Category Archives: Healthy Gut

Healthy Gut, Immune health, Probiotics

Be proactive about gut health – boost your ‘good’ bacteria via probiotics

Did you know that bacteria can be beneficial to you? If you follow this blog, are a regular customer with us or have consumed probiotics in the past, you might well be. If you’re not or haven’t done any of those things, though, it could well be news to you. Yes, true; the wrong bacteria in the wrong place in our bodies can certainly do harm (hence why we use antibacterial products), but the right bacteria in the right parts of our bodies can do us considerable good. A case in point is, indeed, the consuming of probiotics.

If you’re unaware of exactly what probiotics are, well, it’s understandable. They’re something we hear about all the time in the media but aren’t actually explained very often.
A vast array of live micro-organisms that, once consumed and present in the digestive system, help promote good health in the digestive tract (the intestines and digestive organs) and the immune system, probiotics are commonly referred to as ‘good’ or ‘friendly’ bacteria – in contrast to ‘bad’ bacteria that cause bugs and diseases when they find their way into our bodies. We can consume probiotics through specific foods, drinks and, yes, naturally-derived supplements.

 

What are the benefits of probiotics?

So why are probiotics so good for our health? Well, research suggests they can help protect our bodies in two different ways. The first is all about what they do in the digestive tract. Here, their presence aids in ensuring a balance between the gut’s ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria; the scales can be tipped in favour of the ‘bad’ due to poor diet, antibiotic over-reliance, stress, poor sleep hygiene and environmental factors. Thus, ‘bad’ bacteria dominance is highly common – which means consuming probiotics can genuinely make a difference to one’s health.

And, owing to their variety and versatility, there’s a large spread of benefits that different probiotics can deliver; the various types of probiotic being determined by their genus, species and strain level. Two of the most common ways to categorise probiotics are as:

  • Lactobacillus – experts believe there are more than 50 species of lactobacilli bacteria, usually to be found in the body’s digestive, urinary and reproductive systems. You can get your fill of them via fermented foods, such as certain yoghurts, and they can aid in treating conditions and diseases including antibiotic-related diarrhoea, bacterial vaginosis, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), lactose intolerance, respiratory infections, skin disorders (acne, canker sores, eczema and fever blisters), urinary tract infection and yeast infections.

 

  • Bifidobacteria – most of the colon’s ‘good’ bacteria can be classed as one of 30 species of bifidobacteria; although they take root in the intestinal tract shortly after birth (especially in breastfed babies), it’s important to maintain their levels for good gut health. Studies show bifidobacteria help boost tolerance in blood lipids and glucose and combat IBS and its symptoms (including discomfort, pain and bloating).

 

 

Probiotic supplements

Unfortunately, for different reasons, of course, some people aren’t able to extract all the probiotics their bodies need for good health from food alone. In which case, going the supplement route is a very good option. For instance, the following probiotic offerings from the Optibac range are all available through us at The Finchley Clinic – and are currently on special offer…

Optibac Probiotics for every day EXTRA STRENGTH – comprises five well-researched probiotic strains, including Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum, in an extra-strength dose of 20 billion live micro-organisms per capsule; also, results from a clinical trial suggest this supplement may reduce birch tree pollen sufferers’ symptoms (hayfever).

Optibac Probiotics for every day – a high-quality supplement containing five billion live probiotics per capsule, six probiotic strains and added prebiotics to help maintain, on a daily basis, digestive health, immunity and energy levels.

Optibac Probiotics for every day Max –promotes a healthy balance of ‘friendly’ bacteria throughout the entire intestinal tract; each capsule delivers 50 billion live micro-organisms.

Detoxification, Green Magma, Healthy Gut

The marvel that’s Green Magma: great for detoxification and gut health

It’s all too easy to take vitamins and minerals – in other words the nutrients we consume from healthy foods – for granted. Too often, they don’t seem fun, they don’t seem dynamic and the foods from which they derive don’t seem the exciting, tastiest options come lunch or dinnertime. Taste is subjective, though, of course (and many highly nutritious foods – exotic fruits and delicious vegetables – are, generally speaking, very tasty, indeed), but what’s objective is the importance of nutrients. And what they do for our bodies.

