results can depend upon the pain’s cause and point of origin.

Vol. 13, No.1: "Emotional Healing & Psycho-Peristalsis"

Stress, whether physical, mental or nutritional, is now recognized as the cause of most illness, and its reaction takes place throughout the nervous system including the abdomen, as many people can attest.

Vol. 12, No.7: "The Great Mimic"

Approximately 50 million Americans suffer from periodic gastrointestinal complaints such as hiatal hernia, esophageal reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, hemorrhoids, or constipation. In this brief article we will explain what we think is the common denominator for all these digestive maladies and why we call this factor “The Great Mimic.”

Vol. 12, No.6: "Exhausted? It Might Be Adrenal Stress Disorder"

In nature, when an animal is attacked, it can respond with extraordinary feats of strength and endurance. This is accomplished with the mobilization of hormones – specifically, adrenalin. The same response also occurs in humans, but with a very significant difference. Once an emergency has ended, the animal will recover quickly from the galvanizing effects of adrenalin. Humans, however, live with such persistent stress that, all too frequently, we do not have adequate time to rest and re-set the nervous-hormonal system.

Vol. 12, No. 5: "Oh, My Aching Head!"

All of us experience feelings of sadness, unhappiness or frustration at times, and this is a normal part of human existence. However, when these feelings persist and start to interfere with our normal functioning, we begin to suffer from depression.

Vol. 12, No. 4: "Hidden Factors in Depression"

All of us experience feelings of sadness, unhappiness or frustration at times, and this is a normal part of human existence. However, when these feelings persist and start to interfere with our normal functioning, we begin to suffer from depression.

Vol. 12, No. 3: "Your Aching Sinuses"

There is a simple – yet unseen – mechanism in the human body that regulates and restores our health. This “Great Harmonizer” is actually wired in to the human nervous system and needs only to be properly stimulated in order to maintain health.

Vol. 12, No. 2: "From Stressed Out to Chilled Out"

There is a simple – yet unseen – mechanism in the human body that regulates and restores our health. This “Great Harmonizer” is actually wired in to the human nervous system and needs only to be properly stimulated in order to maintain health.

Vol. 12, No. 1: "Surprising Eyes"

Heredity can be either blessed or blamed for many of our physical characteristics...  from the inheritance of Mom’s curly hair to Dad’s bald head to, unfortunately, Grandpa’s diabetes. In fact, just knowing about or having observed a beloved relative suffer from a hereditary illness can create an aura of ticking time bomb in our own lives.

Vol. 11, No. 1: "Natural Immunity"

Human beings have always searched for methods to preserve health in the face of aging, infection and disease. One such route to health has increasingly been the promotion of the body’s own self-protective and self-healing mechanisms.These mechanisms, in turn, are dependent upon the  strength of the body’s “natural immunity,” its inherent ability to defend itself against infection and degenerative disease.

Vol. 10, No. 1: "Reflex Healing"

Chiropractic methods may seem, at times, to be mysterious and have little obvious connection with the object of a patient's complaint. While the "light touch" used at Friedman Chiropractic may possibly appear superficial, it is actually a critical tool for helping the body to regain health.

Vol. 9, No. 1: "Hara and Healing"

There is an old Taoist saying which advises: "When you are sick, do not seek a cure. Find your center and you will be healed." "What is this Òcenter" of which the ancients spoke and what is its importance to natural healing?

Vol. 8, No. 3: "Water: The Overlooked Nutrient"

We can live weeks without food, but no more than a week without water. For health, we need a balance of fluids for all of our cells to function properly.Our bodies consists of from 50% to 80% water. These fluids are what carry nutrients, waste products, and minerals to our cells. The fluid in our bodies can be divided into two main groups: There is fluid inside our cells (intracellular fluid) and fluid outside our cells (extracellular fluid).

Vol. 8, No. 2: "Fibromyalgia"

Fibromyalgia is a condition that affects over 8 million Americans, 80% of them female. People with this chronic condition have symptoms of severe fatigue and multiple sites of aches and pain in their muscles, ligaments and tendons. Years ago, people with this condition were told they had fibrositis, myalgia, rheumatism or were just plain hypochondriacs.

Vol. 8, No. 1: "Food Allergies"

Many medical experts predict that between 50%-60% of all Americans have negative reactions to some foods. These reactions are not restricted to the intestinal tract but can also cause brain, immune system, genitourinary, musculoskeletal, respiratory and skin symptoms...

