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Date: 2/3/2012 8:08 PM UTC

Restoring Intestinal Ecology and the Immune System

In time we will understand what a headache, a rash, puffy hands, PMS, sleeplessness, or lack of energy really mean.  In days of old, Grandmom recognized that one headache meant we were dehydrated or another meant we had low-blood sugar or it was that ‘time of month’.  Today, when we get a headache we wonder, ‘do I take Excedrin or Bayer aspirin?’  We do not consider the source of our health issue.  Fixing the problem without understanding the route cause is not preventative health but is similar to sitting in a sinking boat; we are given a bucket and we dump out the water in the boat and say, ‘I am healed!!’  Wrong!  It’s just a matter of time before you sink.  The Year of the Dragon is the time to learn the fundamentals of immune health.    Americans are not educated on lifestyle choices that may deter inflammatory conditions and an overactive immune state evidenced by conditions such as asthma, allergies, autoimmune disease, eczema, early arthritis, metabolic syndrome, rising blood pressure, blood lipids or blood sugars.   Today’s column defines strategies for improving intestinal ecology and thus, immune health.

Summary of Columns 1-4

The immune system is initially inoculated via the quality of bacteria in the mother’s birth canal.  The quality of her bacteria is affected by her lifetime of dietary choices, stress, chemicals, and medication.  Few mothers are aware of the need or method of improving their own bacterial ecology to better inoculate ‘generation next’.  Once the child is born, oligosaccharides or ‘prebiotics’ feed and develop the initial or ‘maternal’ inoculation, and behave like fertilizer for grass seed. Prebiotics are food for Probiotics.  Oligosaccharides make up 1/3 of breast milk and were not included in formulas for almost 70 years.  Today, oligosaccharides, called Inulin, FOS, GOS, or prebiotics are only found in special needs formulas.  If you are formula feeding your baby, please make sure the child is drinking formula supplemented with pre and probiotics or find Primadophilus at your local health food store!  Optimal development of the intestinal area will increase gut antibodies that protect the internal immune system from ‘foreign invaders’ that can include undigested food proteins, virus, bacteria and other pathogens.  When a child is fed formula that is not supplemented with oligosaccharides (prebiotics) and probiotics, the child will more likely suffer from inflammatory conditions and an overactive immune system.   However, a word of caution, human milk contains a variety of oligosaccharides that participate in the development of intestinal bacterial ecology in breastfed infants. Because of the complexity of the oligosaccharide composition, and because mother’s breast milk changes and adapts to suit the needs of the growing infant, supplemented formulas cannot offer the full benefits of breast milk. (Isn’t Nature Grand?)   If you or your child suffers from asthma, allergies, ADHD, autism, autoimmune disease, early onset arthritis, and many chronic conditions, you can be sure that one common denominator is an intestinal area that is out of balance, or disrupted.

 

The following information should not be construed as personal medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken based solely on the contents of article.  Readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.  The information and opinions provided here are believed to be accurate and sound, based on the best judgment available to me after 30,000 hours of research and personal experience.  Readers who fail to consult appropriate health authorities assume the risk of any injuries.  Whatever you do, do not make drastic changes, gradually ease into lifestyle changes.

Addressing Inflammation of the Intestinal Wall:  Tilling the Soil

The intestinal area that is out of balanced is inflamed.  The mistake is people think they have intestinal disruption only when diagnosed with something like Crohn’s, IBS, or an ulcer; however, asthma is related to inflammation in the gut as is eczema and many conditions resulting from an overactive immune system.  Before I go on, let’s clear up confusion. If you go to WebMD you will see that in October 2008, Probiotics do not help eczema. It is unfortunate that consumers are always getting contrary news to alternative health tips.  In fact, in PubMed’s clinical abstract published in 2000, it was clearly sited that specific probiotics were useful in managing atopic eczema and that probiotics helped reduce both intestinal and systemic inflammation.  There are hundreds of strains of probiotics and new research is showing that each strain has a specific and wonderful function and the best source is from nature; fermented foods and for infants, breast milk and birth through a birth canal that is optimally populated with helpful bacteria.  But many are out of balance and need to be proactive and take action to restore intestinal ecology. In a previous column, I compared the intestinal tract and its development to your front yard.  You have just moved in and no landscaping has occurred, the yard is a barren piece of hard dirt.  This is the intestinal area at birth or after numerous rounds of drugs or other unhealthy lifestyle choices.  Therefore, we must till the soil, fertilize the soil, plant seed, water, and tend to the soil.   Reducing inflammation in the intestinal wall is similar to ‘tilling the soil’.  Breast milk includes not only oligosaccharides but also L-Glutamine.  L-Glutamine is an amino acid that is abundant in the body and has several functions; restore tissue that is damaged, regulate body pH, act as a precursor to Glutathione.   Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that is made by the body and helps the body detoxify.  What is now known is that people who have disrupted intestinal ecology actually burn up L-Glutamine.   The intestinal wall naturally sloughs off daily and L-Glutamine is needed for healing and intestinal restoration.  Autistic children have low Glutamine levels; they therefore cannot create Glutathione and cannot detoxify after for instance, a vaccine.  THE GUT TRAINS THE IMMUNE SYSTEM.   I take 3 grams of L-Glutamine daily.  One gram is found in my nutriclean fiber product which I love because it contains 9 grams of fiber when most brands include 3 grams per serving and more importantly, it contains oligosaccharides.  The remaining 2 grams of Glutamine comes from a powdered supplement found at health food stores.  The average cost of the large tub is $35, but it sure lasts a long-time!

