Microbiome Digestive and Gut Wellness
There are huge bodies of medical research showing the importance of the human microbiome in our health. In fact our human DNA and genetic coding is influenced by approximately 85% microbial activity. Gene expression can be turned on and off by microbes and they are far more responsive and evolve more quickly than the human parts of ourselves.
Understanding this is quite exciting as we can see that having a healthy microbiome a is key to great health and wellbeing. When our gut microbiome for example is populated with healthy non-pathogenic microbes, their interactions and metabolic mechanisms help form the chemicals that help hormonal balance, create neurotransmitters and keep the immune system strong.
The health of the gut and digestive system is one of the foundational aspects of the overall health because when it is in a state of wellness, the best nutrition can be extracted from the food that we eat and in turn feeds the entire microbiome, not just that of the guts, but in all of the cavities and surfaces of the body. Every part of the body has its supportive microbes not just the guts and much of the healthy food we eat actually feeds the microbes in and on the body which in turn feed the body and fuel its healthy functioning.
Did you know that mothers milk is made up of more than 200 oligosaccharides (natural sugars) and the majority of these actually feed the new baby's microbiome and immune system and not directly the baby? This is a facinating study and begs us to re-think our ideas and relationship with bacteria, virus's, fungi and parasites. We must consider a loving relationship with these friends that live in and on our body.
In my clinical practice I have seen that in cases where there is an overproliferation of certain pathogenic microbes there can be a direct link to emotional states and limiting beliefs, either inherited ancestrally or created as a result of direct experience of the client and depolarising/releasing the emotions can lead to great changes in the microbiome as well as in the mind of the client.