Have you ever wondered why so many people who take antidepressants continue to be depressed? The truth is that like many other drugs for mental disorders, they are not the cures that many people believe them to be. They might address symptoms, but they don’t really do much about the cause of depression – and therein lies an important distinction.
In the Waking Times, author Tracy Kolenchuk looks at the logic of a depression diagnosis. What happens when someone is cured of depression? Let’s say their depression was actually caused by a nutritional deficiency. When the deficiency is corrected, their depression goes away – but did they ever really have depression in the first place, or did they just have malnutrition? She argues that depression was a symptom of malnutrition in such a case rather than a disease.
In the case of depression being caused by drugs or toxic chemical exposure, a similar mechanism is at play: Removing the drugs or chemicals from the equation may cure the person’s feelings of depression, but again, it was just a symptom of some type of poisoning rather than a disease. When depression is caused by abuse and then the person is removed from the abusive situation, it wasn’t a mental disorder – it was abuse.
The same can be said of chronic depression, only in this case, the chronic nature of the cause must be addressed to bring about benefits. If a person is in chronically toxic relationships or chronically deficient in nutrition, it’s these causes that must be addressed – but on a wider scale than in the previous cases. A healthy meal or two may help, but if they’re chronically malnourished, they might also be poor, and then their chronic poverty – and by extension, chronic malnutrition – must also be addressed. That’s a much bigger task, of course.
She says that these concepts also apply to anxiety, psychosis, social anxiety, panic attacks, and hyperactivity. If it can be cured, that can be done by addressing the cause – but in that case, it was never really a mental disorder after all.
Getting relief from depression
Of course, all this is just semantics. A depressed person likely just wants relief and doesn’t care about labels, and many of us – depressed or not – have had it drilled into our heads that antidepressants are really the only option out there. That’s the main reason so many people willingly subject themselves to the side effects of these drugs, which include weight gain, insomnia, loss of sexual desire, nausea, constipation, and suicidal thoughts.
Depression is complex and often has multiple causes, and each of these needs to be addressed to make real progress toward feeling better. For many, it’s not just about cleaning up their diet, even though that can help. Consider this: If malnutrition causes a person to become depressed, they may attract toxic relationships into their lives, which could eventually spur them to turn to toxic drugs in a downward spiral of illness. This, too, can be cured, but it requires addressing all of these factors.
Many people don’t realize the strong connection between the gut and the brain. For example, an inflammatory response that starts in your gut that is connected to a lack of nutrients like omega 3s, probiotics, and magnesium, leads to the inflammation in the brain that is behind depression. Therefore, it shouldn’t too surprising to learn that food supplements such as omega 3s, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin D3 and B vitamins can help improve mood and relieve depression and anxiety.
If you or someone you care about is suffering from depression, share this information with them. It could very well help them avoid dangerous antidepressants and finally find some true relief.
Your gastrointestinal tract is now considered one of the most complex microbial ecosystems on earth, and its influence is such that it’s frequently referred to as your “second brain.”
Nearly 100 trillion bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms compose your gut microbiome, and advancing science has made it quite clear that these organisms play a major role in your health, both mental and physical. Your body is in fact composed of more bacteria and other microorganisms than actual cells, and you have more bacterial DNA than human DNA.
In the interview above, originally aired in 2015, Dr. David Perlmutter discusses the importance of gut health, the connections between your gut and brain, and the role your gut plays in your health, and in the development of autoimmune diseases and neurological disorders.
According to an article published in the June 2013 issue of Biological Psychiatry,1 the authors suggest that even severe and chronic mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder, might be eliminated through the use of certain probiotics.
Two strains shown to have a calming influence, in part by dampening stress hormones, are Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifdobacterium longum. Others may have similar effects, although more research is needed to identify them.
Using MRI scans, Dr. Emeran Mayer, a professor of medicine and psychiatry at the University of California, is also comparing the physical brain structure of thousands of volunteers, looking for connections between brain structure and the types of bacteria found in their guts.
So far, he has found differences in how certain brain regions are connected, depending on the dominant species of bacteria. As reported by NPR:2 “That suggests that the specific mix of microbes in our guts might help determine what kinds of brains we have — how our brain circuits develop and how they’re wired.”
Your Second Brain
The human gut has 200 million neurons — the equivalent of a cat’s or dog’s brain. And, if an animal is considered intelligent, your gut is equally smart. Your gut also houses nearly 100 trillion microorganisms, which influence everything from biological to emotional functioning.
Your upper brain is home to your central nervous system while your gut houses the enteric nervous system. The two nervous systems, the central nervous system in your brain and the enteric nervous system in your gut, are in constant communication, connected as they are via the vagus nerve.
Your vagal nerve is the 10th cranial nerve and the longest nerve in your body, extending through your neck into your abdomen.3 It has the widest distribution of both sensory and motor fibers.
Your brain and gut also use the same neurotransmitters for communication, one of which is serotonin — a neurochemical associated with mood control. However, the message sent by serotonin changes based on the context of its environment.
In your brain, serotonin signals and produces a state of well-being. In your gut — where 95 percent of your serotonin is produced — it sets the pace for digestive transit and acts as an immune system regulator.
Interestingly, gut serotonin not only acts on the digestive tract but is also released into your bloodstream, and acts on your brain, particularly your hypothalamus, which is involved in the regulation of emotions.
While we’ve known that the gut and brain communicate via the vagus nerve, researchers have only recently come to realize that gut serotonin regulates emotions in a much more complex way than previously thought. Not only can your emotions influence your gut, but the reverse is also true.
When Things Go Wrong in the Gut-Brain Axis
Researchers have been able to better examine the gut’s influence on emotions by studying people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which affects 1 in 10 people, and is characterized by digestive difficulties and severe abdominal pain. This, despite the fact that no organic malfunction in the digestive system can be found.
One theory posits that IBS is rooted in dysfunctional information flow between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain. But what could be causing these communication problems? One theory is that the problem originates in the intestinal wall, and that IBS is the result of faulty communication between the mucosal surface of your intestines and the nerves.”
Research shows that in patients with IBS, the nerves in the gut are far more active than in healthy people, which has led researchers to speculate that the pain IBS patients suffer is the result of a hypersensitive nervous system.
Others have noted that IBS is frequently brought on by stress or emotional trauma. To dampen hypervigilance in the nervous system, some researchers are using hypnosis to help ease IBS patients’ pain.
While the brain is still receiving the same kind of pain signals from the gut, hypnosis can make your brain less sensitive to them. So, pain that was previously intolerable is now perceived as tolerable. The effectiveness of hypnosis has been confirmed using brain imaging, showing hypnosis in fact downregulates activation of pain centers in the brain.
Similarly, Dr. Zhi-yun Bo, a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine who specializes in abdominal acupuncture,4 has been able to treat a wide variety of health conditions, both physical and mental, from acute pain to chronic illness and depression, by needling certain areas of the belly.
The Gut as the Seat of the Subconscious
Another intriguing idea is that your gut may in fact be the root of, or at the very least a part of, your subconscious mind. Your gut can send signals, to which your brain responds, even though those signals never reach conscious awareness.
Your ability to think positive thoughts and feel emotionally uplifted is actually strongly associated with the chemical messages broadcast by your gut. Serotonin released during sleep has also been shown to influence your dreams.
The striking similarities between the gut and brain, both structurally and functionally, have also led scientists to consider the possibility that the two organs may share diseases as well. For example, Parkinson’s disease,5 a degenerative neurological disease, may actually originate in the gut.
Parkinson’s Disease — A Gut Disorder?
Parkinson’s affects nearly a half-million people in the U.S.6 According to recent research7 published in the journal Neurology, Parkinson’s disease may start in the gut and travel to the brain via the vagus nerve.
The study participants previously had a resection of their vagus nerve, often performed in people who suffer from ulcers to reduce the amount of acid secretion and reduce the potential for peptic ulcers.8
Using the national registry in Sweden, researchers compared nearly 10,000 people who had a vagotomy against the records of over 375,000 who had not undergone the surgery. Although the researchers did not find a difference in the gross number of people who developed Parkinson’s between the groups, after delving further they discovered something interesting.
People who had a truncal vagotomy, in which the trunk of the nerve is fully resected, as opposed to a selective vagotomy, had a 40 percent lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. The scientists adjusted for external factors, such as diabetes, arthritis, obstructive pulmonary disease and other health conditions. According to study author Bojing Liu, of Karolinska Institutet in Sweden:9
“These results provide preliminary evidence that Parkinson’s disease may start in the gut. Other evidence for this hypothesis is that people with Parkinson’s disease often have gastrointestinal problems such as constipation that can start decades before they develop the disease.
In addition, other studies have shown that people who will later develop Parkinson’s disease have a protein believed to play a key role in Parkinson’s disease in their gut.”
Protein Clumps Implicated in Parkinson’s Originate in the Gut
Indeed, mounting research suggests we may have had the wrong idea about Parkinson’s all along. As mentioned by Liu, there’s other compelling evidence suggesting this disease may have its origins in the gut. Research published in 2016 actually found a functional link between specific gut bacteria and the onset of Parkinson’s disease.10,11,12
In short, specific chemicals produced by certain gut bacteria worsen the accumulation of proteins in the brain associated with the disease. What’s more, the actual proteins implicated in the disease actually appear to travel from the gut up to and into the brain.
