Did you know…
75% OF YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM RESIDES IN YOUR COLON? 

Being that it's that high, doesn't it make sense to rev that up, instead of embracing what once was enough old school remedies such as ‘Vitamin C' and ‘lots of water' will cure you from said constant illnesses?  More people than EVER are sick every couple months!  Why, you ask?  An imbalance of healthy to gut flora is causing major health suffering for us, including:

*Skin Infections & Acne
*MS & Other AI disease
*Depression
*Poor Immune Function
*Urinary Tract Infections
*Allergies
*Others Noted Below –  yeast infections, gas, lactose intolerance, constipation, diarrhea, colon cancer, IBS, bloating

With 70% of women reporting ‘digestive concerns negatively impact their lives every single day' this is a topic that is NECESSARY to discuss and address, but is unfortunately ignored by many, since talking about poop and farts aren't the happiest topic to confess to a stranger.  

GOOD NEWS = I LOVE talking about it!  Know why?  I've learned a GREAT DEAL from the importance:

*My dad lost his Gall Bladder 3 years ago – he thought diarrhea was normal & ignored his BODY TALK of oil rings on the surface of the toilet water…which is a symptom of bile imbalance, so now he struggles to break down fat

*I avoided having to take an ANTI-BIOTIC daily to prevent the UTI's I was suffering through nearly weekly by learning how to heal my gut naturally.  I recently heard of a woman who's been taking Anti-biotics daily for 14 years…she struggled with nearly every health challenge you can imagine.  Anti-biotic means ‘against life' while PRObiotic means ‘for life'.  Read on…

A staggering 85% of stomach ulcers are caused by a lack of this bacteria, which affects 1 in 5 people under 40 and 50% of those over 60 

YET THE #1 MOST PRESCRIBED DRUG ON THE MARKET IS A PPI…THE PURPLE PILL.  NEXIUM!

CLICK HERE to learn how to FIX your digestion for good!

And what's so bad about taking that?  A doctor, Chris Kesser, I follow points out on his blog:  All acid stopping drugs (not just PPIs) inhibit nutrient absorption, promote bacterial overgrowth, reduce resistance to infection and increase the risk of cancer and other serious diseases. Additional side effects include liver problems, fatigue, chest pain, heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat, kidney problems, bruising, bleeding, sore throat, and severe abdominal pain. Nexium is also linked to an increased risk of broken bones, bone fractures, and bone density issues. Evidence shows that it prohibits the body from absorbing calcium correctly.  I had a client whose downward spiral of health symptoms included all of the above, which were covered up with another Rx, then another, then another.  With a few tweeks to her diet and added supplements, we were able to get her off meds COMPLETELY…and she came to me literally feeling like she was going to die! As with EVERY medication, there is a contraindication it disrups in health that lends to the NEED to negate its effects with a supplement to plug in what it depletes in the body.  Consider this fact about prescriptions before you completely entrust your doctor with the authority over your body, upon receiving the piece of paper with scribbles you can't read and mg per day instructions…normally for life!

90% of prescription drugs do not address the root cause of the symptoms they're being prescribed for
Are you cool with 10% odds that you won't suffer from your symptoms again?

These drugs are KILLING us.  Literally KILLING us.  The other day at a pool party, I asked a friend if he was interested in hearing how he can reduce his blood pressure naturally, and wean off his meds and his response was ‘NO I'm scared.'  Can you hear that?  CHA-CHING…score for big pharma.  Another customer for life.  Friends, please take off your blindfold! You owe it to yourself, and those who depend on you, love you, and want you around! 

In a healthy digestive system, there should be about 80-85% bio-friendly bacteria (like Acidophilus and Bifidus) and only 15-20% yeast and fungus. That equates to 3 pounds of probiotic bacteria in the digestive tract, bacteria which help you digest and absorb the nutrients in your food, and about 4 pounds of good and bad bacteria in the whole body…hence where the 75% of our immune system is in our gut statistic comes from. There should be more individual probiotic bacteria organisms in our gut than there are cells in the lining of the digestive tract! 

Here are some pointers at what leads to a disruption of the gut flora:

• NSAIDs (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs);
• Antibiotics;
• Birth control pill;
• Food toxins mostly from grains and legumes;
• Excess carbohydrate and fructose consumption;
• Inflammation from excess total polyunsaturated and omega-6 fat consumption;
• Infections;
• Chronic stress;
• Lack of sleep;
• Improper nutrient intake and deficiency in some critical vitamins and minerals;
• Weak immune system (often caused by all of the above);

So as you can see, this problem goes beyond genes today. I hear too often that peoples conditions are ‘GENETIC' which eludes to a scientific inheritance, but I argue that it's rather a lifestyle inheritance, case in point…parents who eat a lot of sugar & processed foods pass these eating habits down to their children…and hence you have a NURTURED inheritance.

Bad bacteria such as H Pylori is contracted from poor food and water drinking habits, and the double edged sword of not enough exposure to bacteria for our body to learn to fend for itself.  That's why I'm not a fan of C sections (unless an emergency – science behind that is because the baby is exposed to vaginal bacteria in mothers flora, helping it to develop defenses against bad bacteria upon birth canal delivery), flu shots and other immunizations.

Such is the case with tap water & the SAD (Standard American Diet today).

And also, why I'm a HUGE proponent of water ionization & shower filtration…unsafe levels of chlorine & flouride are dumped into our water today to kill bacteria in water…when we drink it and even more damaging – shower in it – it kills a lot of the bacteria in our body/gut, good AND bad, leaving our immune system with little defense to fend against the ‘flu and colds' that are going around.

