Cultivate Your Intestinal Flora : )
I've just read an interesting article in a paper.
In 2008, according to the article, a woman got a
serious gut infection of Clostridium difficile.
She had a constant diarrhea, which left her in a
wheel chair with diapers.
She lost 60 pounds in 8 months, and “could have
died” , an gastroenterologist at Minesota University
said.
The doctor treated her with an assortment of
antibiotics, but nothing could stop the bacteria.
Then, he decided that she needed a “transplant”.
Transplant of intestinal bacteria!
He mixed a small sample of her husband’s stool with
saline solution, and delivered it into her colon.
Amazingly, her diarrhea stopped in a day, and the
Clostridium difficile infection disappeared as well!
Before the transplant, they found, her gut flora was
in desperate state.
“The normal bacteria just didn’t exist”, the doctor
said.
“She was colonized by all sorts of misfit.”
Our body consists of about 6 billion cells.
And there seem to be 10 times more microbes in our
body than our own cells.
Now doctors and scientists are focusing on the
potential power and effect of all these microbes on
our body, and hoping to develop “pills” which
contains different bacteria to treat different kinds of
illnesses.
* full story, the new york times, 7/13/10, science
section.
Well, it sounds good if they really develop such pills.
But we don’t need to wait for , or spend lots of money
on such scientific development.
We can cultivate our healthy own intestinal flora by
eating certain food and not eating some others.
The foods that disturb the good balance of
intestinal flora
When we digest food, it not only nourishes us, but
also feeds the bacteria in the intestines.
Animal food such as meat, poultry, eggs, dairy and
refined food, sugar, all feed so called “bad bacteria”,
and disturb the healthy balance of intestinal flora.
They thrive on those foods, produce toxic gas, wipe
out “friendly bacteria”, and make room for more bad
ones.
This condition makes us susceptible to intestinal
problems (disturbed digestive function), infectious
diseases and all sorts of health challenges.
I assume that the woman’s eating habit was more or
less “modern, American diet”.
The foods that increase friendly bacteria
Naturally fermented foods, such as miso, soy sauce,
natto, tempeh, umeboshi plum, sauerkraut and other
pickles lead to the production of lactic acid in the
colon, feeds and nourishes friendly bacteria, and
cultivate healthy flora in our intestinal environment.
Whole grains, vegetables, sea vegetables also help
produce lactic acid , as well as cleanse excess bad
bacteria thanks to the high fiber content.
Eating those foods everyday is the surest, safest
and cheapest way for the overall health and wellness.
And doesn’t that sound better than transplanting
somebody’s stool into your gut?
I've just read an interesting article in a paper.
In 2008, according to the article, a woman got a
serious gut infection of Clostridium difficile.
She had a constant diarrhea, which left her in a
wheel chair with diapers.
She lost 60 pounds in 8 months, and “could have
died” , an gastroenterologist at Minesota University
said.
The doctor treated her with an assortment of
antibiotics, but nothing could stop the bacteria.
Then, he decided that she needed a “transplant”.
Transplant of intestinal bacteria!
He mixed a small sample of her husband’s stool with
saline solution, and delivered it into her colon.
Amazingly, her diarrhea stopped in a day, and the
Clostridium difficile infection disappeared as well!
Before the transplant, they found, her gut flora was
in desperate state.
“The normal bacteria just didn’t exist”, the doctor
said.
“She was colonized by all sorts of misfit.”
Our body consists of about 6 billion cells.
And there seem to be 10 times more microbes in our
body than our own cells.
Now doctors and scientists are focusing on the
potential power and effect of all these microbes on
our body, and hoping to develop “pills” which
contains different bacteria to treat different kinds of
illnesses.
* full story, the new york times, 7/13/10, science
section.
Well, it sounds good if they really develop such pills.
But we don’t need to wait for , or spend lots of money
on such scientific development.
We can cultivate our healthy own intestinal flora by
eating certain food and not eating some others.
The foods that disturb the good balance of
intestinal flora
When we digest food, it not only nourishes us, but
also feeds the bacteria in the intestines.
Animal food such as meat, poultry, eggs, dairy and
refined food, sugar, all feed so called “bad bacteria”,
and disturb the healthy balance of intestinal flora.
They thrive on those foods, produce toxic gas, wipe
out “friendly bacteria”, and make room for more bad
ones.
This condition makes us susceptible to intestinal
problems (disturbed digestive function), infectious
diseases and all sorts of health challenges.
I assume that the woman’s eating habit was more or
less “modern, American diet”.
The foods that increase friendly bacteria
Naturally fermented foods, such as miso, soy sauce,
natto, tempeh, umeboshi plum, sauerkraut and other
pickles lead to the production of lactic acid in the
colon, feeds and nourishes friendly bacteria, and
cultivate healthy flora in our intestinal environment.
Whole grains, vegetables, sea vegetables also help
produce lactic acid , as well as cleanse excess bad
bacteria thanks to the high fiber content.
Eating those foods everyday is the surest, safest
and cheapest way for the overall health and wellness.
And doesn’t that sound better than transplanting
somebody’s stool into your gut?
Atomic bomb and Miso soup
Miracle power of miso
Aside from the rich beneficial bacteria, miso has been
proven to protect us from radiation since the first
atomic bomb dropped in Japan in 1945.
In the decades since then, scientists have confirmed
that miso (as well as sea vegetables) help protect the
body from radiation by binding and discharging
radioactive elements.
At the time of the world's first plutonium atomic
bombing, on August 9, 1945, two hospitals were
literally in the shadow of the blast, about one mile from
the epicenter in Nagasaki.
American scientists declared the area totally
uninhabitable for 75 years.
At University Hospital 3000 patients suffered greatly
from leukemia and disfiguring radiation burns.
This hospital served its patients a modern fare of
sugar, white rice, and refined white flour products.
Another hospital was St. Francis Hospital, under the
direction of Shinichiro Akizuki, M.D.
Although this hospital was located even closer to the
blast's epicenter than the first, none of the workers or
patients suffered from radiation sickness.
Dr. Akizuki had been feeding his patients and workers
brown rice, miso soup, vegetables and seaweed every
day.
The Roman Catholic Church—and the residents of
Nagasaki—called this a modern day miracle.
Meanwhile, Dr. Akizuki and his co-workers disregarded
the American warning
* more about "Protecting from Radiation", click here
Miracle power of miso
Aside from the rich beneficial bacteria, miso has been
proven to protect us from radiation since the first
atomic bomb dropped in Japan in 1945.
In the decades since then, scientists have confirmed
that miso (as well as sea vegetables) help protect the
body from radiation by binding and discharging
radioactive elements.
At the time of the world's first plutonium atomic
bombing, on August 9, 1945, two hospitals were
literally in the shadow of the blast, about one mile from
the epicenter in Nagasaki.
American scientists declared the area totally
uninhabitable for 75 years.
At University Hospital 3000 patients suffered greatly
from leukemia and disfiguring radiation burns.
This hospital served its patients a modern fare of
sugar, white rice, and refined white flour products.
Another hospital was St. Francis Hospital, under the
direction of Shinichiro Akizuki, M.D.
Although this hospital was located even closer to the
blast's epicenter than the first, none of the workers or
patients suffered from radiation sickness.
Dr. Akizuki had been feeding his patients and workers
brown rice, miso soup, vegetables and seaweed every
day.
The Roman Catholic Church—and the residents of
Nagasaki—called this a modern day miracle.
Meanwhile, Dr. Akizuki and his co-workers disregarded
the American warning
* more about "Protecting from Radiation", click here
Whole Life with Jin