Once clumped together in the brain, these proteins, called alpha-synuclein, form fibers that damage the nerves in your brain, resulting in the telltale tremors and movement problems exhibited by Parkinson’s patients. In fact, the researchers believe alpha-synuclein producing gut bacteria not only regulate, but are actually required in order for Parkinson’s symptoms to occur.
The link is so intriguing they suggest the best treatment strategy may be to address the gut rather than the brain using specific probiotics rather than drugs. In this study, synthetic alpha-synuclein was injected into the stomach and intestines of mice.
After seven days, clumps of alpha-synuclein were observed in the animals’ guts. Clumping peaked after 21 days. By then, clumps of alpha-synuclein were also observed in the vagus nerve, which connects the gut and brain. As noted by Science News:13
“Sixty days after the injections, alpha-synuclein had accumulated in the midbrain, a region packed with nerve cells that make the chemical messenger dopamine. These are the nerve cells that die in people with Parkinson’s, a progressive brain disorder that affects movement.
After reaching the brain, alpha-synuclein spreads thanks in part to brain cells called astrocytes, a second study suggests. Experiments with cells in dishes showed that astrocytes can store up and spread alpha-synuclein among cells …”
Over time, as these clumps of alpha-synuclein started migrating toward the brain, the animals began exhibiting movement problems resembling those in Parkinson’s patients. Findings such as these suggest that, at least in some patients, the disease may actually originate in the gut, and chronic constipation could be an important early warning sign.
The same kinds of lesions found in Parkinson’s patients’ brains have also been found in their guts, leading to the idea that a simple biopsy of your intestinal wall may in fact be a good way to diagnose the disease. In other words, by looking at the intestinal tissue, scientists can get a pretty clear picture of what’s going on inside your brain.
These findings are now steering researchers toward looking at the potential role the gut might play in other neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and autism, as well as behavioral disorders.
The Immune System in Your Gut
In addition to digesting food and allowing your body to extract energy from foods that would otherwise be indigestible, your gut bacteria also help determine what’s poisonous and what’s healthy, and play a crucial role in your immune system. Your immune system is to a great extent educated based on the information received from your gut bacteria.
So, exposure to a wide variety of bacteria helps your immune system stay alert and actually optimizes its function. Bacterial colonization begins at birth, and things like antibiotic use by the mother or child, birth by cesarean section, bottle feeding instead of breastfeeding and excessive hygiene can all impair a child’s immune function by limiting exposure to beneficial bacteria.
Researchers have also discovered that humans can be divided into three enterotypes14 — three distinct groupings based on the makeup of our gut microbiomes, and the difference between them lies in our capacity to convert food into energy. All three groups produce vitamins, but to varying degrees.
Curiously, these enterotypes do not appear to be related to geographical location, nationality, race, gender or age, and the precise reason for the development of these enterotypes is still unknown. Diet is one possible, and likely probable, factor.
In the future, researchers hope to be able to determine how various bacteria influence health and the onset of diseases. Already, scientists have identified bacteria that appear to predispose people to conditions such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes, liver disease and cardiovascular disease.
Experimental data also show different gut microbiota can have a determining effect on behavior, for better or worse, and probiotics have been shown to dampen emotional reactivity, reducing the effects of stress.
If you’re feeling stressed out, welcome to the club. Statistics show that stress in general, as well as extreme levels of stress, are both on the rise in the United States — and many people feel they’re simply not doing enough to manage that stress.
There are plenty of tried-and-true methods that can help people de-stress – such as exercise, socializing, and participating in hobbies – but there is one very powerful stress management technique that has slipped under the radar: adding prebiotics to the diet.
While probiotics have been getting a lot of much-deserved attention lately for their significant health benefits, prebiotics have been largely glossed over for some reason. Probiotics are the good bacteria that are found in fermented foods, whereas prebiotics serve as the food for this “good” gut bacteria. Prebiotics might be lesser known than probiotics, but they are no less powerful.
According to persuasive research from the University of Colorado Boulder, prebiotics can help manage stress by altering the structure of the brain in constructive ways.
The researchers divided three-week-old male rats into groups and gave some standard chow, while others got chow with prebiotics in it. They then measured how their diets impacted their behavior using tests such as open field tests, which assess anxiety levels by measuring how much time the animals are willing to spend in open areas. They also used EEG brain activity testing to monitor the animals’ sleep/wake cycles, as well as their gut bacteria and body temperature.
They found that not only where the supplemented animals less anxious, but they also slept better than the control group. The mice who took prebiotics spent more time in the restful and restorative non-REM sleep then those that did not take prebiotics. The researchers also say that the dietary prebiotics can improve sleep in the REM and non-REM stages after stressful events.
Adding even more significance to the findings was the fact that the regions in the brain associated with brain plasticity actually increased in size in those rats that were fed prebiotics. Even though this particular trial specifically examined brain development in young animals, the researchers say that they believe prebiotic ingredients can protect people of any age from stress.
Some good natural sources of prebiotic include artichokes, leeks, onions, raw garlic, and chicory. When gut bacteria digest the prebiotic fibers found in these food, it causes them to multiply, which has the effect of improving get health overall. It also releases byproducts that can impact brain function.
Fortunately, prebiotics are heat-resistant, which means cooking foods that contain them won’t destroy them and they will reach your intestine without being affected by the digestion process.
The prospect of getting rid of stress is probably more than enough to send you the grocery store in search of food that contains prebiotics. However, you might also like to know that they have plenty of other beneficial effects for your body. For example, because they improve the gut microbiome, they can help combat constipation and diarrhea, prevent inflammatory bowel disease, help with intestinal cell detoxification, and increase nutrient absorption.
One particular type of prebiotic called resistant starch has been shown to help stabilize blood glucose levels, reduce appetite, encourage weight loss, and increase sensitivity to insulin. However, it’s important to keep in mind at this only applies to natural resistant starches and not those made with chemical processes. Resistant starch can be found in unripe bananas and plantains; potatoes and legumes that have been cooked and then cooled; potato starch; and cassava powder.
Adopting a healthy habit to help manage stress is a win-win situation for your mind and your body.
This article is copyrighted by GreenMedInfo LLC, 2018
As if depression or anxiety is not enough to deal with, many people have to deal with both. Alarmingly, about 85% of people with depression also experience some anxiety; about 90% of people with anxiety suffer some depression (Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2016;266(8):725–736). When people suffer from depression and anxiety simultaneously, the condition is more disabling and harder to treat
There is also a condition called Mixed Anxiety and Depressive Disorder (MADD), in which neither one predominates or is severe enough to warrant a psychiatric diagnosis separately, but, combined, do warrant a diagnosis.
Several natural supplements are effective for treating both depression and anxiety. Knowing about these treatments can be important from a perspective both of cost and of effectiveness.
Saffron
An important emerging herb for the treatment of depression is saffron. When people with depression were given 30mg of saffron extract or 100mg of the drug imipramine, the improvement was equal in the two groups, but the saffron was better because it was safer (BMC Complement Altern Med 2004;4:12). When 15mg of saffron petal extract or 10mg of Prozac are taken twice a day by people with depression, saffron brings about a significant effect that is equal to the effect of Prozac (JEthnopharmacol 2005;97:281-284; Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2007;31:439-442). Meta-analyses of saffron and depression have found the herb to be better than placebo and at least as good as drugs with the advantage of being safer (J Integr Med 2013;11:377-383; Hum Psychopharmacol 2014;29:517-527).
Excitingly, a recent study has shown for the first time that saffron is also an effective treatment for anxiety in people with depression and anxiety. This double-blind study gave 54 people with both mild to moderate depression and anxiety, according to the Beck Inventory, either a placebo or 100mg of saffron a day for twelve weeks. The saffron group had significantly greater improvement in depression than the placebo group with a 2 point greater improvement. The significant improvement in depression is consistent with the earlier saffron studies. What is new and exciting about this study is that the saffron group also had a significantly greater improvement in anxiety: the improvement was 3 points better than the placebo group (J Complement Integr Med 2016;13(2):195-199).
The evidence continues to mount for this impressive herb. When sixty people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety were given the SSRI citalopram or 30mg of saffron for six weeks, the response to both treatments for depression and anxiety was significant and equal, meaning that saffron was as good as the drug (Pharmacopsychiatry 2017;50(04):152-60).
And now, in a just published study that seems to be the first study of kids with MADD, 68 kids between the ages of 12 and 16 were given either a placebo or 14mg of standardized saffron extract twice a day for eight weeks. All of the kids suffered from mild to moderate depression and anxiety. They were then evaluated for separation anxiety, social phobia, generalized anxiety, panic, obsessions/compulsions, and depression. The saffron produced significantly better improvements in overall symptoms and separately on separation anxiety, social phobia and depression. Overall, the saffron group had a 33% reduction in their symptoms compared to a reduction of only 17% in the placebo group. Anyone who had a greater than 50% improvement in total score was considered to be a responder. While only 11% of the placebo group were responders, 37% of the saffron group were (J Affect Disord 2018;232:349-357).