Vol. 7, No. 2: "The Law of Polarity"

Since ancient times there have been many seekers of Nature's secret laws of healing. One such doctor was Randolph Stone, DO., DC., who explored the world in hopes of determining the common denominator of all healing systems. He concluded that there is an unseen field of electro-magnetic energy that both runs and heals the body. Dr. Stone organized his discoveries into a method he called Polarity Therapy ...

Vol. 7, No. 1: "Toxic or Tired?"

Fatigue is epidemic is our society. Common causes of this malady can vary from life-style choices to dietary indiscretions. Many people are aware that their exhaustion may come from poor food and emotional pressures, but an often overlooked factor is "auto-intoxication." Autotoxemia is poisoning with toxic substances formed within the body.

Vol. 6, No. 1: "The Importance of Posture"

There is an old adage that states: "The shape you are in determines the shape you are in." The implication is that the way one's body looks reflects one's general health. This idea goes back to the ancient Greeks who appreciated an erect and poised body in athletics and the arts, particularly statuary. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, exhorted: "In all diseases, look to the spine."

Vol. 5, No. 1: "The Four Stages of Healing"

An understanding of how the body-mind becomes ill can be helpful in guiding us through the healing process. The body becomes ill and gets well in an orderly manner whether the stressor is nutritional, mechanical, or emotional. The stages of disease in the order of progression are Acute, Sub-acute, Chronic, and Degenerative. All stages are various degrees of a condition called "inflammation." ...

Vol. 4, No. 1: "The Healing Field"

Many people wonder what is the mechanism in the human body that co-ordinates our daily physiology and also heals illnesses and injuries. A simple finger cut, for example, goes through many stages of tissue healing. How does the body know what type of connective tissue to lay down and when the scar is ready to fall off? ...

Vol. 3, No. 6: "Understanding Your Gut Feelings"

Most of us believe that important decisions are made via the intellect or the reasoning part of the mind. Current scientific research reveals this to be only partially true. It appears that we think with our minds but experience our emotions from another locale within the body: the stomach area. ...

Vol. 3, No. 5: "Retracing: The Untold Story"

There is a belief among many health practitioners working with natural therapies that a person who is in the process of getting well may undergo some sort of a "healing reaction" in order to fully heal. The "healing crisis," as it is known, occurs at a point when the body's self-healing mechanism has begun to "retrace" its own history of illness in order to completely heal and rid itself of the accumulated residues of disease...

Vol. 3, No. 4: "May the Force Be With You"

The physicians of the ancient world believed that health comes from a power within the human body which they called "Vis Medicatrix Naturae" or the healing power of nature. The Greek physician-philosopher Plato observed that every living thing is activated by an "inherent vital principle" which both runs and heals the body-mind complex...

Vol. 3, No. 3: "Change Your Thinking...Change Your Life"

The philosopher-psychologist Henry James observed almost a century ago:
"The most profound discovery of my generation is that, by changing one's thinking, one can change one's life."
Increasingly, science is finding that, by engendering positive and uplifting thoughts, we can not only improve the quality of our emotional and spiritual lives, but we may be also able to influence the quality of our physical health. ..

Vol. 3, No. 2: "Is It Mind? Is It Body? Is It Body-Mind?"

Except for a small number of physical complaints such as injuries or acute infections, there is an increasing array of health complaints being labeled as having a "stress-related" or emotional component. By current estimate, almost 90% of present health issues have emotional stress as a partial cause of disease. How can we, as health consumers, know if a disease derives from emotional or physical causes or from a combination of both? To find the answer to this question, it is helpful to look to the past. ...

Vol. 3, No. 1: "Fatigue and Its Remedies"

At various times throughout our lives, all of us will experience a sense of tiredness or fatigue. Sometimes this feeling will last a day or two but, for some people, it can persist for months, years, or even a life-time. It is important to understand that serious fatigue, that is, fatigue that is not attributable to temporary over-exertion, is actually a symptom of some other process going on within the body-mind unit. Prolonged fatigue is not an illness in itself, but a manifestation of a health imbalance. ...

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Jeffrey I. Friedman, D.C.
FRIEDMAN CHIROPRACTIC, INC.
711 D Street, Suite 104, San Rafael, California 94901-3703
(415) 459-4646

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DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is intended to provide health information to improve quality of life and assist users to better understand their health and arrange more easily for healthcare services. It is not an attempt to replace the need to seek healthcare services nor to provide specific healthcare advice. Information provided should not be used to diagnose or dispute a qualified healthcare professional's judgement. If you have any questions, please give our office a call or check with your local healthcare professional.

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