The Invisible Battle For Your Health

I’m going to tell you the same thing I tell almost every patient who comes to my clinic… The only way you can achieve optimal, primal health is by taking care of one of your most important organs.

I admit I get a surprised look from some of my patients when I tell them this. Then they say something like, “But Dr. Sears. I’m here because my knee hurts!”

What they don’t realize is that everything is connected by an invisible thread in your body. The source can control some of today’s most devastating diseases like:

• Excessive fatigue¹
• Chronic pain²
• Depression and anxiety³
• Heart disease⁴
• Autoimmune diseases like MS or Crohn’s⁵
• Brain fog and memory loss⁶
• Diabetes⁷
• Arthritis and joint pain⁸
• Syndrome Zero

I’m talking about your gut.

Like Hippocrates said more than 2,000 years ago… All disease starts in the gut.

You see, your gut plays a critical role in your overall health. It’s a major part of your body’s ecosystem. It’s home to the trillions of bacteria that make up your “microbiome.”

And this microbiome affects just about every organ in your body. Some of these gut bugs cause disease and infection. Others boost your immune system. Still others help you digest your food and turn it into vitamins.

The secret to vibrant health is having enough good microbes to crowd out the bad ones. When the “bad bacteria” in your gut crowd out the “good bacteria” you see an increase in disease and aging.

Studies show that an imbalance in your gut bugs can cause chronic inflammation throughout your body. And this inflammation is at the root of most diseases.

Our Primal ancestors never had to deal with these diseases — in part because they had guts of steel. But today’s toxic world is dangerous to your gut.

Our modern diet of processed foods has all but destroyed this vital organ. All those carbs, starches and sugars feed bad bacteria and yeasts in the gut. And common food additives further compromise the integrity of your intestinal walls and allow the bad bacteria to sneak into your bloodstream.

This damages your immune system and triggers an inflammatory response.

Modern medicine is finally beginning to understand the link between gut bacteria and inflammation. In a recent study, researchers transferred “bad” gut bacteria from sick mice to germ-free mice. Within days, the healthy mice all displayed symptoms of severe inflammation.⁹

In a separate study, German researchers analyzed the gut bacteria in healthy people and patients with heart disease. They found that the heart failure patients were missing important groups of bacteria that fight inflammation. Their gut flora was not as diverse as in healthy people.¹⁰

Along with a toxic Western diet, antibiotics, stress, excess alcohol, chlorine and other toxins can destroy your good gut bugs and allow bad ones to thrive. I help my patients rebalance their microbiome with good gut bacteria called probiotics.

But not the products you find on supermarket shelves — like enhanced yogurts and drinks. You’d have to consume way too much to make any difference at all. And most supplements aren’t any better… When ConsumerLab.com tested a variety of probiotics, more than a third failed the tests. Most contained too few live bacteria to be effective.

I recommend finding a supplement that contains at least 10 billion CFUs (colony-forming units) of probiotics to ensure maximum potency. Anything less is ineffective and a waste of your money.

In addition to a good supplement, I always recommend that my patients get more probiotics from their food. Fermented foods like kefir, kvass, sauerkraut and kombucha tea deliver billions of beneficial microbes in every bite.

One of my favorites is kimchi. This traditional Korean dish is loaded with good bacteria. Here’s my easy recipe…

Easy Fermented Kimchi Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 large Napa cabbage, cut into strips
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into strips
• ½ cup sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 4-6 inches ginger, peeled and chopped
• 4 Tbsp. Korean red pepper flakes
• 2 bunches sliced green onions
• 4-6 inches ginger, peeled and chopped

Directions:

1. Place cut cabbage in bowl and cover with salt. Mix thoroughly. Let sit two hours until salt has drawn out all liquid.
2. Drain and discard water. Rinse cabbage to remove salt and allow to drain again.
3. Combine cabbage with remaining ingredients and mix.
4. Transfer to a 1-quart Mason jar. Stuff the cabbage tightly into the jar. You should have enough brine to cover the cabbage. If not, add water to cover the cabbage completely. This will eliminate any mold.
5. Seal the jar tightly. Let it sit on your counter for two to five days. Every day, remove the lid to release gasses and press down the mixture.
6. Store in fridge for up to six months.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD, CNS

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References

1. Newberry F, et al. “Does the microbiome and virome contribute to myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome?” Clin Sci (Lond). 2018;132(5): 523–542.
2. Chaverneff F. “Microbiome: Linking nutrition and pain.” Clinical Pain Advisor. September 6, 2017.
3. Clapp M, et al. “Gut microbiota’s effect on mental health: The gut-brain axis.” Clin Pract. 2017;7(4):987.
4. Luedde M, et al. “Heart failure is associated with depletion of core intestinal microbiota.” ESC Heart Fail. 2017;4(3):282–290.
5. Manfredo Vieira S, et al. “Translocation of a gut pathobiont drives autoimmunity in mice and humans.” Science. 2018;359(6380):1156-1161.
6. Rogers GB, et al. “From gut dysbiosis to altered brain function and mental illness: Mechanisms and pathways.” Mol Psychiatry. 2016;21(6): 738–748.
7. Barlow GM, et al. “Role of the gut microbiome in obesity and diabetes mellitus.” Nutr Clin Pract. 2015;30(6):787-797.
8. Schott EM, et al. “Targeting the gut microbiome to treat the osteoarthritis of obesity.” JCI Insight. 2018;3(8): e95997.
9. Fransen F, et al. “Aged gut microbiota contributes to systemical inflammaging after transfer to germ-free mice.” Front Immunol. 2017;8:1385.
10. Luedde M, et al. “Heart failure is associated with depletion of core intestinal microbiota.” ESC Heart Fail. 2017;4(3):282–290.

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