The importance of intestinal flora and allergy prevention

The importance of intestinal flora and allergy prevention

What comes to mind when you hear the word bacteria? If you are like most people, the thought of disease and plague comes to mind. But did you know that there is such a thing as good bacteria and that your body is full of them? In naturopathic medicine, patients are taught various ways to increase good bacteria, also known as flora, found in your digestive tract and reproductive organs.

Whenever you have an imbalance of the intestinal flora, this leads to frequent problems, such as: B. digestive problems. But before we go into it, let's first discuss what intestinal bacteria do.

Your body's microbiome

You can find colonies of different types of microbes in your intestines and other areas of the body. Each microbiome is unique (similar to a fingerprint). This is determined by various factors such as: B. Your diet, your medical history, where you live, your lifestyle and your ancestry. It is a very complex ecosystem and you will not find anything like it on this planet Earth.

To give some perspective, your body's bacteria outnumber your cells 10 to 1. Viruses outnumber bacteria 10 to 1. So right now your body is filled with over 100 trillion bacteria and a quadrillion viruses.

All organisms in your body are responsible for a specific function necessary to maintain optimal health. For example, your gut flora can improve your immune response and system function and prevent various diseases, including food allergies.

Nowadays, more people suffer from allergies than ever

An epidemic spreads out on earth. Around 15 million Americans live with allergies and every 13th child is plagued by this disease. For this reason, it is recommended to have an allergy test carried out to locate the allergen. As soon as you know what your symptoms cause, you can be treated in a clinic for naturopathic medicine.

The role of intestinal bacteria in protection against allergies

A study in mice found that intestinal flora called clostridia can help prevent your body from developing allergic reactions to foods. What's surprising is that once the numbers of Clostridia bacteria were restored in the mice, the food allergens were reversed.

Further research showed that Clostridia plays an important role in preventing leaky gut syndrome, which occurs when your blood is contaminated with allergens, leading to an immune response. This has led to a number of natural allergy treatment options such as: B. probiotic therapies and SLIT.

There is no definitive answer as to why allergies occur, but modern hygiene and dietary practices are believed to play a significant role in disrupting the natural bacterial composition in your body. These include cesarean sections, high-fat diets, excessive use of antibiotics, and formula feeding babies. According to the results of the University of Chicago's Bunning Food Allergy study, these are the most likely causes of today's increase in allergies.

A disruption of the intestinal flora leads to long-term metabolic problems

Apart from allergies, early disturbance of the intestinal bacteria can also cause problems with their metabolism. In a recently carried out study, infants that were exposed to antibiotics showed problems with obesity. This study was published in Cell and showed that mice that were given antibiotics in the first month of life were 25 percent heavier with increasing age and 60 percent more fat.

Maintaining a healthy microbiome

A change in diet is required if you want to maintain a healthy intestinal bacterial level. For example, you want to exclude grain, sugar, processed and pasteurized foods, chlorinated tap water, GMO and conventionally bred meat products. You can also speak to a naturopathic doctor to learn more about how you can prevent an imbalance of intestinal flora.