Recently there has been an increasing awareness of the health of the digestive system and its relationship to immune function in the body. This is occurring as scientists discover that today's dietary consumption of healthy bacteria is about a million times less than what our ancestors consumed in paleolithic times. Healthy bacteria, also called probiotics, are beneficial in many ways, from immune stimulation to prevention of colonization of harmful bacteria. They also produce nutrients for gastrointestinal mucosa.
Did you know that a large portion of your immune system is found in the wall of your GI tract? Having a healthy balance of microflora will regulate immunity and inflammation. The average Western diet is deficient in key nutrients like fiber, healthy fatty acids, and beneficial bacteria. As a result, we are seeing higher rates every year of GI problems like Crohn's Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. When we add to this the fact that children often receive many doses of antibiotics early in life, it is easy to see why so many people are suffering from digestive system dysfunction.
Much of today's medical intervention for these issues is unnecessary and harmful. Many people have lowered immunity and disrupted digestive function because of poor lifestyle habits. Instead of addressing the cause and improving lifestyle choices, medicine treats the condition with antibiotics, steroids, and other drugs.
In our office, we assess the health of a person's entire body to find the cause of immune or digestive problems. Here's a real-life example: A 20-year old woman was taking 11 medications for those kinds of issues, and is now down to just 5 medications since correcting spinal problems that were causing severe interruption to her digestive and immune systems. Click here for more information on how to improve function of these 2 critical systems in your body.
