Why Gut Health Is So Important

"Absolutely all disease stems from the gut"

- Hippocrates 

When I refer to your gut microbiome, I am talking about the ecosystem living within your stomach.

There is a colonisation of over 100 trillion bacterial organisms living in this area of the body.

The key to longevity and remaining disease free (including from hormonal imbalance disorders like PCOS) is to maintain healthy gut bacteria so that the bad bacteria does not out favour the good bacteria. 

WANT TO KNOW SOME AWESOMELY CRAZY FACTS ABOUT YOUR GUT AND WHY WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF IT?!

1. 95% of your seratonin (the happy hormone) is created in the gut.

This shows us the direct link between depression and other mood disorders and an unhealthy gut microbiome. I have personally noticed periods of my life where I was suffering from gut issues and I felt really purposeless and down a lot of the time for no reason. I observed a strong connection between poor gut health and my moods.

2. 80% of your immune system operates from the gut.

Whilst doctors are still unsure of the exact cause of PCOS, what they do know for sure is that PCOS is linked to chronic inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation occurs when the immune system is fired up for a particular reason.

When you have poor gut health it's likely you are suffering from something called leaky gut syndrome. This is when there are microscopic tears in the intestinal walls which allow little pieces of undigested food to leak into the bloodstream. This sends a warning signal to the immune system that something is wrong and creates inflammation in the body.

An activated immune system also interferes with insulin receptor function which creates insulin resistance. Therefore what we do know for sure is that gut issues are contributing to our PCOS and worsening our symptoms. 

3. There are 80 million neurons located in the gut microbiome.

Hence why the gut is known as the second brain. Researchers have discovered that the gut has the ability to function independently from the brain. Therefore if this area of your body is in poor condition it can have a HUGE impact on your mental health and your overall motivation for life. It literally is behaving as a second brain in the body.

So as you can see the gut is not simply just digesting your food.

It's really important we keep this ecosystem balanced and healthy.

As Hippocrates says... absolutely ALL disease stems from the gut. 

POOR GUT HEALTH & NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES: 

In addition to digesting your food your gut microbiome is also responsible for assimilating and absorbing your nutrients. Many of us are suffering from nutrient deficiencies and the assumption is that we are not receiving enough sustenance from our food. Although this may not be the case! If you are eating a diet high in fruit and vegetables you should be receiving everything you need.

Although when you have some gut issues going on, it's difficult for the body to absorb all the nutrients from your food. 

Nutrient deficiency symptoms: weak and brittle nails that break often, hair breaking/hair loss, very fine lines underneath the eyes, low energy, lack of breath, dizziness, cold hands and feet or heavy menstrual periods. 

If these symptoms apply to you then you want to start addressing your gut health ASAP!

CAN POOR GUT HEALTH CAUSE PCOS?

I think many of us who know we have gut problems assume that we have PCOS / hormonal imbalance and on top of that we have gut issues going on. Although it's very likely it's the other way around!

I can almost guarantee that you had problems in your gut which has been a major contributor to your hormones becoming imbalanced. Therefore this is an essential area to heal if we want to see our symptoms improve.

THE MISSING PIECE OF THE PUZZLE

If you feel as though you are checking all the boxes - eating a healthy diet, following all the steps from my 8 step program yet you still aren't seeing your symptoms completely disappear... then it's time to look at your gut microbiome.

Your symptoms will not be in full remission until your gut ecosystem is in good shape. 

So if you are suffering from some of the following symptoms then please tune into my next video (part 2) which will dive into the steps to heal your gut microbiome.

Symptoms of poor gut health:

- Bloating, gas, stomach cramps after eating, constipation, diarrhea

Or perhaps your gut issues are showing up in the form of...

- Poor sleep cycle, low energy, skin problems, mood swings or excessive cravings

All of these symptoms are pointing to the same thing.

You may show all of these symptoms or just a handful of them. 

Check out Part I & Part II of the gut healing videos below.