Indeed, it’s all too easy to take this for granted; it’s all too easy, for instance, to take for granted the fact that critical nutrients play a much-needed role in detoxifying the effects of harmful micro-organisms in our bodies. Too often we don’t find that exciting, yet for the good of our health, maybe more of us should. After all, there are nutrient-packed supplements on the market that are highly impressive in the good they can do us thanks to their detoxification capabilities.

 

Green Magma ingredients and nutrients

And one such supplement is Green Magma. Derived from barley grass, it was originally developed by the Japanese scientist Yoshihide Hagiwara, who brought together and encapsulated into this single supplement the many nutrients and phytochemicals of barley grass to boost the body’s energy levels, increase its resistance to disease and improve the health of its skin, nails and hair.

More specifically, this fat-free dietary supplement comprises a trio of main ingredients – barley juice powder, maltodextrin (from tapioca) and brown rice; which means it’s a rich source of the likes of Vitamins A, C and K, folic acid, potassium and chlorophyll, as well as amino acids and enzymes.

So much for what Green Magma contains, but how are these ingredients actually captured from their natural source and Green Magma supplements manufactured? Well, it all comes down to a process of ‘juicing’ and spray-drying barley grass; thus, protecting its nutrients (once they’re fully in powder form) from deteriorating. Additionally, maltodextrin and brown rice are blended in with the supplement’s other crucial ingredients to add texture and prevent them all from falling victim to oxidation.

 

Green Magma benefits

So, in greater detail, here are some of the terrific benefits consumers of Green Magma can take advantage of by incorporating it to their everyday diet:

  • Detoxification – environmental pollutants and other toxins can easily and quickly be consumed by and absorbed into the body in the course of everyday life; the more toxic your insides become due to these chemicals the less impact your immune responses will make and the less successfully will cell division be completed, but possessing so many antioxidant properties (thanks to all its nutrients), Green Magma can help your body to fight back

 

  • A rich mix – it could be that Green Magma offers the vast majority of all the nutrients your body needs; indeed, even in single servings, it possesses greater amounts of calcium, magnesium and Vitamins, A, B1, B2, B3, B6 and C than many types of vegetables, while it’s such an effective antioxidant because it also naturally comprises a whole host of chemicals with dynamic antioxidant properties, including alpha-carotene, beta carotene, catalase, selenium, superoxide dismutase, 2-0-glycosylisovitexin and Vitamins C and E

 

  • Chlorophyll – the chemical that ensures vegetables (and, come to that, many plants in general) appear green, chlorophyll has a history throughout civilisation of being relied on for ensuring blood remains healthy, but in Green Magma (unsurprising perhaps, as it’s a key ingredient in this supplement), it primarily operates as a natural and potent detoxifier

 

  • Cardiovascular function – according to a relatively recent study published in peer-review journal ‘Diabetes and Metabolism’, barley grass supplements (including Green Magma then) may well promote ordinary, good cardiovascular function.

 

Green Magma supplements

Now, it is true that, yes, the dietary supplement market is awash with several different products purporting to contain barley grass – and, thus, they claim to offer its so many beneficial attributes – yet, it’s only actually Green Magma that comprises the active, young barley grass plant that’s so potent. To wit, the following Green Magma products are all available through The Finchley Clinic – and at present they’re at special offer prices too…!

Green Magma (300g) – regular supplementation with Green Magma may improve digestion, increase energy and aid detoxification; manufactured using patented processing methods.

Green Magma (150g) – a less copious version of the green barley juice-derived supplement; for best absorption, mix one teaspoon of Green Magma powder into a glass of water or non-acidic fruit juice (approximately 160ml) 1-2 times per day, then drink the solution 20 minutes before or two hours after a meal.

Green Magma (250 tablets) – the supplement in tablet form; users are advised to take six tablets with water 20 minutes before a meal, twice daily.

 

Cumin Formula, Healthy Gut, Vegan HCl

Gastric acid issues: do you need to increase your stomach’s HCl level?

