In biology class, when I was a child, I saw a movie showing some of the critters, magnified in horrifying detail, that inhabit our eyelashes, skin and scalp. I was disgusted, even though our teacher described them as harmless, even as she simultaneously played up their “ick” factor. I couldn’t stop scratching for a week. […]
Search Results for: synbiotics
Bacteria Can Improve and Worsen MS Symptoms
Multiple sclerosis is a life-long, potentially disabling, neurological disease. We know that the human microbiome has a relationship with a variety of conditions and illnesses, such as asthma, allergies, diabetes, gut disorders and obesity, but at first-glance it seems hard to believe that the cause of MS has anything to do with the microbes in […]
Is the Key to a Longer and Better Old Age Found in the Gut?
The world population is getting older, with average life-expectancy creeping up across the globe. By 2020, the number of elderly people will outnumber the number of young people globally, and this demographic shift has already occurred in many countries in the developed world. With the rise of the number of older people, medical focus has […]
Your Mother Was Right: Fiber Is Vital, but Why?
Fiber Essential, but Why? Those who read about health in the news, may have noticed quite a few articles in the last several years about the beneficial health effects of the microbiome. As the medical community has begun to understand the importance of microbes to the human body, the scientific consensus has become that […]
We sent poop samples into a lab to get our microbiomes analyzed. Here’s what happened.
Sequencing your microbiome is a great way to find out more about the particular microbes living inside of you. You can read more about what microbiome sequencing is and why it is done in Part 1 to this article. Analyzing a poop sample can provide a unique one-time snapshot into the bacterial composition of the gut at […]
The Critical Role of Bacteria in a Strong Immune System
Over eons, the human immune system has evolved to keep us to keep us healthy. When harmful viruses, bacteria, parasites or fungi enter our body, the immune system recognizes them as potentially dangerous invaders and then attacks to neutralize them. The immune system can also identify human cells that have gone awry, such as mutated […]
The Fascinating Connection Between Autism and the Bacteria in our Gut
It has become virtually impossible these days to find anyone who is not personally if not indirectly touched by autism in one way or the other. The dramatically rising rates of autism rates constitute nothing short of a public health crisis. In the 1970’s and 1980’s the diagnosis rate was one out of every 2,000 children in the US. […]
How Your Gut Bacteria May Be Making You Feel Anxious
Summary: Probiotics may be a possible treatment avenue to explore for patients with anxiety disorders who have intestinal issues along with their anxiety, taken antibiotics prior to the anxiety starting, or achieved very little relief from traditional treatments such as anti-anxiety medication, psychotherapy or behavioral therapy. Published: January 23, 2014 Updated: July 20, 2015 – […]
The Fascinating Link Between Type-1 Diabetes and the Human Gut
It has been widely reported that auto-immune diseases, including Type-1 Diabetes, are on the rise world-wide. In an auto-immune disease, the immune system goes awry and launches an attack against the person’s own cells, misidentifying them as a threat to attack. So why is it that in our developed world, where we have better access […]
5 Reasons Why Bacteria is the Hottest Topic in Human Health
Despite the best efforts of people like my middle school Biology teacher who tried to teach us otherwise, most of us have been raised to be alarmed by the “alien life” of bacteria teeming in our eyelashes and hair, on the surface of our skin, in our mouths and even in our digestive tracts. Let’s […]
Digestive Disorders & Autism: Can a Healthy Microbiome Offer Relief?
Digestive disorders are simply awful. Chronic constipation and diarrhea are painful, anxiety-provoking and harm the quality of life for anyone who suffers from them. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is characterized by impairment in social interaction and communication, makes life challenging for the children who have it and for their family members who love them. […]
What is a Baby’s Microbiome and Why Should Expectant Mothers Care?
My mother’s generation, who gave birth during the 1950’s and 1960’s, had a less-stressful, less-worrisome time of it than those of us giving birth in the 21st century. A parenting book in the 1950’s actually advises expectant mothers to limit themselves to only two highball cocktails a night! Whereas we are given strict prohibitions on […]
Preventing and Treating Food Poisoning with Probiotics
If you’ve ever suffered from food poisoning (sometimes known as “traveller’s diarrhea”) you probably know that absolutely horrible feeling when you’d do almost anything to stop the stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. Food borne illness is caused when parasites, bacteria, viruses or toxins contaminate food through unhygienic food handling techniques, insufficient cooking, inadequate refrigeration or excessive age. […]
Probiotics: A Promising Treatment for IBS Symptoms
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is the most common intestinal disorder in the US – affecting 30 million Americans and 15 – 20% of people in the Western world. The majority of sufferers are relatively young and are female. Even though it is so prevalent, medical science does not yet fully understand the condition and does […]
How to Choose the Right Probiotic Supplement
One of the most common questions that we at Healthy Gut Bugs get asked is, “Now that I am convinced that I should be taking probiotics, which probiotic should I choose?” While we’re fans of eating prebiotic and probiotic containing foods, probiotics supplements are another option to promote gut health. However, it can be daunting to know […]
How Bacteria Cause, Prevent and Cure Vaginal Infections
As a woman, knowing that there is a multitude of bacteria inhabiting my vagina used to make me feel squeamish. However, upon learning that the majority of the bacteria typically found “down there” are health-promoting rather than disease causing, I have learned to appreciate them. Good vaginal bacteria help to keep us disease free. Bad […]
Allergies: A First World Problem with a Bacterial Solution?
The rates and severities of allergies have risen very quickly over the last twenty years and are much more prevalent in the industrialized world than they are elsewhere. Some estimates have stated as many as one in five Americans has some sort of allergic condition. The current prevailing scientific theory is that changes to the […]
The Connection Between Obesity and Bad Gut Bacteria
I can still remember being overweight as a young adult and I would have given anything to be able to take a pill to make the pounds fly away. So, I guess it’s no surprise that get-slim-quick pills and miracle fat burning creams are a mainstay on late-night TV advertising. Although losing weight will never […]
6 Ways We Can Upset Bacterial Balance in Our Guts
There’s mounting evidence that maintaining a healthy ecosystem of gut bacteria in our microbiome can have a wide range of health benefits. And there are many things we can do (and eat) to help create and maintain a favorable composition of gut bacteria. But, how do our microbiomes get out of whack in the first […]