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September 23 2020

Your Gut & Cortisol

Mardell Hill News #depression, #diet, #exercise, #gut, #health, #sleep, #weightloss, anxiety, brain, Colon Health, cortisol, culturedfood, emotions, enviornmental, food, genetics, hormones, IBS, immune, immunity, leakygut, moodiness, nutrition, probiotics, ptsd, trauma, water

Your gut contains trillions of microbial bacteria as well as yeasts, parasites, viruses, protozoa and archaea. It is more than 80% of your immune system. So, what does that have to do with the brain? Everything! The gut bacteria produce mood-regulating neurotransmitters that affect the chemistry of the brain and, ultimately your moods.

Cortisol (corticosterone) is one of the 20% “bad bacteria” that forms in the gut. Think, fight or flight hormone. Increased cortisol output creates decreased digestive functions. Not only can it interrupt “positive” brain hormones, affecting your moods, but creates gut imbalances, reducing immune system response. Simply stated, there is no mistake in the saying, “Listen to your gut”. It will help you reduce the “ping-pong” effect from the brain to gut cortisol reactions. Here are some symptoms that may occur with elevated cortisol/stress levels:

IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
Anxiety
Depression
Leaky-Gut
Decreased “good” gut bacteria
Decreased brain serotonin & tryptophan
Irritability
Impulsiveness
Moodiness
Fear
Susceptibility to illness
Nutritional deficiencies

For more on information on gut issues, read: Intestinal Health ~ A Practical Guide to Complete Abdominal Comfort http://amzn.to/2ckb2Mm

A Cortisol “event” many be triggered by any of the following:

Hyper vigilance
Life events
Emotions
Poor diet
Environmental factors
Early-life traumas
Genetic factors
Medical procedures

Ultimately, the short and simple solution to maintaining a healthy gut and brain homeostasis is to regulate stress levels (lower cortisol), build your gut bacteria and the immune system. Here are some ideas you may incorporate:

Reduce high-fat diet
Increase Probiotics, Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus, & Bacteroides
Improved healthy diet with cruciferous vegetables, fish, fruits, low fat meats and fibrous grains.
Increased cultured and fermented foods, such as yogurt, Kim chi, & sauerkraut.
Taking pre-biotics and pro-biotics
Increase water intake
Chew your food completely to ensure proper digestion & absorption
Quiet your mind with meditation, naps, and restful periods
Reduce sugar intake to reduce glucose levels and inflammation
Treat any pathogens & “bad” microbes with “good” cultures and herbicides
Reduce any toxic environmental stressors
Reduce antibiotic use
Improve personal hygiene
Exercise regularly
Consistent sleep patterns of deep, restful sleep

Keep in mind that long-term wear and tear of the brain-gut connection, via frequent cortisol responses, may weaken your intestinal lining. In turn, this weakens the blood barrier allowing the “bad” bacteria, pathogens, and microbes to enter your blood stream, causing mental and physical instabilities.

Quiet your mind to quiet your gut and support your gut to quiet your mind. Now, you will reap the benefits of looking, living, feeling, and acting better!

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July 29 2020

Are You Risking Your Health?

Mardell Hill News #diet, #digestion, #gut, #health, #sleep, #vegetables, #weightloss, abdominal comfort, bowel movements, colon cancer, Colon Health, diabetes, food, gutbacteria, healthy, immunity, lifestyle, lose weight, probiotics, weight loss

Are you risking your health with poor eating habits? Do your eating habits include too much sodium, processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, sugary sweets, junk food and unprocessed red meat? If so, insufficient intake of nourishing foods and high intake of these poor nutrition foods, may have adverse effects on your health. These problems include obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and stroke, type-2 diabetes, osteoporosis, just to name a few.

Poor nutrition may initially lead to fatigue, stress, and sedentary lifestyle. Over time it may lead to many “diseases”, illnesses, and other health problems, such as:

being overweight or obese
tooth and gum decay
high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke
high cholesterol and liver disease
type-2 diabetes
osteoporosis
some cancers
depression and/or anxiety
reduced brain function
and eating disorders.