 

If you suffer from indigestion or heartburn, your instant go-to treatment may well be antacids. Fair enough, you wouldn’t be alone; millions regularly use them (after all, half the population of the United States alone suffers from indigestion1), but the trouble is, they might well not be treating what’s actually your digestive issues – in fact, they may well just make things worse in the long-term. This is because the likes of indigestion and heartburn are often caused by low levels of stomach acid (hydrochloric acid or ‘HCl’) and antacid treatment for its symptoms tends to neutralise its presence further, thus making things worse.

But why is stomach – or gastric – acid so important; what is it about HCl’s presence in the digestive system that makes it so critical to the good running of this part of the body and, thus, the wider body at large? Well, being a potent digestive agent, HCl plays a crucial role in the breaking down of proteins into their constituent parts (amino acids and nutrients), as well as stimulating the pancreas and small intestine to generate the bile and digestive enzymes needed to break down food ingredients further (into proteins, fats and carbohydrates) and killing the pathogenic bacteria and the yeast in food that can cause illness and disease.

 

Low stomach acid problems

So much for what gastric acid actually does, but what happens if your levels of it are too low? More specifically than indigestion or heartburn, what happens? Well, not only could it bring on digestive problems, it could also significantly lower your level of immunity. And throw into the mix too the fact that, as people age they tend to consume more processed food, making for a poor, non-nutritious diet and, thus, reducing stomach acid and the fact that we all produce less of HCl as we get older, and you’ve a recipe for trouble.

As has been noted already, the body won’t digest enough nutrients without sufficient stomach acid and, as part of that, the body will become protein-malnourished and digest protein improperly. This will inevitably result in the blood becoming acidic, owing to mineral deficiency and, naturally, the body will seek minerals from anywhere and everywhere else to balance the blood and turn it more alkaline. Indeed, among the parts of the body from which minerals will be taken (where, of course, they’re much needed already) will even be the likes of bones; potentially causing – or contributing to – osteoporosis.

And, as you may have guessed, this means a feedback loop will begin – low stomach acid ensures the body’s not getting enough minerals, which results in acidic blood, in turn resulting in the scouring of the rest of the body for necessary minerals, which among other harmful problems lowers stomach acid further. And, unfortunately, once this state of affairs has established itself it’s likely to ensure a rise in the body’s cortisol levels (related to stress), affecting not just temperament and behaviour, but also likely raising blood sugar levels. Additionally, the adrenal glands may become depleted (adrenal fatigue), causing the suppression of the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which could bring on premature aging.

 

Low stomach acid symptoms

So, what if you are suffering from low stomach acid – how might you know? Well, the following symptoms could all – certainly a combination of many of them – be tell-tale signs1, 2:

  • Acne
  • Adrenal fatigue
  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Bloating, belching, and flatulence rapidly following eating
  • Candida (chronic)
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Constipation and/ or diarrhoea
  • Cracked nails
  • Deficiency of iron
  • Food allergies
  • Heartburn
  • Indigestion
  • Potential hair loss (women)
  • Rectal itching

 

Increasing stomach acid

As you may have expected, the best way to increase your digestive system’s stomach acid is to improve your diet. First up, it’s imperative to reduce or try and eliminate entirely mineral-depleting sugar and sweeteners from what you eat on a daily basis. One of the ways in which you might try to do this is to replace much of the table sugar (or sucrose) you consume with the entirely naturally-occurring sweetener stevia. Second, you might want to add fermented foods and drinks to what you eat – the likes of raw, cultured vegetables, which don’t just taste fantastic but also are packed with vitamins, minerals and probiotics, and young coconut kefir, a fermented drink that can be made at home with the right ingredients.

Hopefully, in improving your diet, your digestion should begin improving and indigestion and heartburn should decrease, while your overall energy should increase; however, if you have long-standing digestive problems, it’s important to be aware it might take longer than you’d initially hoped for your health to improve. Patience and commitment to healthier eating – and a healthier lifestyle – then is paramount.

 

Stomach acid supplements

That said, you may find you’re able to boost your stomach acid levels via organic, natural supplementation – in addition to making the sort of sensible, positive changes to your diet as outlined above. For instance, the following appropriate supplements are available through us at The Finchley Clinic:

Cumin Formula (HCl-Rejuve) – appropriate for vegans, these vegetarian capsule shells contain (in addition to HCl), aniseed, cumin, ginger, cayenne, fennel, caraway and hops.

