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by Don Bottoni, RPh, PCCA Clinical Compounding Pharmacist
We have all heard of a “leaky gut,” where partially digested food and microbes enter the bloodstream, but how does this happen? A disruption of the microbiome caused by stress, poor diet and antibiotics can cause the junctions between the epithelial cells to widen, allowing partially digested food and microbes to enter the bloodstream. The outcome of these particles entering the bloodstream is inflammation that can affect the entire body. What affects the gut will affect the brain. A leaky gut can be a factor in autoimmune diseases and neurodegeneration. How many times have we heard that we should first heal the gut before we start other therapies when treating autoimmune diseases?
So how do we support and improve the gut-brain connection and heal the gut?
It all starts with proper food selection and digestion. If every time we eat a certain food we have acid reflux, or indigestion or diarrhea, perhaps this means we should not eat that food. That seems too obvious, but rarely do we listen to our bodies. Inflammation can also cause malabsorption syndrome and a litany of neurological conditions. Brain fog, memory issues, depression, anxiety, autism and schizophrenia can be made worse by inflammation in the gut. We should start to heal the gut by making dietary and lifestyle changes. We should remove gluten, dairy, processed foods, trans fats and alcohol from our diet as much as possible. We should start a simple exercise program. We should realize that digestion only occurs in a resting state. Take a few deep breaths, eat while sitting down and not in the car or rushing to the next meeting, and staying off cellphones during meals will go a long way to help digestion. Give yourself some time to digest your meal before you exercise. Regular exercise can help us deal with stress more effectively. Having regular bowel movements daily is essential. Some people think that having a bowel movement every two or three days is normal, but it is not. Certain conditions affecting thyroid function can cause constipation. These issues should be addressed so that we maintain a healthy gut.
There are some supplements in our Wellness Works nutritional supplement line that may potentially help maintain a healthy gut and aid in proper digestion. We are told we are what we eat, but in reality, we are what we digest and absorb from our food. Anyone over the age of 40 should consider taking a digestive enzyme with the larger meals of the day if they have digestion issues. Wellness Works Digestive Enzymes with Betaine (WW #10315) is an excellent choice. The betaine in this supplement helps increase stomach acidity, which is crucial for digesting proteins. If one is vegan, we provide a Digestive Enzymes (Vegetarian) option (WW #10292). If one is concerned about hidden gluten in a meal, we offer Gluten Digestive Enzymes (WW #10324). Wellness Works provides an array of probiotic formulations hat may possibly help restore the normal flora in the gut. The probiotic formulations contain specific strains of friendly bacteria that have been shown to re-populate the gut.
Wellness Works Probiotic Daily Support (WW #10310) is a dairy-free supplement that contains 5 billion beneficial organisms. As its name implies, it might be useful as a daily support supplement. We also carry Probiotic Mega Blend (WW #10296), which contains 15 billion organisms and is suggested for more acute intestinal issues. Another useful probiotic, SporeBiotic Max (WW #10396), contains a mixture of the spore forms of several strains of beneficial organisms. The spore forms of these bacteria are resistant to antibiotics, stomach acid and bile salts. They are unique in that they promote the formation of short-chain fatty acids that help reduce inflammation of the lining of the gut. The use of spore-form probiotics is increasing because of this unique contribution to gut health.
For those who need additional healing of the lining of the gut, we offer Gut Restorative PRP (WW #10361). This product contains immunoglobulins from bovine colostrum, a milky fluid that comes from a cow’s udder the first few days after giving birth, and aid in supporting immune health and reducing inflammation of the lining of the gut. Bovine colostrum contains milk and may not help diary intolerant individuals. Glutamine (WW #10097) is one of the most useful gut healing substances available. It aids in healing the irritated tissues in the gut. It can be beneficial for treating diarrhea or constipation, useful for boosting immune function, proven to decrease sugar and alcohol cravings, as well as reducing anxiety in some people.
Yeast overgrowth in the gut is a major health problem. Although use of the above-mentioned probiotics can help, Saccharomyces Boulardii (WW #10356) may better control yeast in the gut. Strangely, saccharomyces boulardii is a yeast that works to irradicate harmful bacteria and yeast in the gut. It has been shown to be useful in treating C. difficile diarrhea and other types of diarrhea and disappears on its own three to five days after cessation of dosing.
As we have seen, the gut-brain axis is extremely complex, and the health of this axis is a key component to healthy living.1-8
A version of this article originally appeared entirely in PCCA’s members-only magazine, the Apothagram.