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Probiotics and why they may not be the answer afterall

The human body is truly an amazing thing, perfectly designed to be self healing.  However, when we disturb or disrupt this balance, that’s when things can go very wrong. 

If you look around you, it is easy to see that we are being bombarded with toxins from every direction, from our food supply loaded with toxic chemicals and GMOs, to the water we drink, often filled with fluoride (a known neurotoxin), to the air we breathe both indoors and outdoors, and then add to that, the massive amounts of microwave and radio frequencies our bodies are assaulted with on a daily basis. 

This is more than enough to disrupt and prevent our self healing mechanisms from working the way they were intended to.

 

In 2012, a groundbreaking discovery was made surrounding one of the body's self healing mechanisms which involves our gut bacteria - aka microbiome, and this may very well be the breakthrough we needed and in the nick of time, before we reach the point of no return.   

The alternative health world has known for some time about the importance of gut bacteria to overall health, and as a result over the years, the industry developed a number of probiotic products…

When it comes the mainstream however, it is only in the past few years that it has caught on to the importance of gut bacteria and since then, yogurt manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon and turned "probiotics" into the latest health buzz word.  (Seen any yogurt commercials lately?)

 

But unfortunately, it appears that ALL probiotic producers may have jumped the gun… 

 

THE BREAKTHROUGH DISCOVERY

In 2012 a team of medical doctors and scientists, led by Dr. Zach Bush, made a breakthrough discovery when they uncovered the CRUCIAL role that the bacteria in our gut provide when it comes to our health.  They found that these bacteria create a communication network which allows our cells to communicate with each other so that they are able to work together to deal with any incoming dangers, such as toxins, viruses etc… and repair and damage caused.  

With this communication network in place, our cells are able to take the necessary actions to prevent potential toxins from making their way into our bloodstream, brain, internal organs and cells, which would lead to inflammation, which is considered the root cause of all chronic illness. 

 

IN ESSENCE THE GUT MICROBIOME (OR LACK THEREOF) IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF EVERYTHING 

 

Another finding made by this team was the fact that what is needed for this self healing mechanism to function optimally is 30,000 to 40,000 different strains of gut bacteria. 

Unfortunately, we are falling EXTREMELY short of this, with the high range of different species of gut bacteria estimated at no more than 10,000. 

That is a lot of communication/protection we are missing out on, which is leaving us HIGHLY VULNERABLE.  It doesn’t take much to see that unless we take drastic action, we are in some SERIOUS TROUBLE…

 

HOW DID WE GET HERE?  THE PERFECT STORM       

It appears that 3 main elements have come together to form somewhat of a perfect storm when it comes to the deficient state of our microbiomes. 

These are:

  1. a dead and dying soil depleted of minerals and living organisms, partly due to use of synthetic fertilizers and industrial agriculture
  2. rampant use of antibiotics destroying the microbiome of everyone who ingests them
  3. and more recently the ever extensive use of Glyphosate, currently estimated at 2 billion kilograms each year  

 

1) A dead and dying soil depleted of minerals and living organisms

Since the 1930's we have been warned about our depleted soils and the urgent need to take action to address this problem.  However, nothing was done. 

To make matters worse, the end of WW2 saw the introduction of synthetic fertilizers as a means of using up/profiting from the leftover chemicals from the war.  The use of fertilizers has been increasing steadily which weakened the soil, reduced carbon levels in the soil and negatively impacted local waterways.  We have since seen the ever increasing use of synthetic herbicides and pesticides.   

 

2) Rampant use of antibiotics

The second factor is the rampant use of antibiotics, which has reached what is considered to be the highest possible levels, with 83% of the US population receiving antibiotics each year.  The use of antibiotics in animals has also skyrocketed reaching ridiculously high levels with animals receiving 1/3 of their weight in antibiotics.   

And what exactly are antibiotics?  They're a medication prescribed by medical doctors to KILL or restrict the growth of BACTERIA, both those considered good as well as bad.  Hmmm…..  What we actually need is a balance of bacterial so no one strain takes over.

