How Probiotics Impact Mental Health
The Gut-Brain Axis
Did you know your gut health can affect your mental health? In this article we'll explore why and see how probiotics impact mental health.
Your body operates as a sophisticated network of interconnected systems, each influencing the others. Disruption in one system inevitably impacts the rest.
The brain and the digestive system might not be the first pair that springs to mind. But, their symbiotic relationship is paramount to overall well-being.
More nerve cells reside in your digestive system than in any other part of your body besides the brain. This facilitates extensive communication between the two. This intricate link is termed the gut-brain axis. To clarify, this connection isn't merely about the brain giving orders to the gut. The connection goes both ways.
Research demonstrates that this communication significantly affects various aspects of health and vitality. The Gut-Brain Axis regulates hunger, digestion, and metabolism. And, surprisingly it also influences mood, behavior, pain perception, stress resilience, immune function, and cognitive abilities.
The Gut Microbiome
Did you know that around half of the cells in your body aren’t even human? In fact, microorganisms like bacteria make up around 56% of the total cells in your body. They’re so small, of course, that this only equates to a small portion of your total mass. That’s not to say that our bodies are being overrun by an army of tiny freeloaders —quite the opposite. They're integral to bodily functions.
Nowhere is their importance more evident than in the gut microbiome. A balanced gut hosts a diverse array of microbial species. Some produce neurotransmitters that directly communicate with the brain via the gut. And, others release chemicals that reach the brain through the bloodstream.
Disruption of the microbiome due to factors like poor diet, hormonal fluctuations, infections, or environmental pollutants exacts a toll on our entire physiology, including the brain and nervous system.
Compelling research and clinical observations have linked disruptions in gut health to various brain disorders, spanning from Parkinson’s and neurodegenerative diseases to depression, stress, Alzheimer’s, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Pre + Probiotics
Fortunately, nature offers solutions to restore balance to our microbiomes: prebiotics and probiotics.
Firstly, prebiotics are indigestible fibers that serve as nourishment for beneficial gut bacteria. By consuming prebiotics, we selectively nurture these beneficial microbes, allowing them to flourish and suppress harmful counterparts.
Probiotics, on the other hand, are live microorganisms—usually beneficial bacteria or yeast—that confer health benefits when consumed in sufficient quantities. They can help replenish and diversify the gut microbiota, bolstering its resilience and functionality. Moreover, probiotics compete with pathogenic bacteria for resources and adhesion sites within the gut, fostering a harmonious microbial ecosystem.
Incorporating both prebiotics and probiotics into our diet or as supplements can bolster beneficial bacteria while suppressing harmful ones. This yields myriad health advantages.
These include, for example, enhanced digestion, fortified immune function, diminished inflammation, and, as highlighted, positive impacts on mental well-being and cognitive function. Thus, you can see how probiotics impact mental health.
Prebiotic fiber comes from certain foods like green bananas, Jerusalem artichokes, etc.
Additional Ways To Protect & Nourish A Healthy Microbiome
Some vitamins and medications also act similarly to prebiotics. For example, it’s been shown by microbiome expert Dr Sabine Hazan that both vitamin C and ivermectin are like miracle grow for bifidobacteria (which are oftentimes dramatically diminished by spike toxicity).
The best sources of healthy probiotics come from a healthy ecosystem, diet, and personal contacts.
A healthy ecosystem would be something like the Amazon rainforest or a regenerative farm. Being outdoors with your hands and feet exposed to healthy soil-based probiotics is associated with much better immune function and general health. Of course, this is difficult to achieve for most in the industrialized West.
As far as diet goes, you can include various probiotic-rich foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, yogurt, and more.
Being around other healthy people means you will also be around their healthy probiotic bacteria. Just shaking hands, tousling some hair, or patting someone on the back can transfer good probiotic microorganisms to you.
So the famous adage you are what you eat could be reformulated for this and other reasons: You are where you live and who you spend time with.
Things To Avoid & Look Out For
As important, if not even more important than exposing yourself to healthy probiotic bacteria, is avoiding unnecessary harm to your beneficial microorganisms by saying no to antibiotics, steroids, NSAIDs, PPIs, and the various toxins (spike protein) and chemicals all around us.
Finally, many people find taking a well-formulated prebiotic/probiotic supplement very beneficial.
What’s most important in identifying a good supplement is ensuring it doesn’t contain strains that are possibly harmful (at least to some people) and doesn’t include possibly harmful inactive ingredients.
An example of the first is Akkermansia Mucunophila, which is marketed as a “keystone” species for a healthy gut. The problem is that although that may be the case for many people, some people may find it harmful as it is also found to be increased in some serious disease states like Parkinsons. Now, we don’t know if it goes up in order to help offset the damage or if it goes up as part of the cause of the damage.
This case really shows how little we understand about the science of probiotics.
An example of a problematic inactive ingredient frequently found in probiotics, as well as almost all other supplements and vitamins, is silicon dioxide.
This is a component of sand that can also be sourced from rice hulls rather than the beach.
Again, Sabine Hazan alerted me to the possible dangers of this ingredient, as it is linked to microbiome toxicity and neurotoxicity. The amounts found in supplement pills are also not insignificant, usually 10-20 mg per capsule, depending on size.
Because of these considerations, we made sure to stick to the safest, generally beneficial probiotic strains and avoid any harmful inactive ingredients.
mygotostack DIGEST [pre+probiotics]
You too, can now experience the restorative power of mygotostack DIGEST [pre+probiotics], meticulously formulated to replenish gut health and counter the effects of stressors like spike infections.
It pairs well with our IMMUNITY [vitamins] supplement, which includes Vitamin C to boost the bifidobacteria.
And if you are suffering from a spikopathy, the best place for comprehensive treatment is mygotodoc.com, where we prescribe holistic protocols that include ivermectin and LDN in titratable doses.
Disclaimer: It's crucial to recognize that the efficacy of prebiotics and probiotics may vary depending on individual factors such as diet, lifestyle, and existing gut health. We advise consulting with a healthcare professional to devise a personalized prebiotic and probiotic regimen tailored to your specific needs.