Vegan HCl – can be consumed in conjunction with Cumin Formula, this supplement may aid protein-digestion and reduce food sensitivities, bloating and gas and improve food absorption.

 

References

  1. Saltzman J. R., Kemp J. A., Golner B. B., Pedrosa M. C., Dallal G. E. and Russell R. M. ‘Effect of hypochlorhydria due to omeprazole treatment or atrophic gastritis on protein bound vitamin B12 absorption’. J Amer Coll Nutr. 1994 Dec; 13 (6): 13:584-591.
  2. Kennedy R. ‘Hypochlorhydria.’ Doctor’s Medical Library. http://www.medical-library.net/hypochlorhydria.html.

 

Healthy Gut, Restore (for Gut Health)

Restore – the supplement that boosts healthy gut flora… and more!

 

 

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll have doubtless come across the claim that it’s of paramount importance to ensure the environment in your intestines – or, rather, your gut – is healthy. Its diversity must be strong. And that means that, among the 100 billion bacteria it ought to be home to, it should have a healthy balance of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria; that’s to say, the bad bacteria shouldn’t have the upper hand.

Otherwise, harmful, debilitating and long-term conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gluten allergies and obesity can take hold. There’s even debate that the seemingly ever-growing number of autism cases as well as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis may, in part, be caused by an unhealthy gut lacking in diversity1. And with both willing and unwilling consumption of the likes of antibiotics, pesticides and genetically-modified (GMO) foods often to blame for an unhealthy gut2, it’s a serious and an all too common problem. So, in more detail, why don’t we take a look at some of the biggest and most obvious reasons for ensuring your gut flora remains healthy?

 

Healthy gut flora benefits

Unfortunately, a lack of healthy diversity in the gut could lead to a worse intestinal-focused complaint than IBS; it could also help bring about Crohn’s disease. Healthy flora then, by contrast, is an excellent insurance policy against developing Crohn’s, a long-term illness that afflicts people with inflammation of the digestive system’s lining. Indeed, research has linked inflammation levels among Crohn’s sufferers with an overabundance of specifically harmful bacteria types in their intestines3. That said, in addition to reducing the chances your body will experience serious gastrointestinal issues, a balanced and healthy gut flora does a pretty simple, positive thing – it helps with your general digestion.

Recent research seems to proves this fact, suggesting a diverse microbiome contributes to intestinal integrity4, which means it aids in the gut choosing to allow only non-harmful contents to pass elsewhere into the body where they’ll do good (such as providing food to be transformed into energy for cells) and aids it ensuring non-useful, potentially dangerous contents are harmlessly transported to the excretory system.

Meanwhile, experts are slowly unearthing the complex gut-brain connection and appear to have discovered there may be a link, as mentioned, between intestinal health and autism, with a by-product of certain gut-focused treatments being that, in boosting bacteria levels, they maybe help the condition of autistic children5, 6. Furthermore, other research suggests healthy gut flora contributes positively in combating depression and anxiety7.

 

How to restore your gut flora

So much for the benefits of restoring your gut flora to its healthiest possible balance and diversity, but how do you actually do it? Well, it’s true that there are an awful lot of naturally-derived supplements on the market that claim to do just that – and a number of them are certainly effective. Indeed, terms you’ve probably heard used to describe such products are ‘probiotics’ and ‘prebiotics’. To be clear, they’re not the same thing.

Probiotics specifically add to the ‘good’ or ‘healthy’ bacteria in the intestinal tract, in order to help balance out the gut flora (thus reducing the dominance of ‘bad’ bacteria and similarly harmful toxins); prebiotics are fibres that, once consumed, act as food for probiotics in the gut, enabling the latter to survive, grow and multiply. All very good, but it’s fair to point out that, as gut-focused supplements, probiotics and prebiotics do have drawbacks – there are some things they’re not so adept at.

