In short
Your gut is home to trillions of microbes that affect your immunity, mood and stress response. Diet, chemicals, regular painkillers, reflux medicines and antibiotics can all upset it, while managing stress, eating well, pets, the sea and local food help protect it.
The health of your gut is central to your wellbeing, and even to how your brain feels. The gut and the brain are linked by a two-way information highway, and it needs looking after to keep you on the road. In this blog I'll explain why gut wellbeing matters, five things that can threaten it, and five natural ways to protect it.
It takes guts!
There are around a hundred trillion microbes in your gut, and together with their genetic material they're called the gut microbiome. These tiny life forms have more influence on your brain than you might imagine, and they're fundamental to gut wellbeing.
Powerful guts
A large part of your immune system lives in your gut, and around ninety percent of your body's serotonin is made there, along with other important messenger chemicals. Even Hippocrates, without any modern technology, said that all disease begins in the gut. Your gut is also closely linked with your stress response, so looking after it is looking after the whole of you.
Gut diversity
A healthy gut microbiome is a diverse one. Our sanitised living and heavily processed food reduce that diversity, dialling the gut-brain highway down from a fast motorway to a B road! Constant stress doesn't help either.
Guts explained
Your gut includes the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small intestine, colon and rectum. The gut lining is just one cell thick. It's called the epithelium, and it's pivotal to your wellbeing. Who knew such a tiny wall would matter so much?
The cells of this lining are held together by "tight junctions". When those connections loosen, the lining becomes more permeable, sometimes called "leaky gut".
5 threats to gut wellbeing
These are the main things I see upsetting the balance of the gut and its lining.
What we eat. All that food you know you shouldn't be eating does more than add a few inches to the hips! Sugar feeds yeasts, and a diet high in processed food upsets the balance of your microbes. Some people also find gluten disagrees with them.
Chemical exposure. I include pesticides on our food and anything else you regularly breathe in or put on your skin.
Over-the-counter painkillers. Regular use of anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen can irritate the gut lining. If you rely on them, talk to your GP or pharmacist about other options, and about finding the underlying cause.
Reflux medicines. These are hugely popular, and long-term use can affect your gut. Never stop a prescribed medicine on your own; talk to your GP if you're concerned.
Antibiotics. They can be life-saving, but they wipe out good microbes along with the bad. Every time I took them I got thrush, because the candida yeast was given an open invitation to multiply like gremlins after midnight! No one ever told me why. If you need antibiotics, take them as prescribed and look after your gut afterwards.
Leaky gut
Some practitioners believe a more permeable gut lining lets proteins and other substances into the bloodstream, causing inflammation around the body. It's a fascinating and growing area of research, though doctors don't yet agree on it.
What researchers are exploring
A lot of research is looking at the link between the gut, the brain and overall wellness. Some studies are exploring links between gut health and autoimmune conditions, and between inflammation and low mood. It's early days, but it's an exciting direction. As always, believe what feels intuitively right to you, and if you have a diagnosed condition, keep working with your doctor.
5 natural ways to improve gut wellbeing
Manage your stress. Find healthy ways to activate your rest-and-digest nervous system, turning the stress response down from a screech to a moan.
Eat well. Try nourishing bone broths, chamomile tea to aid digestion, and natural probiotics like kefir and fermented cabbage such as kimchi. (If you're histamine intolerant like me, a probiotic supplement may suit you better.)
Get a pet. Studies suggest children who grow up with cats or dogs are less likely to develop some allergies, partly thanks to the microbes our pets share with us.
Get to the sea. It's the largest body of microbes on the planet. If you can't face a swim, a walk along the shore will do.
Eat local. Eat vegetables grown in your local soil, and local honey made from your local pollen.
Final word
So now you know why gut wellbeing matters, what threatens it and which natural remedies can help protect it. If your gut wellbeing could do with some support, book a 360 Bespoke Wellbeing Consultation and we'll work through it together. If you have ongoing gut symptoms, please see your GP too.
To learn more about how your body works and how to look after your own wellbeing naturally, I run a workshop on Total Body Healing. If you'd like to learn about eating seasonally and locally, my Wild Superfoods workshop shows you what you can forage for free. And I run a series of essential oil workshops too.
Further reading
Dr Josh Axe, Eat Dirt · Dr David Perlmutter, The Amazing Brain & Gut Connection · Christa Orecchio, Healing the gut microbiome
Frequently asked questions
What is leaky gut?
A term for a gut lining that has become more permeable. Some practitioners link it to inflammation around the body; it's a growing area of research that doctors don't yet agree on.
How can I improve my gut health naturally?
Manage stress, eat bone broths and fermented foods like kefir and kimchi, spend time with pets and by the sea, and eat local produce.
Should I stop reflux medicine or antibiotics?
No. Take prescribed medicines as directed and talk to your GP if you're concerned.
Want some support?
Book a free 15-minute consultation and we can talk it through together.