Gut Dysbiosis

We divide intestinal microorganisms into ”beneficial bacteria” and ”harmful bacteria” when explaining the functions of bacteria in the body. The proportion of ”beneficial bacteria” in our intestines is approximately 20%, 30% of which are harmful bacteria, and the remaining 50% are intermediary bacteria. As a result, most of our intestinal flora comprises intermediary bacteria, which are opportunistic microorganisms that do not fit into any of the mentioned categories. Contrary to popular belief, it is precisely these intermediary bacteria that help to regulate our intestinal environment. They will become beneficial or detrimental based on our choices and our way of life, both physically and mentally. The importance of nutrition cannot be overstated. If we have a chaotic schedule, with irregular meals and other bad eating habits, the intermediate bacteria will be drawn to the area of harmful bacteria, eventually leading to the situation where the majority of intestinal bacteria act as harmful bacteria. In such an unfavorable environment, the intestines become dysfunctional over time, and various diseases emerge.

Many people suffer from a change in the microbial flora caused by a decrease in the essential population of good bacteria and the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria, which can result in an organism's microbiological imbalance. The condition is referred to as intestinal dysbiosis or dysbacteriosis. This imbalance is frequently the root cause of poorly understood and increasingly common medical conditions such as permeable bowel syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, and many autoimmune diseases, while also providing a plausible explanation for people's inability to lose weight.

Risk factors

The modern lifestyle and the overuse of medications in healthcare are both generic risk factors for dysbiosis. Antibiotics, for example, can cause a severe imbalance in their intestinal bacteria. Food and drink, as well as common medications, stress, and overwork, can all disrupt your microbial balance. Many drugs can disrupt the microbiome by killing irreplaceable bacteria, altering the pH of the gut in a way that promotes pathogen growth, or affecting the intestinal mucosa and allowing bacteria to enter areas where they shouldn't. Proton pump inhibitors/antacids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), birth control pills and hormone therapies, steroids, and chemotherapy are examples of such drugs. Among the foods that harm the microbiome are artificial sweeteners, excess sugar and fat in the diet, a lack of fiber in the diet, and alcohol. A low fiber content, on the other hand, can have a greater impact on the microbiome than too much sugar, starch, and fat.

Gut dysbiosis symptoms and conditions

Bloating, abdominal pain, foul-smelling gas, rash, rosacea, food intolerance, strange-looking stools, fatigue, confusion, frequent infections, and a general feeling of exhaustion are all symptoms of intestinal dysbiosis. Celiac disease or gluten intolerance, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune diseases, thyroid diseases, excessive bacterial growth in the small intestine, diabetes, fungal infections, obesity, sclerosis irritable bowel syndrome, permeable bowel syndrome, sinusitis, bacterial vaginosis, and other diseases are all associated with intestinal dysbiosis. Dysbiosis also plays a role in the development of cancer, as well as a variety of mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia, dyslexia, anxiety, ADD, autism, ADHD, and dyspraxia.

Treatment approach

To diagnose the condition of the microbiome, our clinic provides a wide range of cutting-edge investigations. In terms of the therapeutic approach, the first and most practical step is to alter one's diet and lifestyle to promote microbial flora rebalancing. Because bacteria are closely related to the food we eat, food is the most influential factor. Instead of focusing on what to eat to lose weight, lower cholesterol, or avoid diabetes, we should consider what to eat to cultivate a thriving "garden," because health problems are less common when intestinal bacteria are balanced, abundant, and diverse. A diet high in fermented foods, for example, is essential.

Adopting a natural lifestyle, in addition to proper nutrition, is critical. As a result, it is preferable to avoid using antibacterial soaps, to use essential oils in personal care products, to reduce antibiotic consumption, to consume natural honey instead of sugar, to spend more time outdoors and to reduce stress, to consume seasonal and locally grown produce to avoid preservatives, to reduce stress, and to include more probiotic-rich foods and prebiotics in our daily diet.

For more severe cases of microbiome imbalance, the clinic offers fecal matter transplantation (FMT), which can be a life-saving solution because it replaces the bacterial flora in a sick person's intestine with another bacterial flora from a healthy person's feces.

References

Dr. Josh Axe, Eat Dirt: Why Leaky Gut May Be the Root Cause of Your Health Problems and 5 Surprising Steps to Cure It, Ed. Harper Collins, 2016.
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, A.D.D., Dyslexia, A.D.H.D., Depression, Schizophrenia, Medinform Publishing, Cambridge 2018.
Dr. Robynne Chutkan, The Microbiome Solution. A Radical New Way to Heal your Bodyfrum the Inside Out, Penguin Publishing 2015.
Dr. Hiromi Shinya, The Microbe Factor, Millichap Books 2010.