diverse microbiome Archives - Amazing Health Advances

This Chemical in Our Food ‘Will Actually Perforate the Wall of the Gut’: Doc Reveals Secrets to Living Longer, Healthier

AHA Publisher — Fri, 15 Jul 2022 07:00:11 +0000

Lorie Johnson via CBN News – A disturbing new study reveals that a dangerous chemical has been found in the urine of a vast majority of Americans. Glyphosate is the pesticide found in Roundup, and it’s so prevalent in the U.S. food supply that it’s now in the urine samples of more than 80 percent of Americans tested in the study, including 87 percent of children. Experts say the chemical has been linked to cancer and other health concerns, and while it has now infiltrated much of the processed foods we buy at grocery stores, many people don’t even know about the dangers it poses. It’s just one of many concerns affecting our health and longevity, but there are ways to limit the risk and live longer. People Are Still Living Longer Living past the age of 100 used to be a rarity. These days, however, people over 100 comprise a fast-growing segment of the population. Just a few years ago, there were about 500,000 centenarians worldwide. The United States has the most: 72,000. Studies from the United Nations predict the world will have more than three million centenarians by 2050. That’s good news unless that population suffers from declining health. In fact, many people say they don’t want to live that long if it means their last decade is spent in a nursing home not being able to do anything or remember anyone. Rethink What It Means to be Old However, needing a home without stairs and taking lots of medications don’t need to go hand-in-hand with aging. One of the world’s leading experts on aging says far too many people equate getting old with poor health and plan accordingly. “We base a lot of our behaviors thinking that this is what’s going to happen to us, but in fact, that doesn’t have to happen,” Dr. Steven Gundry told CBN News. In his book, The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age, Dr. Gundry lists the habits of healthy centenarians. “What we know about super old people who are thriving is that they don’t become infirm, they don’t get cancer, they don’t get Alzheimer’s,” Dr. Gundry said. “These people actually have the physiology, have the workings, of a 50-year-old individual.” Build a Better Gut A number of things separate healthy centenarians apart from their sicker counterparts. However, topping the list of what it takes to live a vibrant, disease-free life well into old age is a healthy gut. That means an intestinal tract brimming with good bacteria. “It’s amazing,” he said, “When we look at 105-year-old people around the world, they carry the diverse gut microbiome of 30-year-old people.” Having enough of the right bacteria can prevent just about every type of disease, including inherited ones. “Whether we turn genes on or off with information, and that’s called epigenetics or epigenomics, and it’s that interplay with actually a lot of material that comes from our microbiome telling our genes what to do,” he said. Glyphosate: Avoid Processed Foods for a Healthier Gut Dr. Gundry said the key to a healthy gut microbiome is avoiding processed foods, because of chemical ingredients, especially the pesticide glyphosate. “It’s probably the biggest health problem that people are unaware of,” he warned, “It’s in all of our products, all of our cereals. all of our breads, all of our crackers. A recent study of 35 oat products in the United States found glyphosate, including some very dangerous levels, in every one of the oat products including many of our kids’ cereals including our granola.” Dr. Gundry says in addition to cancer and other health concerns, glyphosate can wipe out good bacteria and even cause a ‘leaky gut.’ “You will actually make perforations in the wall of the gut, and bacterial particles and plant compounds and toxins will get right through the wall of your gut,” he said. A leaky gut can cause migraines, chronic fatigue, and autoimmune diseases like Celiac, according to Gundry. Intermittent Fasting In addition to eating right, robust old-timers go without food altogether for long periods of time. Regularly fasting a minimum of twelve hours within a 24-hour period can trigger the body to eliminate whatever hinders survival. “Fasting, or intermittent fasting, gives us an opportunity to really get all the best cells all the time and that’s what we all want,” said Dr. Gundry. Studies show intermittent fasting helps prevent atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and possibly cancer, all while boosting the immune system. The Problem with Pills Another common characteristic of healthy centenarians is they take few drugs or none at all. While many people, such as diabetics, take specific medication, Dr. Gundry maintains healthier choices can even reverse that need. “I have yet to meet a type two who I can’t get off all medications by teaching them how to eat,” he said. “I haven’t met a person who takes a statin drug to lower cholesterol that I can’t get off a statin once I teach them how to eat.” Dr. Gundry says antibiotics and common painkillers can harm the gut microbiome, with even something like an antacid leading to other problems. “And so I see so many people with dementia and congestive heart failure who’ve been taking these drugs chronically,” he said. “In fact, the FDA has a warning on these products that you should never take them longer than two weeks because they’re that dangerous.” Dust Off Those Sneakers Dr. Gundry says exercise keeps the body working well no matter what the calendar says. It improves blood flow, particularly to the brain. Women who exercise routinely during their lifespan have a 90-percent reduction in Alzheimer’s compared to women who don’t. Muscles strengthen bones, thus preventing injury. It turns out that walking against gravity, whether going up or down, is an especially good exercise because it works the area of the body between the knees and the hips, which contains most of our muscle mass. In fact, the five cities worldwide with the highest concentration of centenarians are all very hilly. Those cities are in what’s known as Blue Zones. The only one in the US is Loma Linda, which means ‘beautiful hill’ in Spanish. This California city is not only home to the largest concentration of centenarians in America, but also the largest concentration of Seventh-Day Adventists. That denomination avoids processed foods and drugs while embracing fasting and exercise. Years ago, Dr. Gundry practiced heart surgery in Loma Linda and was inspired by the people and their healthy lifestyle. Not long after that, he shifted the focus of his medical practice to teaching the world how to live strong to a ripe old age. To read the original article click here.

