Dr. Woliner's weekly health tip

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Docs:

Here is Dr. Woliner's health tip for the week.

Lyndon McGill, D.C.

EvolvHealth Wellness Advisory Council Member

Salem, Oregon

www.SalemSpineClinic.com

www.EvolvingDaily.com

This Simple Secret Helps Rebuild Your Body’s Defenses

You’ve probably seen this happen in a movie…

Scientists enter a lab where deadly bacteria are stored. They’re

wearing airtight suits to ensure they aren’t exposed to germs that

could easily kill them.

But they’re racing against the clock, and one of the scientists

is careless or stumbles. His suit is torn. Everyone exchanges

horrified looks, knowing he won’t be leaving the room alive.

This makes for great drama. And scientists do wear

these protective suits under certain conditions. But did you know

you have one of these suits inside your body?

It’s not really a suit, but it works the same way. It keeps

poisons from getting into your body.

Your “suit” is the lining of your intestines – called the

epithelium. Its cells are linked by barriers known as “tight

junctions.” When your “suit” is working well, it decides what does

or doesn’t pass into your body from your intestines.

But a poor diet, toxins, nasty germs – and even some drugs – can

weaken your tight junctions. When that happens, you have what’s

sometimes called a leaky gut. And a leaky gut allows poisons,

germs and even waste products to seep into your body.

Pretty soon, you’re sick. Maybe seriously sick. Because a leaky

gut has been linked to bowel problems, abnormal cell growth,

breathing trouble, and other illnesses.

Recently, a team at Jefferson University uncovered one way

to enhance tight junctions.

The team discovered that a certain hormone receptor in the

intestines – guanylyl cyclase C (GC-C) – promotes tighter

junctions in mice. When the scientists “shut off” GC-C in mice,

their intestinal barriers broke down. But when the scientists

stimulated GC-C, the mice showed stronger junctions.1

They’re now trying to create drugs to make this discovery useful

to humans. But you don’t have to wait for drugs to promote healthy

tight junctions. Nature has already given you a much simpler

answer.

And it’s already in your body.

You see, probiotic bacteria – the friendly bacteria that live in

your gut – support healthy tight junctions. And studies show they

help fight the effects of invaders that break down those

junctions.2

Bad bacteria, some drugs, and a poor diet can damage your tight

junctions is by killing the friendly bacteria in your gut. This

throws your gut out of balance, the invaders take over, and

poisons begin flowing into your body.

That’s why taking a simple probiotic supplement may be one of the

best things you can do for your health. Bringing your “gut flora”

back into balance promotes healthy tight junctions… the flow of

poisons stops… and your whole body benefits.

Here are three things to look for when choosing a probiotic

supplement…

Live cultures from a variety of friendly bacteria.

Supplements with several strains provide a wider range of

benefits.

A guarantee of billions of “Colony Forming Units”

(CFU) – that’s the technical term for live cultures. Dead

probiotics won’t do your body any good.

An added prebiotic, such as fructooligosaccharides –

or FOS for short. Prebiotics are a type of fiber that probiotic

bacteria feed on.

Yours in continued good health,

Dr Woliner, M.D.

1 Lin, J.E., et al, “GUCY2C Opposes Systemic Genotoxic

Tumorigenesis by Regulating AKT-Dependent Intestinal Barrier

Integrity. PLoS ONE. Feb 22, 2012; 7(2): e31686.

2 Ulluwishewa, D., et al, “Regulation of tight junction

permeability by intestinal bacteria and dietary components,” J

Nutr. May2011; 141(5): 769-776.