Intestinal dysbiosis is a term used in the alternative health world to describe a condition of imbalance in the gut. When I say imbalance, I mean an imbalance of the natural organisms that inhabit the human intestinal tract.
A healthy digestive tract has over 1000 different species of organisms contained in it. Most of these organisms are harmless, and some actually help keep us healthy.
But through certain causes such as antibiotic use and diet, the delicate balance can be disturbed, and a state of intestinal dysbiosis (or dysbacteriosis) can be induced. There are other cause as well, but the 2 mentioned above are the easiest to understand and to control.
Antibiotics kill bad bacteria, but they kill the healthy bacteria as well. When these beneficial bacteria are killed off, it paves the way for all kinds of bad guys to take over. Two of these bad guys are yeast and harmful bacteria.
When Candida (yeast) begins to overgrow in the human intestinal tract it can cause all kinds of problems. Some women will come down with vaginal yeast infections after a course of antibiotics. Candida (yeast) overgrowth can cause many other symptoms as well. These may include: fatigue, skin rashes, depression, dandruff, autoimmune diseases, anxiety and bloating.
Another real concern we should have when we kill off these healthy bacteria are the unhealthy bacteria. When we kill off the good guys, then the harmful bacteria are free to multiply with little competition. One good example of this is that in the last 10 years, bowel infections in children have doubled, and the condition I’m referring to is Clostridium Difficile, very serious stuff, definitely not your run of the mill stomach bug . And one very interesting point is that C. diff infections most often occur after antibiotic use. Because of this probiotics for children are becoming popular.
Diet is another serious problem in our society. Candida just so happens to thrive off of simple carbohydrates, just think about it, to make yeast do it’s thing while baking bread or brewing alcohol, you need a carbohydrate source. We eat less whole foods, and less fiber. Fiber is very important for your health. The benefits of fiber are becoming more well known every day.
Raw and fermented foods used to be a staple in our daily diet, and they are making a comeback; however, more has to be done if we really want to improve our health long term. If we aren’t willing to take a serious look at our eating habits, serious consequences will follow.
The raw foods mentioned above contain beneficial bacteria commonly known as probiotics. If you don’t like to eat fermented foods on a daily basis (yogurt, kifir, cottage cheese). The best thing to do is to take a probiotic supplement. Quality probiotic supplements contain large doses of beneficial bacteria, and are also shielded to release in the intestined. 99% of the probiotics contained in food are killed off by stomach acids.
And the benefits of probiotics are proving to extend far beyond the intestinal tract. The science coming out on this is amazing.
There are also some medicinal herbs that have been shown to have anti Candida activity, these include: olive yeast extract, oil of oregano, astragalus and medicinal mushroom extract. There is also a medicinal fungus that I have been researching lately called cordyceps sinensis, it is not clear if it kills off the intestinal fungal overgrowth, although many of it’s close relatives do. But it has been shown to be an immune modulator, and it is suspected that yeast overgrowth can trigger or worsen autoimmune diseases. There are some minor cordyceps side effects to be aware of, but the biggest concern is drug interactions. Use care if you take steroids or blood thinning medication of any kind.
But fortunately, for all of us, cordyceps benefits clearly outweigh the risks for most people. But it is still a good idea to consult a trained professional.
So be proactive my friends, you have to take care of yourself and do your best to seek out information. It is our responsibility and nobody elses.
healthyfatguy 