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Disease begins in the gut!

Dr Elie Mechinkoff, Russian scientist (1845 to 1916), theorized that disease begins in the digestive tract. At the famous Pasteur Institute in Paris he coined the name "dysbiosis" to describe the problem of an imbalance of intestinal bacteria, viruses and fungi. In 1908 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work.

It would be far too simplistic to conclude that gut dysbiosis is the only cause of disease but it is certainly a very important factor. It's a great tragedy that, for nearly a century, Mechinkoff's work has been largely neglected.

However, in the past 20 years or so the link between gut dysbiosis and, for example, the development of inflammatory disease, autoimmune disorders, chronic fatigue and certain cancers has begun to be more widely understood.

The mechanisms by which gut dysbiosis undermines health and promotes illness, though, are far more diverse than Mechinkoff could have known. Dysbiosis can, directly or indirectly, interfere with virtually all of the vital processes in the body - from the utilisation of important nutrients to the ability to fight infection - from mental function to energy production - and much more

As the repercussions of gut dysbiosis become more widely understood, Mechinkoff's theory that disease begins in the gut is proving disturbingly accurate.

And finally there are those 'friendly' bacteria who fight valiantly against your body's enemies - harmful bacteria, viruses and fungi. They starve your enemies by eating their food. They crowd out your enemies by jostling for space in your gut. They lower the pH balance of the gut, creating a benign and healthy intestinal eco-system which inhibits the growth of your internal enemies. Some of these 'friendly' bacteria even gobble up your enemies.

Truly we are well served by our friendly bacteria!

Sadly, however, we rarely create the right conditions for our bacterial allies in order for them to thrive and work on our behalf. We tend to include in our diets far too little of the natural, unprocessed foods that would create for them the internal environment they need to survive.

Long ago we learned to refine products like sugar and white flour - foods that suit our internal enemies very well indeed, enabling them to thrive like never before, in an internal eco-system more suited to their well-being than to our allies'.

And, in this affluent West, we simply eat too much food - overwhelming our digestive enzymes, overworking our allies, and providing a putrefying feast for our internal enemies.

This is the point at which so much ill-health begins.

Soon those enemies are pushing forward, gaining ground, carrying with them toxins, poisons and disease. When harmful yeasts get the upper hand the condition is described as Fungal-Type Dysbiosis (FTD). This condition can disrupt our ability to effectively utilise vitamin B6 (vitamin B6 is needed by every cell in the body!) And it can hinder the transportation of minerals through though the gut wall - particularly calcium, magnesium and zinc (take a look at the list of symptoms that the deficiency of these produce).

Fungal-type dysbiosis can also disrupt the enzyme pathway used by the cells of our bodies to utilise essential fatty acids (See the link at the end to a separate section on this). These healthy fats are needed for the brain and nervous system and for the production of local hormones called prostaglandins. Fungal-type dysbiosis can also interfere with our hormonal and biochemical functions, creating havoc in our bodies.

Perhaps the most insidious effect of fungal-type dysbiosis is caused by the production of endorphin-like substances, capable of passing through the blood-brain barrier to create havoc with our thought processes, emotions and behaviour. (This is an insight much needed for the understanding of emotional and behavioural problems.)

We are able to comprehend much more nowadays than Mechinkoff ever could, about the mechanisms by which gut dysbiosis promotes disease. Our understanding, however, only serves to vindicate his work.

In fact, his insights are perhaps more desperately needed today than they were a century ago.

We have now taken food processing to a level of sophistication far beyond the primitive refining of flour and sugar of Mechinkoff's day. And environmental pollutants and additives in our air, water and food are also killing off our bacterial allies and encouraging our internal enemies.

Then there's the contraceptive pill,steroids,social drugs, alcohol, tobacco, caffeine and mercury tooth fillings. And as if all that weren't enough, we have taken the problem of gut dysbiosis far beyond anything Mechinkoff could possibly have imagined. And we've done this by the well-intentioned, but indiscriminate, use of broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Imagine a war situation where the enemy start to get the upper hand when they obtain an abundant supply of the high-sugar foods on which they thrive, while the allies are weakened by a restricted diet and a polluted environment.

Modern warfare comes to the rescue - with a widespread chemical attack that not only wipes out most of the enemies, but also kills the allies!  Some of the enemy refuse to die, however, and develop an immunity to the chemicals. Quickly reinforcing themselves, they push forward to invade the territory left unguarded by the now greatly-depleted allies.

Sadly the tasks that the allies once did must remain undone, while the enemies increase their production of poisons, scattering them wherever they go, bringing chaos and destruction.   Modern warfare comes to the rescue again - with yet another widespread chemical attack that wipes out even more of the enfeebled allies, leaving the now resistant enemy virtually unscathed.

This war is being played out in your gut! Antibiotics are the deadly widespread chemical attack. For the last fifty years or so this has been medicine's strategy in the war against infection. But it's been a case of winning the battle only to lose the war - as antibiotic-resistant bacteria in our hospitals have so tragically demonstrated. Gut dysbiosis was around long before antibiotics were invented, but this well-intentioned medical strategy has certainly exacerbated the problem.

And the final irony is that, given the right conditions, some of our internal bacterial allies
are capable of manufacturing their own natural antibiotics that have no damaging side effects!

All is not lost however! A healthy diet and the use of certain food supplements can restore harmony to our internal environment producing immense health benefits. But first let's look in a little more detail at the consequences of gut dysbiosis.

Read more about this in the article:-

Leaky Gut
Gut dysbiosis can damage the intestinal wall. This has consequences that can undermine health and promote disease.

Intestinal Dysbiosis - A Review. McLaren Howard J. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 1993;1:153-157.

Abnormal gut fermentation: Laboratory studies reveal deficiency of B vitamins, zinc and magnesium. Eaton KK, Mclaren-Howard J, Hunnisett A, Harris M. J.Nutr. Biochem. 1993;4:635-638.

Fungal-type Dysbiosis of the Gut: The occurrence of fungal diseases and the response to challenge with yeasty and mould containing foods. Eaton KK, Howard M. J.Nutr & Env Med. 1998; 8: 247-255.

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