Lavender
This gentle herb is as powerful as the not so gentle anti-anxiety drugs. Lavender oil capsules were compared to the benzodiazepine lorazepam in a six week study of people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The results were the same for both treatments: lavender produced a 45% improvement on the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) and lorazepam produced a 46% improvement. Unlike benzodiazepines, though, the lavender oil was safe, non-sedating and non-addictive (Phytomed 2010;17(2):94-9).
Lavender can also compete with antidepressant drugs. People suffering from depression were given 60 drops of lavender tincture and placebo or 100mg of the antidepressant drug imipramine and placebo or 60 drops of lavender and 100mg of imipramine in a double-blind study. After 4 weeks, all 3 groups improved significantly. The group taking both imipramine and lavender experienced a significantly greater improvement than those taking either treatment alone (Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2003;27(1):123-7).
But what if you suffer from both anxiety and depression? When people with MADD were given 80mg of lavender oil or placebo for seventy days in a double-blind study, scores on the HAMA dropped significantly more in the lavender group: 10.8 points versus 8.4. Depression scores also dropped significantly more in the lavender group: 9.2 points versus 6.1. People on lavender had better clinical outcomes and better improvement in quality of life (Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2016;26:331–40).
Adding to the evidence is a study that compared 160mg of lavender oil a day to the SSRI paroxetine in people with GAD. After 10 weeks, HAMA scores decreased by 14.1 points on lavender but only by 11.3 points on paroxetine. 60.3% of people on lavender oil reduced their HAMA score by at least 50% compared to 43.2% on paroxetine. 46.3% of the lavender oil group now had scores below 10 versus only 34.1% of the paroxetine group. Interestingly for our topic, the lavender oil also showed “a pronounced antidepressant effect.” The researchers concluded that, for GAD, lavender oil is better and safer than paroxetine (Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2014;17(6):859-869).
And one more intriguing thing about lavender, depression and anxiety. Anxiety, stress and depression during pregnancy can have a negative effect on the health of both the mother and child. So, in a double-blind study, researchers asked 141 healthy pregnant women to rub either placebo cream or lavender cream onto their legs for ten to twenty minutes 1.5 hours before going to bed. The lavender cream contained 1.25% lavender essential oil. At the end of the eight week study, there was significant improvement in anxiety, stress and depression in the lavender group compared to the placebo group. By the end of only the fourth week, there was already significant improvement in stress and anxiety (J Caring Sci 2015;4:63-73).
St. John’s Wort
St. John’s wort is well known as a herb for depression. Less well known is that one double-blind study has also demonstrated that St. John’s wort reduces anxiety (Fortschr Med 1995;113:404-8).
5-HTP
In an impressive study, 43% of people who had not responded to any antidepressant drug responded to 5-HTP. An additional 8% improved significantly (Neuropsychobiol 1980;6:230-40). A review of studies determined that 5-HTP is as effective as tricyclic antidepressant drugs (Biol Psychiatry 1981;16:291-310). 5-HTP beat an SSRI, the leading class of antidepressant drug: 60.7% responded to the 5-HTP versus 56.1% to the drug. 5-HTP brought about a greater response, and it did it faster and safer (Psychopathology 1991;24:53–81). And in a double-blind study, 5-HTP was the equal of Prozac (Asian J Psychiatr 2013;6:29-34).
But a placebo-controlled study has now also shown that 200mg of 5-HTP significantly reduces the reaction to a panic challenge in people with panic disorders. There was improvement in anxiety, panic symptom score and the number of panic attacks (Psychiatry Res 2002;113:237-43).
Rhodiola
Rhodiola has the impressive ability to calm you down and energize you at the same time. Rhodiola calms stress, improves well-being and decreases mental and physical fatigue. When 80 people with mild anxiety were given either 200mg of Rhodiola rosea or nothing twice a day for two weeks, compared to the control group, the rhodiola group experienced significant reductions in anxiety, stress, anger, depression and confusion. They also had significant improvement in overall mood (Phytother Res 2015; 29(12):1934-9). So, rhodiola also helps both anxiety and depression.
Probiotics
A strange addition to the list is probiotics: not usually thought of as a psychological supplement. In the first ever study of probiotics and psychological conditions, people with depression had significantly better improvement in mood on a probiotic than on a placebo (Eur J Clin Nutr 2007;61:355-61). That study introduced probiotics as a supplement for depression. A second study found that a month of probiotics significantly improved depression and anger (Gut Microbes 2011;2:256-61). But, the same study also found significant improvement in anxiety. An earlier study had already hinted at an antianxiety effect for probiotics: a placebo-controlled study of people with chronic fatigue syndrome found that probiotics significantly reduced their anxiety scores (Gut Pathology 2009;1:6-10). So, the research also points to probiotics as a supplement for people with both depression and anxiety.
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Not just the U.S., but the rest of the Western World, alarmingly, over the last 15 years the consistently sharp increases in child mental disorders have now reached epidemic levels. 1 in 5 children have been diagnosed with a mental health problem. In turn, more children than ever before are on psychiatric drugs.
Mental Disorders – Some Disturbing Stats
Could the rise in mental disorders be the result of the agendized push for increased psychiatric drugging that began in and around the 1990’s? As mentioned earlier, 1 in 5 children have now been diagnosed with a mental health problem:
ADHD (Attention Hyperactivity Disorder) is now well over 40%
For children aged between 10-14 years suicide rates have risen by 200%
Teenager depression – up at 37%…
Psychiatric drugs – breaking down the figures
The different age groups and corresponding figures making up the well over 8 million children on psychiatric drugs in the U.S.A alone can be summarized:
Under 6 year-olds – 1,146,530 (yes, that’s well over a million!) and breaking down this figure
Less than 1 year olds – 274,804
2-3 year olds – 370,778
4-5 year olds – 500,948
6-12 Year olds – 4,130,340
At 6 years old the psychiatric drugging increases greatly because school starts. If a child is constantly disrupting a class of say 20 to 30-odd other children then drugging is seen as the easiest way to ‘neutralize’ or sedate the disruptive child…
13-17 Year olds – 3,617,593
-Do the adding up and that comes to a staggering 8,894,463. For more information on these figures go here and here.
Parents not informed about the well-documented serious risk
Of course, parenting can be difficult at times. In this era, parents face new complex challenges such as, for example, how to make the right choices for their children’s mental health. Parents are up against Big Pharma’s highly deceptive psychiatric criminal drug cartel that cares more about profits than people in the ‘PharMonopoly. ‘
It begins with the parents who are informed of their child’s “mental disorder.” The parents are then told that their child needs “medicating” without being given the full facts. They’re not told about the dangers of prescribing their child psychiatric meds that could cause serious side-effects, based on a mental disorder than has no science: No confirming medical tests to support a “diagnosis” based only on a subjective opinion from the child’s behavioural checklist. For example, consider the flaws in the case of giving a one year-old antidepressants.
How far will this agendized reckless endangerment go? It pays no heed to the pressing issue of informed consent. In the name of freedom, the right to refuse meds needs to be preserved before every single child ends up medicated.
It’s no great secret either that psychiatric drugs don’t cure. Psychiatrists and suchlike have openly admitted this. However, if parents refuse to get their child medicated on a potentially life-destroying psychiatric drug then they could find themselves charged with “gross medical neglect” by the CPS (Child Protective Service).
What about those non-invasive, non-toxic alternative therapies?? –No money to be made on those for Big Pharma, so these options are neglected. Stand alone drug treatment should only be a last resort. A holistic approach should be used (more on this later).
School shootings
Children or adults, every day, millions are affected by mood-altering meds. Some reach their breaking point, culminating in horrific violent outbursts on others, or as suicides (or attempted suicides).
Whether it’s Columbine, Parkland, or other schools, after a pupil goes on a headline-making, school-shooting, killing rampage, there’s one thing that always ends up as “speculation” when people ask why it happened. Be it, for examples, from mainstream media or with politicians when debating gun laws, rumours abound, that “speculation” is the suggestion that the school shooting violence was brought on by the affects of psychiatric meds.
But it’s not speculation.
The link between the violence and psychiatric meds is a well-documented fact. Be it with school shootings or adults, many of these infamous mass-killers had either been on or were coming off psychiatric meds.
As long as the paid-off politicians turn a proverbial blind eye to this obvious link while allowing the Big Pharma psychiatric industry a highly lucrative cosy pathway that leads to the drug sales then we are an endangered race.
As famous psychiatrist Peter Breggin tells us in so many words, the equation is quite simple: more psychiatric meds = more mass shootings.
Solutions
Firstly, parents need to connect the dots; educate themselves on how to make informed choices for the mental health and well-being of their children.
For optimal health and well-being
As mentioned earlier, stand alone,”band-aid” toxic drug treatment capable of assaulting the mind, body and spirit should only be a last resort. A holistic approach incorporating an IEP (Individualized Education Programme), family therapy and nutrition can be used…
The following advice is not only for children but also for adults. Bear this in mind when 1 in 6 adults are on psychiatric meds.Here are 6 things for optimal health and well-being.
1. Diet
The importance of a good diet cannot be overstated. A healthy diet greatly promotes good mood, ability to concentrate and has even been shown to reduce violent behaviour. Avoiding junk food such as refined sugar products, a good diet consists of natural wholesome organic seeds, nuts, fruits and vegetables…etc. Make sure of a good supply of quality fats.
