The Biome Builder and Dysautonomia
The Gut-Brain axis is an essential consideration of dysautonomia.
The phenomena of a ‘leaky gut’ is real and measurable.
The gut affects the brain while the brain also affects the gut!
The luminal contents of the intestine includes a rich diversity of microscopic life most of which have never been named.
Their function is to metabolise our dietary fibre and produce proteins that are absorbed through the gut wall and utilised throughout our body for many metabolic processes.
Our DNA encodes for around 18,000 proteins but our body contains around 100,000 different proteins. That means we get a lot of very useful stuff from the bugs in our gut. They thrive on fibre. Each type of microbe basically prefers it’s own type of dietary fibre.
Apparently, in our gut, there are trillions of microbes which make up about 200,000 different types.
A healthy gut has these microbes in balance.
Conversely, when the microbial balance is upset, many and varied problems can result. Either from direct irritation to the lining of the bowel or from an incomplete supply of proteins necessary for optimal wellbeing.
It is considered that the Biome is the most relevant consideration for the correction of the Gut in relation to the Gut Brain Axis. The other considerations are the blood and nerve supply to the gut.
To maintain or correct the intestinal microbial balance we need to consider that the huge diversity of microbes require many sources of dietary fibre.
Method 1. The ideal way to feed our microbes is to combine and ingest as many different edible fruits and vegetables as possible. Not a large quantity, but a very large diversity, of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, herbs and spices.
For example: buying one of every type of potato, tomato, pumpkin and green leafy vegetable, especially those you don't like.
Include those you never usually purchase and the unusual vegetables!
Possibly these have a greater chance or likelihood of supplying fibre that you're body has never had before.
To increase our chances of supplying the required fibre, consider shopping for every available fruit and vegetable and blending this into a sludge.
Take 2 tablespoons daily for six weeks utilising this ‘food as medicine’ approach to correct the microbial balance by supplying those missing or diminished levels of diverse dietary fibres.
A method of checking if the microbial balance is likely to be correct is to examine our faeces. It should be brown, snake like and not offensive!
Consistent examination of the faeces is needed to monitor the result.
Method 2. An alternative to the above method, would be to vastly increase the number of dietary ingredients in your daily diet.
A way of doing this is to have a complex muesli combination every couple of days for breakfast.
This is achieved by purchasing two or three different brands of muesli and combining them together and adding extra ingredients of nuts, seeds and fruits, more the better. Aim for 40+ ingredients.
Lunchtime salads - this is the time to consume those foods which don’t lend themselves to cooking, like lettuce, rocket, radish etc. Make up a salad with lots of ingredients.
Obviously seeded bread is better.
For the evening meal once a week make a ‘crockpot’ of all the vegetables herbs and grains that you have at your disposal. Aim for 50+ ingredients.
Consume this 3-4 times during the week. It can be the main part of your meal or just added to another meal. As long as it is regularly consumed over the course of the 6 week period it doesn’t matter how it is done.
For example, throw in one of every type of Tomato, Potato, Pumpkin, Asparagus, Zucchini ,Fennel, Parsnip, Brussel Sprout, Celeriac, Celery, Bok choy, Ginger, Garlic, Onions, Choko, etc include small amounts of things you don't like and those that you would not normally purchase.
Judiciously add almost everything from the spice rack which can easily increase your ingredient list by another dozen or so.
Remember it is not quantity that counts but diversity. If you don’t like an ingredient, just add a small amount of it. Microbes don’t eat much!
Meats and dairy products are not part of the ‘fibre’ issue so eat them as you normally would.
As you would expect, it is claimed that Indigenous people in Africa have 540 different foods, while the western diet has only 240.
Other Gut-Brain Axis considerations.
Gut health has to include the Biome inside it, the blood supply to it and it’s nerve supply, both intrinsic(enteric) and extrinsic(Vagus).
The Blood-Brain Barrier is another important consideration.
Apparently one of the biggest risks to activating brain inflammation (neuroinflammation) is a leaky blood-brain barrier, this is a finely woven mesh of particular immune cells (microglia) and blood vessels that surrounds and protects the brain.
The blood-brain barrier is thought to only transport nano-sized particles in and out as needed, therefore keeping unhealthy chemicals and proteins out ,such as bacteria. However, like the gut, if the blood-brain barrier becomes damaged or “leaky," it will allow chemical and pathogens to enter the brain.
The body’s immune system has a series of checks and balances to turn off inflammation after its immune response. However, the brain's microglia do not have an off-switch. They are easy to over-stimulate and end up creating an an increased inflammatory immune response that causes brain inflammation. This cell-damaging rampage can last for the entire lifespan, speeding brain degeneration in the process.
Neuroinflammation has immediate and long-term consequences
In the short-term, neuroinflammation immediately makes neurons fire more slowly, leading to:
Brain fog
Slower mental speed
Poor recall
Slower reflexes
Another immediate consequence of neuroinflammation is that it reduces energy production in the cells and brain endurance plummets leading to conditions such as limited endurance for reading, driving, or mental tasks, or you have depression, you may be experiencing compromised brain endurance due to neuroinflammation.
It is thought that longer term consequence of chronic neuroinflammation is cell death and the development of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzeimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.
Some of the reasons for a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier include:
Poor diet
Alcohol
Chronic stress
Systemic inflammation
Elevated glucose and diabetes
Chronic environmental toxic exposure
Elevated homocysteine from B vitamin deficiency
Harmful free-radical compounds, such as pollutants and other toxic compounds
Advanced glycosylated end products (free radicals made during diabetes and high blood glucose when glucose cannot enter the cells)
Even though the blood-brain barrier degrades easily, it also has the potential to regenerate quickly.
For instance, while increased stress damages the blood-brain barrier, normalising stress can allow it to repair.
You can protect your blood-brain barrier and also help it to repair in a number of ways.
Stabilise your blood glucose and cortisol levels by attending to your diet, exercise level and sleep considerations.
Reduce inflammatory triggers such as gluten and other reactive foods until it’s repair is in hand.
Sort out the gut biome as already mentioned.
Boost your antioxidant system with supplements such as Vitamin A, C, E, Zinc Magnesium & Selenium
Support anti-inflammatory mechanisms in the body with
- anti-inflammatory diets like the Ketogenic Diet,
- Vitamin C to bowel tolerance,
- multiple Hyperbaric Oxygen sessions,
CBD oil.
Dietary Fasting
Creatine supplementation 20grams/day. Magnesium 400mg/day, Co-Q10 200mg/day.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Neurofeedback
Brain inflammation is thought to be at the root of many common chronic health issues, from depression to autoimmunity and gut diseases.
Testing the Blood-Brain Barrier can be done with the GABA Challenge.
GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Excess of it causes a feeling of being clam or ‘chilled’. If GABA levels are too low, anxiety, a restless mind, a sense of dread, feelings of overwhelm, and disorganised attention may occur.
GABA is a large molecule that will not go through a healthy Blood-Brain Barrier. So when we ingest a 1/4 teaspoon (1000mg) of it dissolved in water it should have no noticeable effect.
If it does penetrate an unhealthy B-B Barrier then it shows up as a feeling of being ‘calm’ or relaxed. It takes about 2 hours after taking it to show up. Sometimes when the brain cells are ‘delicate’ the effect will be noticeable shortly after ingestion and will last about half an hour. Mostly it takes a couple of hours to have an effect if at all.
At this point of our discourse regarding Dysautonomia we have tackled two big issues. Getting the Biome corrected and establishing the integrity of the Blood Brain Barrier - it is a good start before more Autonomic Nervous System testing which will further elucidate areas of dysfunction.