adamfinchley

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LET YOUR FOOD BE YOUR MEDICINE AND MEDICINE YOUR FOOD

Hippocrates is regarded as the father of medicine nearly two and a half thousand years ago. In 400BC he famously quoted to his students his belief that food is our medicine, and medicine is our food. He instinctively knew that certain foods were good for us without having the advantage of knowing, what we do now, about specific nutrients. Discovering medicine must have been hit and miss. Just like those first people trying different fungi in the woods, it was either live or die. How on Earth did the Ancients discover that squeezing the juice from a dead chicken or lamb's liver into the eye of a man losing his sight, would help. It often did, and now we know that liver is rich in vitamin A and this really does help. There are so many anecdotes about food and cure throughout history and one of my favourites involves a naval ship's doctor James Lind RN. Scurvy was a dreadful illness that killed and drove more sailors mad in the Royal Navy during the eighteenth century, than shipwrecks and battles combined. On long voyages, fresh vegetables and fruit were usually soon exhausted on ships. The doctor tried an experiment in 1747 on a voyage where he forced a group of sailors to drink sea water every day, another group drank vinegar, and the last lot drank lime juice. The result with the lime juice was dramatic, and cured and reversed scurvy in a short period. Needless to say, the others failed miserably. Vitamin C was not identified until 1930, so the naval doctor was also ahead of his time. On those old sailing ships the sailors were certainly not short of vitamin D. This vitamin is often called the sunshine vitamin and in UK winters, when there's not too much sunshine around, vitamin supplements such as Vitamin D3 5000iu is often recommended, particularly for elderly home bound people. Just one more example is worth recalling. A Dutch doctor in Java during the nineteenth century, found that most people in the area of that island he worked in, suffered from beriberi. This is a disease that results in heart problems and paralyses.

He noticed their chickens also suffered the same, and the common denominator was that both humans and fowl, ate white rice. He persuaded them to try eating the whole grain without removing the husk, and the results were dramatic. The husk on the outside of the grain contains a rich source of vitamin B1 and the lack of this vitamin is the cause of beriberi. If you ever hear older people complaining that in their youth they thought many fruit and vegetables had a stronger taste. Unfortunately, they're correct. The demand for all year round tomatoes and the lack of crop rotation with fallow years, means that along with chemicals, soil today has lost a lot of natural nutrients. If you want to recapture the flavours of yesteryear, then get an allotment and grow your own keeping it enriched with natural manure and compost.

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SHARKS, DINOSAURS AND OUR GUT MICROBIOME

Most scientists agree that Earth is around four and a half billion years old. How humans ended up here today is a more difficult question to answer.

The creationists believe we are an act of something called God, and the rest of us believe Darwin got it right and we are the result of billions of years of evolution from creatures from the sea.

It's certainly true that the oldest creatures on Earth are not necessarily on the earth but in the sea. Sharks are little changed from the way they were four hundred million years ago.Between then and now we had dinosaurs for nearly two hundred million years.

Sharks are responsible for just a dozen or less deaths of humans a year. Humans, on the other hand, kill two million sharks a year, mostly just for the dorsal fin to make soup.

There is an older creature than all of these life forms, and they have outlasted millions of other forms of life that we have no record of, and this is bacteria.

Bacteria are reckoned to have come into existence three and a half billion years ago. It is likely they will still be around for billions of years after we humans have eradicated ourselves. For what other creature is so hell bent on self destruction.

There is more bacteria in and on us, than we have human cells that make us. Trillions of them live in our intestines, and are an essential part of both our digestion system and our immune system.

The whole mass of the ones in our gut have now been revealed to be in constant communication with our brain. Ongoing research reveals that such is the connection between these two parts of our body, that the health of one is directly responsible for the health of the other.

An unhappy gut with any common ailment from constipation, excess wind, IBS and others, may result in headaches, mood swings, depression and so on. The balance and health of the gut microbiome in relation to our general well being, has led many to believe that we could make adjustments to the gut.

This may involve faecal transplants. It has resulted in poo donations much the same as blood donations.

Many years ago some of the most common types of good gut bacteria were identified and since then, they have been cultivated and used as supplements. Fivelac is one of these, and as the name suggests, it contains five recognised good gut bacteria strains.

This, and similar supplements, deliver a boost that usually causes agitation that results in a bowel movement. It may feel like a mild colon cleanse, and if so, then it is doing its job.

In the world of medicine, gastroenterology and neuroscience are starting to merge into a single area of research. There is still so much more to learn and many in this field of study reckon it is the single most important area of medical study this century.

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OUR FRIENDS IN OUR GUT KEEP US HEALTHY AND ALIVE

At any one time of day or night, the average adult is carrying up to six to twelve pounds weight of food in various levels of digestion.

