What is old becomes new again…mostly

Husband Bill gave me a 1940 magazine that he found in a box of items from a departed relative. I thought it might be fun to poke through Physical Culture. Not only was it fun, but also interesting. It turns out that the publisher, Bernarr Macfadden (1868-1955) shown above posing as Michelangelo’s David, was a forerunner of famous health coach Jack LaLanne.

As you can see the cover (obviously, before the “Me-too” movement), promoted an article entitled “Sex Appeal and Business Success”. The photos accompanying that article show a woman who, after getting her appearance and posture improved, was sexy enough to land a job as a secretary! The magazine also predated women becoming CEO’s and even “Rosie the Riveter”. 

Many of Bernarr’s health ideas were more enlightened:

• He was opposed to over-medication and, not surprisingly, was bashed by the medical community.
• He advised against eating processed foods such as white bread which Wikipedia quotes him as calling “the staff of death”.
• One of his articles, smartly entitled “You are what you eat” advised readers to “Eat only when you are hungry.”
• Celebrated author and nutrition pioneer, Carlton Fredericks, contributed an article. It discussed thyroid trouble due to low iodine levels in the “goiter belt” which is around the Great Lakes, Appalachia, and Northwestern U.S. and in most of Canada. (Goiter is an enlarged thyroid due to low iodine. Iodized salt helped with that, but we are now told to avoid salt. And the substitution of iodine’s competitor, bromine, instead of iodine in bread makes matters worse. Still a problem.)
• Carlton Fredericks also notes that the Department of Agriculture was lamenting the depletion of minerals in the soil and the resulting depletion of minerals in our food. [Remember, this was 1940! Every test since has shown even more nutrient depletion in our food.]
• Macfadden thought that fasting helped strengthen us. This is a brand “new” popular idea now—especially noteworthy is intermittent fasting. That is a practice where you restrict your eating to an 8-10 period during a day.
• The magazine sponsored a walking club. He was right about that need 78 years ago!
• He thought that sexual intercourse was good for us. That was an idea not supported by doctors at the time. He must have had a lot of that kind of energy because he was married 4 times.

Mr. Macfadden wrote over 100 books, had many successful business ventures besides publishing, and lived to age 87. So, it seems at least some of his ideas must have worked.

However, his extreme stance against mainstream medicine proved to be his undoing. Because he refused medical treatment for a urinary tract infection, he needlessly died from it.

Advertising in the magazine:

“Be a nurse. Make $25-$35 a week!”

Kellogg’s All-Bran cereal had big print on the front calling it “A Natural Laxative Cereal”. The box front also proudly proclaimed “with sugar, salt and malt flavoring.”

For prostate sufferers, there was advertising for a scary-looking use-at-home device called an “oscillatherm” that provided heat, massage and dilation. Ouch.

We are very AWARE—now let’s PREVENT cancer!

We’ve been waging a conventional “war on cancer” since 1971 and yet death rates have remained relatively the same. The war strategy has been to find some silver bullet (translate that as “drug”) to kill cancer after it is established—i.e. we’ve been fighting the forest fire. We should be telling people how to blow out the match before it starts the fire—i.e. prevention. Cancers develop when something in the original plan has gone wrong—the body isn’t getting everything it needs for optimum function and is being sabotaged with excesses it can’t handle.

That is the first paragraph of my Library article Cancer Prevention and Treatment. It started out to cover prevention of breast cancer, but I broadened it because most of these factors apply to other types of cancer. I list 13 categories and lots of specifics and resources.

New items added to that article deserve to be noted here:

• Cannell called our attention to a recent STUDY that shows that women with Vitamin D blood levels of  60 ng/ml have nearly 80% lowered risk of breast cancer than those at only 20ng/ml! Higher blood levels = even lower risk. Vitamin D helps us make neutrophils (one type of immune cell). Please donate to help the Vitamin D Council continue to share this kind of lifesaving information. (They have had a little trouble with the website. If you don’t receive a confirmation after you click “submit”, call 1-805-439-1075 to donate or mail a check to 4108 Del Rey Ave, Marina Del Rey, CA 90290.)
• Bill Sardi recently reminded us that zinc helps the thymus gland keep from shrinking with age and so it can better make T cells (an immune cell). He also noted that resveratrol increases production of another important immune cell, natural killer cells.

I also recommend reading my article on Pancreatic Cancer. The factors shown to protect us from this very hard to treat disease are surely valuable for protection from other types and for helping the body fight them off when they already have a foothold.

