microbiome Archives - Your body ~ Your brain ~ Your diet

Got IBS? Why It Might Really Be Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

April 11, 2023April 11, 2023 MariaC hypochlorhydria, IBS, microbiome

I probably see more clients with IBS than anything else: approximately 10%-20% of people are affected. Despite having had a battery of tests, including colonoscopy, endoscopy, and blood assays for various diseases such as coeliac and Crohn’s, these people have rarely been offered a test for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Yet up to 80% of people with IBS are estimated to have SIBO. If you don’t look for it, you won’t find it. So what is it?

Feed Your Brain General health

How to Calm Your Overanxious Mind

November 23, 2021September 1, 2022 MariaC amygdala hijack, enteric nervous system, GABA, microbiome, PTSD, serotonin, vagal nerve stimulation

You know when you’ve been triggered. Once you’ve had time to reflect, you also know that your anxiety or fear was probably an overreaction to a relatively trivial event. It’s easy enough to reason with yourself on a conscious level, but subconsciously it’s difficult to control your emotions.
That’s because you’ve been hijacked.

Feed Your Brain

Would You Have a Faecal Transplant for the Sake of Your Mental Health?

September 16, 2021September 1, 2022 MariaC Clostridium difficile, major depressive disorder, microbiome

FMT is highly effective in the treatment of antibiotic-resistant gastrointestinal infection caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile, or C. diff. C. diff frequently arises after a course of antibiotics and is often fatal. FMT works by altering the patient’s microbiome, the collection of living microorganisms in the gut. It all begins with research. Now, with what we know about the gut-brain connection, and the role that bacteria play in influencing the mind, FMT has sparked interest in the field of mental health research too.

General health

Heal Your Gut, Heal Your Skin

July 12, 2021September 1, 2022 MariaC acne, dysbiosis, eczema, gut-skin axis, microbiome, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis

You may not always love the skin you’re in, but there are countless microorganisms that do and are happy to make it their home. Just as the gut houses its own microbiome — colonies of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and others — the skin has its own living microbiome. “Cumulative evidence” shows that there is bidirectional communication between gut and skin and that what happens in the gut often shows up on the skin.

Feed Your Brain

The five best diet hacks to transform your mental health

September 7, 2020September 1, 2022 MariaC anxiety, blood sugar, Depression, DHA, microbiome, NCGS, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, vitamin D

There are many dietary factors that can affect brain function. Here I focus on the five that I encountered most frequently in clinic. The clue to identifying the right one(s) often lies in the accompanying physical symptoms. If you suffer from depression and anxiety, you too might spot the clues. Here’s a guide to nutritional sleuthing for mental well-being.

Digestive health Feed Your Brain

Your brains are in your belly, and that’s good for your mental health

November 2, 2018February 23, 2021 MariaC 0 Comments Antibiotics, enteric nervous system, fecal microbiota transplant, gut microbiota, microbiome, neurotoxicity

When you take antibiotics, you effectively destroy the good with the bad. The “friendly” bacteria that live in your gut are carpet-bombed, along with everything else.

You need good bacteria, not only to maintain your digestive and immune health but also your mental health. When you take antibiotics, you effectively destroy the good with the bad. The “friendly” bacteria that live in your gut are carpet-bombed, along with everything else.

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