Mind-Body Healing Begins in the Gut
INTERNAL HEALTH
Douglas A. Wyatt
There is an emerging paradigm shift in the way physical and mental illnesses are being treated, and it’s due in large part to our newfound awareness of the importance of the gut. Specifically, gut health, which encompasses the microbiome as well as the intestinal barrier between the GI tract and the bloodstream, plays an important role in immune health. As more chronic and autoimmune diseases are attributed to an immune system attempting to deal with internal toxicity, we must focus on the primary cause—intestinal permeability, or leaky gut syndrome (LGS). Initially, many of us believed that physical conditions, such as allergies, arthritis, diabetes, and a variety of bowel conditions, were the few casualties of a leaky gut. Now, though, it’s increasingly clear that nearly every autoimmune disease and many psychiatric disorders and conditions of cognitive decline result from poor gut health.
Gut microbiota—commonly referred to as the microbiome—is a complex ecosystem believed to affect brain development, function, and behavior via various endocrine, immune, and neural pathways.1 The human body contains trillions of microorganisms, outnumbering human cells by 10 to one. A “healthy” microbiome is comprised of at least 85% beneficial bacteria and 15% pathogenic bacteria. Once that ratio starts moving in the opposite direction, the microbiome becomes “unhealthy” and illness and disease begin to develop. The gut has a direct connection to the brain, and while research is just beginning to understand the specific mechanisms, the pathogenic bacteria and the toxins it creates also have direct access to the brain. Gut dysbiosis, however, is only part of the problem.
"The immune system will attack any undigested food particle, toxin, or pathogenic microbe crossing through the gut lining into the bloodstream."
If, for a moment, you could imagine that “what happens in the gut stays in the gut,” health practitioners could feasibly treat dysbiosis successfully. The simplest solution is to eliminate the pathogenic bacteria and restore the gut microbiota to a homeostatic state in which the beneficial bacteria keep the pathogenic bacteria in check naturally. Unfortunately, there are two problems with this strategy. First, treatment using antibiotics kills both pathogenic and beneficial bacteria and usually leaves some pathogenic strains remaining, which later become antibiotic-resistant. Second, an overwhelming majority of people have intestinal permeability, and a leaky gut permits the pathogenic bacteria and its toxins to escape the microbiome and enter the bloodstr eam.
Most practitioners agree that everyone has a leaky gut by virtue of our modem lifestyles, the foods we eat, and the contaminants we ingest. The immune system will attack any undigested food particle, toxin, or pathogenic microbe crossing through the gut lining into the bloodstream. The chronic
^The growth factors have been shown to heal intestinal permeability, thereby preventing the occasional pathogenic bacteria (i.e., from a contaminated food source) from entering the bloodstream. J J
low-grade inflammation that ensues is observed in all types of allergies and autoimmune conditions, including psychiatric disorders. I believe we need look no further than the explosion in rates of disease, many of which were once considered rare, as evidence.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approximately 133 million Americans, or at least 40% of the total population, have a chronic disease.2 By 2020, the incidence is projected to grow to 157 million people, of which 81 million will have multiple conditions.3 This translates to nearly half of all adults having a chronic condition;4 moreover, about 8% of children between the ages of five and 17 experienced limited activities resulting from at least one chronic disease or a physical or mental disability.5 The CDC estimates that at any given time, about 25% of American adults have a mental illness, and during a lifetime, one of every two people will develop at least one mental illness.61 think we can assume that most people go to the doctor when they have pain or are not feeling well, so these ominous statistics apply to probably every patient who walks through your door.
Since preventing intestinal permeability and nurturing a healthy microbiome are integral to maintaining a healthy gut, this should be a priority for every practitioner regardless of his or her chosen field. Bovine colostrum can be utilized as a treatment and preventative, and when used properly, it can bring patients back from the brink. Colostrum’s vast array of immune factors (antibodies, immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase, proline-rich polypeptides, interleukins) have been shown to eliminate pathogenic gut bacteria and restore microbiota homeostasis.7-8 The growth factors have been shown to heal intestinal permeability,91011 thereby preventing the occasional pathogenic bacteria (i.e., from a contaminated food source) from entering the bloodstream.