Integrative cancer specialist, Dr. Gus Kotsanis provided his advice regarding cancer: 10 Steps to Thrive.

It always helps to hear not just theory but real life examples of nature at work. Read this Survivor Letter.

Be a savvy consumer of “health care”

If I’m ever in an accident, I sure hope it is in the US, because our doctors are second to none at putting us back together. They are also fabulous for holding down the fort when a disease is in crisis. However, for prevention of disease and for the treatment of chronic disease, we have a poor record. The United States ranks 37th out of 191 countries in average life expectancy and rates poorly in  infant mortality, diabetes, heart disease, disability and health span. For all the pressure we feel to take cholesterol and blood pressure drugs we have the second highest death rate from cardiovascular disease among the top 17 wealthiest countries.

A giant portion of our national economy is now spent on what we euphemistically call “health care” but it is in fact “sickness care”. Whatever you call it, the US spends more per person on this care than any other nation on the planet. Annual costs reached $3.3 trillion in 2016 and is heading toward consuming almost 20% of our economic output. Those costs increase the price of everything we buy. Yet, as we all know, in spite of all those dollars, our citizens are still fat and sick.

We only do fairly well (but not great) in statistics for stroke, cancer and keeping folks alive if they make it to age 75. Our advantage in those categories is due in large part to the happy fact that we smoke less than many countries and that our high tech medical heroics at the end of life are superior. By that I mean we can prolong life almost indefinitely but, by then that may have become a miserable existence. Isn’t what we really want to live younger longer? That is where diet and lifestyle save the day and we’d darn well better do what we can ourselves because the medical profession is not prepared to lead the way and teach us. The question I’m asked most often is how to find a doctor like those I interview on the show. A good start is the Library page: Doctor Resources. Be sure to also visit a cutting-edge dentist–check out this page: Dental Resources.

There is a good reason that it is called the “practice” of medicine. Treatments and recommendations go out of favor as more is learned and the proponents of the old ideas retire. Major changes often take 40 years…especially if there is a big financial incentive to stick to the old paradigm. Meanwhile, old ideas can cost lives. The article linked below, Death by Medicine, and the radio interview with one of the authors points out that the side effects of drugs, hospital-acquired infections and medical mistakes add up to be the number one cause of premature deaths. The more you know, the better you can avoid being one of those statistics. The doctors in the resources noted above blend historic wisdom with new science to provide better care. Self-care is the most important and that is what this website and our radio show are all about.

For more information, read our pages on How to Recognize a Quack, Drugs, and Testing. 

The body gives us subtle signs

As I’ve mentioned many times, the body is by its wonderful nature, supposed to be healthy. But, to enjoy its health potential, we must follow two basic rules. One – give it everything it needs for optimum function. We need nutrition (for example, protein, fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals). We also need water, sleep, sunshine, movement and so on. Rule two: don’t overload the body with excesses it cannot handle. On the excess front, that can be in food (e.g. sugar) but, also smoking, alcohol, and chemicals from the food, air and water. Even good things like water and exercise in excess can become problems.

For the most part, we do not get ill suddenly. Disease results from the effects of imbalances in those requirements and excesses that develop over time. But, how do we become aware of these imbalances? The accumulation of toxic metals (as well as status of nutritional minerals) can be easily measured by the Oligoscan test that Dr. Michael Einsohn discussed on the August 11^th show.

Nutrition blood tests performed at the doctor’s office are typically pretty crude measures that only look at a few nutrients (e.g. iron) and only call attention when they are grossly out of order. For example, when calcium and magnesium are measured the tests are a snapshot of what is in the blood at the moment, not what is in storage. The body prioritizes and will pull nutrients from bones and other important tissues to keep the blood in a life-preserving range. The tests that look deeper must be specially ordered and tend to be expensive. Assuming that the RDA’s are a good guide seems silly when you consider that one person might need 100 times more of a nutrient than the next person. Those are some of the reasons that I advise taking supplements for insurance not only against deficiency disease but, also to promote superior health.

We can get some clues to inadequacy by noticing small things. Please refer to my article, 28 Subtle Signs of Imbalance. It covers these clues: Cold sensitivity, Constipation, Cramping, Cravings for Chocolate, Ear wax (excess), Eye brows (outside 1/3 gone), Gums (bleeding), Hearing, Hair (thinning), Lips (Dry), Mouth (cracks at corners), Nails (pale), Nails (thin), Nails (white spots), Nerves (jumpy), Perspiration on Head (to excess), Skin (small red spots), Skin (dry, flaky on legs, feet), Skin “tags” (e.g. on neck or under arms), Sulphite sensitivity (e.g. wine), Tingling in extremities, Tongue (pale), Tongue (teeth leave impression), Tongue (red, bumps, grooves, etc.), Tongue (white coating), Upper arms “chicken skin” bumps, Waist (women over 35″ or men 40″) and Warts.

