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Gut health: You’ve seen a lot written about it – but what IS it? And what should you do to preserve (or achieve) it? Neither question is simple. But it’s worth taking the time to find the answers, since an optimally functioning digestive system can pay big health dividends.
What Is Gut Health?
In simple terms, “gut health” refers to how well your digestive system functions. When it’s functioning properly, your gut helps you absorb nutrients from food, stokes your metabolism (the process of turning calories into energy), and effectively eliminates waste from your body. Since the gut also harbors a significant concentration of immune cells and structures, it plays a big role.
In a healthy state, your gut helps you carry out some of the most important processes of life. But when it’s not working at 100%, you can experience a variety of not-so-fun conditions. On the mild end of the spectrum, you might get indigestion, bloating or low energy; on the more severe end, there might be painful inflammatory conditions like Crohn’s Disease or diverticulitis. Some studies even suspect that poor gut health can lead to mood disorders, like anxiety and depression, as well as neurological disorders, like Parkinson’s Disease or nerve pain.
How Do I Keep My Gut Healthy?
Many medical experts believe that the “gut biome” is important in keeping your digestive system performing at its best. The gut biome is the collection of microscopic organisms that reside in your intestines, and can include bacteria, viruses and even parasites. A healthy gut biome is balanced in a way that’s unique to you, with the “good organisms” protecting you from harmful ones.
But the human body isn’t perfect, and external factors can often throw your gut biome off- balance. For example, when you’re stressed, inflammatory microbiota may flourish, causing upset stomach or other symptoms. Infections like the common cold or flu can have similar effects.
There are many things you can do to increase the chances of maintaining a healthy gut even under imperfect conditions. Many medical experts believe that a so-called “microbiome- friendly” diet high in healthy carbohydrates and insoluble fibers can help improve the gut microbiome. Eating probiotic foods like yogurt and kefir are also thought to be helpful. Some studies have even shown that spending time outdoors, where you’re exposed to beneficial microbes, can optimize your gut microbiome.
One of the most common ways that people maintain their gut health, however, is through dietary supplements. These are generally divided into two types:
- Prebiotics, which provide a boost of beneficial substances (usually fiber) aimed at helping the digestive system
- Probiotics, which contain live bacteria and yeasts that add to the microorganisms that are already in your gut.
The Problem With Probiotics
Go to any pharmacy or grocery store, and you’ll likely be faced with shelves full of probiotic supplements, all claiming to be more beneficial or unique than their competitors. However, probiotics aren’t perfect. Many formulations aren’t able to survive the acidic environment of the stomach – rendering any of their beneficial bacteria ineffective. In other cases, the live bacteria in the probiotic supplement dies or weakens after a certain amount of time on the shelf. And treatment with probiotics isn’t a one-time thing – usually, you’ll need to continue taking the supplement indefinitely if you want to maintain those “good bacteria.”
So should you resign yourself to a subpar gut or a lifetime of not-so-great supplements? Not at all! At Bentley Medical & Aesthetics, we’re pleased to offer our patients the Total Gut Restoration protocol by Microbiome Labs.
What Is Total Gut Restoration?
The Total Gut Restoration protocol is a 3-month protocol that supports and restores gut health, unlike other probiotics that often fail to deliver on their promises. Using three unique supplements, Total Gut Restoration improves your digestion by:
- Increasing microbiome diversity
- Supporting the physical structures within the gut
- Improving immune function
In the first step, from Weeks 1 to 12, you’ll recondition your gut with MegaSporeBiotic. A broad-spectrum probiotic that’s 100% spore-based, MegaSporeBiotic promotes microbiome diversity in your gut, allowing beneficial bacteria to flourish. The five bacillus strains within this unique supplement have a biphasic life cycle, allowing them to remain dormant in the harsh environment of your stomach before getting to your large intestine, where they become active and start the colonization process.
From Weeks 5 to 12, you’ll build on MegaSporeBiotic’s reconditioning effect with MegaPre, a Precision Prebiotic made of nondigestible oligosaccharides that feed beneficial gut bacteria and further increase microbial diversity. MegaPre is derived from non-GMO and rBST-free substances, so you can feel good about using it.
In the last phase of Total Gut Restoration – Weeks 9 to 12 – you’ll add MegaMucosa to your supplement intake. This powder-form supplement is specially formulated to promote a healthy mucosal barrier within your gut, protecting you from pathogens and supporting optimal immune function. Rich in immunoglobulins, amino acids and citrus polyphenols, MegaMucosa helps preserve your newly gained gut health so you can maintain the progress you’ve made and support long-term wellness. Dosing is easy – simply mix one scoop of MegaMucosa into 16 ounces of water, and drink once a day.
A variety of clinical studies have shown the products within the Total Gut Restoration protocol to be effective in making positive changes in your gut health. Backed by science, proven to work well, and preferred by patients, this three-dimensional program is a great way to achieve, and maintain, a harmonious digestive system.
Questions about the Total Gut Restoration Protocol? We’re here to help! If you are interested in learning more about our gut health program, please reach out to us at 423-854-9200 to set up a consultation.