How Did This Happen?

Gut and Psychology Syndrome - how does this come about? WHY do I need to follow the GAPS Diet? Here are the 2 main reasons people develop abnormal gut flora:

1. Antiobiotics
2. Other Drugs

These factors can then also have an effect on the gut flora:

1. Diet
2. Disease
3. Stress
4. "Other"

Here is what I suspect in my case - years plus one constant year of nothing but antibiotics followed by years of improper diet. Let me explain:

Growing up,we all use antibiotics. We get sick, our parents want us better, we go to the doctor and more often than not we were given an antibiotic. And then it came about that the entire year before my tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy, I was chronically sick. Tonsillitis - pharyngitis - strep. Each time I would go in, an antibiotic was prescribed. The antibiotic would clear it up, but typically very temporarily. Shortly thereafter, I was sick as a dog again - back on antibiotics.

Dr. Natasha states, "The damage is worse when antibiotics are administered orally and when the course of antibiotic is a lengthy one on a low dose, like the one prescribed for acne, chronic cystitis, chronic ear infection and other chronic infections." She continues to say, "Even when the course of antibiotic is short and the dose is low, it takes different beneficial bacteria in the gut a long time to recover."

Antibiotics have just become a "normal" part of the Western life. But with each new "course" of antibiotic I (we) took/take, the immune system actually becomes more damaged. The antibiotics "have a devastating effect on beneficial bacteria in the human body, not only in the gut but in other organs and tissues as well."

I believe that my 20+ years of improper diet also contributed to my GAPS. While the antibiotics and tonsillectomy stress may have been the main cause of gut "teardown," improper diet certainly did not help." Too many sugary foods and processed carbohydrates increase numbers of different fungi, Candida species in particular, Streptococci, Staphylococci, some Clostridia species, Bacteriods and some aerobic opportunistic bacteria. Processed and sugary carbohydrates (white bread, cakes, biscuits, pastries and pasta) also promote population of the gut with worms and other parasites."

I know what most people are thinking right now, "Yeah right - you eat so healthy." Two points I will make about that:

1.  Growing up, I ate sugar, carbs, cakes and anything else consistently! I never once thought about food, until about a year ago.
2. Even when I did think about food, "healthy" to me was fat free, sugar free. However, typically that meant 100-calorie packs of Oreos. And what that means is fake, artificial, preservatives. 
   

"Healthy eating" is not simply fat free, sugar free or the like. Dr. Natasha says, "Generally, when gut dysbiosis is caused exclusively by poor diet it is usually fairly mild and can be corrected by better eating habits. Unfortunately, in our modern world it is rare not to be exposed to other factors which would also damage your gut flora, antibiotics for example.

So, How Did This Happen? Seems fairly easy to understand how easily this happens, especially in our Modern World.

Next up, The Opportunistic Flora.  

Time to grab a probiotic and head to the gym!