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Super Sanitizing in the Age of COVID: Can You Be Too Clean?

AHA Publisher — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 08:00:20 +0000

Lorie Johnson via CBN News – In the last decade, health experts touted the benefits of having plenty of good bacteria in the gut. They say having a diverse gut microbiome strengthens the immune system. As it turns out, a diverse microbiome in our environment operates the same way. In other words, there are plenty of good bugs all around us that can help us fight off disease. However, during the COVID pandemic more than ever before, many of the good bugs in our environment are being wiped out with high-powered cleansers like antibacterial agents and bleach. While health experts stress the importance of fighting COVID by washing hands and surfaces with mild cleansers, such as old-fashioned soap and water, they say disinfecting may literally be overkill. When New York City shut down the subways for four hours each day for disinfecting it deprived untold residents of much-needed transportation. Many of these travelers worked at hospitals and other health care facilities treating COVID patients, the last people who needed additional hardship during the pandemic. To make matters worse, some scientists declared the subway shutdown a colossal waste of time and money. “It looks a bit to me like ‘cleaning theatre,'” Dr. Jack Gilbert, microbiome researcher, University of California San Diego professor and author of Dirt Is Good: The Advantage of Germs for Your Child’s Developing Immune System told CBN News, adding the purpose of the disinfecting project may actually have been “to make people feel more comfortable about using those environments. Bleaching the surfaces will have very, very little impact upon the spread of the disease.” That’s because science tells us COVID-19 is spread mainly through personal contact. Furthermore, Dr. Gilbert points out the fact that once a surface is sanitized, it doesn’t stay that way for long. “If you sterilize a surface, in a few minutes after sterilization the microbes from our body are re-colonizing that surface.” During this pandemic, welcoming some of the germs living all around us may seem scary, but it’s generally better than killing them all. “The negative consequences of bleaching the environment, especially if you have very young children in the environment, can actually lead to chronic consequences which may be worse,” Dr. Gilbert said, adding the good bugs we encounter, especially as youngsters, can help prevent food allergies, skin problems like eczema and even issues associated with autism. “Those experiences that those children are getting shape how their immune system develops. And that can shape how our brains develop,” he said. Growing Up With Dirt Think about all the germs surrounding barnyard animals or even household pets. Turns out, those bugs are good for us. Growing up with animals can reduce the lifetime risk of a number of ailments. For example, asthma strikes about one in ten Americans. Children who grow up with a dog, however, are 13-percent less likely to develop this serious lung disease. Kids on farms do even better, enjoying a 50-percent reduction. In the age of COVID, doctors say it’s never been more important to wash our hands. However, we can go overboard. Mayo Clinic researcher Dr. Heidi Nelson told CBN News that exposure to certain microorganisms can help fight disease. “Keeping clean is good, but there probably is such a thing as too clean,” she said, adding that exposure to a diverse array of microorganisms in the environment can help fight disease. “We all grew up playing in the dirt and it didn’t hurt us and it probably kept us healthy and having a strong immune system,” she said. In his book, Eat Dirt: Why Leaky Gut May Be the Root Cause of Your Health Problems and 5 Surprising Steps to Cure It, Dr. Josh Axe, who has the number one natural health website, told CBN News that a preoccupation with disinfecting everything in sight puts us at risk for chronic illnesses. “What a lot of people don’t realize is by using excessive sanitizers and bleaches they’re actually weakening their immune system.” The Natural Approach Dr. Axe says some cleansers contain harsh chemicals that can harm the skin and gut. He recommends a more natural approach. “If we use things like essential oils that are referenced in the Bible we’re not going to have those same side effects, yet it’s going to help sanitize us and keep us healthy,” he said. He recommends this recipe for a general household cleanser. HOMEMADE HOUSEHOLD CLEANSER INGREDIENTS: 8 Ounces Water 4 Ounces Distilled White Vinegar 15 Drops Tea Tree Essential Oil 15 Drops Lemon Essential Oil DIRECTIONS: Fill a spray bottle with ingredients. Close bottle and shake to mix. Shake bottle before each spray. In addition to gentle cleansers that kill bad germs while still allowing our immune system to flourish, Dr. Axe points to other COVID-fighting strategies. “I recommend getting zinc, around 30 milligrams a day, Vitamin D at 5,000 IUs a day and Vitamin C at 1,000 milligrams a day,” he said, continuing, “I really like echinacea because of how it strengthens the lungs, elderberry because of how it fights viruses and astragalus for its immune-boosting properties.” So while health experts advise washing hands and surfaces often with plain, old soap and water or another type of mild cleanser, they warn that super-sanitizing with antibacterial soap or bleach may literally be overkill. To read the original article click here. 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