Most of this will be in the intestines as food doesn't hang around for long in the stomach. And the a healthy digestion should take in the region of twenty-eight hours, give or take the time it takes to find the lavatory.

When anyone talks about a colon cleanse procedure, it doesn't have to be that grim sounding procedure that involve the slightly undignified blast of water from the rear.

The best way to clean the intestines is from the top down. And this can be achieved with an oxygen boost or probiotics that consists of laboratory grown good gut bacteria.

Oxygen is a magical element without which, not a single human cell could survive. It also happens to be important to the bulk of our gut bacteria.

Many years ago some of the more essential food eating gut bacteria were identified and cultivated outside of the human body. Mixed with an agent like magnesium, these can appear in supplements such as Fivelac that is an effective cleansing agent.

A cleanse is a great way to shift any blockage that may result in constipation or just simple pain in the gut, or maybe just that bloated feeling we often experience.

Waste stuck somewhere in the intestines can become a toxic environment that is not only uncomfortable in the gut, but will also result in uncomfortable brain issues such as depression, mood swings, irritability or just headaches.

This is a result of the newly discovered closeness of brain and microbiome that has resulted in many physicians now believing the connection is so strong, they could all be thought of as one organ. The exciting part of this science is making the chances of gut bacteria become a natural cure for mental problems.

Some recent research found that patients with severe mental problems were found to be deficient in certain important types of digestive bacteria.

This is opening up a whole new area of medical science and has been described by some as the greatest discovery of this century.

When the world came into existence nothing lived until bacteria. We humans are relatively very recent creatures in the whole scheme of matter on Earth. And yet we wouldn't exist without the two kilos of bacteria living mostly in our intestines but also in every other part of our digestive tract, and also upon us.

Not until a Dutch cloth buyer invent a decent microscope three hundred years or more ago, did any human know of their existence. When he became the first man to see them, he called them small animals.

Incidently, he wrote to the august and self-important Royal Society in London with his findings and for years was ignored and treated like a foreign mad man.

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ONE HUNDRED BILLION POUNDS A YEAR IS THE COST OF GLUTTONY

It is generally agreed in government and National Health circles, that obesity in the UK costs one hundred billion pounds. This figure will clearly continue to climb as it is based upon thirty percent of the population considered obese.

Sixty years ago, perhaps four percent would have been described as obese, and if today it is thirty percent, could it be fifty percent by 2050?

If anyone had any doubt that the main cause of this problem is poor diet consisting of excessive ready-meals and ultra-processed foods, they need look no further than the situation in Japan.

When the USA took over the administration and rebuilding of Japan at the end of the Second World War, the American GI made sure one of the first needs would be their own fast food outlets.

The Japanese quickly took to all those burgers, chips, and battered chicken wings. And as a result, by 1960 Japanese school children were some of the fattest and least fit in any of the G7 countries.

But not any more. Their government and their own psyche saw to that and in so doing, their country has only an official 4 percent obesity problem. And as the USA, the UK and many other western countries continue to watch their numbers of obese people rise, that four percent in Japan, continues to drop.

Japanese children from a very early age, are educated in good dietary custom. One of the principal teachings is to treat fast food burgers as a treat only for special days. Amazingly, this includes the Christmas festive period when fast food sales go through the roof.

The second part of the plan to reduce and keep within a sensible weight is half an hour of exercise at school and hopefully into adulthood. The next move implemented by their government is to feed every child a good healthy lunch.

This lunch is critical and is always a hot healthy meal. It has the dual advantage of making sure every child gets at least one healthy meal a day even if they come from the most deprived background where home food is not always available.

Whatever your nationality, food and digestion is simply an essential method of absorbing into our blood, all the twenty odd minerals and vitamins we need to live.

Consequently, we should all be taught to recognise the foods that best supply the nutrients. Fruit and vegetables are always high on the list as they also provide essential fibre.

Our gut bacteria is also an essential part of digestion. Supplements such as Threelac and others, can boost certain bacteria and also help cleanse the colon.

The Japanese model in teaching and taking action over child obesity presumably is cost effective, compared with the UK's inactivity. Free lunch, exercise and food education, could also work in the UK, or could it?

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DIGESTION INVOLVES SO MUCH MORE THAN OUR HEALTH

An acquaintance recently qualified as a medical doctor and promptly told all his friends, that he was about to embark on a specialist future as a gastroenterologist.

To the uninitiated such as myself, I wondered why anyone with just half a brain, would want to spend the rest of his working life looking up backsides or down throats.

Well, it turns out that this subject is a lot more diverse than that. The relatively recent discovery over the vital microbiome mostly in the intestines, and the link between this and our brain, makes both nuroscience and the future of a whole new branch of medicine a possibility.

