My hope today is to leave you feeling empowered about how you can shape your microbiome to shape your mindset and your life.

The Standard American Diet and Its Shortcomings

Most Americans adhere to the USDA’s recommendations of 2,000 calories from five different food groups, a guideline that’s been in place since 1992. Since then, we’ve seen numerous fad diets touting they are the best. But however you’re eating- our soils have become less diverse, our immune systems are weaker, and our lifestyles more sedentary. Consequently, mental and physical health disorders are on the rise. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 57.8 million adults, or 22.8% of the population, suffer from mental illness. Clearly, it’s time to shake things up. Let’s learn how.  

The Power of the Gut Microbiome

The body’s only bidirectional communication system is the gut-brain axis. Recently, scientists have expanded this to the microbiota-gut-brain axis, emphasizing the gut microbiome’s significant impact on mental and physical health. Research, such as the comprehensive review by Socata et al., correlates gut microbes with neural development, neurotransmission, behavioral effects, and the progression of conditions like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, Parkinson’s disease, migraines, and more. 

Your gut microbiome has the remarkable ability to shape your mind! Structurally and functionally, our central nervous system is influenced by our gut. This explains why you feel anxiety in your stomach and why certain foods can elevate or depress your mood. What this means is that to intentionally change our minds, we need to intentionally change our microbiomes. 

The Influence of Diet and Environment

A 2022 study of three generations of a Dutch population revealed that our gut microbiome is heavily influenced by diet, environment, and cohabitation. Diet is a key modifiable factor that affects the gut microbiome and its metabolic capacities, which can impact human physiology. Signature microbiome patterns can even predict the onset of metabolic diseases like Type II Diabetes. 

Furthermore, the hygiene hypothesis suggests that reduced exposure to microbiota increases the frequency of autoimmune and allergic diseases. Data shows that healthy whole foods diets, exposure to rural environments and pets from childhood, time spent in green spaces, and higher incomes to afford modern amenities can help overcome the dysbiosis seen in many mental and metabolic disease states.

Personalized Medicine and Microbiome Testing

For $100 to $400, you can test your microbiome to understand your internal systems. Stool samples are analyzed using high throughput sequencing, providing reports on your microbiome’s metabolic patterns. With this information, we can prescribe modified diets, probiotics, and environmental factors to heal your metabolic status or prevent diseases like certain cancers. While a universal healthy gut microbiome signature doesn’t exist, personalized medicine can reshape an unhealthy signature.

Wellness Without Walls aims to deliver personalized medicine with microbiome and mindset reshaping at its core. We ask the right questions, provide the necessary resources, and create personalized wellness programs to empower patients to actively participate in their healthcare. Personalized medicine is the future of modern medicine, and we’re here to guide you.

Intuitive healing begins with your gut feeling. I challenge you to assess how you feel and how we can use that to help you heal. Book a free consultation today to learn more!