5. Do Something Good for your Gut
So why have I focused so much on health and wellbeing in this series? Because I believe our health and wellness affects every other part of our lives, including our energy, mood, emotions, and even our relationships. If we don't get our health right first, then it is unlikely we will be able to achieve everything that we plan to do in 2025.
Have you heard of the gut-brain connection? if you follow mainstream medicine, then probably not, because physicians like to "carve" our bodies up into parts and systems and deal with each of them separately. However, a search on PubMed for "gut brain axis" will reveal the latest research on how gut health affects the brain, giving an example of how everything in our bodies is intricately connected, so when one part is sick, it affects everything else as well.
Physicians call these effects "symptoms" which they treat as separate issues, but really they are a roadmap to the root cause of the problem. The amusing part for me is that, when I trained as a nurse many years ago, that's exactly how we identified what our nursing care would be for each patient. What is more, naturopaths, Chinese herbalists, and many other natural therapists used this premise for centuries!
So why is there so much focus on the gut? What the research has shown is that 90% of our immune system is located in the gut. Our gut contains billions of bacteria and other microbes, in what we now refer to as the gut microbiome. In a healthy gut microbiome, good bacteria help protect the lining of the gut wall, preventing toxins from penetrating it. However, when the balance is upset and bad bacteria take over, these toxins enter the bloodstream, causing inflammation and damage throughout the body, including the brain. So the health of our gut microbiome directly affects every other organ in the body, including our brain, skin, circulation, bones, joints and muscles.
If you have muscle or joint pain, inflammation, brain fog, poor sleep, skin issues, or weight gain, then it's time to look at your gut microbiome and what you are feeding it. Bad bacteria feed on sugars, grains, and processed foods, while good bacteria thrive on natural foods like organic meat and veggies. Pre- and probiotics may also help to restore the balance of your microbiome by repopulating it with good bacteria but they are no substitute for a healthy diet low in sugar and processed foods.
Young Living's Life 9 is a probiotic that contains 9 strains of beneficial gut bacteria.
Changing your attitude towards the food you eat, and treating food as fuel instead of a reward is the first step toward reversing disease and thriving!
Share below what you have done to look after your gut health!
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