And I am also reminded that gastroenterology also includes the liver, the pancreas, gall bladder, and many of the enzymes that aid digestion. It includes the whole digestive tract that extends a whopping thirty feet.

It's a miraculous food processing machine designed to reduce whole food we swallow to a point where it gives up all the nutrients it contains. There are about twenty different vitamins and minerals in food that we need to live.

At any one time, with a regularly fulfilled appetite, we are likely to have between six to twelve pounds of food in the system, all in various stages of digestion.

Digestion begins before we put food in our mouth. The nose gets a whiff of some cooking smells, and saliva is reinforced with digestive enzymes. Teeth and jaws begin the breakdown, and the stomach churns the food like a tumble drier full of acids.

When the reduced food leaves the stomach through the duodenum into the small intestine, it is termed as chyme.

Ninety percent of all the nutrients we need, are absorbed in the small intestines where villi, containing multiple microvilli, soak up the goodness into the blood.

Digestion is sometimes also described as a process of oxidization. Without a plentiful supply of oxygen, both human cells, and most good gut bacteria, would die.

With many trillions of individual bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms in the gut, and mostly falling into just two thousand types, no two people are likely to have the same mix. It's a bit like the possibility of two identical DNA matches, and as it happens, DNA and immune systems are all interwoven in our microbiome.

Some of the most commonly found digestive bacteria can be laboratory grown and created as supplements such as Threelac easily available.

The purpose of supplements such as this one, is to boost existing ones in the gut and in so doing, help relieve toxic build-up and minor ailments.

Our digestive system has had many thousands of generations of development and fine tuneing. But in just the last couple of generations, it has had to learn to deal with a mass of new and ultra-processed foods.

These nearly all contain excessive amounts of refined sugars, artificial additives, and other supplements that would not usually be found in your kitchen.

A healthy and varied diet is all our digestive system, and by definition, our brain requires.

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WE CAN NEVER GET ENOUGH OXYGEN

It seems that elderly people that complain about the lack of flavour in fruit and vegetables, compared to their earlier days, are right.

Many fruit and vegetables have been modified over thousands of years. It is worth looking closer at old paintings from the Fifteenth century to present day that contain still life's of fruit and flowers, it is sometimes easy to spot the differences.

An old Flemish painting containing open cut water melons is a classic example. Another containing carrots is another. In the latter the vegetable is not yellow, but purple and the roots look totally different.

Genetically modified, is not a term that that applies just to our time, but was clearly being practised for many years before.

Bananas a couple of thousand years ago were skinny little fruits hardly worth picking, and certainly nothing like they are these days.

But though elderly people today would have anything in fruit or veg that could possibly have looked radically different in their own lifetime, there is something to their belief about taste.

The fact is, that nutrients in soil have become severely depleted and in some cases are thought to be one tenth of those in the soil fifty years ago.

It's probably no coincidence that hedgerows have shrunk at about the same rate as the nutrients. Farming has become an industry that demands the most is made of giant fields that are no longer permitted to be fallow every three years.

Rotation and fallow meant the soil had time to rejuvenate in goodness. But now the intensity of non-stop farming and second crops that never happened in the old days, has created a problem.

Another important element is the one that nothing on Earth can live without, And that is of course, oxygen.

Every one of our trillions of cells that make us the people we are, needs a constant supply of oxygen. Even our good gut bacteria requires this and a supplement such as Oxygen Elements Max can help boost our requirements.

A good diet should be a mix between probiotic and prebiotic food. There should be plenty of fibre such as found in fruit and vegetables. And the surest way to get all the essential vitamins and minerals is to make sure there is plenty of variety.

Ultra processed supermarket foods gets a bad press these days. It s certainly true that many products are loaded with sugar or salt and other preservatives to ensure that all important long shelf life.

But there are still some plenty goods such as fresh fruit and vegetables to be found. And with the buying power of the big chains, there will always be some good offers.

Oxygen doesn't just come through digestion but breathing is surprisingly not as efficient as we usually think. Only twenty percent of the air we breath is oxygen, and we breath out a large percentage of that.

Products like Oxygen Elements Max can be a useful insurance that we should appreciate as a boost, good for overall well-being.

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OUR FRIENDLY BACTERIA KEEP OUR BRAIN IN GOOD SHAPE

Is there any food more nutritious than mother's milk and if so, please let me know.

This is nature's way of ensuring all mammals get the best and least risk free start in life. It is a thick creamy type of milk that only lasts a few weeks but provides enormous numbers of vitamins, natural compounds of antibodies, and kick starts the whole process of digestion.

It's thought that babies in the womb have no bacteria in the gut. All of that starts as soon as the baby is born. Only a couple of hundred years ago nobody had any idea about bacteria whether that was gut or other.