 

3) In Comes Glyphosate

Now given the position we found ourselves in due to depleted soils and the skyrocketing use of antibiotics, which has left us with dangerously low numbers of different strains of gut bacteria, in comes Glyphosate, developed by Monsanto as the main ingredient in its herbicide Roundup.    

One of the big concerns with Glyphosate is that it is water soluble and therefore can easily move through every cycle of the ecosystem including the soil and therefore our food supply, our water supply through the waterways, the rain, and ultimately our bodies, (which happen to be made up of approximately 60% water). And we now have 2 BILLION kilograms of Glyphosate being sprayed into our environment every year.

 

Glyphosate is an insidious substance.  It is found in the air we breathe and has even been found in the rain.   Glyphosate first affects the plants by destroying their medicinal and nutrient content, including essential amino acids that humans NEED and that we can only get from our food as our bodies cannot make them.  So in essence, glyphosate removes the medicine from food leaving us completely vulnerable. 

And if that weren't enough, glyphosate also impacts our gut lining by disrupting the tight junctions.  Tight junctions are the (velcro-like) system that is intended to allows nutrients into the body where they are needed, while also preventing toxins from entering. 

Watch this short video of Dr. Zach Bush explaining how the gut lining and tight junction system works. 

 

As soon as you ingest any amount of glyphosate, a substance called zonulin is released which weakens the tight junctions in the gut lining.  And the gut lining, as we have learned is not only in our guts, but runs from our brain, sinuses right on through to the gut, so everything gets affected.

When these tight junctions are weakened, the result is Leaky Gut Syndrome.  You may have heard of this term before, it is one that has received a lot of attention in recent years as it has been linked to a number of chronic health conditions including, autism, digestion disorders, IBS, cancer, fibromyalgia, MS... 

 

So the combination of these 3 factors have created some very dangerous conditions for our health.  With such a limited microbiome, we are left with very little protection from the toxins we encounter in our everyday lives.

Is it any wonder we are seeing such unprecedented skyrocketing rates of so many chronic health conditions? 

 

WHY PROBIOTICS ARE NOT THE SOLUTION

Although the solution lies in an improved microbiome, or more specifically a higher number of varieties of gut bacteria, probiotics are not the solution, at least not in the long term and not with the current supplements we have now.  According to Dr. Zach Bush, the probiotic supplements currently available contain very few different strains, with the highest found to date at 24 different strains, a far cry from the 30,000 to 40,000 different strains of gut bacteria that are needed for optimal health. 

As well, taking such few strains on a long term basis, will only increase the imbalance in the gut as these few strains gain a foothold. 

 

SO WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

Since the main way we are exposed to gut bacteria right now is through our food, our first priority should be to heal the soil to allow the bacteria to proliferate once again.  This can be achieved by banning the use of glyphosate, as was done in several overseas countries and stopping the use of chemical fertilizers. 

 

But another potentially more immediate way to restore the variety of bacteria strains in our guts is to GO OUTSIDE more and BREATHE in different ecosystems. 

 

Dr. Zach Bush recommends spending as much time as we can outside, especially in the garden, where removing weeds and playing in the dirt releases microscopic bacteria and fungi into the air, that we can then breathe in.

 

As well, traveling to different locations will also increase the diversity of your gut bacteria, such as spending time at the beach, hiking through the forests, visiting waterfalls etc…

 

When it comes to food, eating fermented foods will help, but make sure it was made with a wild fermentation. 

 

For anyone dealing with a chronic condition who is looking for quick relief, Dr. Bush and his colleagues have developed a formula called Restore that will immediately upon taking it, protect the tight junctions in the gut lining from glyphosate and gluten.  As the name implies, Restore returns immediately the communication network to allow the cells to communicate and protect you.  This product does not heal, but rather gives the body what it needs to heal itself.   

You can find it here for Canadian orders

 

or here for US orders 

Have a look at this short video which shows what happens to the tight junctions immediately after taking  Restore



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