Author Description

All disease begins in the gut ------ Hippocrates Hippocrates said this more than 2,000 years ago, but we're only now coming to understand just how right he was. Research over the past two decades has revealed that gut health is critical to overall health and that an unhealthy gut contributes to a wide range of diseases including diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, autism spectrum disorder, depression, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Many researchers believe that supporting intestinal health and restoring the integrity of the gut barrier will be one of the most important goals of medicine in the 21st century. We hold on to this belief strongly. One important variable that determines our gut health is our gut flora. Our gut is home to about 100 trillion micro-organisms. Amazing isn't it? The human gut contains 10 times more bacteria than all the human cells in the entire body, with over 400 known diverse bacterial species. Science has recently begun to understand the extent of gut flora's role in human health and disease. The gut flora has a myriad of functions including promoting normal gastrointestinal function, providing protection from infection, and regulating metabolism. It is even known that our gut flora comprises more than 75% of our immune system. Because of our modern lifestyle, we have destroyed our gut flora together with the rest of the gut. Factors such as: -Antibiotics and other medications like birth control and NSAIDS -Diets high in refined carbohydrates, sugar, and processed foods -Diet low in fermentable fibers -Dietary toxins like wheat and industrial seed oils that cause leaky gut -Chronic stress -Chronic infections have contributed greatly to distorting our gut flora and gut system This book, therefore, seeks to address these problems, and, give keys to maintaining a healthy, happy gut.