But today, it is becoming one of the most exciting areas of medical research. The more science understands gut bacteria and the rest of the microscopic life in the gut, the more it appreciates the strong connection with the brain.

It appears there is a very strong nerve system connecting these two areas of the body and how influential both are to each other.

Some professionals are even considering the two should be thought of as one organ.

The condition of the brain depends upon a healthy microbiome. People with depression, mood swings, fatigue and migraines, have been found to have a shortage or imbalance of gut bacteria.

Purging or cleaning the colon has been found to have a positive effect on mental issues as well as ridding the intestines of toxic build-up.

Diet changes should be a help, but probiotic supplements like Colosan are equally productive and usually quicker.

Colosan promotes good digestive function and as a detox agent, helps more regular bowel movement. Its main ingredient is a magnesium oxide compound with citric acid.

Two regularly reported results many people speak of includes a feeling of greater energy, and also the help it provides with reducing candida outbreaks.

As well as bacteria in the gut we also carry fungi such as candida. This one is normally kept under control but when overfed with sugars in food, it can get a little out of control.

A regular colon cleanse should be considered the same as having a shower. Just because we can't see our insides doesn't mean we should completely ignore it. There are many foods that are good for us and just as many that aren't.

Unfortunately, many of the likes, are the sweet flavoured artificial creations found in the supermarkets. These are not what our gut bacteria needs or wants.

Eating is all about energy. It needs the twenty or so vitamins and minerals that keep us alive. And it also needs a constant supply of oxygen. Every one of the trillions of human cells that make us what we are, needs daily oxygen.

And when we think about those trillions of cells, just remember that there are even more individual bacteria living in and on us that also needs oxygen.

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THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR TO DETOX AND FEEL GOOD

This is the time of year, when the Christmas and New Year festivities have gone, and dreary January keeps us in doors, and it feels like this is also the best time to get into a detox regime, with outdoor runs in the cold, fires and TV in the evening, and a look at the past couple of weeks of over-indulgence.

Nobody has any money in January, so it's an ideal time to hide away and get ready to have a fit beach body for the summer.

Physical exercise in consideration of age and ability, is one part of this improvement. But what goes on inside our digestive system is just as important.

Open any magazine or newspaper, and there is likely to be the latest on diet and healthy food options. Most of it is often very contradictory. One day eggs may be good for you, and the next, it isn't.

Opinions on eggs cost one government minister her job not so many years ago. Plenty is also in the papers on the evil of ultra-processed foods. The supermarkets get a lot of blame for this, but not all supermarket food is to blame, and it's still the most convenient way for most people to shop.

The problem is all the preservatives and other additives such as artificial flavour enhancers, colourings and E numbers that it would be good to avoid. But worst of all, is the amount of sugar in much of the processed food that is the problem.

Refined sugar is not the best way to keep a smooth flowing digestive tract. It can build up to become a sticky sludge in the intestines and create toxic blockage.

It is often repeated, but still true, that fibre foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables are so much better than processed foods.

But to go back to this time of year, giving our thirty foot long digestive system a flush, there are excellent supplements such as Colosan that is based upon magnesium oxide that helps flush us out.

Take this daily with a reduced diet of fresh foods in January, along with plenty of fresh water and avoidance of alcohol, and your gut will thank you.

It's not just beneficial to the gut to have an occasional colon cleansing few weeks, but it will also improve the mind.

The connection between the gut microbiome and the brain is becoming increasingly obvious.

Tiredness, irritation and mood swings are now thought to be very closely linked to the condition of our gut.

It has even been shown that many people with serious mental problems are deficient of certain types of gut bacteria that most of us carry inside. When the old saying about you are what you eat is next spoken, then listen, because it seems to be very true.

Try January with fresh air exercise, fresh healthy varied food in moderation, and Colosan for a total colon cleanse.

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THE MIND AND THE GUT ARE THE CLOSEST OF FRIENDS

Recently I heard someone discussing psychobiotics and thought they were confused and meant probiotics or even prebiotics. But it seems this is a relatively new word that conveys the powerful connection between the mind, or brain, and our gut.

One area talks to the other via a network of neurons and heavily influences the two areas so strongly that some professionals in both gastroenterology and neurology consider the two to be a single organ.

What happens in the nervous system and the digestive system is strongly linked to the point where a mood, depression, anxiety that we all feel sometimes, changes the health of our gut microbiome to our detriment.

We have around one hundred billion neurons in our brain and five hundred million in our gut constantly in communication. Stress, depression and anxiety will often cause gut problems, and the same in reverse.

It's the reason our diet is so very important and yet many of us continue to stuff our faces with over processed and food that is neither particularly pro or prebiotic.

Added to the problem is the way we too easily reach for pills in the medical cupboard. These may be antidepressant pills or other mind altering supplements. But what does that do to our gut microbiome.