2. Drink plenty of water
Many suffering from mental health problems are known to be seriously dehydrated. For example, schizophrenics have this disposition. The human body is around 75% water. So, it goes without saying that drinking good water promotes health and well-being. The brain has the highest water content…
3. Maintain good gut health
Gut microbiome greatly influences mood and behaviour. Fermented foods, probiotics and B-vitamins promote beneficial gut microbiome. A healthy gut produces good levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin.
4. Get lots of sunlight
Those suffering from depression are known to have low vitamin D levels. Increased sunlight exposure raises body vitamin D levels and thus effectively treats depression. How about getting sunlight by spending time in nature?
5. Handle stress levels
Out-of-balance stress and mental health problems are inextricably linked. Therefore to return to balance it’s necessary to handle stress levels.
Meditation and yoga are excellent ways to handle stress. They have shown to be good for treating metal problems such as depression.
6. Reduce EMF exposure
Overexposure to EMF/RF wireless applications have been known to cause nervous, hormonal and behavioural problem, so try to minimize this. Especially with children as they are more susceptible.
Finally
Consult a health professional at all times for guided advice.
People of all ages dread getting a diagnosis proclaiming that they may have cancer. But did you know that while colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S., it’s also one of the most preventable?
According to experts at the American Institute of Cancer Research (AICR), Americans can prevent colorectal cancer by changing their diets, exercising regularly, and managing their weight.
Alice Bender, AICR’s Head of Nutrition Programs, said, “By making a few changes in what you eat and drink, and getting at least 30 minutes of activity in every day, you have the power to significantly lower your risk of developing colorectal cancer.” She added that adopting these lifestyle changes and trying to maintain a healthy weight can help prevent a whopping 63,000 cases in the U.S. yearly.
How to reduce your risk of colorectal cancer
Bender listed six evidence-based steps to reduce your risk of this cancer:
Drink alcohol moderately – Research shows that drinking alcohol can increase colorectal cancer risk in men. It may also increase the risk among women. Try to limit alcohol to two standard drinks daily for men and one for women. A standard drink is 12 ounces (oz) of beer, 1.5 oz of liquor, and 5 oz of wine.
Eat a lot of fiber – Eating foods rich in fiber can lower your risk of colorectal cancer. Every 10 g of fiber, or about a cup of beans, reduces colorectal cancer risk by 10 percent.
Eat less red meat and avoid processed meat – Regularly eating a lot of red meat, even small amounts of processed meat, can increase colorectal cancer risk. Skip the bacon, hot dogs, and sausages. Eat some fresh roasted chicken breast, hummus, or peanut butter sandwiches instead.
Eat more garlic – Eating garlic regularly can help reduce the risk of colorectal cancer because it is full of health-promoting ingredients
Maintain a healthy weight and try to eliminate belly fat – Research revealed that excess body fat is connected to an increased risk of colorectal cancer and ten other cancers. Having too much belly fat, even if you’re not overweight, is still a risk factor for colorectal cancer. To get rid of belly fat, be more portion-size savvy. Eat more colorful vegetables, and limit your intake of calorie-rich foods like meats and cheese. Eat small portions of desserts and sweets two or three times weekly. (Related: Slash colon cancer risk with natural lifestyle and diet.)
Try to exercise regularly – If you don’t have time to go to the gym, moderate physical activity like housecleaning or running, can also help reduce the risk of colon cancer. Spend at least 10 minutes every day exercising or take several breaks from work, then gradually increase this to 30 minutes.
Brightly colored fruits and vegetables – Colorful fruits, herbs, spices, and vegetables are rich in antioxidants. Sources include avocado, blueberries, cranberries, oregano, pomegranates, red cabbage, red and purple grapes, spinach, tomato, and turmeric.
Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids – Following a diet full of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can lower your risk of colorectal cancer. Sources include cold water fish like cod, mackerel, salmon, and sardines, along with flax oil.
Olive oil – Olive oil has plant chemicals with anti-cancer properties. It also reduces bile acid and increases enzymes that control cell turnover in the lining of the intestines which promotes healthy tissue. Olive oil also contains phenols which are plant compounds that have a cancer-protective antioxidant effect.
Spices and herbs – Spices like garlic, ginger, peppermint, rosemary, sage, spearmint, thyme, and turmeric can inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Read other articles on colorectal cancer and how to prevent it at Cancer.news.
A new study claims that drinking tea without milk can speed up your metabolism and promote good gut health, as reported by The Daily Mail. The researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles studied the relationship of metabolism and tea by conducting an experiment in mice. They divided the mice into four groups and gave each group different diets, which included low-fat, high-sugar; high-fat, high-sugar; high-fat, high-sugar, and green tea extract; and high-fat, high-sugar, and black tea extract. The study was conducted in a span of four weeks.
Towards the end of the experiment, the researchers made an evaluation on the weight of the mice, bacteria content in the large intestine, and fat deposits in the liver tissues.
The findings, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, revealed that mice who received either green or black tea extract lost weight similar to the weight of those who had a low-fat diet. Moreover, the green and black tea extracts acted as a prebiotic for the intestines. The groups of mice that had either of the two green tea extracts had less intestinal bacteria linked with obesity and more microorganisms associated to lean body mass.
Surprisingly, the researchers discovered a new health benefit of black tea.
“For black tea lovers, there may be a new reason to keep drinking it,” said Zhaoping Li, an author of the study.
The group of mice who had black tea-extract were seen to have a bacteria that enhanced the metabolic processes. The researchers believe that this is because of the big size of the black tea’s molecules. As a result, these molecules of black tea are too large to be absorbed by the body, but instead they stay in the large intestine.
“It was known that green tea polyphenols are more effective and offer more health benefits than black tea polyphenols since green tea chemicals are absorbed into the blood and tissue,” said Susanne Henning, lead author of the study.
“Our new findings suggest that black tea, through a specific mechanism through the gut microbiome, may also contribute to good health and weight loss in humans,” said Henning.
Moreover, Henning said that the results suggest that both green and black teas are prebiotics, which are substances that prompt the growth of good microorganisms, which in turn can benefit to the health of a person. (Related: 10 Benefits of Drinking Black Tea to Improve Health.)
Black tea can make you look young and fit and can de-stress you. A study found that drinking black tea can lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol more quickly than those who were given the fake or placebo tea.
Black tea was found to be beneficial for the cardiovascular health. One study discovered that those who drank black tea for four weeks had improvements in the functioning of their blood vessels by 50 percent. This may be the effect of the tea’s flavonoids, which are plant compounds that act as antioxidants and prevent the formation of plaque in artery walls.
Another benefit of black tea is it is considered an anti-cancer agent. A study found that a black tea compound known as theaflavin-3′-monogallate, or TF-2, caused colorectal cancer cells to self-destruct without damaging normal cells.
This tea was also found to increase memory, focus, and concentration, according to study. It is because of the combination of caffeine and L-Theanine, an amino acid found in tea that improves reaction time and memory.
Lastly, it can lower your cholesterol levels. One study found that five servings of black tea per day reduced cholesterol levels by 6.5 percent.
(Natural News) Despite another year-long propaganda push for flu shots, despite scores of guinea pigs lining up to get injected with this year’s flu vaccine, there has never been so much sickness across the United States. From California to New Jersey, from Illinois to Texas, over-crowded and under-staffed American hospitals are not able to handle the flu this year and are now turning people away. Forty-nine states are experiencing widespread flu activity, with 70 deaths reported across the U.S.
With 870 patients testing positive for flu in one week, thirteen Allina Health hospitals in Minnesota gave their nursing staff the authority to tell sick people to go home. Unable to stop the spread of this year’s dominant strain, Allina Health is implementing patient restrictions starting with children under five-years-old. This years’ mutated strain of H3N2, first seen in Australia over the summer of 2016, is overtaking the weak immune systems of the malnourished and over-vaccinated people of North America.
Drowning in the vaccine industry’s demands, and allegiance to a sacred lie, the prideful minds at the Centers for Disease Control continue to scream for more people to get the yearly flu vaccine, yet its perpetual ineffectiveness is causing a holocaust of illness and death.
Disgracefully, the CDC calls out for more failed, treacherous, mercury and aluminum-based flu vaccines for injection into pregnant women and infants six months of age and older. As toxic as their constituents are, the most ironic problem with flu vaccines is their near-zero effectiveness. The attenuated live virus that’s selected for each year’s batch of flu vaccines is always one step behind the next year’s mutated wild strains that are circulating. By the time the population is exposed to the flu vaccine strain for the current year, the real flu virus threat has already mutated and outsmarted vaccine science. Caught in this vicious cycle, those who get the vaccine become more susceptible to sickness over time.
And the cycle of sickness and vaccination continues, into insanity. It’s time for health officials to tell the truth about what it takes to adapt to the world of pathogens. It’s time for people to take real measures to strengthen their immunity.
Twenty-two ways to increase your resilience to sickness (methods I’ve actively used over five years of no sickness.)
1. Keep your digestive system working optimally, for proper elimination of waste products and increased absorption of nutrients. Hasten this process by eating fiber-rich foods and probiotics while eliminating PPI drugs (antacids), antibiotics, and refined sugars.
