it's what's on the inside that counts

We have over 100,000,000,000,000 bacteria living in our bodies. That's 10 times the amount of cells we have. A heavy majority of this organisms live in our digestive tract. Add this to the fact that 70% of our total body's immune system resides in the digestive tract. This means the presence and types of organisms inside of us play a gigantic role in our health. 

Recent reports tell us as much:

-Researchers in Germany have been able to classify humans into 3 groups based on the families of bacteria  they have inside their guts. This could be end up being more impactful that blood type, as different sets of bacterial colonies may be able to predict health or how someone would interact with certain foods or therapies. Reference

- Multiple studies have shown that kids who eat "dirt" have lower rates of allergies and asthma

There is loads of evidence connecting auto-immune disease (an overstimulation of the immune system to the point that it attacks certain body parts) and specific organisms 

- In general: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/14235
- Crohn's and Ankylosing Spodylitis connected to Klebsiella pneumoniae (Reference)
- Toxoplasma (a parasite) may contribute to the pathogenesis of auto-immune disease (Reference) 
- Citrobacter overgrowth is connected to rheumatoid arthritis (Reference)
- Chlamydia presence may contribute to Multiple sclerosis (Reference) 

Medscape, a conventional and well-respected medical resource has a great article on Bacterial Overgrowth and its treatment.

So, with all of this data and knowledge, why are we still treating medical issues like auto-immune disease with suppressive, band-aid-like therapies? For one, we don't have any good hospital-based testing for this overgrowth. We also don't have a sales representatives heralding the necessity of bacterial balance to the physicians of America.

An essential step in understanding your health and how to get it back and the health of the digestive system. Keeping your bacterial environment working for you and not against you is essential. Start today by respecting those 100 trillion little guys:

1. Eat whole foods

2. Moderate sugar and all sweeteners to the occasional use of pure maple syrup or honey

3. Do something to help manage stress daily 

4. Take a probiotic daily. Shoot for something with a variety of species at 20 billion colonies daily

5. Eat cultured foods

6. Avoid antibiotics unless it prevents hospitalization

If following the steps above does not change your health or impact what you're suffering from, have your bacterial enviroment evaluated. At GladdMD, we've used the Diagnostechs digestive panel with great success in guiding specific therapies. Once you can identify what organism may be driving the imbalance, specific antimicrobial therapies (prescription and/or herbals) are used to suppress them along with building up the good bugs with appopropriately dosed probiotics. Our most recent success was a young girl with major auto-immune disease and inflammation. In the image below, her inflammation markers (Sed rate, CRP and Ultrasensitive CRP) drop significantly (most recent tests to the left) after treating her bacterial overgrowth, loading with probiotics and eliminating gluten and dairy (proteins that irritate the immune system when the guts' broken down). I expect her HLA-B27 marker, a marker for ankylosing spondylitis to become negative soon.

Don't suffer from auto-immune disease or digestive issues? What about weight issues? Recent studies show that mice that are specifically bred to be slim get obese when human Enterobacter form an obese man's intestines is introduced into them. (Reference) 

fermented vegetables

I am not exactly sure what took us so long to try and ferment our vegetables ourselves. Doing this is one way to ensure daily probiotic intake for you and your family.

When in Seattle last month, we had pickled peppers that tasting amazing. Crunchy, lightly salty and fresh was a whole new experience.

So we found a recipe at Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen and tried it. The result was fabulous. The kids at the cabbage, cauliflower and carrots we did with dill until their plates were spotless. I used them on my eggs the next morning.

So like all good nutrition finds, we taking it up a notch. Our own pickles and adding chili pepper to another batch. The perfect solution to a great harvest from your garden or Farmer's Market. Enjoy.

Have you fermented veggies? Please share your story in the comments section.

the most successful patients

Our clients come to see us for a large variety of health concerns. The most common reasons are: Fatigue, digestive issues, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and anxiety/panic or depression. They have been in and out of the health care system over the years, been through lots of testing and are largely told that everything is normal and sometimes that things must be, "in your head."

While the testing, specific supplementation recommendations and other therapies are crucial for getting one's health back on track, there is a common theme in the patients that have the most success in reaching their health goals. Those that truly invest their time and energy in whole foods nutrition and find a go-to stress management therapy get to the root issue faster, with more intensity and create a more stable foundation for health than everyone else.

For this reason, we want to make a greater commitment to providing support and education around these crucial pieces. This means making avaible services that are convenient and less expensive than one-on-one counseling. We are now offering group visits to meet with Meghann for nutrition support. Chances are lots of folks are struggling with the same issues and concerns you are. Meeting in an hour group visit to discuss nutrition can take your health to the next level. We are also starting group stress management sessions with our nurse practitioner using Heartmath.

Call or email (clinic@gladdmd.com) to sign up.

easter seals gluten free event

It was so good to see so many of you come out for the Easter Seals Gluten Free Event.  Let's continue the conversation and learn from each other about how to improve the health of our kids.  I'd love to hear your feedback on the event, so feel free to post comments below.  A few pictures from the day...