More healthy information: Intestinal Health ~ A Practical Guide to Complete Abdominal Comfort http://amzn.to/2ckb2Mm

It is never too late to make a change. Make lifestyle changes by switching to eating a healthy diet full of:

Fruits
Vegetables
whole grains
polyunsaturated fats
fat-free or low-fat dairy products
nuts and seeds
seafood rich in omega-3 fats
eggs
lean meats
poultry
fish
beans

Additionally, getting active with sports, walking, or other physical activity will help you get fitful sleep. It is a fact that changing your eating habits will improve your health.

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June 10 2020

Where Does Anger Go?

Mardell Hill News #alcohol, #angry, #ayurvedic, #detoxification, #diet, #digestion #relax #massage, #exercise, #frustration, #gut, #health, #liver, #massage, #mentalhealth, #relax, #sleep, #therapy, food, immunity

Feeling angry? It is normal for us to feel anger for one reason or another, from time to time. However, becoming angry frequently or constantly for a duration of time may have ill effects on your body, especially the liver. Yes, the liver, according to Chinese and Ayurvedic medical practices, is the organ associated with emotional anger.

Located in the lower right quadrant of the abdomen under the ribcage, the liver does more than 700 daily functions on behalf of our wellbeing. One of the three “vital organs” of the body. Many of these functions include glycogen storage, decomposition of red blood cells (blood cleansing), plasma protein synthesis, hormone, and cholesterol production, supporting the digestive process, contributing to healthy nutrient absorption, detoxification, and your immune function. More details about liver function may be found on pages 77-86 Intestinal Health ~ A Practical Guide to Complete Abdominal Comfort http://amzn.to/2ckb2Mm

Now that we know how important the liver is to our health, can extended or frequent frustration, rage, or aggravation ultimately cause liver problems? Yes, not only can it upset our digestive processes, but may cause headaches or dizziness, belching or bowel issues. These may be an indication of poor liver function.

While there are “other” means of degradation to the liver, such as toxins, fat, hormones, viruses, parasites, or gallbladder congestion, to name a few, this article is addressing anger specifically relating to the liver and how to support your liver better. How to better care for your liver and, ultimately reduce anger:

Daily fruits and vegetables, especially greens. Such as Kale, beets, avocado, lemon, apples, cherries, artichokes, and olive oil.
Avoid alcohol, drugs, fried, fatty, and smoked foods.
Avoid angry outbursts. Get professional help as needed.
Exercise 4-5 times per week. Practice stress reduction, such as yoga or meditation.
Supplement your diet with milk thistle, dandelion root, or a store bought or medical providers liver health blend.
Avoid toxic exposure via air, water & touch.
Drink ½ your body weight in water daily.

Overall health begins in the liver. Do not wait until it is close to failure. Amazingly, the liver may regenerate itself completely!

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March 16 2020

Immune Health Starts with Gut Health

Mardell Hill News #alcohol, #diet, #digestion, #exercise, #gut, #health, #hobby, #laughter, #loseweight, #massage, #music, #relax, #sleep, #socializing, #stress, #weightloss, cancer, chewing, colon, food, immune, immunity, leakygut, relaxation

It’s simple, improve your digestive system, the entire thirty feet, from mouth to the other end, the exit and you improve your immune system. Yes, that’s correct, the digestive tract, or gastrointestinal tract, is over 70% of your immune system.

Making it easy, there’s a blend of hormones, good bacteria and specialized plasma immune cells that excrete antibodies. All three of these join forces to build and defend our bodies directly from the digestive tract. This interaction helps us resist against disease. In other words, our immune system directly communicates with the gut microbes and the good bacteria combats disease and pathogens as well as contributing to the development of good gut or digestive structure.

However, when the good gut bacteria become too low, called dysbiosis, it may lead to an inflammatory response, such as:

Celiac
IBS (inflammatory bowel syndrome)
IBD (inflammatory bowel disease)
Cancer
Food Allergies
Leaky Gut – defective barrier of the intestinal lining

To sum it up, when your good bacteria gets too far off-balance, dysbiosis, your immune system becomes compromised.