2. Adapt to the changes in the weather by exposing your breath to the fresh air. Allow your body’s internal regulating processes to adapt to temperature changes outside.
3. Slow the spread of airborne pathogens by humidifying the indoor air. Heaters and air conditioners dry out the air. Dry air is conducive for pathogens to travel longer distances and survive.
4. Respond to any creeping weakness in your body with herbal teas that contain anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and nutrient-rich properties. Black seed, elderberry, Schisandra berry, and clove are just a few of the dozens of amazing herbs that fortify the body’s natural response.
5. Bring down inflammation in the body by choosing to eat plants before meat and nut milks before animal milk. Also, focus on eating specific anti-inflammatory substances, such as curcumin in turmeric root.
6. Get more sun, and if this isn’t a possibility, supplement with vitamin D to activate your body’s natural macrophage activity.
7. Eat vitamin C-rich foods more frequently, such as chili peppers, Amalaki berries, and lemons to activate immune responsive cells from the thymus gland.
8. Restore the body’s glandular system, stress coping hormones, and humoral immune response by consuming one of nature’s fastest-acting adaptogenic substances. Eleutherococcus root contains eleutherosides, rare compounds that balance stress hormones, paving the way for stronger immunity. Great results are found by taking just one teaspoon per day for a three week period, with an abstinence period of one week.
9. During times when people regularly vaccinate (and spread live virus strains), supplement with a timeless antimicrobial such as colloidal silver, which targets pathogens and allows the body’s microbiomes space to heal.
10. During times when flu is spreading rapidly, supplement with some of nature’s strongest anti-virals such as oregano, elderberry, or goldenseal).
11. Stay hydrated with clean water for quick elimination of waste and proper functioning of the mucous membranes.
12. Ditch Lysol, hand sanitizers, triclosan, and other chemicals that contribute to your weakened cellular health, weakened microbiome, and hormone imbalances. These chemicals are overused and only contribute to mutated pathogens and resistant traits of infectious bacteria.
13. Fortify the microbiome with something as simple as raw honey and apple cider vinegar.
14. Stop your mind from believing in the need of sickness to prove something to yourself or others.
15. End victim mentality and stop your mind from believing in a pattern, cycle, or season of sickness.
16. If the digestive system feels threatened, quickly intake anti-emetic ginger root and activated charcoal, which quickly absorbs toxins and eliminates them through the bowels.
17. Sleep well, away from electronic devices, restoring the body’s circadian rhythm and nervous system.
18. Chaga mushrooms are one of many species of medicinal mushroom that strengthen the body’s natural immune responses.
19. Expose yourself to microbes by getting in the dirt, gardening, grounding, and interacting with the natural environment.
20.) Wash hands with natural soaps and essential oils that do not contain chemicals that contribute to mutated pathogens.
21.) Stop your mind from attaching to illness; stop seeking sympathy for being sick.
22.) Increase your cellular ATP energy production for a more efficient immune response. This may include replacing your cell membranes by consuming flax seed oil instead of saturated fats. This may include supplementation of CoQ10, Cat’s claw bark, or Pau D Arco bark, which hasten cellular immunity.
These real-world steps increase your resilience to sickness, but knowledge is nothing, if not put into practice. The CDC abuses vaccines and desperately needs better guidance or the U.S. will continue to see nasty, killer flu seasons and skyrocketing infant mortality rates.
At one point or another, we’ve all made a long list of New Year’s resolutions to improve our health and lost weight. Most of these resolutions will fail because support systems are not in place from the start. However a different type of resolution, one for your gut bugs is far more effective than any strategy for weight loss.
At this very moment, there are trillions of bacteria living in your body — the majority in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Collectively, these bacteria are known as the microbiome. The bulk of them are symbiotic — in other words, mutually beneficial. We help our microbiome survive and it helps us survive. Researchers are continually uncovering diverse and important functions of the microbiome related to energy metabolism, immunity, GI and mental health — among others.
Weight loss resolutions are relevant in this regard, since the gut microbiome affects the rate of absorption, metabolism and storage of calories. For example, specific bacterial strains, such as Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, shift during obesity — potentially increasing energy harvest from food. Ai-Ling Lin, assistant professor at the UK Sanders Brown Center on Aging, is investigating the impact of the microbiome on the aging brain and mental health. Her research findings demonstrate a healthy microbiome is associated with reduced anxiety and risk for dementia with aging. A well-known role of the gut microbiome is protection of the GI tract’s health and function. This is why some antibiotics can cause loose stools or diarrhea. Of note, probiotic supplementation has been shown to be effective in the treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
Maximize your beneficial and defensive features of the microbiome by nourishing and protecting it, every single day. Here are some tips to nurture the good bugs within during the coming year:
Choose Complex Carbohydrates
A primary source of energy for the microbiome is complex carbohydrates. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds and nuts are sources of resistant starch and dietary fiber — also known as “prebiotics.” Prebiotic-rich foods (not refined, sugary foods) give gut bugs plenty of fuel to flourish.
Include Natural Probiotics In Your Diet
Enrich the microbiome with a serving of yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut or fermented vegetables regularly. Beyond vitamins and minerals, these foods are rich sources of beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which may boost immunity and overall health. Effects of probiotics vary from person to person, since everyone’s microbiome is unique.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Even gut bugs need a good night’s rest. The microbiome shifts in composition and function during the light versus dark-hours of the day. Research indicates that irregular circadian rhythms (associated with jet lag in frequent flyers, for example) leads to shifts in the microbiome associated with metabolic changes. Taking steps toward a good night’s sleep will safeguard your gut bugs’ health and functionality.
Probiotic Sources
Cultured dairy products like yogurt, acidophilus milk, buttermilk, sour cream, cottage cheese and kefir are the best known food sources of friendly bacteria. Equally effective probiotic food sources include cultured/fermented vegetables (cabbage, turnips, eggplant, cucumbers, onions, squash, and carrots). Other, lesser known or used food sources of probiotics are sauerkraut and sourdough breads. Ideally, one could get a good supply of probiotics from one or more of these diverse foodstuffs. If dietary sources are not easily available, supplemental probiotic powders and capsules are good alternatives. Choose a brand that has at least 3 different strains of friendly bacteria and between 6 — 15 billion live organisms.
(Natural News) Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder wherein a person displays abnormal social behavior and a failure to differentiate between reality and fantasy. More often than not, schizophrenic individuals have yeast infections, but researchers still do not know why. These yeast infections, caused by Candida albicans found in human gut flora,do not cause mental illness per se, but appear to be strongly related to mental disorders. A study published in the May 1, 2017 issue of Brain, Behavior and Immunity backs the growing evidence of the relationship between mind and gut.
The study, led by Emily Severance, Ph.D., shows that adding probiotics to patients’ diets may treat yeast infections and ease their bowel problems. Individuals who have schizophrenia but do not have yeast infections experience a decrease in delusions and hallucinations. The research entitled “Probiotic normalization of Candida albicans in schizophrenia: A randomized, placebo-controlled, longitudinal pilot study” was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Stanley Medical Research Institute.
There were 56 adult participants in the study, 19 of which were female, and 61 percent of which were white. At the beginning of the trials, blood samples were collected from the participants and a Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) exam was administered. Each individual took a placebo pill once a day for two weeks. They were then split into two groups so that neither the researchers nor the participants could determine who would be given a real probiotic treatment or a placebo in the next 14 weeks. The probiotics administered contained one billion colony-forming units of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium animalis in each pill. Every two week, PANSS scores were reassessed, as well as the ease of their bowel movements. At the end of the study, blood samples were collected once more. The blood samples were analyzed to measure the antibody levels related to the yeasts in the participants’ bodies, before and after the probiotic treatment. Both Saccharomyces cerevisae (Brewer’s yeast)and Candida albicans (that causes yeast infections) are elevated in people suffering from schizophrenia.
Results from the trials showed that there was a decrease by 43 percent, over time, in the 22 men taking probiotics. On the other hand, only a three percent decrease of antibodies in the 15 men taking the placebo. The antibody levels for Brewer’s yeast did not change during the study, even those individuals who took the probiotics. There were no significant effects of probiotics treatment in women. PANSS scores overall showed a decrease from 24 to 19.5. It was found that delusions and hallucinations are more common in men with both schizophrenia and yeast infections. Individuals with both those conditions also had greater memory problems. The biggest changes in psychiatric symptoms were the men, treated with probiotics, who did not have elevated levels of yeast in their gut.
The researchers from John Hopkins Medicine and Sheppard Pratt Health Systemcaution that there is a need for larger and more precise studies to validate their findings about the relationship between gut microbes and mental disorders. The mental health field is already in dire need of new treatments for psychiatric disorders, given that these available medications cause too many negative side effects in patients, or are not effective at all. Probiotics may only cost $1 a day, but not everyone can be treated with it, since it should not be given to people with weak immune systems such as individuals with HIV. Furthermore, probiotics can cause gas and bloating in some people.
Other studies on mental disorders show that healthy nutrition positively impacts individuals with mental disorders. There may be a chance to reduce the risk of having these chronic psychiatric disorders through good food and healthier lifestyles, instead of laboratory-created chemical medications.