First up, probiotics certainly do boost numbers of ‘good bacteria’ in the intestines, but many of the probiotic supplements available will provide around 30 additional strains of gut bacteria, the problem being then this could lead to a ‘monoculture’ of just a few probiotic strains in your gut. The reality is your intestinal tract requires between 20,000 and 30,000 of them to be properly healthy and, thus, functioning as effectively as possible.

Moreover, prebiotics (although definitely helping to support an injured gut in the work they do) are unfortunately, like too many probiotic products, unable to address the all-important ‘tight junctions’ in the gut wall. All-important? Yes; if these junctions become too loose damaging toxins can pass through the gut and elsewhere into the body, harming the immune system especially. In which case, what you may feel you really need is a supplement that works to boost the gut flora productively (and in great, healthy numbers) and works to strengthen the lining of the gut wall at the same time.

 

Restore – neither a probiotic nor a prebiotic

The answer to getting your gut ecosystem right while tightening those intestinal wall junctions could just lie in a product named Restore (for Gut Health). Developed in the United States by a team of leading scientists headed by endocrinologist Dr Zach Bush, it’s a plant-derived, fluid-based supplement that, indeed, seeks to do what neither probiotics nor prebiotics – nor pretty much any other supplements – can.

And it does this because it enables clear and decisive ‘communication’ between the bacteria of the gut flora, establishing a highly effective communication network here that ensures the whole microbiome comes together to work as it should. Indeed, bacteria effectively communicate in a similar way to the body’s cells – by moving patterns of charges (referred to as redox signalling). Restore’s all about enabling this to take place; operating as something of a ‘liquid switchboard’, if you will, promoting balance, regulation, improved hydration and nutrition in the gut.

The pivotal ingredient in Restore that ensures it can do this work is lignite extract. Naturally derived from lignite – or brown coal – a sedimentary rock formed over thousands of years from prehistoric peat, it’s therefore absolutely abundant in nutrients, not least the mineral carbon which, among other things, has the ability to bind to toxins in the intestinal tract; thereby ensuring they pass safely through the system and can’t escape, meaning there’s no chance of them damaging the immune system and more within the wider body.

So, for more information and the opportunity to purchase Restore from us at The Finchley Clinic, take a look at the supplement in its different dosage options below – you’ll also discover that should you wish to buy it from us, you can save money because it’s currently on special offer:

Restore (32 fl oz)

Restore (16 fl oz)

Restore (8 fl oz)

Restore (3 fl oz/ trial/ travel size)

 

References:

  1. Bhattacharjee S. and Lukiw W. J. ‘Alzheimer’s disease and the microbiome’. Front Cell Neurosci. 2013; 7: 153. 2013 Sep. doi:  10.3389/fncel.2013.00153.
  2. Johnston K. ‘Endangered Species: Your Gut Flora’. Epoch Times. https://www.theepochtimes.com/endangered-species-your-gut-flora_345941.html. Last update 5 Nov 2013.
  3. Gevers D. et al. ‘The Treatment-Naive Microbiome in New-Onset Crohn’s Disease’. Cell Host & Microbe. 2014 Mar; 15 (3) 382-92. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2014.02.005.
  4. Christensen E. G., Licht T. R., Leser T. D. and Bahl M. I. ‘Dietary xylo-oligosaccharide stimulates intestinal bifidobacteria and lactobacilli but has limited effect on intestinal integrity in rats’. BMC Res Notes. 2014 Sep; 19 (7): 660. doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-7-660.
  5. Kang D-W., Park J. G., Ilhan Z. E., Wallstrom G., LaBaer J., Adams J. B. and Krajmalnik-Brown R. ‘Reduced Incidence of Prevotella and Other Fermenters in Intestinal Microflora of Autistic Children’. Plos.org. 2013 Jul. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068322.
  6. Hsiao E. Y. et al. ‘Microbiota Modulate Behavioral and Physiological Abnormalities Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders’. Cell Host & Microbe. 2013 Dec; 155 (7) 1415-63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2013.11.024.
  7. Foster J. A. and McVey Neufeld K. A. ‘Gut-brain axis: how the microbiome influences anxiety and depression’. Trends Neurosci. 2013 May; 36 (5):305-12. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2013.01.005. Epub 2013 Feb 4.