TRUTH BOMB…over 90% of bottled water you're paying premium prices for, BEYOND the cost of gasoline, is nothing more than filtered tap water, which does NOT filter these harmful chemicals. In addition:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 18 million courses of antibiotics are prescribed (by doctors) for the common cold in the United States per year, despite the almost universal belief in medical circles that colds are caused by viruses. In addition, an estimated 50 million unnecessary antibiotics are prescribed for viral respiratory infections. These and other un-needed antibiotic prescriptions, in addition to the many “correct” ones, are responsible for the increasing resistance of many strains of bacteria to many widely-used antibiotics: especially in hospitals.

If any of the symptoms & conditions in this blog post apply to you, which is pretty much 95% of the population, I HIGHLY recommend a diet rich in fermented foods such as yogurt, Miso, Tamari, Kombucha, as well as to DETOX REGULARLY and supplement with Probiotics, like THESE. If this is a chronic issue for you and you've already tried the aforementioned with no improvement, I also offer testing to gather detailed information from your body and analyze the deeper root cause & etiology of what is causing the disruption.

As a Functional Diagnostic Nutritionist Practitioner, my analysis goes beyond allopathic means of ‘Hey your blood tests are normal, this is all in your head, here take this anti depressant'.  Not to worry my friends, when your body is talking to you, you have a friend in me that will be able to hear what's really going on beyond the symptoms you're experiencing.

These improvements won't happen over night, as it certainly has been about a decade of evolution for me to fully open my eyes to all of it but I can offer these suggestions to you, most of which we've helped thousands of warriors around the world with:

1)  Eat less Sugar!  It can be a challenge to tackle this ‘easier said than done' suggestion as bad bacteria feed off of sugar, so when they're famished, communicate to your brain to eat more sugar…One BIG request I get from clients is to help them reduce their craving for sweets so in most cases, resetting your gut flora to favor healthy bacteria naturally kills off the bad and hence quiets the signals to ‘eat more sugar'.  This leads me into:

2)  DETOX regularly.  With the influx of chemicals and hence toxins invading our environment and food & drug system, comes a perpetuity of nasty cold/flu combos, allergies, fatigue, and a feeling of being ‘lost'.  I detox quarterly & recommend the same for others to make way for new spores and molds so as not to overwhelm our system.

3)  Filter chlorine out of your tap water & shower water.  Chlorine is a disinfectant that kills bacteria – good and bad. As mentioned above, with the laziness and lack of accountability in the FDA, dairy & conventional farmers are irresponsibly pumping a plethora of prescription drugs, pesticides, herbicides and hormones into our water supply, little of which is filtered out! I can arrange for a Whole House & Ionized filtration system in your home at a deeper discount than every company on the market, and include a LIFETIME WARRANTY for your units!

4) Reduce Inflammation – high ph water and eating fresh fruits and vegetables are HUGE. Supplementing with high quality Omega 3's, such as Cod Liver Oil and natural anti-antioxidants will support this measure.  You can find them on my ONLINE STORE.

5)  Eat probiotic rich foods –  such as Miso, Tamari, Kombucha and Yogurt…not all Yogurts offer the same health, so be sure to opt for Organic and the lowest sugar brands, then you can add your own natural, whole fruits to it later.

6) Support natural detoxification daily! – Limit toxic exposure as much as possible. Good bacteria, fiber, water, and super green foods such as spirulina and chlorella promote healthy detoxification in your intestines. If they are not eliminated there, toxins are reabsorbed into your bloodstream.  Also natural remedies such as high potency aloe vera drinks, digestive enzymes and probiotics are WONDERFUL and necessary tools to take daily if your diet wavers on consistent cleanliness.

7)  Use a natural digestion remedy. Although many people swear by the temporary relief of antacids, these indigestion remedies actually shut down food processing in your stomach resulting in food ‘dumping' into your intestines. Contrary to common belief, the problem is not usually too much acid, but too little.  Betaine HCL or 1-2 tsp of apple cider vinegar with your meal can supplement the acids. Bitter herbs taken right before a meal get your digestive juices and enzymes going.  Chamomile, gentian, fennel, dandelion root and peppermint are popular herbal indigestion remedies. I LOVE ginger, lemon, honey tea made with fresh ingredients when my tummy aches. Instant fix!   When I'm on the go, if I have a tummy ache, I always carry a Digestive Enzymes. Be prepared I always say. I'm like Marry Poppins with my ‘health tackle box' in my purse!

8)  Avoid or limit aggravating foods such as sugar, peanuts, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, and gluten-containing grains. If you have reflux or heartburn you may also want to try eliminating citrus, chocolate, spices, peppermint, alcohol, carbonated beverages, coffee and non-herbal teas. If symptoms improve, add one food back every few days and see what happens. When your gut is imbalanced food does not break down efficiently. You may find yourself reacting to more foods. HELLO ALLERGIES!  Are you starting to see how this is all related?

9)  EAT MORE FIBER – Adults should eat 25 to 35 grams of fiber each day. Most Americans eat only around 11 grams.  That's part of why most of us only poop every other day rather than 1-2 times per day!  I can tell you 1 thing.  My colon is a happy camper and my tummy is flat year round!  And it's NOT from grains, rather GREENS! 🙂

10)  Chew your food. Proper digestion starts in your mouth. Chew app 25 times per bite to stimulate saliva enzymes, which reduces your chances of overeating since your brain has time to send the message that you are full. Eating too much makes it difficult for your stomach to churn food. If you drink fruit or veggie juice, swish it a bit in your mouth before swallowing too to trigger enzymes for max nutrient breakdown & assimilation which = MORE ENERGY. No chugging! I am A SLOW eater and the last one at the table all the time.  ENJOY your food, savor the moment, and opportunity to socialize and bask in great company!

Ultimately,