(Natural News) A diet high in beneficial fats may help stem the growth of harmful gut bacteria that trigger the onset of Crohn’s disease, according to a study carried out by a team of researchers at theCase Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel syndrome that is characterized by intestinal cramps, diarrhea, and debilitating inflammation of the intestinal tract. The disease currently affects up to half a million people across the U.S. However, the scientific community maintains that the cause of the disease remains unclear, the experts report.
The research team examined the effects of plant-derived beneficial fats — such as coconut oil or cocoa butter — on animal models as part of the study. The scientists observed that the good fats significantly reduced the bacterial diversity in mice with Crohn’s-like disease. According to the researchers, mice models that are subjected to beneficial fatty diets exhibited up to 30 percent fewer kinds of gut bacteria compared with those that followed a normal diet. This in turn led to a relatively different gut microbiome composition in the animal models, the experts added.
The scientists observed that the marked changes in gut bacterial composition could be seen in the animals’ feces. Likewise, other altered bacterial species were observed in the cecum, a portion of the intestine that usually becomes swollen in Crohn’s disease patients. The research team also observed that even modest levels of beneficial fats may still promote gut health. According to the researchers, mice given low concentrations of coconut oil or cocoa butter exhibited less severe inflammation in the small intestine.
“The finding is remarkable because it means that a Crohn’s patient could also have a beneficial effect on their gut bacteria and inflammation by only switching the type of fat in their diet. Patients would only need to replace a ‘bad’ fat with a ‘good’ fat, and eat normal amounts,” says Alexander Rodriguez-Palacios, study author and an assistant professor of medicine at the university.
The findings may help health care providers identify target bacteria to use in probiotics treatment to alleviate inflammatory bowel syndromes in affected patients, Rodriguez-Palacios says.
“Ongoing studies are now helping us to understand which component of the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ fats make the difference in the gut microbes and make mice healthier. Ultimately, we aim to identify the ‘good’ fat-loving microbes for testing as probiotics,” Rodriguez-Palacios adds.
However, the expert has also cautioned that the findings may have varying effects on Crohn’s disease patients.
“Not all ‘good’ fats might be good in all patients. Mice indicate that each person could respond differently. But diet is something we are very hopeful could help at least some patients without the side-effects and risks carried by drugs. The trick now is to really discover what makes a fat ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for Crohn’s disease,” the expert explains.
The findings were presented at the annual Digestive Disease Week conference in Chicago in June 2017. The study serves as a pioneering research on the correlation between gut microbiome changes and overall intestinal health in Crohn’s disease patients. The study is also the first to demonstrate how high-fat diets can change gut bacteria composition in order to keep inflammation at bay. In addition, the research is one of the six studies accepted for scientific conference presentation that have been produced by the university.
A new study mirrors earlier research showing that suicidal thoughts and major depressive episodes have a strong correlation to brain inflammation, New Atlas reports. The findings also agree with post-mortems of suicidal patients, which showed inflammation in their brains. Researchers said this may be a new use for anti-inflammatory drugs.
Although multiple factors are likely to blame, with cases of suicide rising in the U.S. every year, these new findings certainly deserve attention, as inflammation is a known cause of numerous physical and mental conditions. Gut inflammation, for example, is known to be a cause of symptoms of depression.
From that end, scientific advances suggest your state of mind is strongly influenced by the microflora in your gut, and that probiotics (beneficial bacteria) can alleviate symptoms of depression. But, while a probiotic supplement may be helpful, it’s unlikely to make a significant difference if you’re still eating junk.
Dietary keys include limiting sugars and gluten, and increasing healthy fats, omega-3, fiber and fermented foods rich in natural probiotics. Sugar, especially, is a known inflammatory that has already been linked to depression. Unfortunately, many are under the mistaken belief they can protect their health by swapping refined sugar for artificial sweeteners – something you just don’t want to do.
One simple way to dramatically reduce your sugar intake is to replace processed foods with real whole foods. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is associated with lower odds of depression and anxiety, an effect ascribed to antioxidants that help combat inflammation in your body. Certain nutrients are also known to cause symptoms of depression when lacking, so it’s important to eat a varied whole food diet.
If you are feeling desperate or have any thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a toll-free number 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or call 911, or simply go to your nearest hospital emergency department.
Comment: For more on the dietary links between diet and depression see:
Results should be interpreted with caution, co-author warns
In Canada, a probiotic yogurt containing one billion units can claim it ‘promotes a healthy gut flora.’ (iStock)
It’s a daunting aisle in the supermarket, filled with tubs of yogurt. Before you grab one, keep in mind that not all probiotic products are equal, according to a new study.
Mary Scourboutakos, a postdoctoral researcher, was inspired to study probiotic yogurt when she was trying to figure out what to eat. Her study, published Wednesday in the journal Nutrient, starts to provide some clues.
“What we wanted to do with this study is cut through the hype,” Scourboutakos said.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria added to food products. They were originally studied to restore the balance of gut microbes after taking antibiotics. Now probiotic yogurts are promoted to help digestion and even improve specific conditions.
To find out what probiotics are in which product, and how much there actually is, Scourboutakos and her co-authors searched a national database of product labels that covers three-quarters of the grocery market share in Canada.
To make the basic claim “promotes a healthy gut flora” in Canada, a yogurt needs to contain one billion units of probiotics. The study’s authors say that minimum standard was met.
To look for potential additional benefits beyond gut health, the researchers looked through 29 randomized clinical trials on various health effects, ranging from preventing the common cold, to reducing cavity-causing bacteria among healthy populations.
Most studies funded by probiotic makers
Most of the studies were funded by probiotic makers. Some results also need to be interpreted with caution, said study co-author Elena Comelli, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto.
Comelli pointed to four additional potential benefits:
March 10, 2017 Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have reversed depression symptoms in mice by feeding them Lactobacillus, a probiotic bacteria found in live-cultures yogurt. Further, they have discovered a specific mechanism for how the bacteria affect mood, providing a direct link between the health of the gut microbiome and mental health.
Broken down, the word probiotic means “for life” or “promoting life.” While it sounds good, you still may wonder: are probiotics just another gimmick, or is there some science behind mental health benefits?
Based on their findings, the researchers are optimistic that their discovery will hold true in people and are planning to confirm their findings in patients with depression.
“The big hope for this kind of research is that we won’t need to bother with complex drugs and side effects when we can just play with the microbiome,” explained lead researcher Alban Gaultier, PhD. “It would be magical just to change your diet, to change the bacteria you take, and fix your health — and your mood.”
Treating Depression
Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions in the United States, with up to 7 percent of people experiencing a major depressive episode, Gaultier noted. “It’s a huge problem and the treatments are not very good, because they come with huge side effects,” he said.
The role of the gut microbiome — the bacteria that live inside us — has been of tremendous interest to researchers studying depression and other health conditions, both mental and physical. Gaultier, of the UVA Department of Neuroscience and its Center for Brain Immunology and Glia, set out to see if he could find a concrete link between depression and gut health. “When you’re stressed, you increase your chance of being depressed, and that’s been known for a long, long time,” he said. “So the question that we wanted to ask is, does the microbiome participate in depression?”
The answer appears to be yes. Looking at the composition of the gut microbiome before and after mice were subjected to stress, Gaultier’s team found that the major change was the loss of Lactobacillus. With the loss of Lactobacillus came the onset of depression symptoms. Feeding the mice Lactobacillus with their food returned them to almost normal. “A single strain of Lactobacillus,” Gaultier observed, “is able to influence mood.”
He and his team then went on to determine the mechanism by which Lactobacillus influences depression. They found that the amount of Lactobacillus in the gut affects the level of a metabolite in the blood called kynurenine, which has been shown to drive depression. When Lactobacillus was diminished in the gut, the levels of kynurenine went up — and depression symptoms set in.
“This is the most consistent change we’ve seen across different experiments and different settings we call microbiome profiles,” explained researcher Ioana Marin, a graduate student who is finishing up her PhD. work. “This is a consistent change. We see Lactobacillus levels correlate directly with the behavior of these mice.”
Testing in Humans
Gaultier was careful to call the symptoms seen in mice as “depressive-like behavior” or “despair behavior,” as mice have no way to communicate that they are feeling depressed. But those symptoms are widely accepted as the best available model for looking at depression in creatures other than humans.
Based on the new findings, Gaultier plans to begin studying the effect in people as soon as possible. He intends to examine the effects of Lactobacillus on depression in patients with multiple sclerosis, a group in which the disorder is common. Promisingly, the same biological substances and mechanisms Lactobacillus uses to affect mood in mice are also seen in humans, suggesting the effect may be the same.
In addition to looking at the effects in people, the researchers are continuing to explore the important role of kynurenine. “There has been some work in humans and quite a bit in animal models talking about how this metabolite, kynurenine, can influence behavior,” Marin said. “It’s something produced with inflammation that we know is connected with depression. But the question still remains: How? How does this molecule affect the brain? What are the processes? This is the road we want to take.”
While there is no harm in people with depression eating yogurt, people receiving treatment for depression should not stop taking their medications without consulting their physicians. More studies, the researchers noted, are needed.
