We're now in Week Four of our journey to UltraWellness.

Last week, you learned about how cooling the fire of inflammation can help to improve your health dramatically.

I hope you're following the advice here and feeling better already.

Today, I'd like to talk you about something you'd probably rather not discuss...more on that in a second.

Remember, I will be launching an entire video course on the 7 keys to UltraWellness starting next week.  To sign up for that now, go to website below now:

==> http://www.ultrawellness.com/p?i=6

On to this week's topic:  Digestive distress.

It's hardly a topic for dinner party conversation, but the truth is, it's overwhelmingly common.

Irritable bowel syndrome, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, reflux, gas -- when you're suffering with one of these issues, you might feel like no one's had it as bad as you.

But you're not alone.

More than 100 million Americans have digestive problems.

The number 3 and 7 top-selling drugs in the United States are for digestive problems.

There are more than 200 over-the-counter remedies for digestive disorders, many of which can actually create additional digestive problems.

Intestinal disorders are among the most common reasons for visits to primary-care physicians.

But what does all this have to do with UltraWellness?

Digestive problems aren't just a nuisance.

They're also common roadblocks to good health!

And their effects go way beyond your gut.

You see, digestive problems can wreak havoc in your entire body -- leading to allergies, arthritis, autoimmune disease, rashes, acne, chronic fatigue, mood disorders, autism, dementia, cancer, and more.

Most people -- and many doctors -- aren't aware of this.

But it's true.

Having a healthy gut doesn't just mean avoiding bloating or heartburn! 

It is central to your entire health.  It is connected to everything that happens in your body.

That's why I almost always start helping people treat chronic health problems by fixing their gut.

Why is this so important?

The health of your gut - your inner tube -- determines what nutrients are absorbed and what toxins, allergens, and microbes are kept out.  It is directly linked to the health of your total body.

Intestinal health could be defined as the optimal digestion, absorption, and assimilation of food. 

But that is a big job that depends on many other factors.

First, the bugs in your gut are like a rainforest -- a diverse and interdependent ecosystem.

The 500 species and 3 pounds of bacteria in your gut are a huge chemical factory that helps you digest your food, produces vitamins, helps regulate hormones, excrete toxins, and produce healing compounds that keep your gut healthy.   

But they must be in balance for you to be healthy. 

Too many of the wrong bugs, like parasites, yeasts, and bad bacteria -- or not enough of the good bugs, like lactobacillus or bifidobacteria -- can seriously damage your health.

Second, the gut is delicate.

Your entire immune system and the rest of your body are protected from the toxic environment in the gut by only a ONE-cell-thick layer that covers a surface area the size of a tennis court!

If that barrier is damaged, you will get sick and your immune system will become overactive, producing inflammation throughout the body.

And then there is your second brain.

That's right, your second brain! Your gut literally contains its own nervous system. 

In fact, your gut contains more neurotransmitters that your brain.  It is highly wired back to your brain and messages travel back and forth between the two. 

When those messages are altered for any reason in any direction -- from the brain to the gut or the gut to the brain -- your health will suffer.

Then, of course, your gut has to get rid of all the toxins created as a byproduct of your metabolism.

If things get backed up, you will become toxic.

And in the midst of all of this, your gut must break down all the food you eat, separate out all the vitamins and minerals, and shuttle everything across that one-cell-thick layer into your bloodstream for you to stay healthy.

With such a delicate balance and so many ways for things to go wrong, it's no wonder that so many of us are sick!

(For a much more detailed and in-depth look at healing your gut and the other 6 keys to UltraWellness, please go to http://www.ultrawellness.com/p?i=6)

Even in perfect world, our gut has a hard time keeping things balanced. 

In our world, there are many things that knock our digestive systems off balance. 

What are they?

* Our diet of low-fiber, high-sugar, high-calorie, nutrient-poor, processed food, which makes all the wrong bacteria and yeast grow in the gut, leading to a damaged ecosystem

* Overuse of medications that damage the gut or block normal digestive function, things like anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, acid-blocking drugs, and steroids

* Chronic low-grade infections or gut imbalances with bacterial or yeast overgrowth, parasites, or even more serious gut infections

* Toxins that damage the gut, such as mercury and mold toxins

* Lack of adequate digestive enzyme function, which can be caused by acid-blocking medications or zinc deficiency

* Stress, which can alter the gut's nervous system, causing a leaky gut and changing the normal bacteria in the gut

Digestive problems aren't just digestive problems.

They can cause so many other seemingly unrelated diseases, from eczema to psoriasis to arthritis.

But when you treat the digestive problem, the other symptoms can improve.