Aloe is another great product that has been used for centuries to support a healthy digestive tract, promote normal healing, support a strong immune system and promote digestive comfort.  Unfortunately, there are many aloe products on the market, some are great and others are not.  Ultimate Aloe Juice is my favorite because it contains three times more polymers than aloe gel and 50 percent (50%) more active components than is required to achieve maximum benefits by being consumed orally.

Restoring Intestinal Ecology:  Fertilize and Plant Quality Seed

Tempering a hyperactive immune system requires improving the ecology of the intestinal area by supplementing with a quality prebiotic/probiotic.  Prebiotics will feed and support the growth of beneficial bacteria called probiotics.  I mentioned that my  nutriclean fiber product includes prebiotics/oligosaccharides, other sources are Primadophilus  or  Complete Greens.   Oligosaccharides are also found in food sources such as apples, asparagus, bananas, chicory root, Jerusalem artichokes, jicama, legumes, onions or wheat. An abundance of prebiotics/oligosaccharides will improve the number of gut antibodies and support the immune system.

Probiotics are the bacteria that are considered healthy.  Prior to the 1920’s, mankind received probiotics almost daily; refrigeration changed that.  Fermentation was the preferred method of preservation, but with the refrigerator there no longer was a need to ferment. Fermentation produces probiotics and other phytonutrients.   As decades have passed new chemicals and preservatives have further pushed fermented foods from our plate.  Consuming fermented foods such as sauerkraut, buttermilk, or Chinese fermented black beans provided an ongoing inoculation of beneficial bacteria.    A healthy person will do well to maintain good health by incorporating fermented foods into their diet; however, a person who suffers from inflammatory conditions may need to supplement.  Foods like Activia have probiotics, but not enough, in fact, Activia includes just 3 probiotic strains:

  • L. Bulcaricus-adjusts pH of the intestines-Immune support
  • S.Thermophilus-Diarrhea
  • Bifidobacterium Lactus-alter pro-carcinogenic enzymes.
Foods like Activia are great for maintaining a healthy gut, but what if you are not in balance in the first place?  Diversity of strains, total bacterial count and protection of the probiotics are key elements in a powerful probiotic product. With such tremendous diversity naturally present in the digestive tract, it is important to supplement with not just one strain, but numerous strains of probiotics, so that the most comprehensive benefit is received.

Many products on the market deliver a high total probiotic count, but they are only coming from one or two strains. These practices yield products which do not deliver comprehensive support. According to research published in Food Research International, probiotic products which deliver multiple strains can offer more benefits than a single strain.  NutriClean Probiotics delivers 10 billion CFUs from 10 different strains with patented LiveBac® and Bio-tract® technologies to help keep the probiotics viable during both bottling and throughout the digestive process.

Each strain has a unique purpose and the strains work synergistically to support numerous areas of health from immunity to stomach comfort and bowel regularity:

  • Lactobacillus plantarum was selected because of its unique ability to help achieve optimal bacterial balance
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus is included for a number of reasons, perhaps most notably its ability to synthesize lactase, an enzyme which breaks down lactose
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus plays a major role in immune support
  • Lactobacillus salivarius has been shown to reduce at least five potentially unhealthy bacteria, including Listeria
  • Lactobacillus casei promotes overall digestive comfort and helps relieve occasional constipation
  • Lactobacillus helveticus has been shown to  reduce the duration of mild diarrhea
  • Bifidobacterium bifidum supports the protective barrier in the digestive tract
  • Bifidobacterium longum helps minimize the growth of potentially unhealthy bacteria (naturally present in the body) by competing for attachment sites in the intestines; this works to maintain optimal bacterial balance
  • Bifidobacterium breve was included because research has shown that mild gas and non-chronic diarrhea have been associated with a shortage of this bacterium
  • Bifidobacterium infantis supports overall digestion and metabolism
 

In preparing for a newborn or if you have intestinal imbalance, restoring intestinal ecology supports and tempers a hyperactive immune system for both you and ‘generation next’.  Improve immunity by addressing the health of the intestinal wall with aloe, L-Glutamine and fiber and restore the balance with prebiotics and probiotics.   Comprehensive information and references can be found in my first book, Saving ‘Generation Next’ Just click the link and you will be directed to my site.

