Caroline Brundrit Holistic Therapist

28/04/2024

26/04/2024

Out of the mouth of ‘babes’. And yes, I am saying exactly that 😍

So we were just chatting about anxiety and the gut, some call it the Brain-Gut axis. To which my teenager was also asking 'so what comes first, the anxiety of the gut issues?' Great question…

What do you think? 🤓

Do you think, we can have anxiety with a healthy gut? Do you think we can have poor gut health without anxiety? These are all valid questions, as the world of microbiome is expanding ...every day something new is discovered.

Who would have considered asking about gut health in order to address diabetes? Actually, most still don't check on gut health. This is called 'dinosaur medicine'. The way to health is through the gateway called the GUT 💥 for most chronic conditions.

Only one area this does not necessarily apply is the nervous system. As survival trumps all!

So we have this amazing world within us and on us, called the microbiome.

We have simply two main families of bacteria, the 'Smiths and the Patels', which in the microbiome world are known as the Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes.

These two families produce Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs), yes these are fats.

How do they make these fats, well from the undigested fibre which is from our carbohydrates. Remember once it was thought fibre was just roughage, to help us p**p? How far have we come along?

The Firmicutes make the SCFA called butyrate and the Bacteroidetes make the other two SCFAs called acetate and propionate.

SCFAs reduce the pH in the gut and enhance nutrient absorption, whilst also playing a role in the composition of the microbe population.

These SCFAs are key in gut health, these are vital in reducing inflammation and oxidative stress.

Family history of bowel disease, have you had a comprehensive gut test? My team offers this test and I teach it at the New School of Nutritional Medicine ..and we teach it alongside the digestion module so that it is more immersive learning.

SCFAs are pivotal in preventing such conditions. They have even been shown to reduce the impact of septic shock.

A diverse microbiome is critical for optimal health. Studies show, those that have a higher level of body fat and/or inflammation have a lower diversity of bacteria.

Food AND movement matters 🤸‍♀️ 🥦

Has anyone noticed that bowel cancer seems to be more diagnosed? Why does the NHS only test for blood in the stools? By then it is a tad late in prevention or healing stage.

A full comprehensive gut test should be a test offered once a year from 3 years onwards...IMHO. ✍️

11/09/2023

The Centers for Disease Control released statistics in April that show the latest autism rate was 1 in 36 children in 2020, up from 1 in 44 in 2018, and 1 in 150 in 2000.

This should be alarming….this is not due to genetics. If the rise in Autism or ASD (autism spectrum disorder) were due to genetics then why such a surge in numbers? The exponential rise in autism cannot be explained by genetics alone.

Do you remember the term ‘refrigerator mother’?
It was a term coined by Leo Kanner, an Austrian psychiatrist in the 1940s describing cold, uncaring, mothers who traumatised her child that they retreated into autism?

Well, we have come a long way, but still a long way to go. Way back in 2012 there was a study where by rats were given short chain fatty acids from an autistic child and these rats started to display traits seen in autism. Short Chain Fatty Acids are fats that are produced by the microbiome (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/mehd.v23i0.19260).

Now we have f***l transplantations, who would have thought, that microbes would be playing such a critical role in human wellbeing?

There are shifts in the world of ASD research, from the cause being potentially epigenetics not genetics.

The study in Nature (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-023-01361-0 ) shows a link between the Gut-Brain-Axis and Autism. This study shows a connection between the bacteria Prevotella, Desulfovibrio, Bifodobacterium and Bacteroides and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Phenotypes. All these bacteria are tested for in functional tests such as the comprehensive stool analysis.

There is no doubt that ASD is multifactorial. Not only the microbiome but epigenetics where the interaction of environmental factors in genetics has shown that various harmful chemicals such as exposure to contaminants during pregnancy may trigger genetics mutations leading to autism.

Chemicals can include, air pollution, pesticides
heavy metals such as mercury, lead etc.

Other factors such as low nutrients like zinc and manganese and disruption if the zinc-copper cycles were found in children with ASD.

At the New School, we also believe such conditions like ASD are multifactorial. There will never be one gene or one toxin, and therefore one protocol or one cure. The body is reacting to it’s environment. The environment matters.

We teach a plethora of functional tests in our curriculum, some include:

- epigenetic testing such as alterations in methylation, detox, inflammation etc
- microbiome analysis
- nutrient analysis such as minerals and vitamins
- testing for toxins such as phase one inducers like medications, formaldehyde, pesticides, fungicides, petrochemicals, toluene, styrenes, glyphosate etc.
- stress test through the urine and saliva test

It is challenging to work with such conditions without having the above tools to help determine personalised nutrition programmes, be it detoxification, balancing minerals, supporting methylation etc

21st century medicine is changing and these are exciting times.

Image below from article ....
https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/goliath-autism-research-about-fall

03/06/2022

The pandemic may be over but the mental side effects last a lifetime..... never is self care more important than it is now... and I speak from experience ###

27/05/2022

https://fb.watch/dgh9RG68Wp/

12/05/2022

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10160187808987363&id=771652362

Ever had an injury where the pain never fully went away? Still some residual swelling? Often after a trauma, the lymphatic system becomes restricted around the injury and reroutes the fluid in a less efficient pathway. This faulty flow can be mapped by hand and restored.

25/03/2022

So I'm sitting on the balcony being romantic and I say "there will never be another man for me" and Tony says "there will never be another man for me either " and you realise its as good as it gets.... 🤣

HAPPY Friday and the sun is shining! Xx

03/03/2022

https://www.instyle.com/beauty/health-fitness/eft-tapping -content

Everything you need to know about the ancient technique that releases calming chemicals in the brain.

12/02/2022

Well after 6 weeks of rest and recuperation, I'm now back up and working for all your physical and emotional pain management needs! Happy Saturday everyone.

10/02/2022

This is where the Emmett Technique leads the way in releasing fascia!

https://www.facebook.com/247404488680596/posts/4876799249074407/?substory_index=0

Once upon a time, fascia was severely underestimated. Previously thought of as basically just packing material, protecting our more important structures, it's now known that fascia plays a vital role in movement, immune function, and is our largest bodily organ, with the greatest capacity for sensation.

06/02/2022

A few times over the last few months or so I have had people come to me for help who are grieving. They are grieving for friendships that have come to an end.

Friendships will end and change as we do. Just as in our romantic partnerships, what we are looking for from our friendships will evolve.

It’s natural for friendships to end throughout our lives. With time and healing, we can gain more clarity on why that friendship didn’t work out. We can also create space for friendships that leave us feeling energised, inspired, connected and more authentic to ourselves

04/02/2022