We are finding out more and more about a fascinating system within our own bodies — the microbiome — which contains trillions of microorganisms. It’s a supremely complex and sensitive universe that we’re finding out doesn’t just greatly affect our digestive health, but our overall health as well.
Many people are plagued with uncomfortable, chronic digestive conditions, from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and food sensitivities to leaky gut syndrome and gastrointestinal reflux disease, commonly referred to as GERD.
Dr. Mandeep Walia-Bhatia devotes herself to helping patients regain their health by looking deeply at their past and current health, what they eat, how much they move, the environments in which they live and work, how they handle stress, and more.
Why does she approach patient care this way? It’s the only way a provider can truly get to the root of someone’s health problems and create substantial, far-reaching solutions as opposed to offering symptom-specific medications or addressing just part of the problem.
Gain Wellness Center honors the fact that every component of a person’s health — physical, emotional, and spiritual — is intertwined with and impacts others.
As we noted, the microbiome is like a microclimate, but in the body if you will. Housed within your intestines, the trillions of microorganisms it contains include:
Doesn’t sound too appetizing, does it? The fact, however, is that a healthy gut microbiome is critically important. It influences so many of your body’s functions.
From your earliest days, your microbiome enabled you to digest breast milk if you were breastfed, but it also determines how your immune system helps you respond to infection, affects how your digestive system functions, impacts your brain health and nervous system, and much much more.
What’s more, your microbiome may support your heart health, affect your weight, influence your blood sugar,
The microbiome is something that scientists are excited about, and we’re learning more each day about it.
Because we’ve learned how important the microbiome is, it’s important to do things to help, rather than hurt it.
Try to eliminate the following habits, which are known to reduce the health of your microbiome:
Variety is the spice of life to your microbiome. Aim to eat a wide array of healthy foods, including fermented foods like sauerkraut and yogurt, legumes, and foods rich in prebiotics, like bananas and oats — all of which make for a healthy, diverse microbiome
Your microbiome doesn’t like things like aspartame, which some research has shown to be unfriendly to your microbiome because it encourages the growth of unhealthy bacteria that can raise blood sugar.
It’s thought that plant-based diets are healthier for your microbiome and that they help lower cholesterol, inflammation, and bad bacteria.
We know that your microbiome loves polyphenols, which are compounds found in colorful food and drinks like dark chocolate, wine, olive oil, whole grains, and green tea. They’re known to encourage the growth of healthy gut bacteria.
There are two simple things you can do to support your gut health. Don’t overuse antibiotics and take a probiotic supplement to complement what you’re eating. Antibiotics decimate your good gut bacteria (and even bad bacteria), while probiotic supplements help build your microbiome back up.
It’s easy to fall into unhealthy habits that cause you to feel ill and your body to become dysregulated, but doing the wrong things for your microbiome can have far-reaching negative effects.
When you visit Dr. Walia-Bhatia for a complete wellness evaluation, she closely analyzes your gut health, along with your cellular health, hormonal balance, work and home environments, stress level, and your eating and exercise habits.
From there, she can create a treatment plan that maximizes your gut health and the resilience of your microbiome.
Call our World Trade Drive office today at 858-206-9715 to schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Walia-Bhatia, or book one online with us.
