Counselor
Notes 1
October 29, 2011
Probiotics
Most of us have heard
someone refer to another’s problems as “all in their head.” That
may be true, but there is a new field opening up called neurogastroenterology
which looks at the brain in a person’s stomach. One of the feature
articles in the December issue of Psychology Today is titled “Your Backup Brain”
and goes on to say: “There’s a ‘second brain’ in your stomach, and it influences
mood, what you eat, all kinds of disease, and decision-making.”
(The link isn’t available yet as it is a current issue.
I’ll post it when it becomes available. For now, try this
article in Scientific American: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=gut-second-brain ).
In her book “Children With Starving
Brains,” Jaquelyn McCandless M.D. makes these points about the importance of the
guts:
·
“Research has shown that 60 – 70% of the immune system
in humans is located in the intestinal tract and its digestive
organs.... ...intestinal pathology can contribute to immune
dysregulation, and vice versa.” p. 89
·
“Antibiotics not only irritate the intestinal wall and
cause gut inflammation, but also destroy the beneficial bacteria, creating an
opportunity for Candida (a yeast), Clostridia (an anaerobic bacteria) and other
pathogens normally kept in balance by the 'good bugs' to overgrow and cause
further damage.” p. 89
·
“... many autistic patients tend to have elevated yeast
levels in their intestines.” p. 89
·
“... yeast overgrowth interferes with the absorption of
nutrients (the yeast takes them from their own growth and multiplication,
particularly the sugars); this is often the cause of the diarrhea and/or
constipation.” p. 90
·
“Furthermore, yeast cells can convert to an invasive
colony form, imbedding themselves into the lining of the intestinal tract and,
via secreted enzymes, destroy intestinal tissue. This type of
injury creates 'holes' in the intestine through which undigested food molecules
can pass. This hypermeable state is called 'leaky gut
syndrome.'” p. 90
·
“This process (leaky gut) leads to greater allergic
susceptibilities. Effective treatment of yeast or bacterial
overgrowth often decreases or eliminates these allergic reactions.”
p. 90
The microflora are
important. Newsweek had this note in their October 29, 2007
issue:
“… the body’s natural
microbial flora aren’t just an incidental fact of our biology, but crucial
components of our health, intimate companions on an evolutionary
journey…. Our microbes do us the favor of synthesizing our
vitamins right in our guts; they regulate our immune systems and even our
serotonin levels….” P. 45 (Note: low levels of
serotonin are associated with depression.)
There are a number of
causes of problems in the guts. Among them are poor diet
(especially one high in sugar), toxins, and yeast overgrowth.
Here’s a simple free home test for yeast overgrowth:
http://www.candidasupport.org/test_saliva.html
If there are gut issues,
you may want to try something called probiotics. http://www.prevention.com/health/nutrition/healthy-eating-tips/europe-s-best-kept-health-secret/article/56f468f271903110VgnVCM10000013281eac____
I am not a medical doctor
and I am not the leading researcher on all of this so plesase do read up on
these issues. I t may be that the whole thing is overblown.
I put the information here though because there is a lot of buzz in the
psychology world and gut issues may play a role in:
Depression:
"Mood dysregulation has
long been linked to inflammation, suggesting that there's immune dysfunction in
depression, Researchers report that treating animals with gut
probiotic Bifidobacterium infantis leads to positive changes in neurochemical
function. The microbe raised levels of serotonin precursor
tryptophan in the frontal lobe and the amygdala, two brain areas associated with
mood and emotion." - The November/December 2010 issue of Psychology Today, p.
46.
Anxiety disorders
(obsessive-compulsive disorder):
"There is also a theory
that the toxins can spread to the brain and develop into Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder." http://www.breezecare.com/probiotics/index.html
Check these out too:
http://hbcprotocols.com/probioticarticle/ http://www.herbs2000.com/articles/09-04-17_probiotic_anxiety.htm
Skin Problems: (ex:
Psoriasis & eczema)
http://www.dermaharmony.com/skinnutrition/probiotics.aspx
Obesity:
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/10/27/are-gut-bacteria-in-charge/
Migraines:
http://headacheandmigrainenews.com/probiotics-for-ibs-study-review/
For those afflicted, I hope
this offers some relief. For those not afflicted, you may want to
look into all this as an ounce of
prevention.