DECEMBER 2, 2016 Intestinal bacteria play a key role in causing and preventing many diseases. Consequently, giving personalised gut health advice will be routine medical practice in five years, predicts the researcher behind the new start-up Map My Gut and big gut data projects British Gut and Kings College London’s TwinsUK Registry.
There are over 400 species of bacteria in your belly right now that can be the key to health or disease.
Probiotic supplements of exceptional quality and effectiveness that contains at least 10 billion CPU (colony-forming units) of several human strains of “friendly” intestinal micro-flora can actively prevent illness.
The genomes of the bacteria and viruses of the human gut alone are thought to encode 3.3 million genes.
Professor Tim Spector of the genetic epidemiology department at Kings College London has had a busy few years with his continuing work on the TwinsUK Registry — the world’s richest collection of genotypic and phenotypic information tracking 13,000 twins over two decades — and the launch of the crowdfunded British Gut Project.
And what has Spector learnt from all this big gut data? That personalised probiotics not a one-strain-fits-all approach is the way forward for both gut health research and the gut health industry.
“Everyone is so unique,” he told us. “That’s the big challenge for industry — waking up to this idea. You have to be more intelligent. Having one strain that will help everyone is very naive.”
Spector’s latest venture Map My Gut (MMG) makes this gut idiosyncrasy — a headache for probiotic players investing millions in failed applications for population-wide health claims for single strains — into a commercial opportunity.
Launched at the beginning of the September, MMG offers customers specialist gut microbiome analysis and personalised nutrition advice on how to improve both microbial balance and function.
By the end of the month the start-up was already at capacity for its metagenome test, forcing them to close orders until January. What is a metagenome test?
Known as the ‘Rolls Royce of genome testing’, the metagenome test looks at genetic material recovered directly from environmental samples. In this case, faecal samples.
MMG decribes the test as a “state of the art method” that “fully sequences every gene in every living organism in your gut to the deepest level”.
“It is a highly complex test that allows us to identify microbes not just to the family level (broad group of bacteria) like 16s but to the species and sometimes strain level (subtype of species). It provides accurate data on the functions of your microbes, as well as viruses, and fungi, virulence genes and antibiotic resistance.”
Five years
“In five years this will be routine,” he said. “You can tell more from gut microbes than you can from DNA, and I’m a geneticist.”
The start-up wasn’t yet asking people why they wanted to tests, but he said: “At the moment people have problems with their diet or gut health that GPs [general practitioner doctors] can’t help them with like obesity, allergies or IBS [Irritable Bowel Syndrome].”
He said neglecting to measure gut microbe make-up in these kinds of patients was “like giving a heart check-up without taking their blood pressure”.
Going deeper
The feedback on microbe makeup offered by MMG goes deeper, quicker than that given through the British Gut Project.
Launched in October 2014, the British Gut Project has seen over 2,000 people paying various fees to have their or their family’s microbiome mapped.
Yet not everyone was happy with the level of feedback they got for their money four to six months later.
The British Gut Project taught them people were prepared to pay more for more detailed feedback provided within a shorter time frame.
Me me me
One study from the consortium involving 1,269 adults from seven European countries found after six months, people who received personalised nutrition advice did indeed have a healthier diet compared to those who received standard blanket advice based on national guidelines.
However, this positive result was regardless of whether the personalised advice was based on their diet alone, diet and phenotype or diet, phenotype and genotype.
At the time John Mathers, professor and director of the Human Nutrition Research Centre at Newcastle University in the UK and one of the Food4me researchers, told us he believed people just needed to feel advice was tailored to them and were less interested in the complex cogs — like phenotype and genotypes — behind this.
The next step for MMG will be to track the impact of interventions.
Just a few weeks ago the start-up signed a non-exclusive contract with an unnamed dairy food manufacturer.
Professor Tim Spector will be presenting a talk on the latest gut health research at next week’s industry event Health ingredients Europe (HiE) in Frankfurt, Germany.
Why Over 400 Species of Bacteria In Your Belly Right Now May Be The Key To Health or Disease
The discovery that the microbiome is essential to our health, and especially mental health, is possibly one the most important discoveries in the last few years.
One way to protect and optimize your gut microbiome is to eat traditionally fermented foods and fiber-rich foods.
Barely a day goes by without some type of media announcement noting the importance of your gut flora.
One of the best and least expensive ways to optimize your gut microbiome is to eliminate sugars and processed sugars and eat traditionally fermented foods, but probiotic supplements can also be beneficial.
Greg Leyer,1 who has a PhD in Microbiology Food Science, is the Chief Scientific Officer of United Agricultural Services (UAS) Laboratories, a probiotic-dedicated manufacturer, and he’s been passionate about probiotics and health for more than two decades.
“I got interested in microbiology and spent my graduate research career looking at pathogenic bacteria, those bacteria we want to avoid and that make us sick,” he says.
“In the course of doing those studies, I became aware that not all bacteria are bad and became intrigued in this whole concept of probiotics … My first post-graduate job was in the area of developing probiotics for infant nutrition. That was 21 years ago.
I’ve been in the probiotic research development field ever since, and have seen the research in the market just explode.”
Nourishing Your Microbiome Begins With Real Food
Mounting evidence reveals there’s more to nutrition than previously thought — a large component of it actually revolves around nourishing the health-promoting bacteria in your body, thereby keeping harmful microbes in check.
Probiotics are supplements designed to increase your beneficial bacteria, the largest concentration of which is found in your gut. Different types of bacteria live in different locations in your gastrointestinal tract. You also have bacteria residing in other areas of your body, such as your mouth and skin.
While probiotic supplements have their benefits and their place, it’s important — before taking a supplement — to optimize the conditions where these beneficial bacteria grow.
One of the reasons a healthy diet is able to influence your health is by the fact that it helps create an optimal environment for beneficial bacteria in your gut, while decreasing pathogenic or disease-causing bacteria, fungi, and yeast.
“Healthy eating” basically amounts to eating real food, which means avoiding processed foods and staying away from sugars, because few things fertilize and accelerate the growth of pathogenic microbes better than sugar. As noted by Leyer:
“In studies done in people all over the world, you’ll see different microbial communities residing in people that have different dietary intakes. You want to provide foods that are going to nourish this healthy community of bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract.
Sugars aren’t selective. Bacteria like sugars, but the bad bacteria love sugars. Eating real food, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and things like that, are more selective. The pathogenic bacteria don’t like non-fiber carbs as much. It’s more difficult for them to utilize them as an energy source.”
The Importance of Probiotics When Taking an Antibiotic
Unfortunately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) restricts supplement makers from making certain health claims; for example, you cannot market a probiotic saying, “This is useful to take after an antibiotic,” because that would imply that antibiotics might harm you in some way.
As a result of these restrictions, unless you spend a fair amount of time reading about the subject you may not be aware of many of the benefits of probiotics.
“There’s a lot of really exciting research that we’re not able to talk about,” Leyer notes. “One of them is the role of healthy bacteria when co-prescribed with an antibiotic, and the effect it has on maintaining healthy populations in your gut.
Antibiotics are selective for bacteria, but they’re not terribly selective for a particular bacteria.
Antibiotics – and many studies have shown this – will have a tremendously disruptive effect on the overall microbial community. They’ll kill the target organism that might be causing your infection … but they also do a lot of harm to the good bacteria that are there.
Studies have shown that when you co-administer probiotics with antibiotics and continue that probiotic administration, you’re quickly able to restore that microbial community to the healthy state it has prior to the antibiotic treatment.”
Guidelines for Taking Probiotics With Antibiotics
If you’re taking an antibiotic, don’t simultaneously take the probiotic as the antibiotic is liable to simply kill the bacteria off. Instead, take them a few hours before or after taking the antibiotic. From the clinical research Leyer has done, this strategy appears to work quite well.
Saccharomyces yeast, a beneficial type of yeast, may also be helpful when taking a course of antibiotics, as it has also been shown to prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
“Fifteen to 25 percent of people who take an antibiotic end up getting antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
Probiotics – I’ll include Saccharomyces in this group – have been shown to have tremendous benefits in reducing the risk of developing that kind of secondary complication of antibiotic treatment,” Leyer says.
The Hazards of Antibiotics in the Food Supply
Medical antibiotics are not the sole source of exposure. About 80 percent of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. are actually used in livestock production to fatten up the animals and prevent disease.
So, unless you’re buying organic grass-fed meats, you’re likely ingesting minute doses of antibiotics with each hamburger and steak you eat.
This continuous low-dose exposure has the added downside of promoting antibiotic resistance. The role of antibiotics in promoting (rather than treating) disease is slowly gaining ground.
There’s no question that antibiotics have saved lives. But if you were to carefully analyze and objectively determine their true impact, you just might find they’ve done more harm than good.
Leyer cites the book “Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues,” written by Dr. Martin Blaser, which presents the theory that many of our modern disease epidemics may be rooted in the disruptive effect modern foods have on our microbiota.
“Keeping your intestinal microflora healthy, consuming healthy, active, probiotic bacteria is a key component to maintaining, in my opinion, your overall health,” Leyer says.
Probiotics for the Prevention of Leaky Gut, and More
Leaky gut results when there’s a disruption in the interconnections between the cells in your intestines. Little holes or tears can develop, allowing food particles to enter your blood stream, which can cause an autoimmune response.
