I like to live on the edge of Oblivion – there is just too much info in the world today, and considering the Google function on my phone – I can only handle so much, you know?
So when a word comes into view – like “microbiome” – and it sounds a little like chemistry class plus it has absolutely no meaning to me, I just disappear into that Oblivion place.
So that is where my head was when I attended the Youngevity Convention in San Diego this past month. But in a big general session, here it came….blasted across the multiple screens forming the background of the whole stage, and I am thinking “what in the world is so important about this?” because everyone was so excited.
Ok, you got my attention…. when it is my favs, Dr. Joanne Conaway, Dr. Glen Winkel and even Steve Wallach, who are onstage and really excited – I will listen.
So, Dr. Conaway starts talking about 80% of serotonin, which I know as the “happy chemical” because it contributes to wellbeing and happiness, is actually in the gut. Along with other statistics, she said 20-25% of men and women deal with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
My ears are perking up because I know my massage person kept telling me I had a Leaky Gut and I have such an ugly picture in my mind around that – I know it must be bad stuff. I did check into that some more and found the unhealthy gut bacteria is tied to things like diabetes, obesity, depression, and colon cancer. I do know Dr. Conaway has said that the balance of the gut’s good and bad bacteria is very important.
The next big screen confirmed I needed to pay attention here.
I have been researching and writing on ‘The 3 Big Hurdles that Trip People Up” when they are trying to get better health via nutritional supplements – and one of those is that it does not help to put the right things down the hatch if you can’t absorb them into your body and “get them to work”. The absorption requires a “healthy gut”.
In a checklist I found of ways an unhealthy gut might show itself – here were the most common:
- Stomach disturbances like gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and heartburn.
- Inflammation caused by processed foods and added sugars in our foods causing sugar cravings and linked to increased inflammation in the body (a precursor to a number of diseases and even cancers)
- Gaining or losing weight even when there is no change in the diet – gain may be insulin resistance or the urge to overeat due to decreased nutrient absorption / loss may be due to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).
- Sleep disturbances or constant fatigue – this is where serotonin comes in since it is produced in the gut.
- Skin irritation –conditions like eczema or food allergies caused by “leaking” of certain proteins out into the body through the gut.
- Autoimmune conditions – increased systemic inflammation and improper functioning of the immune system can lead to this where the body attacks itself rather than harmful invaders.
- Food intolerances (different from food allergy) caused by poor quality of bacteria in the gut leading to difficulty digesting the trigger foods and unpleasant symptoms such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and nausea.
So I immediately marked the program to attend both Dr. Conaway’s breakout session and Dr. Winkel’s as well. They went into a great amount of amazing detail and information. OK – when it has to do with me and my own personal health, and I understand the language, I am INTERESTED!
Dr. Winkel’s talk included a great illustration of that word that was now entering my “attention zone” – MICROBIOME.
He broke it down:
Micro = small
Biome = habitat of living things
200 trillion bacteria (200,000,000,000,000) – WOW, that’s how much we have in our gut
10,000 “known” species of bacteria
THEY AFFECT health, mood, body weight, energy levels and much much more
Of course, I know Dr. Winkel from his explanation and relationship to the i26 products that he has brought to Youngevity –he explains that the Hyperimmune Egg Technology, he believes, is the most important development in medical society because it is so good. It turns out the i26 product is a key ingredient in the new “Ultimate Microbiome” product being introduced here. And it is unique to Youngevity – there are patents and no one else has it.
And it turns out Dr. Joanne Conaway was singing the same tune – she LOVES i26 products and loves that it is so prominent in the “Ultimate Microbiome” product. She said this new product supports the overall gut health – the entire gut ecosystem.
I have in the past followed Dr. Conaway’s 20-day protocol to achieve gut health in order to better absorb the nutrients – she is known for her focus on the gastro-intestinal health of our bodies. Digestion and gut health are her specialty. So she blew me away when I watched her in a later panel discussing the new “Ultimate Microbiome” product.
This panel had Richard Renton (member of the Youngevity Scientific Advisory Board) and Dr. Winkel and Dr. Conaway. Here were their main points:
- Winkel – You can take this one product to cover all the need for gut health!
- Renton – He liked the previous digestive pak of products, but now will promote taking the Ultimate Microbiome and i26, too; these will really support your gut health
- Conaway – most people do not have a healthy gut, so she believes we need to use this as a good intro product for people to clean up their gut as required for good absorption of the nutrients. Her suggestion?
- Start them on Ultimate Microbiome and follow the GoodFood/BadFood list
- Then follow up with them and start them on the 90 essential nutrients (Healthy Body Start Pak)
SOOOO….
WHAT’S A MICROBIOME? – it’s my entire gut ecosystem
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? – it impacts my ‘happiness’ in my digestion, immunity and metabolism
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME? – I brought this Microbiome product home with me and started it immediately – I want to absorb all those nutrients I am “putting down the hatch”. SOOOO much easier and more effective than any other system to clean up my gut!
WHAT IS YOUNGEVITY’S NEW PRODUCT AND HOW CAN IT HELP? Ultimate MicrobiomeTM is a probiotic blend with the exclusive proprietary i26 Hyperimmune Egg Powder and a powerful Multi-Enzyme Complex – it will optimize the microbiome (your entire gut ecosystem) with holistic gut health properties not found in any other product.
ULTIMATE MICROBIOME TM PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
*Supports healthy digestion
*Promotes immune health
*Boosts mood
*Promotes relief from seasonal allergies
*Promotes healthy skin
*Supports healthy weight loss
IMPORTANT MESSAGE – and this is NOT on the description or anywhere that I have viewed. Both Dr. Winkel and Dr. Conaway warned us to NOT take the Ultimate Microbiome product at the same time you are eating eggs. I am leaving at least 2 hours in between. It is because the i26 egg powder in this has identical proteins as the 2-3 eggs you may eat and there will be competition between the bioactive protein and the non-bioactive protein of i26 – this is not a good thing. So BE ALERT to this, please.
Don’t slip into Oblivion – you now know about your microbiome (and it turns out each of us have a unique microbiome so no two are the same) but you know about gut health, too. You can check it out on your own Youngevity website or on mine HERE
This is Candy McCune, your Guide to Better Health,
and remember Education Empowers you to Engage Better Health!
And please scroll down to leave me a comment – I truly appreciate your feedback!