In the February 3rd column,  we debunk pharmaceutical marketing claims with The UnNews:  Do I really suffer from too much stomach acid-the overuse of Antacids.  Join me 2/6/12 at 5:30pm EST/8:30pm PST as I conduct a Webinar that will comprise information posted in the columns from 1/23/12-2/3/12.  Register at www.debiwaldeck.com or view the archived version later.

Debi Waldeck is author of Saving ‘Generation Next’, Forever Young and Vibrant and The Currency of Thought.  Find Debi at www.debiwaldeck.com, LIKE her on Facebook/debiwaldeck and follow her on Twitter/debiwaldeck. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Date: 2/2/2012 11:00 PM UTC

C-section or V-Birth, Breastfeeding or Formula leads to Fourfold increase in Chronic Childhood Illness

There has been a fourfold increase in chronic childhood illness since the 1960’s.  Media pundits claim we have access to better food, education, medicine and research, so what’s the problem?  The foundation of preventative health has not been established.  In the previous column, two inheritances at birth were presented; genetic and microbial.  The infant’s intestinal area was compared to a barren piece of land and bacteria received during the birthing process were compared to an initial seeding.  The quality of mother’s bacteria affects future health.  Furthermore, the relationship between intestinal development and the immune system was presented by defining and understanding Gut Associated Lymphatic Tissue.  In today’s column, development of the intestinal bacteria is presented.

The previous column defined how the child’s initial inoculation of gut bacteria affects the foundation of the immune system.  The quality of the inoculation is defined by mom’s lifestyle history and mother’s own initial inoculation.  Four generations since World War II, the mother’s ability to inoculate the newborn during the birthing process has been compromised due to increases in antibiotic use, preservatives, chemicals, high sugar diet, and stress.  Prenatal care does not include educating a mother on how to prepare her intestinal areas and thus her birth canals prior to birth; lack of understanding true preventative health has contributed to the sky-rocketing rates of chronic illness.  One hundred years ago, the majority of the population died from infectious disease.  For a while, it appeared infectious disease was conquered thanks to antibiotics and other drugs and during that time, lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular disease began to climb.  Today however, both infectious and lifestyle disease are increasing.  

Debates abound around solutions to the United States health care crisis including Universal Healthcare discussions and cheaper medications.   The current medical model is build around a germ theory credited for its discovery was Louis Pasteur.  "Human beings, the potentially highest form of life expression on this planet have built the vast pharmaceutical industry for the central purpose of poisoning the lowest form of life on the planet--germs! One of the biggest tragedies of human civilization is the precedence of chemicals over nutrition."--Dr. Richard Murray.  The germ theory states that microbes from an external source invade the body and are the first cause of infectious disease.  The idea was to then create agents to eliminate the microbes, thus, disease would be eluded. The entire medical establishment is built on eradicating microbes that cause disease, educating the immune system through vaccinations and supressing an immune system that has gone ‚overactive‘ and is evidenced by cancer and auto-immune diseases.  To resolve our family’s health issues, I had to ask and answer, ‚Why does the immune system become overactive?‘  The medical system is build on sand.  To build the medical system on solid ground, we must adopt the ideology that microbes will not thrive in a whole, healthy and balanced environement; a marriage between allopathic and alternative medicine must occur. 

Preventative Health:  The first year of feeding

During World War II, mother’s entered the workforce out of necessity, refrigeration was recently introduced, penicillin was discovered and the setting of a perfect-storm materialized.  For thousands of years, humans were exclusively fed breast milk until solid foods were introduced, usually after 18 months.   However, primarily because of WWII, refrigeration formulas were introduced.  By the 1950’s more than 50% of the population were formula fed.  For the first time in the history of man, an essential component of the development of the immune system was ignored.  

