Love Your Guts!

The Microbiome and it’s relationship to mental health, weight, and immunity.

As a holistic and integrative Health and Wellness Coach, I know the microbiota is integral to our body, important for our health, and also a very complex topic! In today’s post we’ll just scratch the surface of three important ways the microbiome is closely and heavily related to mental health, weight, and our immune system function.

The bacteria and other microbes that live in and on our body are essential to the balance and healthy functioning of our body and mind and we are just beginning to scratch the surface of this important topic in the scientific and healthcare communities; there is so much to learn!

Addressing root causes is something that is important to me, and the microbiome is a huge root cause like an elephant in the room of modern medicine and modern day life; so much of the way we live and eat now (compared to even 50 years ago) heavily alters and influences our individual microbiota, thus greatly contributing to the many modern day/western diseases and disorders we see continuing to grow throughout the population. Because these microbes work symbiotically with every major system of our bodies, it is my hope that the allopathic healthcare sector quickly incorporates education, application, and continued research to be able to more accurately and helpfully treat and prevent disease and disorder in the body and mind.

I have some areas of special interest concerning the topic of the gut microbiome and human health. From mental health to weight to our immune systems, the types and amounts of bacteria colonizing our digestive system impacts our wellbeing and health in some pretty big ways! This topic also presents yet more evidence of the need for a HAES (Health At Every Size) approach to health, health care, wellness, and to humans in general.

We now know that many important hormones are created in the gut, including those that help regulate mood like serotonin. As a society, we are experiencing an epidemic of mental health illness and disorder that has not improved with the heavy handed use of pharmacological solutions or the uptick in behavioral and mental health adoption and participation. Both of these for sure have a time and place, but they are obviously not long term solutions (or even short term solutions for many people) to the issue at hand. I am hopeful that looking at our microbiome, where so many hormones and neurotransmitters are produced symbiotically with bacteria and other microbes, will be a way to address root cause issues for so many who are suffering. It is my personal opinion that addressing a person’s microbiome and nutrition in general should be a front line treatment, in conjunction with other known therapies and treatments as deemed necessary, when treating those with mental health issues. It’s also going to become increasingly necessary to know the effects medications we prescribe have on gut health so that the medical response does not end up doing more harm than good.

In addition to heavily affecting our mental health, our microbiome has a significant impact on our weight. A prime example of this is the research that has been done utilizing fecal transplants – essentially transferring the microbiome of one individual directly into the large intestine of another. Not only has this been a proven cure for dangerous and life-threatening infections like C-diff, it has also shown that rodents fed an identical diet but received a fecal transplant either gained weight or remained trimmed based on the weight of the donor. This information is ground breaking in a society – especially in the healthcare realm – in which the common misconception that obesity and extra weight are directly correlated to negative judgements about people being lazy (inactive, sedentary, etc), regularly over eating (gluttony, self-indulgence, etc), and eating highly caloric junk food (lack of self-control, weakness, giving in, etc). In reality, the amount of fat a person has on their body can be a result of a myriad of issues that could include a few of the above at one time (or even habitually in some), but it’s also true that someone can be making conscientious health decisions, such as regular physical activity and nutritious eating, and not participating in any of the above more than a “regular” weighted person due to other factors – like the unique set of microbes that live in their guts.

So many things play a part in our microbiome, from the way we were born (c-section or vaginal birth), to the way we were fed (breast milk or formula), to the way we handled stress as children (and adults). Other factors that influence our microbiome are the foods we ate growing up (and eat as adults), how often we have been given antibiotics, any and all medications we have been prescribed or needed over our lifetime, how much alcohol we have consumed, and even what type of sleep we get!! Add to this so many other factors that play into how much fat a body holds onto like trauma, chronic stress, hormonal imbalances, and toxins and microplastics that act as xenohormones which block receptor sites, and you can see why it is so important to treat people as individual people and not make assumptions about someone based on how their body looks and how much fat they have on it! Especially in the healthcare world where so many people are judged, given bad advice, and don’t receive the same level of inquiry and thorough evaluation as those in “normal” weight bodies, a HAES approach is so needed!

Gut health also heavily affects the immune system. While this fact is now more widely known and accepted since it’s been discovered that around 75% of immune related cells are present and/or created in the gut, it has been excessively frustrating to me how gaslit people have been for pointing out the simple truth that what we eat and how we move (since exercise/activity levels also affect our microbiome) affects our susceptibility and response to pathogens and illnesses – especially during the recent Covid-19 pandemic. When presenting information to the general public about how to best protect themselves and their loved ones from any illness or disease – from covid and the flu to mental health to chronic disease to cancer – people need to be more accurately informed about how their daily lifestyle choices and behaviors heavily influence their health outcomes!

Some lifestyle steps you can take to support your microbiome is by taking steps to support and build the healthy bacteria in your gut and avoid things that harm them. Building and supporting includes eating a whole-foods based diet, limiting processed and ultra-processed foods, and consuming plenty of microme-feeding fiber. Eating a wide variety of whole-foods, especially fruits and veggies, can support a wider variety of helpful microbes. It can also be helpful to eat probiotic and fermented foods to increase microbe diversity, unless you have microbiome issues that could preclude this step – consult with a health care expert if this could be you. Avoiding things that harm the healthy bacteria looks like not utilizing antibiotics unless you really need them, as well as other medications that can interfere with the microbiome such as opioids, laxatives, and others. Reducing and managing stress, regular exercise, and improving sleep are also more lifestyle factors that can support your microbiome health.

Regular support and accountability can be helpful when taking steps toward improving your health! I’m here to be your enthusiastic cheerleader and non-judgmental supporter on your unique wellness journey! Learn more about how I can help by checking out my website: https://www.spunkysprout.org/home