Very exciting, what the gut for us to offer!

The intestine is a digestive organ, every child knows. He wraps himself in the stomach, pulls out from our food, which is get out and ensures that we excrete what appears useless again. Most people do not like to deal with their gut. You can find him and especially his slimy and often malodorous contents disgusting. So one might have nothing to do. It is good that there are researchers who do not look so.Through their work, we get an insight about the intestine and get the very help – because our colon is to a large extent with responsible for whether we are healthy or sick. This is no “quackery” by some dubious healers, this is science at a high level!

The intestine – the center of health.

Colon cleansing, intestinal rehabilitation, intestinal structure, flora, symbiosis, probiotics, prebiotics – these are words that everyone knows now. Especially those who are already a little concerned with health and may have visited one or two naturopathic working doctor or therapist. Advertising, too, has discovered the topic probiotics and prebiotics for itself and uses it intensively. Hence it is certainly also that conventional doctors keep money making and charlatanism from gut renovation. You now need vigorously rethink : The intestine is discovered as a new health center and there is increasing scientific evidence that it is much more than a digestive organ!

A new word: microbiome.

Microbiome , is a term that you should remember: It refers to the set of all microorganisms (mostly bacteria, but also fungi) that live on and in the people. Despite all the hygiene and daily showers these microorganisms are spreading on the skin, in the respiratory tract, the eyes, under the nails, the hair roots, on all mucous membranes and, of course, in the gut. The microbes living in the gut, are particularly numerous, therefore they have again received a special name: intestinal microbiota. The intestinal bacteria can be up to two kilograms of body weight, make up about 50% of the retired chair of a healthy person consists of bacterial mass!

A colorful folk living inside us.

Previously been known only a few residents of the intestine. This has fundamentally changed by more precise laboratory techniques in the last decade. Meanwhile, you can see all intestinal inhabitants based on a genetic material and also specify how many of them are in the intestine. More than 1,000 different types of bacteria can be in the gut. Their frequency can vary greatly between individuals. The research is now known that there are certain intestinal bacteria types among men, so-called “enterotypes”: vegetarian have other predominant germs as meat eater , people, the lot sugar eat again other than those rich in fiber eat wholesome. And more could be found: intestinal bacteria do not live just as in our belly because it’s there yet cozy, warm and moist, they also have a high value for us:

• They provide our intestinal cells with substances that need this for their energy
• They stimulate the intestine to be more movement
• Improve the formation of new mucosal layers (mucins)
• Create a milieu that sells pathogens
• They reduce toxic substances before they can be absorbed into the body
• And they can actually help fight inflammation also!

This means in plain text: We need our bacteria in the intestine so much that we live with them in real symbiosis and our immune system, our body weight, our metabolism and our mental state depends on the correct composition of the intestinal inhabitants!

Who am I? And how many?!

One can go further as even: The number of bacterial cells in our intestines significantly exceeds the number of our body cells. In the intestine of a human being but live about 10 to 100 trillion bacteria and each of which is a cell. In contrast, a human body has only about 10% of it. And it goes even further: If we compare the total number of human genes with the total number of bacterial genes of the microbiome, can you come to an astonishing result: The bacterial genes far outweigh (ratio above 1: 350). So who are we? Independent people with bacterial growth on and in itself or only the living Hostels for a large bacterial community living? Who makes up our character, our emotions and our idiosyncrasies – we or the microbes in us? Can we survive without bacteria at all? The answer is: probably not.

And it gets worse: We “inherit” our bacteria at birth gets a – previously completely germ-free – infant contact for microbiota his mother: A few maternal bacteria from skin and vagina migrate all mucous membranes of the baby and multiply there. Later, every kiss and every skin contact wear with parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, playmates or others a more bacteria. In this way it happens that the microbiome of family members are often very similar, but differ clearly from other families. The differences between human microbiome to take, the more different is their cultural origins.

Medicine today is ready now for severe intestinal infections that can no longer be contain antibiotics, with bacteria transplants of donors from the family. Thus, a seriously ill within a short time a full recovery. This man changed by it? We do not know yet.

The good and the bad intestinal bacteria.

People may confuse. But bacteria are generally known as pathogens and have quickly combated (antibiotics!). But the must necessarily be contradicted: The vast majority of bacteria of the intestinal microbiota are healthy and even beneficial to humans, only a few produce diseases. And that may not at a dense population with healthy intestinal residents to properly enforce. Only if the preponderance of “Good” is no longer assured, there can be problems: Intestinal infections are the first episode. But much more diseases associated with the intestinal microbiome: Researchers found in intestines from autistic clear indications of a particular bacterial colonization (clostridium (read more here: New treatment options for autism put on bowel disorders at) , even with IBD (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome) were special shifts of intestinal bacteria are found. And that’s not all: In patients with Alzheimer Arthritis Overweight and Obesity, Type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome and also with cancer patients could scientists find significant correlations to changes in the intestinal microbiome. So if more than its tiny (colon) roommate knows and cherishes and cares, the one who can do a lot for his health – when the disease is already there, but also preventively before it spreads.

The good thing is: The bacteria can promote and brakes.

These new findings are presently immensely important: Antibiotic resistance are rise among bacteria. Frequent use of these drugs makes them slowly but surely getting “less sharp weapon of medicine”. Bacteria can develop resistance and pass it on to their colleagues. Eventually antibiotics are therefore not effective enough. As the new approach is to “promote and brakes” exactly the right time: All depend of what we eat, feed our bacteria in the gut. If we divide food on “Good” and the like “Evil”, then we are on the right track. From practice, there are already a lot of experience with this form of bowel care. The research now provides additional information and thus refines the treatment options.

Basically: sugar never feels good.

Sugar is bad for your teeth! That’s right, however, is far too limited. Because on the way, the power of sugar to the mouth through the entire digestive tract, he leaves as his ugly traces. The intestinal bacteria are adapting to the sweet feeding. The wrong germs are encouraged and flooding the intestine . The result is smelly stools, stomach ache, diarrhea and as we know now – in the long term might still far worse diseases. So that did not happen the first rule for a healthy colon: sugar avoid and reduce everything that can produce sugar in the gut (carbohydrates) as much as possible. This is a first step to better health in the intestine and the entire body. In order to fight and treat diseases through the intestines or better to avoid even, for that it needs a lot of knowledge and the right assistance for targeted braking and conveying the seeds of the intestinal microbiota targeted. Such aid can only afford a suitably trained and experienced therapist.