The gut health no no’s

Antibiotics + Pain killers

As the gut is a major regulator of a series of pathways in the body, consistently taking NSAIDS/antibiotics/pain meds can really disrupt the gut lining as well as the ‘gut garden’ of bacteria within our gastrointestinal tract.

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take pain medication/antibiotics when properly prescribed but it’s important to have a plan for afterward to support gut health and promote the regrowth of positive bacteria.

Treat it like you are always growing and rehabilitating a diverse veggie garden! If you are young or have young children that are taking these drugs long term it’s worth the conversation with your doctor around medication options and what will affect the gut more than another.  Studies show that children on multiple courses of antibiotics at an early age experience a deranged gut microbiome and struggle with allergies and immune deficiencies potentially for the rest of their lives.

I firmly believe in the importance of being empowered and informed as a patient when making decisions around what is going into my body and the effect it’s going to have.

Stress

Living in a chronically stressed state where our sympathetic nervous system (SNS - our fight or flight response) is always activated is becoming more and more common. We need the SNS as much as we need the PNS (parasympathetic nervous system) but too many of us are trapped in the sympathetic 24/7.

As a result - cortisol levels rise.

As with inflammation, cortisol is not inherently bad. We need small amounts to stay healthy. Cortisol is an endogenous immuno-suppressant which means it is a natural anti-inflammatory. When inflammation levels increase as does cortisol in order to control and reduce the inflammation levels. However the body gets to a certain point when it cannot produce the amount of cortisol needed to fight chronic inflammation anymore. It’s when this inflammation can no longer be suppressed that is wreaks havoc in our body.

A consistently stressed state, not sleeping well, an unhealthy relationship with technology, and eating out of alignment with what foods their body needs – the perfect storm of breeding the growing rate of autoimmune and inflammatory disease.