Learn More: Intestinal Health ~ A Practical Guide to Complete Abdominal Comfort http://amzn.to/2ckb2Mm

The following are some factors that interfere with digestive balance:

Lack of sleep or lack of deep sleep
Lack of proper, balanced nutrition
Sluggish digestion
Sedentary lifestyle
Exposure to toxic chemicals and carcinogens
In some cases, medications (prescription or over the counter)

The following are some factors that help create digestive homeostasis:

Drinking plenty of clean water daily
Eating a balanced, nutritional diet rich in fiber and healthy oils (low saturated fats)
Chewing your food completely assists in proper nutrient absorption and peristalsis action – Micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) needs are met by a variety in diet, including fruits, vegetables, and grains.
Regular exercise
Reduce stress and worry
Getting plenty of regular, deep sleep
Maintaining a healthy body weight
Laughing every day
Being calm and quiet, breathing slowly, more quietly, and more regularly
Reducing exposure to chemicals
Avoiding smoking and minimizing or omitting alcoholic beverages
Controlling your blood pressure
Avoiding infections by washing hands frequently and cooking meats thoroughly
Getting regular medical screenings
And, keep your bowels moving daily and clean out as needed

Let’s look at ways you can improve your digestive tract with simple daily changes:

Eating probiotic foods
Increasing fiber intake
Increasing Omega-3 fatty acids
Exercise
Enough sleep
Lowering stress levels
Try dietary changes, such as gluten free
And, chewing your food to ensure your bowels move regularly

Keeping your immune system, your gastrointestinal tract, healthy and full of good bacteria. This may not only may prevent serious autoimmune diseases, but also the common cold and seasonal flu.

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January 21 2020

Stress and Digestion

Mardell Hill News #alcohol, #depression, #diet, #digestion, #exercise, #gut, #health, #hobby, #laughter, #loseweight, #massage, #memory, #music, #relax, #sleep, #socializing, #stress, #weightloss

Holidays aren’t the only stressors these days but may amount to more than you can handle. Recovery may be more than you bargained for…Unfortunately, if the stress is too much for too long, chronic, digestive issues may be the first to express the dissatisfaction.

First, what is stress?

A perceived threat that alters the immune system responses.
Suppression of the digestive system.
Suppression of the reproductive system and growth processes.
Release of the cortisol hormone.
Increased glucose sugar into the bloodstream and increasing brain glucose.
A Surge of adrenaline which increases the heart rate.
Hypothalamus hyperactivity in the brain.
Elevation of blood pressure.

This is all known as the “fight or flight” syndrome. Enough of this fear response and the bodies chemistry slowly changes, altering the brain response that controls fear, motivation and mood, making you feel like you are constantly under attack.

Additional factors that affect your stress levels are:

Genetics of the brain synapsis and dendrites (brain wiring).
Life’s experiences – traumatic events, especially childhood trauma.

Since the digestive tract is more than 70% of our immune system, it seems to be the first and hardest hit with stressors These are the health problems that arise from chronic stress response.:

Digestive problems, including decreased blood and oxygen flow to the stomach, increased inflammation, an imbalance of gut bacteria and cramping, pain, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBD) or Acid Reflux.
Headaches
Anxiety
Heart disease
Depression
Sleep problems
Weight gain
Memory and concentration impairment

More easy-to-use information: Intestinal Health ~ A Practical Guide to Complete Abdominal Comfort http://amzn.to/2ckb2Mm

The brain and gut are in constant communication. This direct relationship causes our gastrointestinal system to be sensitive to emotions and reactions such as stress.

The only answer is to fight back against stress and fear-based reactions. Don’t let stress ruin your life! Practicing stress-management techniques such as:

Exercising,
Avoiding stressors,
Socializing,
Eat a healthy diet – especially foods rich in good bacteria and enzymes,
Read, listen to music or focus on a hobby,
Get a massage or take a yoga class,
Laugh,
Reduce alcohol consumption,
Get adequate sleep,
Or, just relaxing.

Listen to your gut… if you’re having digestive issues, check your stress levels…

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