Apart from a healthy diet, some form of colon cleansing may help. Supplements such as Oxy Powder that consists of magnesium oxide and citric acid, will help shift any compacted waste with oxygen the main catalyst.

Oxygen is one of the main secrets to gut health. Every single cell in our body needs constant oxygen. We are designed to obtain quite a lot of it through breathing, but not as much as we think.

Oxygen is only one fifth of the air we breath, and even then, we exhale more than we retain.

Most oxygen is absorbed through the walls of the thirty foot of digestive tract. From mouth to anus this is an extremely sophisticated bio-chemical factory better then any machine.

In the thirty or so hours that food travels the distance, a huge number of processes take place.

It just takes one imbalance of enzymes, digestive juices or acids to malfunction and the first we might no of it is something as simple as a headache, or depression.

There is an old adage that we are what we eat. It's true. We are fit and healthy in body and mind when we get it right. Or nervous, twitchy, and depressed when we get it wrong.

Most of us bathe or shower every day. Some take exceptional care about our outer appearance that they will spend hours undergoing beauty treatments.

Perhaps we should also take more care of our gut from healthy diet to an occasional gut cleanse like Oxy Powder provides.

Nearly every religion in the world has a period of fasting. Thirty days of water only may seem a bit extreme to people today, but the idea may be the right one.

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HOW LONG CAN WE FEED THE WORLD

The population of the world has doubled in just seventy years from four billion to eight billion. It is believed there are more people alive today than have lived in all the previous generations added all together. There are a couple of major problems with this statistic. The first is the worrying possibility that if we continue multiplying at this rate, there won't be enough food to keep us all alive. It has already reached the point where much of the food we eat is not as wholesome as it should be. Farming is run on an industrial scale with the old tradition of rotation in farming where fields were left fallow every three years, to intensive farming and sometimes two crops a year instead of one. The result is a drastic reduction in soil nutrients and the adding of artificial chemicals that do nothing to enhance flavours. The fact that farming is referred to as an industry, would have made farmers of old cringe with fear or turn in their grave. Industrial food preparation has spawned giant supermarkets that have made people lazy and lose the art of fresh food cooking. Another problem with an ever increasing population, is that people live longer and modern medicine keeps them going on and on. Despite the staggering eight billion people and growing, it is astonishing to think that we are all unique. Since the discovery of DNA and the increased knowledge about our microbiome, these two areas can never be the same in two people. Our own internal collection of many trillions of bacteria and fungi, along with resident viruses, have evolved since the beginning of time. It seems likely that the microbiome that is the core to our immune system dictates our life span. When we eat we are not just feeding ourselves in order to get all necessary nutrients of minerals and vitamins, but we are also feeding our friendly gut bacteria. They are all waiting the next meal and when we taste something new, it often reacts with displeasure. Just think about how often a change of diet when we go on an overseas holiday can lead to some tummy upset.

It's not your tummy of course, it's the intestines unable or unhappy about a food or drink that it does not recognise. Take a supplement like Oxy Powder next time you travel overseas, and it might solve the problem.

Oxy Powder consists of magnesium oxide and citric acid. It will keep the good bacteria happy by flushing out any toxic waste that the microbiome is struggling with. An unhappy gut will frequently lead to some problems such as depression, irritability, mood swing or just a headache. This is because it has recently been discovered that the brain and the gut microbiome are more closely connected than ever believed before. The health of one is dependent on the other to a point where many medical experts consider the two areas may be thought of as one organ connected by powerful nerve system.

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AN UNUSUAL WAY TO CHECK YOUR HEALTH

The other day I had to take my cat to the vet. She had been hit by a car and sadly, did not live much longer. In the surgery, I noticed a large poster with a dozen photographs of cat poo. Captions beneath each photo explained the likely digestive problems and diet deficiency. Naturally, I asked the vet to get me a couple of copies as I thought they would make excellent presents for a couple of friends. The vet also told me I could order the human waste version. It's called the BSFS or Bristol Stool Form Scale. It runs from 1 as the hardest, and indicative of constipation, to 7 that is obvious diarrhoea. Somewhere in the middle range, is acceptable. In the UK we can't flush fast enough. But in some European countries, there is a shelf built into the bowl allowing the presenter to check the look of their poo before they flush. The English fast flush may be a throwback to our squeamish Victorian forefathers, but checking poo can reveal even to the untrained eye that something is wrong. Blood for instance, should set some alarm bells ringing, and an immediate doctor's appointment should be made. Poo is around eighty percent water and fibre makes up another percentage. Last of all, it contains both live and dead gut bacteria. It's the live ones that should make us wash our hands in hot water and soap after a lavatory visit. The bacteria is now of great interest to certain medical professionals. It can reveal a great deal about a person. It is already a screening tool for over sixties to spot any possible illnesses such as colon cancer. It is possible that instead of just screening for cancer, in the future, it may be a way of screening many other medical problems, including those to do with the brain and mental problems. Many doctors that have specialised as gastroenterologists, along with others in the world of neurology, have realised their paths have merged. The discovery that our gut microbiome communicates with the brain and that there are millions of nerve spots along the length of the gut, has confirmed this.

