Healthy Gut, Happy Life

Did you know that your gut might be your most important organ for overall health? In recent research, intestinal microbiome health has been linked to genetic expression, immune system functionality, weight gain and loss, mental health, memory, and risk factors for chronic disease!

Your gut – or the microbiome – is home to 100 trillion microbes. In fact, it houses more bacteria than cells in the entire body! Though we typically consider bacteria bad, they are critical to overall health! So, why is this essential and large part of the body just coming into light? And how is it responsible for so many vital bodily functions?

Simply, the gut is essential to overall health due to bacteria’s ability to produce hormones and other chemicals. Thanks to scientific advances, these hormones and chemicals can now be tracked and correlated with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, immune disorders, and addiction.

For example, a study from the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases claims that individual health might be damaged when the entire collective bacteria population is altered. When does this happen? When foreign chemicals are introduced into the body and kill, suppress, or alter the bacteria our bodies rely on.

Unfortunately, bacteria and microbes are precisely the target of synthetic pesticides and antibiotics. One round of antibiotics can eliminate up to one third of gut flora, changing the makeup of bacteria – even wiping out beneficial microbes! Pesticides can also negatively affect the gut. One example is DDT. A persistent chemical, DDT traces are still commonly found in humans, even though it has been banned for commercial use for years. Glyphosate, the active synthetic chemical in the world’s most common herbicide RoundUp, also inhibits beneficial bacteria growth. When you eat foods covered in synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, they upset bacteria balance. When the balance is upset, the entire body is affected, including mental health status and energy levels. Thus, what you eat really affects your gut and your happiness!

Neem has been used for centuries to promote a healthy gut and digestive environment. Though the exact mechanisms of its positive gut response are unknown, it is known that neem promotes the growth of many beneficial bacteria, while targeting bad bacteria. It is also said that neem promotes healthy digestion through protecting the stomach, and removing toxins and harmful bacteria. Neem can even reduce hydrochloric acid levels in the stomach! Through drinking neem tea or taking neem capsules daily, your body’s ideal bacteria balance can be restored, and you will feel happier, lighter, and be healthier. What are you waiting for?