Sound crazy?

Let me tell you about one of my patients.

She was 57 and had suffered from severe, unrelenting eczema all over her body for 8 years.

She also ate a high-sugar diet and had a history of frequent yeast infections. 

She saw doctor after doctor for this weeping, red, oozing, scaly, itchy rash. They gave her salves, lotions,  steroids, and antibiotics.

But they never addressed the underlying cause of her problem.

When I finally saw her, I found she had a leaky gut -- the barrier was not working.

Plus, she had developed 24 IgG food allergies, and her stool lacked healthy bacteria and showed an overgrowth of yeast.  She also had very high blood antibodies against yeast.

So I treated her skin by treating her gut.

I asked her to stop eating the foods to which she had reactions, told her to stop feeding the yeast by cutting out sugar and refined carbohydrates, and helped her kill the yeast in her gut with antifungal medications and herbs. 

Then I replenished the healthy bacteria and healing gut nutrients.

The result?

Her eczema disappeared for the first time in 8 years -- and stayed away!

Here's the plan I use for my patients whose digestive distress has caused other health problems. See how it works for you:

1) Eat whole, unprocessed foods that contain plenty of fiber, like vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. 

2) If you think you have food sensitivities, try an elimination diet. Cut out gluten, dairy, yeast, corn, soy, and eggs for a week or two and see how your gut feels and what happens to your other symptoms.

3) Treat any infections or overgrowth of bugs like parasites, small bowel bacteria, or yeasts.

4) Take digestive enzymes with your food.

5) Take probiotic supplements, which contain healthy bacteria for your ecosystem.

6) Take supplements of omega-3 fats, which help cool inflammation in the gut.

7) Use gut-healing nutrients such as glutamine and zinc.

So if you think you have "just" a digestive problem, think again.

One of the keys to UltraWellness is as simple as looking at your gut.

By the way, this subject is so important yet so ignored by conventional medicine that I have given you a list of scientific references for further reading, which you can see at the end of this. 

That's it for today.

Next week I will cover how hormones out of balance make us sick and how to get them back in balance to achieve UltraWellness - lifelong health and vitality.

Now I'd like to hear from you...

Do you suffer from digestive problems?

Have you noticed a link between your digestive health and other conditions?

What have you tried to help clear up digestive problems? How has it helped?

Please click on the Add a Comment button below to share your thoughts.

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, M.D.

PS - Remember, although the more in-depth video course on the 7 Keys to UltraWellness won't be ready until next week, you can sign up right now by going to the link below:

==> http://www.ultrawellness.com/p?i=6

REFERENCES

1. Macdonald TT, Monteleone G. Immunity, inflammation, and allergy in the gut. Science. 2005 Mar 25;307(5717):1920-5. Review. Kalliomaki M, Salminen S, Arvilommi H, Kero P, Koskinen P, Isolauri E. Probiotics in primary prevention of atopic disease: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2001 Apr 7;357(9262):1076-9.

2. Backhed F, Ley RE, Sonnenburg JL, Peterson DA, Gordon JI. Host-bacterial mutualism in the human intestine. Science. 2005 Mar 25;307(5717):1915-20. Review

3. Sicherer SH.Food allergy. Lancet. 2002 Aug 31;360(9334):701-10. Review.

4. Isolauri E, Rautava S, Kalliomaki M. Food allergy in irritable bowel syndrome: new facts and old fallacies Gut. 2004 Oct;53(10):1391-3.

5. Atkinson W, Sheldon TA, Shaath N, Whorwell PJ. Food elimination based on IgG antibodies in irritable bowel syndrome: a randomised controlled trial. Gut. 2004 Oct;53(10):1459-64.

6. Farrell R. J., Kelly C. P. Farrell R. J., Kelly C. P. Current Concepts: Celiac Sprue. N Engl J Med 2002;  346:180-188, Jan 17, 2002. 

7. Bourlioux P, Koletzko B, Guarner F, Braesco V.The intestine and its microflora are partners for the protection of the host: report on the Danone Symposium "The Intelligent Intestine," held in Paris, June 14, 2002.  Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Oct;78(4):675-83

8. Gershon, Michael, The Second Brain, Perennial Currents, 1999

9. Duggan C, Gannon J, Walker WA. Protective nutrients and functional foods for the gastrointestinal tract. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 May;75(5):789-808.

10. Kalliomaki, M. Probiotics in primary prevention of atopic disease: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 2001;357:1076-79

11. Lin HC. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth: a framework for understanding irritable bowel syndrome. JAMA. 2004 Aug 18;292(7):852-8.