Autoimmune Disease and the Gut

autoimmune disease

As we continue to grow in depth of knowledge about gut health, let’s further our investigation about the immune system as it relates to autoimmune disease.  We should begin with the definition of autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is when the body seemingly spontaneously recognizes the native cells of the body as foreign invaders. Because…

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Gut-Brain Axis

Man with anxiety

The connection between the gut and the brain is a two-way street. This ‘street’ is referred to as the gut-brain axis. For every 1 message going from the brain to the gut, there are 9 going from the gut to the brain! Your gut and brain are connected through the central nervous system, immune system, and…

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Leaky Gut

LEAKY GUT

Leaky Gut. This is a common phrase around the gut health realm. It’s used as an umbrella term to cover a common idea about the integrity of the intestines as a barrier to the outside world.  First, let’s talk about the structure of intestines. The human intestines are designed to serve as a barrier between…

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Consistency is Key

Consistency is key

Consistency is KEY. (We say this a lot.) The main job of probiotics is to support a healthy balance of bacteria in your body. Your gut is filled with millions of native bacteria. Some have harmful tendencies and some produce needed byproducts that the body uses to modulate many different pathways.   The potentially harmful bacteria…

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Back to School Checklist

Back to School checklist

It’s already time to begin thinking about changing up the daily routine as many of us are preparing the kids to go back to school. Stay organized and feel accomplished with checklists! Week Before Back-to-School Checklist If you have a young child who may be a bit nervous for the school year to start, this…

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Quick Pickled Red Onions

Pickled Red Onions

These gut-friendly beauties add a nice, cool tang to any meal. Pickled onions ferment in a snap and can be ready for dinner tonight! Raw onions make a great prebiotic, and this has got to be the tastiest way to eat raw onion.  Ingredients:  1 medium red onion, thinly sliced  2 teaspoons maple syrup  ½ teaspoon…

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Hydration Motivation

Pouring water

The human body uses water for many processes to maintain homeostasis. It is also used in the body’s efforts to regulate body temperature, deliver nutrients, maintain electrolyte balance, and keep organs working correctly.  As we’ve learned before, one of the primary roles of the lining of the gut is to transport nutrients from the gut…

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Women as Bacterial Hosts

women

Yep. It’s true. Men and women are distinctly different from one another and studies are continuing to find that these differences affect the gut as well. Most science suggests the reason for these differences is due to the different hormones at play.   The female reproductive system is incredible: a reoccurring cycle that requires detailed regulation…

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Inflammation

chronic inflammation

What is the role of inflammation? Like a check engine light, inflammation is there to be an alarm. It lets you know something is wrong. Unlike your late-90s car dashboard lighting up, we shouldn’t ignore it. We need to look into the root cause of why the alarm is going off so we can make changes…

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