Hello, and Thank You for Reading Along!

So do you see the conflict we have between our Paleo Man genetic design and our modern-day world? What’s a caveman to do?!?

As promised in the last blog, let’s talk about…

The Gut Microbiome

As we evolved we grew up in a world full of microbes, and as such, we developed an immune system to handle any unsavory, microbial customers, and a symbiotic relationship with those bugs to which we owe our very existence!

That population of bugs in our gastro-intestinal systems is called the Gut Microbiome, and as will be seen in the next several blogs, it does amazing things for each of us!

So, Are You a Man, a Mouse, or Bacteria?

Did you know that of all the cells that comprise the human body, only 10% of them are uniquely human cells? The remaining 90% are considered microbes- mostly bacteria.

Some researchers have gone so far as to consider the human body as nothing more than a bacterial transport vessel!

Amazing!

If you are interested in learning more, here is a Ted Talk Video you can watch entitled Microbiome: Gut Bugs and You, by Warren Peters

Pretty interesting stuff!

To offer a brief synopsis, the human body, genetically speaking, has around 26,000 genes.  That sounds like a lot until one realizes that the typical rice plant has 46,000 genes- a rice plant is genetically superior to the human body!

However, when one factor in the genetic components of our gut microbiomes, that is the bacteria in our gastrointestinal systems, adds an additional 100,000 genes to our 26,000 for a total of 126,000 genes! Yea, we win!

It makes a person wonder; what’s the point of trying to map out our human genome when it is mostly bacterial genes?

Another interesting point made by Dr. Peters is when otherwise healthy mice were fed a diet of artificial sweeteners; within a few weeks, the mice became obese and diabetic. One would expect this to be the case; BUT, when another set of healthy mice, not fed any artificial sweeteners, were implanted with fecal matter and the gut microbiome of the obese and diabetic mice- they became obese and diabetic as well!

As will be seen later, one’s gut microbiome has not only a huge influence on a person’s physical health but their mental and neurologic health as well.

While those are fascinating facts, here’s the real kicker; much like each of us, our gut microbiomes follow circadian rhythms, meaning they are controlled by the clocks of not only their “bodies” but our bodies as well! This would take a tremendous amount of coordination.

Here’s something I bet you didn’t know- unless I already told you and forgot that I did…, tonight when you go to sleep there will be a “bloom” of certain bacteria in your guts that will work with your body as it sleeps and repairs itself. By the time you awake, these bugs will have died off, and another bloom of different bugs will grow and help your body during those hours you are awake, along with all of its many processes, not the least of which is digesting the foods you eat.

As the day becomes night yet another bloom of bugs will arise and help transition the body from being awake and active, to more restfulness and preparing for sleep.

I cannot emphasize enough that we simply could not live without these gut bugs. Their functions, like all of our bodies’ functions, correlate with circadian rhythms. If you are not sure what this is, please see the last 7 or 8 blogs! LOL!

Alright, well that’s probably enough for now, and you should have a lot to think about and study.

As usual, any questions, or if you need help please do not hesitate to let us know. Paragon Chiropractic is always here to help!

As will be seen in the next blog(s), you will be amazed at all the things our gut microbiomes do for us, and how you can make sure you are cultivating the bugs that will do the most for you!

Take Care,

Dr. Dave

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