It’s a serious problem, and I’ve known a number of people who nearly died from it. There are a number of causes for leaky gut, but whatever the cause, one of the most powerful remedies is to consume homemade organic bone broth and fermented vegetables. Certain probiotic supplements can also be helpful.
According to Leyer:
“I am familiar with the evidence behind certain probiotics and their ability to prevent or lessen leaky gut. The issue with leaky gut is that you’re getting things into the circulation system that aren’t supposed to be there. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) … are gram-negative bacteria … [LPS] is a diagnostic test to look for leaky gut.
What we’re finding is that subchorionic levels of LPS circulating in the blood causes this chronic inflammation cascade. Chronic inflammation seems to be at the root of a lot of disease states … One that is front and center is type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. There’s been some really intriguing work with probiotics maintaining tight-junction barrier, reducing leaky gut, reducing circulating LPS, and affecting insulin sensitivity through downplaying this inflammation.”
Probiotics have also been extensively tested for their immunological functions. For example, in the elderly, probiotics can help boost activity of immune cells that fight off cancer cells. The mechanism involved here is an orchestration of immune chemical messengers called cytokines. But there’s still much to be learned about the exact mechanisms by which probiotics influence health.
“There are some areas in the probiotic science where the mechanisms are becoming better understood. And there are some areas in probiotic science that is more theory than really causal right now. But the more layers of the onion you peel back, the more you understand this is an incredibly complicated web of information from gut to human, to nervous system to immune system. This complex interplay is not so simple that you can clearly identify,” Leyer explains.
Probiotics and the Gut-Brain Axis
It’s become quite clear that the benefits of probiotics transcend the gut. More recent studies have delved into the role of gut bacteria in the workings of the gut-brain axis, and how they benefit your mental and psychological health. Anxiety, depression and other mood disorders are increasingly recognized as being, in part, the result of an unbalanced microbiome.
Probiotics appear to have the ability to make compounds that interact directly with your brain. They certainly influence your immune system, which has interactions with and can cross the blood-brain barrier.
“There’s an interesting study that … looked retrospectively at a study where people gave infants probiotic bacteria for the first two years of their life,” Leyer says. “They were really looking at the ability of this probiotic to ward off the incidence of atopic eczema or skin rashes. When the kids were 13 years old, they went back and said, ‘Okay. Let’s look at autistic spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and [other] psychological kind of issues.’
Of the kids that took the probiotic, none had developed any kind of autistic spectrum disorders; 17 percent of those that did not get probiotics developed autistic spectrum disorders. The study wasn’t designed to look at ADHD or autism, but it’s an interesting way to look back in time and say:
Here’s a population of people that were essentially imprinted with probiotic bacteria at a very young age. We now understand that there’s this developmental window in young people that’s critically important for probiotics.”
Beware of ‘Probiotic’ Junk Food
As a general rule, I believe most people would be able to obtain most of their nutritional support from real food. This is certainly the case with beneficial bacteria, because there are a lot of good fermented foods that provide them.
One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to probiotic foods is yogurt, because most of them are nothing more than creamy junk food. The Cornucopia Institute has published a Yogurt Buyer’s Guide and Scorecard2,3 where you can learn more about your favorite brands.
Many who seek to improve their health buy commercial yogurt from the grocery store, thinking they’re doing something good for themselves when in reality they’re not. They’d be far better off taking a probiotic supplement, as then they’d avoid added sugars and other unhealthy additives. The exception to that rule is traditionally cultured yogurt made from organic raw milk.
Commercial yogurts often contain upwards of 25 to 30 grams of sugar per serving, which meets or exceeds the daily recommended amount of sugar for the whole day!
The amount of probiotics you’ll get from commercial yogurt is also far lower than what you’d get from a high-quality probiotic supplement. A commercial yogurt might give you a million probiotic cells, which sounds like a lot, but if you take a quality-made supplement you’re getting tens of billions of probiotics — three orders of magnitude greater amounts. So in that respect, a supplement is clearly easier and more cost-effective.
“The other thing you have to consider is that in a yogurt, you’ve got a very acidic condition that’s degrading the quality of the probiotics over the course of the shelf life of that yogurt. In a quality-made dietary supplement, these probiotics are essentially in suspended animation or dormant until you consume them; they come back to life when you swallow the capsule,” Leyer notes.
Probiotic Guidelines
Many tend to imagine that taking probiotics is like planting seeds in your garden. They grow, reproduce, and all you basically have to do is “seed and feed” them. But that’s actually not the case. Your intestinal tract contains thousands of different bacterial types, not to mention fungi and viruses. It’s a challenging environment with lots of competition.
Probiotics have developed the ability to withstand normal concentrations of stomach acid and bile in the small intestine, and live there, but they don’t live and thrive there forever.
As noted by Leyer:
“When you stop taking the probiotics, studies show that you start seeing less and less of that probiotic residing there. It will decline to this baseline level of before you started taking a probiotic supplement. On the immune side, there are studies that show that immune benefits decline within a few days after stopping taking the probiotics. So it’s really important to maintain a continual onslaught of these healthy bacteria.”
Factors to look for when trying to identify a high-quality probiotic supplement include the following:
Make sure it’s a reputable brand. If you trust the products made by a company, perhaps they’re doing a great job making their probiotics as well.
Look for a potency count (colony forming units or CFUs) of 50 billion or higher. That’s the number of bacteria being delivered per dose.
Declaration of shelf life, i.e. the shelf life of the CFUs. Avoid capsules that only declare the CFUs at time of manufacture. Food products should be in resealable packaging and stored as directed
Look for a product containing multiple species of bacteria, as high diversity tends to be associated with better health. That said, products containing species of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria are generally recommended.
Examples would be Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus plantarum. These organisms predominantly reside in the small intestine or the upper gastrointestinal tract (GI) where a vast majority of your immune cells reside. Bifidobacteria, on the other hand, reside in the large intestine or the lower bowel, which is another critical location associated with health. Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium longum, and Bifidobacterium bifidum are important ones.
Look for non-GMO brands.
Confirm that they’re manufactured according to current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP)4
Optimizing Your Microbiome Is a Potent Disease Prevention Strategy
As noted by Leyer, “probiotic consumption for health and wellness is here to stay.” A tremendous amount of research shows that the microbial community in your body has a wide ranging influence over your health. “The days of ‘all bacteria are bad’ are long gone,” Leyer says. “Eating clean and natural foods, nourishing your gut, and having a healthy intestinal community are really at the core of wellness.”
I also firmly believe that applying this knowledge can make a distinct and positive difference in your health, boosting not only your immune function, but also your neurological function and mood. Best of all, supporting your microbiome isn’t very complicated. You do need to take proactive steps to implement certain key strategies while actively avoiding other factors though. So to optimize your microbiome, consider the following recommendations:
Eat plenty of fermented foods. Healthy choices include lassi, fermented grass-fed organic milk such as kefir, natto (fermented soy), and fermented vegetables.
Antibiotics, unless absolutely necessary, and when you do, make sure to reseed your gut with fermented foods and/or a high quality probiotic supplement.5,6
Take a probiotic supplement. Although I’m not a major proponent of taking many supplements (as I believe the majority of your nutrients need to come from food), probiotics is an exception if you don’t eat fermented foods on a regular basis
Conventionally-raised meats and other animal products, as CAFO animals are routinely fed low-dose antibiotics, plus genetically engineered grains loaded with glyphosate, which is widely known to kill many bacteria.
Boost your soluble and insoluble fiber intake, focusing on vegetables, nuts, and seeds, including sprouted seeds.
Chlorinated and/or fluoridated water. Especially in your bathing such as showers, which are worse than drinking it.
Get your hands dirty in the garden. Exposure to bacteria and viruses can serve as “natural vaccines” that strengthen your immune system and provide long-lasting immunity against disease.
According to a recent report,7 lack of exposure to the outdoors can in and of itself cause your microbiome to become “deficient.”
Processed foods. Excessive sugars, along with otherwise “dead” nutrients, feed pathogenic bacteria.
Food emulsifiers such as polysorbate 80, lecithin, carrageenan, polyglycerols, and xanthan gum also appear to have an adverse effect on your gut flora.8
Unless 100 percent organic, they may also contain GMOs that tend to be heavily contaminated with pesticides such as glyphosate. Artificial sweeteners have also been found to alter gut bacteria in adverse ways.9
Open your windows. For the vast majority of human history the outside was always part of the inside, and at no moment during our day were we ever really separated from nature.
Today, we spend 90 percent of our lives indoors.And, although keeping the outside out does have its advantages it has also changed the microbiome of your home.
Research10 shows that opening a window and increasing natural airflow can improve the diversity and health of the microbes in your home, which in turn benefit you.
Agricultural chemicals, glyphosate (Roundup) in particular is a known antibiotic and will actively kill many of your beneficial gut microbes if you eat and foods contaminated with Roundup
Wash your dishes by hand instead of in the dishwasher. Research has shown that washing your dishes by hand leaves more bacteria on the dishes than dishwashers do, and that eating off these less-than-sterile dishes may actually decrease your risk of allergies by stimulating your immune system.
Antibacterial soap, as they too kill off both good and bad bacteria, and contribute to the development of antibiot
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Tales from the Conspiratum 