Our Gut, Probiotics, and Controlling Inflammation

I have been reading quite a bit about inflammation, gut health, and the role of probiotics in the last several days and wanted to share some of the helpful links and websites. As I have shared on here with each dietary change my Crohn's Disease and other poor health has gradually improved. I'd say I'm about at 90% right now. Pretty darn good but not good enough. I'm still seeing much in the way of inflammation in my gut and even though it pales in comparison to what I have experienced in the past I'm ready to fully conquer this disease!

Anyway, here are some helpful introductory posts on gut health from Mark Sisson of www.marksdailyapple.com.

What's Up With Your Gut
Gut Flora and Your Healthy Immune System
Putting Out the Fire: Gut Flora and the Inflammatory Cycle

These are all great posts that share how important gut bacteria is to your overall health and how Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis, Celiac, etc... all very much lack the necessary beneficial bacteria within their gut.

In the posts above Mark references Dr. Art Ayers, Cooling Inflammation blog. Dr. Ayers is a Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biologist. He gets a little deep for the lay person but really has a lot of great insights. You just won't breeze through it like Mark's posts.

He advocates starting with a low inflammatory diet detailed here: http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/2008/09/anti-inflammatory-diet.html

Here are some specific posts he has done in regards to Crohn's: http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/search/label/Crohn%27s

There are many more for Ulcerative Colitis and others.

I will continue to update as I read but this has been helpful to further understand how to continually improve my health.

Comment below with thoughts or questions.

~Matt

Update on Effectiveness of Prescript-Assist Probiotic

Back in February I shared about a new probiotic I had just started taking. Well it's nearing the middle of April and I am happier than ever with the product. I have been taking it consistently for about 10 weeks now and I continue to be impressed with its effectiveness.

While it doesn't replace a healthy diet and a low stress lifestyle I have found it to improve digestion considerably. While I haven't gotten into the habit of regularly eating raw vegetables especially large salads I have found that I can digest them much more fully. I tend to stick to sauteed, steamed, and fermented veggies most of the time but this product has noticeably improved digestion of all those forms.

I'm going to continue taking it for the foreseeable future while also continuing my vitamin D3 regimen, fermented foods (homemade sauerkraut and yogurt), and general healthy eating and see where that takes me.

Have a specific question about Prescript-Assist, feel free to ask here below!

Getting the Right Perspective

It's tough to have found so many truths about the natural laws God has created to govern our bodies and yet find so many people just not interested in them. It's pretty tough to have someone close to my wife and I struggling with some type of health issue for a long time and us not be able to help them see these truths. I'm certainly not preaching to everyone I meet about their terrible SAD (Standard American Diet). There is no quicker way to lose friends and make family wish they weren't stuck with us. But there is a time and place for sharing with people what has literally changed your life.

In fact, more and more I am viewing it as an obligation to share what I have learned. If they don't want to hear it then that's fine. But if I don't share then the seed never gets planted in them to grow into a desire for full long term health! This way I can have a clear conscience and not feel guilty while I see them suffering, frustrated, and in pain.

Now I like to get to the root cause of everything which got me asking the question: "Why don't they understand the value of health?"

The one I had for a long time was: "They haven't experienced the type of issues that comes with a chronic disease so there is no motivation". Now that's true to a point. You don't appreciate something until you don't have it.

But lately I've realized it's only part of the answer.

The full issue is that many don't have a clear vision for their health. At their core they believe "it's their normal" and their content to stay where they are. Why? Because they don't know any better. They don't have a vision for true health!

What if the person with Crohn's, Ulcerative Colitis, IBS, and any other digestive issue decided that medicine (Pentasa, Prednisone, Nexium, Asacol, etc...) wasn't needed? That removal of parts of the colon or colon cancer wasn't normal? That being in pain and always on the toilet shouldn't be their life?

What if the person with cancer (or family cancer history) decided that cancer wasn't normal? That through a healthy lifestyle they could overcome their cancer and minimize any risk of it returning? That this terrible disease isn't normal and you can do something beyond nasty chemotherapy and prayer?

What if the "completely healthy" person could actually be healthy? That their headaches weren't normal? That missing work from sickness should happen very rarely? That being overweight or under energized isn't just "their normal"?

I hate for people to hit rock bottom before they realize that without their health they have very little.

I want people to thrive in this beautiful life that God has given them. We will all die, that's a fact. But we can choose to live life to the fullest!

I want to do my part to help people find true long lasting health like I have. So, I'm committed to sharing the wisdom of ancestral health with others through impromptu conversation. When I can I will buy and send them books. I will share links to websites and other information online that can be of benefit. Share my story and thoughts on this blog. And I will share a good healthy meal whenever I can even if they might not appreciate the extra time and expense that went into it.

What do you think? Share below...