Years ago, many of the good digestive bacteria were identified and led to supplements such as Fivelac that contains five types of bacteria, as suggested in the name.

Fivelac has the ability to act as a probiotic that should stimulate the intestines and act as a colon clean. Digestion runs in one direction from mouth to anus and consequently, I like many others, feel uncomfortable with the custom of squirting water from the anus in the wrong direction. Supplements such as Fivelac seems to be the right direction to take when flushing the colon. It seems far healthier, and if you are English and can only fast flush, then this is the way to go to save your blushes.

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FIVE AND A HALF METRES OF GUT NEEDS CARE

Most adults in the UK average just a little under two metres tall. And yet our intestinal tract averages five and a half metres. On the out side we was, clean our teeth, cut and comb our hair, and generally try to look fit and healthy. But what about those five and a half metres we never see? Should we not give it a little more care and attention? Professionals use the term 'intestinal health, and it should begin with a healthy diet that our system desires. Half the five and a half metres is comprised of the small intestine. This is where most of our gut microbiome enjoys life. These trillions of bacteria are mostly waiting for food it can enjoy. And it turns out that groups of bacteria are choosy about the type of food. Some are better at eating dairy, others feast on fibre found in fresh fruit, vegetables, grain and nuts. When fed well, they do us good service in helping keep our immune strong. And they can also be topped up with other foods we call probiotics. Supplements such as Fivelac have been developed to top up five of our essential gut bacteria. And supplements such as these can boost the progress of any sluggish movementin the intestines.

Our microbiome would be our second biggest internal organ after the liver by mass if it was one solid mass. It is spread throughout the digestive tract and consists comes to a couple of kilos in total weight. There are plenty of pathogens included that could on their own be fatal, or bad for our general health. But these are in a minority and are kept under control by viruses also in our gut that circle and destroy them. The microbiome is considered by many medical practitioners to be so connected to our brain, that they may just about be considered as one and the same. When we use expressions such as, going with a gut feeling, there is a truth in this as there are many millions of nerve endings in the gut communicating with the brain.

All this comes about through very recent study. Some call this the biggest medical breakthrough so far this century. If the gut and brain are this closely connected, is it not possible that concentrating on digestion and the contents of the microbiome, could be a likely new area of medical research? Every day, newspapers and magazine articles lecture us on food to avoid and food to eat. It's usually contradictory and there are a couple of obvious examples concerning the rights and wrongs of coffee and eggs. But for a good diet, all we have to do is look at what was on the menu before the arrival of the supermarkets less that sixty years ago. There were no E numbers, colourings, preservatives, and other chemicals, including drugs that made us all addicted to ultra-processed food. And sixty years ago, obesity was the one fat man in the village.

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Avoid ultra-processed but still enjoy good food

There's an old saying that you are what you eat. And this is proving to be truer than we ever thought. With all the latest research on the gut microbiome, and its connection with the brain, it is clear that without a good and well-balanced microbiome, the brain doesn't function so well. Just a year or so ago, there was an article in a newspaper telling of the story about a gastroenterologist coining a new name of neurogastroenterology. He was the first to emphasise the connection of the previously two different distinct medical professions. Today, the new word is much more generally accepted. Throughout the gastrointestinal tract, there are around one hundred million nerve cells. Unlike the brain in our head, it has no capability of thinking or giving us any feeling, but it is providing information about our gut, as well as sending messages between the brain and the microbiome. It has always been thought that anxiety and depression contributed to problems in the gut such as IBS, constipation, diarrhoea, bloating and general pain. But now this idea is being completely turned on its head. This new thought is demonstrated by the fact that there is a high number of people with IBS and other gut conditions, developing depression and anxiety. A dozen years ago, there were thought to be about a thousand different types of gut bacteria but today, that figure is over two thousand. There are plenty of other microorganisms including plenty of virus types. The viruses trap and encircle bad bacteria and destroy them, and constitute a major part of our immune system. When the first good and most plentiful gut bacteria were identified, attempts were made to cultivate them, and sell on, as various probiotics. Prebiotics should be thought of as the types of food our bacteria feast upon, and probiotics are types of food that already contains plenty of good bacteria. One of the earliest probiotic products was Fivelac and this is still a well-regarded supplement. And since the early days, there are now many other products including many containing a greater number of good live gut bacteria.

