inflammation, antibiotics, autoimmunity, and the gut

“The road to health is paved with good intestines!”  – Sherry A. Rogers

“Gut bacteria are required for the development of immune T cells in the lining of the intestines.  Mice grown without gut flora do not have functional immune systems.  In humans, extensive antibiotic treatment produces defective immune systems that are either overly aggressive, i.e. autoimmune, or susceptible to infection and cancer.”  – Art Ayers

“All disease begins in the gut.”  – Hippocrates

“If you are taking antibiotics, you are screwing up your health in ways that you cannot even begin to fathom.”  – Russell Schierling

YESTERDAY I talked about getting the “Big Idea” when it comes to health.  The truth is, when it comes to natural healing and natural healers, there are lots of “Big Ideas” (notice the plural).  What I mean by this is that everyone seems to have at least a slightly different idea of what this Big Idea might be.  One person might say that it is all about CONTROLLING BLOOD SUGAR.  Another might say that the entirety of your health hinges on eating a totally organic diet coupled with a daily swim in a spring-fed river right at the crack of dawn.  Still another might tell you that the answer to health lies in regular massage and acupuncture treatments.  The point is, while it is not so difficult to get people to buy into the fact that there is a “Big Idea”, what that that Big Idea really is, remains a bone of contention within the profession.  There is, however, one thing that most natural healers can agree on — that both health and sickness begins in the Gut.

Although I have spent a lot of time on this site talking about GUT HEALTH, I would not consider myself an expert in any sense of the word, I like to study the work of those who are.  DR. ART AYERS of “Cooling Inflammation” is one such person.  If you click on the previous link, you will see that Dr. Ayers believes that what you eat — vegetable or animal — is not nearly as important as the bacteria found in your Gut.  Listen to what Ayers says in a six month old post.  “A damaged gut flora lacks necessary species of bacteria.  Antibiotics, for example, can permanently delete dozens of particular bacterial species of gut flora that can only be replaced by reintroducing the missing bacteria by eating those bacteria again.  The missing bacteria may be needed to digest particular foods and the result is food intolerances, commonly mistaken for food allergies.  Antibiotic use frequently leads to autoimmune diseases, that are caused by deficient regulatory T cells of the immune system that develop in the lining of the intestines in response to particular gut bacteria.  The natural source of gut bacteria is eating the bacteria clinging to raw or fermented vegetables.“   In other words, if you are taking ANTIBIOTICS, you are screwing up your health in ways that you cannot even begin to fathom.

It always amazes me, the answers I get, when I ask a simple question; How many Antibiotics have you taken?  Some people will admit to you that they have taken a lot.  Most will say something along the lines of, “I really don’t take many Antibiotics“.  However, when pressed, these same people will admit that they grew up taking lots of Antibiotics, or as you continue the line of questioning, you find out that their definition of ‘not a lot of Antibiotics‘ means they are “only” taking 2-3 rounds a year.  They feel they are not taking a lot of Antibiotics because compared to most of the people they know, they aren’t.  Anyway, finding Dr. Ayers’ site has been a revelation as well as providing a wealth of great information. 

Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel and doing my own post on the topic, I would invite you to read his three posts on what he considers to be the overarching THEORY OF HEALTH as related to things like Antibiotics, DYSBIOSIS, AUTOIMMUNITY, Gut Health, and the PALEO DIET — his “Big Idea” if you will.   I will warn you that it can be a bit technical at times, but if you are a person who is struggling with Chronic Disease of any kind (HERE is a list of some of the most common Chronic Inflammatory Degenerative Diseases, and HERE is a list of Autoimmune Diseases), I would strongly suggest you take a look at his work.