When evaporated milk was introduced to infants, breast milk composition was not clearly understood.  At the time, it was known that breast milk contained fats, proteins and various nutrients however, what was not clearly understood was the mysterious component that makes up 1/3 of breast milk and directly affects the GALT and numbers of gut antibodies.  This mysterious third offered no caloric value, therefore, for 70 years, were not included in commercial formulas.  In the previous  column, the intestinal wall of an infant was compared to a barren piece of land and the method of birth and health of the mom determined the quality of the initial ‘seeding’ of beneficial bacteria.  The mysterious ‘third’ to which I refer, tills and fertilizes the soil and insures a hearty and quality inoculation of bacteria in the intestinal tract.  The special third is called oligosaccharides meaning ‘few sugars’.  Oligosaccharides act more like a fiber than a sugar with its low caloric contribution and are food or fuel for the initial seeding of the probiotics introduced at birth.  Therefore, oligosaccharides are called prebiotics and are as important if not more important than probiotics.  Also, mother’s milk contains Glutamine which is an amino acid that insures a healthy intestinal wall.  The intestinal wall naturally sloughs off daily and is restored.  Glutamine is vital for the repair of the intestinal wall.  Body builders supplement with Glutamine because of its beneficial properties in healing tissue that is damaged, in the case of the body builder-muscle.  In a future column, I will share another common denominator for all who suffer from autoimmune disease, autism, asthma, or even diabetes due in part to a reduction of Glutamine in the body.  When the intestinal area is negatively affected, Glutamine is used-up and is not available to participate in other processes in the body such as regulating tissue pH or creating a powerful antioxidant, Glutathione.  Without it, the body is unable to properly detoxify.

Therefore, 50% of baby-boomers were denied the opportunity for optimal development of the intestinal bacteria or ecology.  Ecology is the environment that includes a mix of both ‘good and bad’ bacteria, Yin and Yang, not right or wrong, just balance and harmony.  Intestinal bacteria and oligosaccharides not only increase gut antibodies, but also produce needed vitamins, participate in the breakdown and utilization of nutrition and also, create an ideal pH within the intestinal area.  In a future column, I will share how intestinal disruption leading to pH imbalance can be the root to lactose and gluten challenges.  

Baby boomers birthed 1946-1964 were born to mothers who had minimal exposure to antibiotics; however, 50% were denied oligosaccharides for optimal intestinal and immune development.  Therefore, the baby-boomers were born through a birth-canal and from mothers who had a quality maternal inoculation, but the initial seeding for 50% of the population was not developed due to the introduction of formula and lack of knowledge of restoring intestinal ecology.  Baby boomers grew up and birthed Generation X, those born in the 1960’s and 1970’s.   Since mother’s were not and have not been educated on pre-natal care that includes improving their intestinal and thus, birth canal ecology, those children were birthed through a birth-canal that was lacking in quality bacteria due to the previous generation’s exposure to more antibiotics, new chemicals and preservatives, and lack of early breast feeding.  Generation X then birthed Generation Y or the millennium generation and again, those children were birthed through a birth canal that was woefully deficient in a quality inoculation, while C-section rates and formula feeding continued to rise.  Only 13% of infant’s today are exclusively breast fed after month one.  Today, we are birthing Generation RX.  Maybe that was the plan all along?  

I am fascinated when looking at charts and I see the rate of C-sections and obesity, mirror one another.  Additionally, as I have watched the quality of maternal inoculation decline and the lack of awareness of how the Gut trains the immune system, I have also watched a fourfold increase in asthma, eczema, gastric problems, ADHD, autism and so many other chronic conditions in our children.  What is worse is that the average mom has no idea that these ‘minor conditions’ are early red-flags and warning signs of impending health challenges.  The economic affect will be staggering.

Join me in the next column as we offer practical tips for improving women’s health pre-child birth and improving intestinal/immune health for those with an overactive immune state.  I will also conduct a free Webinar on February 6, 2012 at 5:30pm EST/8:30pm PST that will comprise information included in the columns posted 1/23/12-2/3/12.  Register at www.debiwaldeck.com

Debi Waldeck is author of Saving ‘Generation Next’, Forever Young and Vibrant and The Currency of Thought.  Find Debi at www.debiwaldeck.com, LIKE her on Facebook/debiwaldeck and follow her on Twitter/debiwaldeck. 

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Date: 2/1/2012 6:54 PM UTC

Birth and Birth method affects the Immune System

The relationship between the development of the immune system and the intestinal area was discussed in the previous column.  It is understood that just as the intestinal tract is immature at birth, so is the immune system’s Gut Associated Lymphatic Tissue. Both need to be developed to insure a healthy, normal immune state rather than an overactive immune state evidenced by asthma, allergies, ADHD, autoimmune disease and more.  In this column, ‘first-life’, or maternal inoculation is presented as it relates to the development of the immune system.  The body’s first inoculation, or ‘first life’ DOES NOT come from a shot; it comes from mother during the birthing process and is further developed or disrupted from food and environment.  The question is how is the immune system’s foundation developed?