It's a shame that simply economics means most of us have to make use of supermarkets where many products are over processed and in volume, clearly unhealthy. Ideally, organic farm shops with seasonal fruit and vegetable along with organic meats, provide the best fare. It's impossible to open a magazine or newspaper these days without advice on our eating habits. We have all had it hammered home about the importance of a number of fresh fruit and vegetable on a daily basis. Sometimes it's three, sometimes ten, and occasionally more. Fruit, vegetables, nuts and whole grains are all good basic fibres, but it seems that the essential point to remember to get all the necessary nutrients, is that we need plenty of variety in the rest of our diet. Food should not only be healthy, but it should also be pleasurable.

[adamfinchley]

Brain and gut are like two peas in the pod

It's quite strange to find so many of us have very little idea of the many processes that go on throughout our digestive system after we swallow food. To begin with, it takes around twenty-eight hours before the food is finally processed and remnants expelled. So when someone says that the meal they just had, passed through them quickly, this is most unlikely. If you need proof about the digestion process time, there is a very simple test. All children can enjoy this. With a meal, drink a glass of water infused with a harmless vegetable food die. The variety used in wedding cakes is best, and this can be bought at any good cake shop. It should take around twenty-eight hours for the die to reappear. Much longer, and this could indicate an unhealthy digestive process, that normally would be associated with the type of bacteria in the intestines. Our gut microbiome totals anything around two kilos in total weight. This makes it only second to our liver in relation to internal organ size and weight. Our microbiome consists of trillions of bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses. In medicine, it is only in recent decades that the importance of these gut creatures are being appreciated. And there is still a great deal more that needs to be discovered. The major breakthrough has been the discovery of the nerve connection between gut microbiome and brain. This is so strong, that many neuroscientists and gastroenterologists, consider the two, as one organ. A healthy gut is a healthy brain. This fact is under constant research and when we use expressions such as 'going with my gut' this may be what was once known as having a sixth sense. Supplements such as Threelac contain three good gut bacteria. This boost will usually work as a mild laxative without the harshness of over the counter chemical laxatives. One avenue of recent research is indicating that certain gut bacteria have favourite types of food. The suggestion is that the surest way of keeping them all happy is to eat a regular high fibre diet consisting of the greatest range of fresh fruit and greens along with nuts and grains.

A healthy diet is one full of a regular supply of these staples as well as a modest intake of treats that probably are of little use other than to the mind. Our domestic cats and dogs will always be happy and spoilt with their favourite tinned food and biscuits, but when out for a walk, they will still want to nibble at grass and other plants. This is their 'gut feeling' telling them to get more variety and who are we to question their desires. We give little thought to the processes that go on when we swallow food, but we should certainly listen to our gut more frequently.

[adamfinchley]

The thyroid and essential iodine for metabolism

That plum sized little organ split either side of our windpipe controls our metabolism. It is therefore, like the fat controller taking charge of the nation's rail system. A common problem with this part of our anatomy is that it can be over active or underactive. When this occurs, a visit to a medical practitioner should be sought. It is a relatively easy problem to solve although overactive may be a little more problematic. Because the thyroid controls the production of thyroxine, an essential hormone, the underproduction results in just about every part of our body underperforming. The list of clues that you have an underactive thyroid is very long. The most common is just a lack of energy. But fatigue is not the only symptom. Weight gain, high cholesterol, dry skin, joint and muscle pain, and sensitivity to cold are all clues to the problem. In most cases this can be reversed with a daily hormone tablet. And products such as Detoxadine that help balance iodine intake may help.

Iodine is the essential mineral for a healthy thyroid function. The supplement Detoxadine is based upon salt, mined from huge depths in the Earth, where the purity is guaranteed. The reason most table salt is labelled as having added iodine is specifically to help the number of people with an underperforming thyroid. Two billion poorer people around the globe, suffer from iodine deficiency. The only other natural source of iodine is mostly obtained from sea associated products. Certain fish have a particularly high level. Cod, tuna, shrimp and edible seaweed, are at the top of any list. Our body needs around a total of thirty different minerals and vitamins and some other dietary supplements. Many of these can be stored in organs such as the liver where sometimes too much iron is stored. It's possible to study and become an expert, or party bore, knowing the source of all these nutrients. But most of us have a life to be getting along with. The easiest way to ensure we get the full amount of these essential nutrients is to simply eat a wholesome and varied diet. When people go on about the five daily fibres, there is a lot of science in this. Five fruits and vegetables a day provides many of the vitamins.

