Remember the Dr. Seuss book “Horton hears a who” Where an elephant goes a bit nutty after discovering the existence of an entire world living in a spec of dust?  This is how I imagine our microbiome to be, an entire universe of crazy looking Seussian characters co-habitating the spec of dust that is our gut, skin and mouths.  That’s right folks, despite our best 2020 inspired OCD hygiene efforts we are literally crawling with bugs, and it’s fabulous!  Like any civilization our microbiome plays host to thousands of organisms, from average joe’s to attention seeking heroes and villains unwittingly impacting everything from our immune system to our emotional health.  The influence of our micro-bacteria societies are so complex and far reaching that scientists are only scratching the surface of understanding the important role they play in our health.  After decades of focusing our attention on the eradication of bad bacteria we missed the incredibly crucial role good bacteria (which we were accidentally annihilating as well) play in our immune health.

YOu can now learn exactly who is living in your own spec of dust

I’m excited to have teamed up with Microbiome labs to offer an incredibly in-depth Biomfx stool test. These take home tests utilize some of the most advanced and accurate sequencing technologies to give us a complete picture not only of the bacterial characters you’ve got onboard, but of the specific metabolic functions affected by your very own colony.

And you thought you were in control (haha)

Aspects of your health actually critically influenced by your microbiome: 

• Allergies: Seasonal and food.

• All aspects of digestive health; crohns, IBS, candida, etc..

• Cardiovascular health: heart disease, high blood pressure ect..

• Diabetes: the mirobiome has a direct influence the metabolism of lipids and glucose.

• Depression: The gut-brain axis via the Vagus nerve shows a direct link with depression and gut dysbiosis.

• Autoimmune disease : Leaky gut plays a major role in all autoimmune diseases, so whether you’ve got Hashimotos, celiacs, lupus, rheumatiod arthritis, ect..

• Addiction: Gut bacteria influence neurologic pathways involved in addiction: see this Study.

• Obesity: Probiotic supplementation was shown to increase weight loss in this study.

• Cancer: While certain microbes are believed to be linked to cancer risk by modifying DNA, specific probiotics are being used to treat certain types of cancer.

• Arthritis: Due to inflammation caused by microbial dysbiosis.  

• Immune system: The key to our immune system lies in the gut health, diverse microbiomes have been linked to healthy immune systems in several studies.

• Neurodegenerative disease: Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s. Recent studies have shown a high percentage of Parkinson’s patients to have a history of H-pylori, crohns or IBS. The Vagus nerve which connects the digestive system to the brain is thought to carry alpha-synuclein pathology from the ENS directly to the brain where it causes neurodegenerative disease. Check out this study for more info.

It’s a well researched fact that the more abundant and diverse our microbiome, the healthier we are likely to be. The moment we’re born we pick up bacteria from our mother’s birth canal (“that’s disgusting mom!” -my daughter’s response to this fun fact) and continue to diversify our microbiome through breastfeeding as our mother’s milk produces the bacterial antidote to different pathogens that we acquire as infants (see? Your mom really does have super powers).  As we toddle barefoot in the backyard introducing every object we meet to the depths of our mouths, play with pets or eat dirt, we further equip our immune system with beneficial bacteria.  In fact, several studies show that children who grow up in homes with dogs are far less likely to develop respiratory or ear infections than those without. It turns out that man’s best friend is your gut’s best friend too.  In my Master’s program, the biology teacher informed us that children who grow up in homes with three or more pets tend to have healthier immune systems.  I took this advice to an extreme, as we’ve always had two dogs and a cat, plus an endless stream of chickens and foster kittens and puppies.  Our tendency as a culture however is to shelter our babies from germs, keeping them safe from the threat of sickness in the hyper-santized sanitariums of our homes.  This well intended, protective kind of parenting can often backfire however as studies show that children who grow in more sterile environments tend to develop greater environmental sensitivities or allergies.  

The more we sanitize and sterilize our homes the less happy our microbiomes can become, so while your neighbor’s squeaky clean kitchen may make you feel inadequate, just know that you’re likely outshining her in the gut bacteria department.  Our collective endeavor for cleanliness has gone a bit overboard with anti-bacterial everything and the overuse of antibiotics and other medications along with an overall indoor inclined culture.  Our very necessary efforts to thwart the spread of COVID through isolation, sanitization and mask wearing over the last year has likely taken a  bit of a toll on our gut bacteria, but desperate times call for desperate measures and there are several ways for us to keep our good bacteria on board. 

7 tips for supersizing your microbes:

1. Get a comprehensive look at your microbiome inhabitants with specific supplementation recommendations on how to bring them into balance with a biomfx test at the clinic.

2. Get a pet (or three), dogs are great because they get you outside and carry a wealth of mostly beneficial bacteria in their slobbery kisses.  Dogs and cats also pick up microbes on their feet and transfer them to your skin when you rub them.  

3. Choose hand washing over hand sanitizing whenever it’s an option and avoid the antibacterial soap.  Hand washing is always a great idea and won’t kill off those good bugs. 

4. Eat local and organic.  Local fruits and veggies from the farmers market are packed with pre-biotics from the soil. 

5. Get pinned:  Acupuncture has been shown in several studies to modify the microbiome by inhibiting bad bacteria while encouraging the growth of good bacteria, resulting in a more efficient metabolism and reduction in depression and anxiety via stimulation of the vagus nerve or gut-brain axis. 

6. Supplement:  choosing the right digestive enzymes and probiotics can be a hassle, I’m here to help.  When your digestion is on the fritz, chances are you’re unwittingly flushing your vitamins and herbs down the drain, the right digestive aids can remedy all your digestive woes and have you assimilating and reaping the benefits of your pricey supplements.