The ‘Inside vs. Outside’ Immune System

In the previous column, GALT was introduced.  The lungs, nasal passages, eyes, and gut are lined with a mucus membrane.  The mucus membrane associates with lymphatic tissue.  The lymphatic tissue is our first defense to disease and is lined with numerous defenses to protect the body from foreign invaders.  One such defense is the antibody.   Those with autoimmune disease are familiar with the word antibody.  In autoimmune disease such as MS, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), or Graves’ Disease, the body produces an antibody that mistakenly attacks ‘self’; in MS, an antibody attacks the Myelin Sheath that protects the nerves, in RA antibodies attack the synovial sac lining the joint and in Graves’ Disease, antibodies can disrupt thyroid function; studies abound determining the route source of autoimmune disease, from virus, heavy metals, vaccines, altered body pH, excessive free-radicals, genetics and more.  Regardless, the route cause still remains a mystery.

When I learned of the GALT and studied its function and development 16 years ago, I asked myself a question we should all ask.  Medicine today treats all autoimmune disease and overactive immune conditions with chemicals to suppress the immune system such as corticosteroids or chemotherapy, but why is the immune system overactive in the first place?  It was then that I considered the GALT connection.  The GALT is supposed to be teaming with antibodies; however, antibodies in the lymphatic tissue that is outside the body, such as in the lungs, nasal passages and intestinal tract behave very differently than antibodies within the body, meaning in the blood and tissue.  Antibodies inside the body target a protein and forever attack, unfortunately, the protein attacked in autoimmune disease may be a part of our body.  Conversely, antibodies in the GALT identify a foreign protein and cloak, degrade and destroy the protein BEFORE it is seen by the internal immune system.  When I understood this, I knew I should learn how to increase antibodies in the GUT.

Further study revealed that not just probiotics but something called oligosaccharides affected numbers of Gut antibodies called sIgA; the more oligosaccharides, the more sIgA.  It appeared that when there was an abundance of sIgA, disease was lessened.  Therefore, I searched for the source of oligosaccharides and healthy gut bacteria because I knew that it directly affected the immune system and that is when I identified the importance of maternal inoculation or what I refer to as ‘first-life’.  In the previous column, I stated that an infant within the womb is in a sterile environment; there are no bacteria.  However, during the birthing process, baby is exposed to bacteria while passing through the birth canal.  Interestingly, bacteria in the mother’s birth canal are very similar to bacteria in the mother’s gut.  Therefore, if mom were exposed to numerous antibiotics, stress, high-sugar diet, or heavy metals to name a few, and was unaware of the need to restore or recolonize the intestinal area, then baby would receive an initial inoculation of bacteria that was inferior and could affect future immune health.  The bacteria presented at birth are the first inoculation the infant’s intestinal tract receives.  An analogy:   baby’s intestinal wall at birth is similar to a piece of barren land that has not been tilled, fertilized, seeded, watered or maintained.  Maternal inoculation of bacteria is similar to spreading grass seed.  The quality of the grass seed is determined by mom’s health and lifestyle history and any attempts to improve and restore her own gut ecology.

Two Inheritances at Birth

Therefore, at birth, baby receives two inheritances:  a genetic inheritance which is a snapshot of who her mother and father were the day they were born, and a microbial inheritance, which is like a time capsule remembering all of mother’s life-health-diet-drug experiences, passing it along to the new-born.  If Mom has a history of stress, or medication, or if she were not optimally maternally inoculated, then her inoculation is compromised.   Again, Mom gives what she’s got at the moment of her baby’s birth—no more, no less.   C-section rates have risen dramatically.  What a shame, without the passage through the birth canal, the child misses out on her ‘first-life’.  Once the inoculation occurs, the way a child is fed will determine the quality of the development of gut bacteria, GALT and the immune system.  When the baby is born and its intestinal wall is sterile; the GALT is thin and immature, as is the baby’s immune system. Breast milk and proper colonization of beneficial bacteria in the gut ensures the maturation of the GALT and thus the immune system.

Join me in the next column where developing the initial inoculation is presented.

Debi Waldeck is author of Saving ‘Generation Next’, Forever Young and Vibrant and The Currency of Thought.  Find Debi at www.debiwaldeck.com, like her on Facebook/debiwaldeck and follow her on Twitter/debiwaldeck.

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