It also helps to understand the difference between probiotic and prebiotic. And the simple way to remember is that prebiotic food is anything that feeds existing gut bacteria. And probiotic is food that delivers new fresh gut bacteria. Probiotics are products such as fresh live yoghurt and other live dairy products along with many fermented foods. Considering our gut microbiome is such a large mass with strong nerve connections with our brain, it is hardly surprising that many consider the two to be one entity. As such, as we get older, it should be our gut that ends up telling us what and when to eat. It will have learnt best, and following our gut should be a natural act.

[adamfinchley]

Do creatures without stomachs ever get hungry

Many scientists in several areas of research, have agreed that the mystery of our microbiome is the most exciting challenge so far this century. And has the potential to unravel many mysteries of life on Earth. It looks increasingly likely that sometime soon, our gut bacteria will be used in our favour to eliminate certain diseases and enhance our health. Simply through the size of our microbiome, we are all unique. There are trillions of microorganisms that mostly includes bacteria, but also some resident viruses and several types of fungi. The whole mass of these resident creatures are responsible for our immune system and connected by a serious bunch of nerves, constantly communicate with our brain. Expressions we use about gut feelings, and going with our gut, may also indicate this is the extra sense that most animals still have, but we only do to a much lesser extent. We eat when we are hungry and that food is converted into energy through the release of all the different essential nutrients. Certain bacteria are the final agents to complete that process. The first part of the process begins with saliva and enzymes in the mouth. The mechanical part is a combination of teeth and strong jaws. Acids in the stomach carry on the process of breaking down the food. Incidentally, surely the craziest looking mammal on the planet is the platypus. Everything about it looks wrong. When the first explorers arrived in Australia, they sent back to Europe some drawings of native animals, and this included the platypus. The scientific community in London had a hard time believing some of the strange creatures like the kangaroo, wallaby and others. But when they saw the drawing of the platypus, they assumed it was a joke to catch them out. The platypus is one of those creatures that does not have a stomach. This may also account for it being born with teeth that quickly all fall out, leaving a hard gum. Most bony fish are without stomachs. We have one, as do horses, hamsters and rabbits. Alligators have two, and camels and dolphins have three.

With so much rubbish ultra processed food in our diet, its worth having a clean out. The bacteria won't go anywhere, but with something like Colosan the active mix of oxygen and magnesium, will help to flush the intestines. It's not so surprising that many different religions have a festival of fasting. It's something we should all consider. Drinking nothing but water for just a couple of days without any solids, is all it takes to empty the bowels completely. Taking a supplement like Colosan at the same time, will speed up this process. Taken with just a little fresh lemon juice, the results are satisfying. And of course, that first healthy meal as a reward should taste particularly enjoyable.

[adamfinchley]

Listen to your gut for good health

A gastroenterologist once told me the reason he specialised in the subject after medical school. After all, you might think with the perceived glamour of doctor in front of your name, specialising in something like brain or heart surgery, might make you seem even more interesting. But gastroenterology seems far less glamorous. Isn't this mostly all about the intestines and the state of poo? When I put this point to the gastroenterologist he put me right by explaining that the brain surgeon, like the heart surgeon, are far more limited in the area of speciality. But a gastroenterologist must be specialised in the digestive tract, the liver, the gall bladder, the pancreas and a dozen other glands as well as enzymes. And more recently, it has been found to have closer links with the neurological part of our being. The gut and the brain are linked by a powerful set of nerve endings to the point where some professor of cell biology and pathology, recently coined the phrase of neurogastroenterology as his new profession. But more to the profession follows. There is huge interest in the gut wherein lies most of the human microbiome. This is mostly bacteria but also includes viruses, fungi and other microorganisms. This is the heart of the immune system and contains the source of DNA. A whole new area of medicine is opening up that deals with the DNA and genetic familiarity living in our gut. Whilst all this goes on, we cannot forget that to our simple minds, the digestive tract is just some long tube that deals with the food we swallow. Most of us just feel hungry two or three times a day, and cram into our mouth any food that is available. This way of eating is indicative of the mixture of laziness and busy life that is the environment we nearly all live. We should be thinking more carefully about our eating. It should not just be a process of filling a cavity. Instead, we should be thinking more carefully about our microbiome and what all those little organisms would enjoy the most. Colosan is a supplement that helps with a colon cleanse enjoyed and appreciated by many. They enjoy a healthy mix of both probiotic and prebiotic food. They don't like all those extra ingredients in heavily processed foods.

They have managed for millions of generations with whole natural products. And E numbers, artificial additives, colouring, emulsifiers, and huge amounts of refined sugar and salt, is a confusion. We don't have to be fanatical about our diet, and sometimes all we should do is listen to our gut. Most pregnant women find they have an urge for certain foods. For some strange reason, my neighbour tells me her urge was for anchovy. It turns out that anchovies are loaded with protein. So her gut was just telling her that the pregnancy was demanding more of that building block. You don't have to be pregnant to listen to your gut. It may just save your health, or even your life.