Dysbiosis: The formation of a dysfunctional relationship/s between a microorganism/s and its human host.

As is typical of normal pathologic disorders there are signs and symptoms to indicate a problem. The signs and symptoms commonly seen are fever, redness, swelling, induration or lymphadenopathy. Unfortunately, with intestinal dysbiosis there are none of these classic symptoms.  As a clinician I have to look beyond these disease associated characteristics to ferret out the patient’s individualized response to an intestinal microbe imbalance or dysbiosis. The confounding situation for a practitioner is that a particular microbe imbalance in one patient may present with dermatitis while in a different patient same microbe may present as neuropathy or inflammatory arthritis. Often we find that patient’s with an autoimmune or inflammatory disorder is having a pathogenic inflammatory response to a non-pathogenic microbe.

At this point you may ask how does dysbiosis occur.  Good question.  Dysbiosis can occur due to any one, combination of , or all of the following. Let me first add that this is the short list: The Standard American Diet (SAD), antibiotics, over the counter medication such as anti-inflammatory’s (NSAIDS), illicit drugs or excessive ingestion of alcohol.

Let’s single out one factor common to 95% of the population that leads to dysbiosis; The Standard American Diet. SAD is heavily acidic and therefore damaging to the internal environment of the intestine. Short term acidity would not be a problem but it is the habitual indulging in SAD that leads to the following scenario within the intestine. After, let’s say five years of SAD (from ages five to ten to start), it will have altered the Ph to acidic, which will lead to an over growth of unhealthy microbes. Remember unhealthy microbes thrive in a high acid environment. The high acid environment is the first domino in what will now be a long chain of unfortunate events likely leading to pathology. This is within the first decade of your life.

Last month’s newsletter I used an analogy of the brick, mortar and sealant for a basic structural model of the cellular intestinal wall. Let’s elaborate what happens with chronic acidity at the cellular level of the intestine. The brick sealant, being the mucosa, is where healthy bacteria and unhealthy microbes live. In the presence of chronic acidity the gel/mucosa will break down or may actually thicken in the presence of certain microbes, due to both the high acidity and the overgrowth of unhealthy microbes.  Unhealthy microbes will further displace the healthy bacteria by competing for binding sites on the cell wall and by doing so perpetuate an even higher acidic state. At this point it’s the dog chasing its tail. High acid leads to increased microbes, leads to higher acid, leads to more microbes. You get the picture?   Multiply that by another 40 or 50 years of life!!

Beneath the mucosa are the brick and mortar or cells and cell junctions respectively.  The cell junctions called gap junctions are sensitive to Ph imbalance. The gap junctions will, overtime become loose or weak, providing an open door from the inside of the intestine to the inside of your body.  I mentioned last month, the cell lining of the intestine provides protection from pathogens very much the same way our skin does. If the skin is compromised by a cut or laceration, bacteria can enter and infection can occur. The same way the opening of the gap junctions of the intestinal wall allows for bacteria and in worse cases, macromolecules, to cross the intestine into the body cavity. A common term for the lost integrity of gap junctions is “Leaky Gut Syndrome”.

The next domino is the ignition of inflammation throughout the body.  Recall “the function” of the intestine is to absorb the broken down food that you ate. If you have, like most of the population, indulged in a life time of SAD your intestine have been absorbing a very high amount of acidity from inside the intestine and transporting it to the rest of the cells in your body through the blood stream and other metabolic transport pathways.

Here’s where it really gets fun!! But I am out of time and space.  Tune in next time for the next issue of my series on intestinal health.

Till then put down the burger and have a salad.

If you missed last month’s posting you can go to my web page at www.drmichaelaustin.com for this and other information.

The information contained in this blog does not constitute medical advice, nor should it be considered a substitute for medical advice.  It is intended to disseminate useful information about alternative medicine and general health. It is offered to provide useful information on various health topics as a public service.  This blog was created to assist the consumer in making health choices in the selection of alternative medicine only in the State of Arizona.  Your health rights and the ultimate resolution of your health issues will vary depending upon many health factors.  BEFORE you attempt to implement the information contained in this blog, you should consult with your primary care physician or with other primary health care providers familiar with the issues specific to your health concerns.

In the Medical world there is not much attention given to intestinal health unless of course there is an outright pathology. In which case there is an intervention of either drugs or surgery. In the Integrative Healthcare Model intestinal health is key to overall health and well being.

Intestinal Anatomy

In order to understand how intestinal health impacts your overall health it is important to first understand the intestines structure and function. Below is a cross section drawing of both the small and large intestine.

While the text is probably too small for you to read, you  just need to see the finger like projections on the inner surface of the intestine called Villi. The function of villi is to increase the surface area in a relatively small diameter. What can’t be seen here are the microscopic villi that make up the surface area of the villi, microscopic fingers on the surface of the visible finger.

Collectively the villi and micro villi extend the surface area if the intestine from a few square feet to about 2500 – 2700 square feet, or roughly equivalent to the area of a tennis court. That’s pretty big and an amazing use of functional design by nature to maximize the absorptive surface area.

To describe the cellular lining of the micro villi let me use and an analogy. If I line up a bunch of bricks as if I were constructing a walkway and I then put mortar between the bricks to hold them together then coated the bricks with a protective yet permeable layer this would be a good simple visual for us to work with. So the bricks are the intestinal cells of the micro villi, the mortar equals the “gap junctions” holding the cells together. Finally the permeable yet protective coating equals the mucosa or mucous/ jelly like layer. At a very basic level this is the structure of the intestinal lining.

Intestinal Function

The basic function of the intestine is to absorb nutrients from the food and water we ingest and excrete the waste products from our body. As well as provide a first line of defense from pathogens the was our skin does. Easy enough right?

Now you might be asking what does any of that have to do with my health beyond absorbing and excreting? The answer is everything.

The intestinal cell lining, like your skin, keeps bacteria, viruses and other pathogens from entering your body and making you sick. If you get a cut or large wound in the skin you are open to infection. The same thing happens if the intestinal integrity is compromised; you become susceptible to infection and worse because an opening in the intestine leads directly into your abdominal cavity.

In the next issue – We’ll continue our discussion on intestine and its impact on your overall health and well-being.

Here is a teaser:

Which has more neurons, your brain or your intestine?

The information contained in this blog does not constitute medical advice, nor should it be considered a substitute for medical advice.  It is intended to disseminate useful information about alternative medicine and general health. It is offered to provide useful information on various health topics as a public service.  This blog was created to assist the consumer in making health choices in the selection of alternative medicine only in the State of Arizona.  Your health rights and the ultimate resolution of your health issues will vary depending upon many health factors.  BEFORE you attempt to implement the information contained in this blog, you should consult with your primary care physician or with other primary health care providers familiar with the issues specific to your health concerns.

Answer; Your intestine.