Yesterday I devoted several hours to reading a fascinating article on the connection between stress and the microbiome.[i] The conclusion: the lack of exposure to our “old friends” (those commensal organisms with which humans co-evolved) has caused immune dysregulation, leading to a greater susceptibility to the adverse effects of stress…and that stress, in turn, has … More Stress and Our Missing Old Friends
I know you were all missing your Tuesday post from me. 🙂 I was on my way home from Florida, where we saw my son’s autism doctor. So with autism on my mind, I thought I’d share a little article[i] I found today that ties together several topics I’ve covered in the last month or … More Interesting Bits and Pieces About Autism, Akkermansia and More Things You Can Do Now
If you remember, my last post was a quick update on what we currently know about the microbiome-depression link, and I mention leaky gut with a promise to write more about it this week. Toward that end, on Friday evening, I read an article from the journal Microorganisms entitled, “Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain?,”[i] and was … More Leaky Gut and Leaky Brains…and Disease
A few days ago, the website Psychiatry Advisor, had a very nice review article[i] of our current understanding of probiotics’ effects on depression. I’ve written about this before, obviously, but want to always keep you updated on all the latest. Besides, this is also a good lead in for my next post, which I am … More Depression and the Microbiome: A Brief Update
After my last blog post about microbiome changes in Alzheimer’s, including a depletion of the bacteria, Akkermansia, I became curious. It is not as yet included in any commercial probiotic so I got to wondering if there were any known ways of boosting levels. I found an article[i] from just last year, a commentary actually, … More Boosting Levels of Akkermansia to Improve Glucose Metabolism
Yesterday, I read a study[i] done on 55 people which showed substantial and distinct alterations of the gut bacteria in people with Alzheimer’s disease versus healthy controls. More than that: the blood of those affected showed higher levels of bacterial toxins, meaning that their gut lining is inflamed and leaky, these toxins are able to … More Bacterial Alterations in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Case of the Missing Akkermansia?
My regular readers know that I often quote my original guru, the famous functional medicine doctor, Sidney Baker. Another of his truisms: when looking at a patient, consider whether or not the patient has too much of something, or too little of something. Yes, it’s a very simple concept – and I can’t tell you … More Probiotics as Antibiotics? What a Great Idea!
Even knowing that so many illnesses that seem so far removed from the gut actually start there (autism, Parkinson’s, depression, etc.), I am constantly amazed when I come across yet another one. Today, I’m writing about an article I just finished reading on Ankylosing Spondylitis. According to the Spondylitis Association of America, “Common features of … More Rectifying My Own Ignorance: The Gut Biome and Spondylitis
I’ve read before that there is a possibility that the timing and order of exposure to various bacteria at birth will ultimately make a huge difference in the final makeup of the microbiota. I just finished reading a pretty telling paper[i] on this that is definitely worth sharing. These researchers, from the University of Alberta, … More Early Life Exposure to Gut Bacteria: The Timing Matters
Over the last two weeks or so, there’s been a lot of negative press about probiotics. We’ve been through this before though, you and I…and I’m sure we’ll go through it again. Some study or another makes a controversial claim and the media jumps all over it because it grabs people’s attention. I’ve waffled about … More Yet More Anti-Probiotic Hype