Intestinal life. Fight for bacteria

    imageThe famous gastroenterologist Robin Chatkan in his new book describes the amazing inner world of man. Imagine that your body is a factory operating around the clock, and internal organs - lungs, liver, kidneys - are machines that process oxygen, filter blood, neutralize toxins, synthesize hormones ...

    But who is the operator of these machines? Who helps to break down food and decides what needs to be absorbed, and what is an urgent need to get rid of? How does the body recognize a formidable infection and distinguish it from a colony of harmless bacteria?

    All this is done by microbes - your microbiome!

    It takes a lifetime to accumulate trillions of bacteria in the intestines, and only one course of antibiotics can make a real pharmageddon. Anything can break our fragile inner microbiological world: the food we eat, the water we drink, the things we use, the medicines we have been prescribed. But in order to preserve it, it is enough to follow simple rules.


    Lost connection with nature

    The symbiosis of distant ancestors of modern man and microbes has evolved for the common good of millions of years. Being the natural hosts of a whole host of microscopic creatures (including worms and other parasites), our ancestors received some benefit from such coexistence. The main danger for them was the large predators and the lack of food, and not the hundreds of all kinds of diseases that cause us such suffering today. The paradox is that the further we get away from nature, the more reliably our bodies and environment are protected from external threats, the weaker our physical condition, although it would seem that everything should be the other way around.

    Urbanization and advances in modern medicine have undoubtedly improved the quality of life. But in parallel, there is an unbridled use of antibiotics (with or without a reason), water is chlorinated, food is literally stuffed with chemicals and hormones, pesticides that kill the microflora, and the number of cesarean section increases. All this adversely affects the human microbiome and reduces both the general population of microorganisms inhabiting our body and the diversity of their species. And the result is the emergence of relatively new diseases such as asthma, allergies, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, obesity, oncology, irritable bowel syndrome, and also constant anxiety and irritability, cardiovascular diseases ... This is directly related to the massive attack on the human microbiome, with our super decontaminated lifestyle.

    Who knew ten years ago that every antibiotic taken during the cold and flu season potentially brings us closer to Crohn's disease and obesity? No one understood (and does not understand) that, by taking the medicine for the common cold prescribed by a doctor, we sometimes pave the way for serious illnesses. The idea that germs are always evil and should be disposed of by all means, and antibiotics are our best friends, to which we should not hesitate to seek help, is rooted in the public consciousness. As a result, the statistics are as follows: at the time of graduation, the average person already has a dozen courses of antibiotics, and in most cases due to minor disorders that did not require special treatment at all. Nevertheless, many doctors and their patients wander in the dark and are confident

    When “less” means “more”

    I myself realized this only after my daughter had undergone several courses of antibiotic treatment (from birth and throughout her childhood), which predetermined many of her health problems in the future. I studied in first-class facilities, worked as a gastroenterologist at leading clinics, but, like most doctors, I had no idea that antibiotics, which I valued so highly, also provoke diseases, exterminating the microbiome precisely when it is so vulnerable, and making the body more susceptible to infections and inflammations. It is a pity that then I didn’t know what I know now and what I’m convinced of every day: often the disease is not the result of an increase in the number of bacteria in the body, but, on the contrary, a decrease in it. And when it comes to medical intervention, “less” often means “more.”

    Recover your microbiome

    I am regularly treated with obvious signs of microbiome disorder: abdominal distension, diarrhea, increased intestinal permeability syndrome, gluten intolerance, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, eczema, thyroid diseases, overweight, chronic fatigue, confusion. All of this, according to infectiologist Dr. Martin Blazer, are signs of a real epidemic of microbial deficiency. Symptoms may vary, but the reason is the same for all: the abuse of antibiotics against the background of a diet typical for Western society, which lacks hard-to-digest plant fibers, the main food of intestinal bacteria.

    The restoration of the microbiome is a very difficult task, but, having solved it, you can feel much better. Microorganisms inside us are constantly changing, and a simple control over what we give our body can lead to a significant improvement in condition. Today’s microbiome is no longer what you received at birth. It does not coincide with what you will have in a year or even a week. Microbiomes are a highly dynamic, continuously changing system that adapts to the environment outside and inside you.

    In a medical college, I was taught to fight microbes inside the body. A quarter of a century later, I teach my patients to restore bacterial populations: telling what food to eat, how to maintain hygiene and not to damage the microflora, what questions to ask the doctor if he prescribes antibiotics, and when it is necessary to resort to probiotics or even fecal transplantation. It is my deep conviction that in our super-pure time this is new knowledge that is important for health. You will find these recommendations in chapters 8–10.

    The illness begins with the microbiome

    My personal experience has shown how poor nutrition and stress can catalyze the negative effects of the microbiome on the body. This is what I see in my patients - a “gratuitous” deterioration of well-being, forcing them to scratch their heads in disbelief: what is happening?

    Anything can break the microbiotic environment: the food we eat, the water we drink, the treatment we have been prescribed. And the clinical signs of impaired microbiome are very different and manifest at any age and at any stage. The risk of trouble increases if someone in the family suffers from asthma, allergies, eczema, thyroid inflammation, diabetes, arthritis and many other diseases, which, as it turned out, have the same roots. Of course, violations in the microbiome are not the only cause of the emergence of ailments and deterioration of health. But often they turn out to be the most important factor, which, together with poor genetics and ecology, leads to the fact that the disease is gaining momentum. Therefore, today more than ever it is important to realize the complexity and criticality of the role of microorganisms in maintaining health.

    The recommendations given in this book are the result of the clinical practice of the Digestive Center for Women, research data, as well as trial and error. At the heart of my advice are special cases, as well as almost twenty-year observations of patients with various types of microflora imbalances - from serious autoimmune disorders (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis) to flatulence and abdominal distention. Of course, I took into account personal experience in solving health problems.

    A new paradigm - the perception of bacteria more as friends, not as enemies - defines a revolutionary approach to health protection and simply forces us to reconsider our usual way of life and common treatment methods. First we will see how all this affects our microbes, and then how the microbes in response affect our lives. It is clear that individual and collective health depends on them. I sincerely hope that this book will help you solve the problems of the microbiome, and this means that to some extent it will restore health and strengthen vitality by directing you on a path of a “dirtier” and therefore more free from infections of life.

    More information about the book is available on the publisher's website.
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