The microbiome is a large body of bacteria, and some fungi and viruses that helps humans with detoxification, protection and regulation of body systems such as hormone and energy distribution, the immune system, and the brain for thinking and behaviour. It also provides nutrients like folate, vitamin K, biotin, riboflavin (B2), cobalamin (B12), and possibly other B vitamins and produces and/or consume a wide range of chemical messengers including dopamine, norepinephrine/adrenaline, serotonin, or gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and histamine.
Get the bottom of the matter
>70% of your immune is in your gut.
>70% of your microbes are in your large intestine
Microbes in the wrong place at the wrong time, or in unhealthy numbers, can cause health distress. Do you experience any issues listed below?
If you care to get to the bottom of the matter, let’s talk. After we review your health concerns in an initial intake appointment, you can use a microbiome analysis kit to collect samples in the convenience of your own home. With the prepaid courier pouch, ship them direct from your home to the lab. In about three weeks we will have another appointment where we can discuss your test results. Knowing what’s in your microbiome is a perfect place to start a plan to improve the health of the rest of your body.
Common gastrointestinal symptoms
- Heartburn
- Indigestion
- Nausea and vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Abdominal pain, bloating or cramping
Common coexisting mood disorders
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Attention Deficit Disorder
Common coexisting conditions related to gut health
- Cognitive decline
- Eczema
- Rosacea
- Psoriasis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- SLE/Lupus
- Fibromyalgia
- Polymyalgia
- Hypothyroidism
Role of a healthy microbiome
- Affects how we store fat
- Detoxification
- Energy production
- Converts food into available nutrients
- Works with our immune system
- Affects our mood – happy, sad or depressed
- Produces vitamins
- Reduces inflammation
- Affects hormone balance
A healthy microbiota includes several families of bacteria. Over all, these families support one another in community and tend to keep each other in check. Just like humans living in their communities. The good ole’ neighbourhood watch keeps an eye on things.
The exact microbiome composition varies from person to person. 1057 individual types of microbes have been identified and cultured in the human microbiota. Each of us has our own unique combination of about 160 different ones . They are mostly bacteria, but can also include fungi, protozoa and viruses. Think of the microbiome like your finger print. Very unique.
However, there are times when we get visitors we don’t want. Over and above the healthy microbiome, or the residents of the region, there are vagrants that come in and disrupt the natural balance. The variety and balance of gut bacteria is often different in people with chronic inflammatory conditions.
Research continues to reveal that there is no single bacterium to blame for a disease but from changes to the entire microbiome. Since 70% or more of our immune system in is our gut, several diseases that result from a microbiome shift are autoimmune in nature. If not kept in check, imbalances can cause issues. Some examples are below.
If you seek a caring professional who is a registered naturopathic doctor with a functional medicine approach, you’ve come to the right place. Dr. Laura M. Brown, ND knows how to stimulate your body’s natural mechanisms to repair damage and rebuild health.
Examples of gut microbes linked to disease:
- Klebsiella : Ankylosis Spondylitis
- Ctirobacter, Klebsiella, Proteus: Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Yersinia: Grave’s disease & Hashimotos disease (AutoImmune Thyroid)
- S.Pyrogenes: Rheumatic Fever
- Camphylobacter jejuni: Guillian Barre Syndrome
- E.coli: Proteus: Auto immunity in general[LMB7]
The microbiome acts much like any other organ in the body; it takes in nutrients for the purpose of living; conserving and distributing energy. It can repair and rejuvenate when it is damaged. When damaged beyond repair it may die off.
The health of your GUT makes deep impacts on the health of your entire body. Growing evidence supports this, When Hippocrates said, it all begins in the gut he was smarter than even he might have imagined. That was about 2450 years ago. Has the human condition ever really changed? Not really, it’s still so very true. Modern science confirms the gut is related to so much.
References
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Galland L. The Gut Microbiome and the Brain. Journal of Medicinal Food. 2014;17(12):1261-1272. doi:10.1089/jmf.2014.7000.
Lankelma J.M., NieuwdorpM., de Vos W.M. , Wiersinga W.J. The gut microbiota in internal medicine: implications for health and disease. Neth. J. Med., 73 (2015), pp. 61-68
LeBlanc, J.G., Milani, C., de Giori, G.S., Sesma, F., van Sinderen, D., Ventura, M., 2013. Bacteria as vitamin suppliers to their host: a gut microbiota perspective. Current Opinion In Biotechnology 24(2):160e168.
Qin J., Li R., Raes J., Arumugam M., Burgdorf K.S.,, Manichanh C,, Nielsen T. et al., A human gut microbial gene catalogue established by metagenomic sequencing. Nature, 464 (2010), pp. 59-65
Qin, J., Li, R., Raes, J., Arumugam, M., Burgdorf, K.S., Manichanh, C., et al., 2010. A human gut microbial gene catalog established by metagenomic sequencing. Nature 464(7285):59e65.
Qin J. et al. A human gut microbial gene catalogue established by metagenomic sequencing. Nature, 464 (2010), pp. 59-65
Rajili_c-Stojanovi_c, M., de Vos, W.M., 2014. The first 1000 cultured species of the human gastrointestinal microbiota. Fems Microbiology Reviews 38(5):996e1047.
Schippa S, Conte MP. Dysbiotic events in gut microbiota: impact on human health.2014 Dec 11; 6(12): Nutrients.
Strandwitz P. (2018). Neurotransmitter modulation by the gut microbiota. Brain research, 1693(Pt B), 128–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2018.03.015