7. Ramp up your microbe friendly foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, Kim chi and anything pickled while also increasing pomegranates, dark cocoa, red wine, blueberries and green tea. 

Forget every misconception you’ve ever had about Cannabis, forget the preconceived notion that Medical Marijuana is simply an excuse for people to get high without being hassled. Leave your stereotypes of bong rips and the Grateful Dead at the door because the Cannabis that we are about to dive into has nothing to do with the munchies or macrame and everything to do with cutting edge pharmacology. Scientific and clinical studies increasingly show exciting new potential for this incredible and ancient medicine and its significant benefits for those who suffer with severe neurological disease, auto-immune issues and chronic pain. The Cannabis discussed here can have profound and life changing implications in the treatment of your Mother’s Parkinson’s, your brother’s anxiety and your son’s autism. It can hold the key to getting off those dangerous opioids for your back pain and offer serious relief for your friend’s arthritis.

The medical benefits of Cannabis are already profound despite the recent discovery of phytocannabinoids that its difficult to capture them all in one blog post, therefore, bear with the length of this post and stand by for future articles on specific health benefits. For now, let us begin with the endocannabinoid system.

Endoca-what?!

You’ve heard of the nervous, vascular, and lymphatic systems of the body, but have you ever heard of the endocannabinoid system?  The Endocannabinoid system was only recently discovered by scientists in Israel in 1982 and has been found to play a vital role in maintaining a state of homeostasis.  It basically acts as a thermostat for most of the body’s other systems, including immune, nervous, endorphin and vanilloid systems (controlling pain receptors), and works to keep them in balance, much like Acupuncture.  This video does a great job of explaining it. https://www.facebook.com/pg/MeganlottAcupuncture/reviews/?ref=page_internal

So where do the CBD’s come in?

Over the centuries, THC; the one psycho-active component of cannabis has received all of the attention for its mind altering high.  However, scientists have only just discovered the over-looked and incredibly powerful phytocannabinoid; CBD. CBD works by indirectly stimulating the endocannabinoid system and by binding with receptors in the brain like serotonin which directly influence depression, gene expression, anti-cancer and osteoprotective effects.  CBD’s act as self regulatory adaptogens, helping to bring the body into harmony. There are at least 111 different phytocannabinoids that we know of in Cannabis yet we’ve only discovered 10% of their pharmacological effects.

what pharmacological effects DO we know of?

So far, clinical and laboratory tests show CBD’s to have the following benefits:

Anti-cancer, anti-proliferative, anti-emetic (nausea and vomiting), anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-diabetic, anti-psoriatic, anti-diahreal, analgesic, bone stimulant, immunosuppresive, anti-ishemic, anti-spasmodic, vasorelaxant, neuroprotective, anti-epileptic, anti-tumor, anti-psychotic, axiolytic and that it turns white fat into brown fat.  

Other phytocannabinoids found in the plant have the additional effects of; appetite suppression, antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-microbial, analgesic, all while increasing a state of well being, euphoria and pleasure.  

How Can CBD’s benefit me?

Here’s the short list of possible health issues that may be helped by Medicinal Cannabis:

ADHD, Addiction, ALS, ALzheimers, MRSA and Staph infections, anxiety, arthritis, asthma, autism, autoimmune disorders, cancer, concussions and traumatic brain injuries, depression, diabetes, eating disorders, IBS, migraine, MS, nausea, neurodegenerative diseases; Parkinson's, Huntingtons, pain, PTSD, schitzophrenia, seizures, skin conditions; psoriasis, acne, dermatitis,stress,  insomnia and sleep apnea.

Where does Acupuncture come in?

Like Cannabis, Acupuncture is found to also have a direct effect on the endocannabinoid system and has been used for thousands of years to induce and maintain a state of homeostasis and balance.  In fact, Cannabis was once cited as an empirical herb in Chinese Medicine prior to it’s prohibition. Acupuncture and CBD’s compliment each other by enhancing and amplifying each other’s effectiveness.  

Hemp CBD’s

While CBD’s work best with at least a trace amount of THC (which acts like a key to unlocking cannabinoid receptors), as little as 0.3% or less can often do the trick, which makes hemp CBD’s so appealing.  You see, Hemp contains so little THC that it has zero psychotropic effect (it will not get you high), but just enough to help the beneficial plant compounds like CBD get to their desired receptors in the brain. This means that you can travel with Hemp products and take them without fear of suddenly getting the munchies or spending an hour examining your hand while contemplating every poor choice you’ve made in life.

How can I integrate CBD’s into my health plan?

Finding the right dosage, delivery system, strain and  ratio of phytocannabinoids can be incredibly complicated, though there have been no cases of overdoses with Cannabis, too little or too much of this potent medicine can result in diminished or sub-optimal effect.  Add to that the fact that the recent popularity of CBD’s has resulted in flooding of the market with some seriously inferior companies. Because hemp has been used solely for agricultural purposes for centuries, there are a number of producers who source their hemp from inferior agricultural strains which are very low in the potent phytocannabinoids necessary for medicinal purposes.  Additionally, there are several producers who source their hemp from farms which use pesticides.

Fear not, I’ve got your endocannabinoid’s back!

Durango Acupuncture Clinic is proud to offer a wide array of heavily vetted, vigorously tested organic and pure Hemp based CBD products.  I’ve undergone some serious research to find the most potent medicinal Hemp strains and easily assimilated delivery systems for this incredible medicine and am happy to help you find the right dosage and strength for your particular health challenge.  You can simply ask for suggestions at your next appointment or schedule a CBD consultation with me online. Should you require a stronger THC ratio, I can help to steer you toward specific strains and delivery systems at local dispensaries as well.