Even if we don’t yet fully understand the exact mechanisms of how the gut-brain axis works, healing the gut is imperative if we hope to put a dent in the explosion of disease and disability. I recommend that every person supplement with a liposomaldelivery bovine colostrum, even if he or she is not currently experiencing symptoms. I also advise that patients try to avoid the causal factors of leaky gut syndrome as much as possible, which includes avoiding oral antibiotics; antibiotics in foods (meat, poultry, fish); glyphosate-contaminated foods; GMOs; pesticide-laden foods; over-the-counter and prescription pain medications; corticosteroids; simple carbohydrates and pro-
cessed foods; excessive alcohol; caffeine and other gut irritants. Regular exercise, stress-reducing activities, social interaction, and adequate, quality sleep are also important because as critical as bovine colostrum is, it certainly can’t heal the gut without consistent lifestyle modification.
I challenge all practitioners to take a proactive role in their patients’ health and start them on a colostrum protocol for mind-body healing. As the microbiome returns to homeostasis and the intestinal barrier no longer leaks toxins into the body, you and your patients will notice a difference in the way they feel—mentally and physically.
Works cited:
1. Kelly JR, Kennedy RJ, Cry an JF, Din an TG, Clarke G, Hyland NR Breaking down the barriers: The gut microbiome, intestinal permeability and stress-related psychiatric disorders. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. 2015 Oct 14,9:392.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Power of Prevention. (2009) Accessed at: http://www. cdc.gov/chronicdisease/ pdf/2009-Pow er-of-Prevention.pdf
3. [No authors listed.] Tackling the burden of chronic diseases in the USA. Lancet 2009:373(9659): 185.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic Diseases: The Leading Causes of Death and Disability in the United States. Accessed at: http://www. cdc.gov/chronicdisease/ovennew/
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Chartbook on trends in the health of Americans. Limitation of activity: Children. (2007) Accessed at: http://www. cdc. gov/nchs/data/hus/husO 7.pdf
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Report: Mental Illness Surveillance A mong A dulls in the United States. Accessed at: https://www. cdc.gov/mentalhealthswTeillance/fact sheet, html
7. Rump JA, Arndt R, Arnold A, Bendick C, Dichtelmuller H, Franke M, Helm EB, Jager H, Kampmann B, Kolb P, Kreuz W, Lissner R, Meigek W, Ostendorf P, Peter HH, Plettenberg, Schedel I, Stellbrink HW, Stephan W. Treatment of diarrhoea in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with immunoglobulins from bovine colostrum. Clinical Investigator. 1992;70:588-594.
8. Kaducu FO, Okia SA, Upenytho G, Elf strand L, Floren CH. Effect of bovine colostrum-based food supplement in the treatment of HIV-associated diarrhea in Northern Uganda: A randomized controlled trial. Indian Journal of Gastroenterology. 2011:30(6): 270-276.
9. Playford RJ, Floyd DN, Macdonald CE, Calnan DP, Adenekan RO, Johnson W, Goodlad RA, Marchbank T. Bovine colostrum is a health food supplement which prevents NSAID induced gut damage. Gut. 1999,44:653-658.
10. Playford RJ, MacDonald CE, Calnan DP, Floyd DN, Podas T, Johnson W, Wicks AC, Bashir O, Marchbank T. Co-administration of the health food supplement, bovine colostrum, reduces the acute non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced increase in intestinal permeability. Clinical Science (London). 2001 Jun; 100(6): 627-33.
11. Davison G, Marchbank T, March DS, Thatcher R, Playford RJ. Zinc carnosine works with bovine colostrum in truncating heavy exercise-induced increase in gut permeability in healthy volunteers. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2016 Aug: 104(2): 526-36.
Douglas Wyatt is the founder of Sovereign Laboratories, the colostrum company providing the most efficacious bovine colostrum; proven to heal and protect leaky gut syndrome. As Director of the Soverei.~n Health Initiative, he is the leading expert in colostrum and is credited Math reintroducing bovine colostrum for human use. For more information, email infbTipnysovlabs.com or call 1-928-202-4031. Or to become a Sovereign Labs provider go to: www.joinsoverignlabs.com