The list in my article is just an example. My point is to assume that there is a reason for anything that is out of order. And, it makes sense to do some research and fix that imbalance than to cover it up, medicate it or wait for it to turn into something worse.

Normal blood pressure naturally

There is no debate about whether or not excessively high blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke and other problems. However, there is a battle over what level is too high and something of a war about how to best get levels lowered.

Levels. The recommended “safe upper level” keeps being lowered. That is always good for drug makers because it creates a bigger pool of potential customers. They are not bothered by the over-treatment that too often comes along with these changes. This CHART is at least easy to follow.

Making matters more complex, it is difficult to get an accurate blood pressure reading because “white coat” anxiety increases pressure and the correct procedures are not uniformly followed. (For example sitting quietly for several minutes first; feet on the floor; arm supported; right size cuff; and so on.) Besides the likelihood of being medicated, there are other harms to being falsely proclaimed “hypertensive”. That stress can increase blood pressure. (A self-fulfilling prophecy.) You may start viewing yourself as sick and withdraw from activity. Also, insurance now considers that you have a preexisting condition. So, it is best to supervise the measurement taking and double check frequently at home with a good monitor and compare its readings to the doctor’s.

Conventional Treatment. Given that all medications have side effects, it is scary that there are 200+ blood pressure pills and that a great many people are on several of them. The best resource I know about this topic is Sherry Rogers, MD’s wonderfully documented book, The High Blood Pressure Hoax! (Use the code P129P for 20% discounts on that site.)

Lifestyle. It makes sense to improve lifestyle factors that raise blood pressure because there is no harm and the improvements will help other issues as well. Stop smoking. Exercise. Get enough sleep. Drink enough water. Maintain a normal weight. Reduce salt intake if you eat large amounts or are particularly sensitive. Reduce chronic stressors and learn to relax (The Relaxation Response book).

Natural remedies. Sauna has been shown to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke. Massage therapy lowers blood pressure. Having a pet helps. Acupuncture and microcurrent feedback have been shown to be helpful. Of course, diet is very important. The same good foods we recommend for general health are good for blood pressure but, also check out beets and beet juice.

Dietary Supplements. There are many nutrients that help, but the mineral magnesium is the first one I recommend. (Don’t get the oxide form. Any chelated form is probably okay. Start with a low dose like 250 mg. Build up but, stop increasing if you experience a loose or pasty stool.) Longevinex is a supplement with multiple benefits. Kyolic aged garlic Formula #109 has other specific ingredients but, the garlic itself has fringe benefits. Get a lot of good ideas from Bill Sardi’s articles on blood pressure. Having a well balanced gut helps, so I recommend Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics. Also, Reg’Activ Cardio Wellness Formula helps in many ways, including increasing the body’s master antioxidant, glutathione. (This is a very popular product and sometime there is a wait for it.)

Doesn’t it make sense to try the least dangerous, most widely beneficial options first…especially in this case where you can actually measure the effect?

Newsy bits and trusted sources

I am very fussy from whence I get my health news because there is a lot of nonsense floating around…too often even in medical journals. (You might want to read my post on Medicine’s Dirty Secrets  and/or Ron Hoffman, MD’s Why most health news is fake news.) I think it is important to know the source of the news and to see if the information makes sense in the context of what else we already know for sure.

• Atrial Fibrillation. Also known as “AFib”. This is a very common cardiac condition where there is a fluttering or irregular beat in a part of the heart. It can lead to serious complications. You might be surprised to hear that I got a good reminder about this on Facebook. Yes, Facebook. This was the post: “The more calcium, the more AFIB.” The reason I took notice was that the quote was from author Carolyn Dean, MD, ND. She is an expert on magnesium. She knows that we typically get too much calcium and not enough magnesium and that leads to heart trouble.
• Glutamine for Irritable Bowel. This tip came from my favorite and most prolific source, Bill Sardi. He passed along a study about subjects who had experienced a gut infection and were suffering leaky gut. The amino acid “L-glutamine supplements dramatically and safely reduced all major IBS-related endpoints.” Although the researchers were very enthusiastic, they, of course, didn’t say that anyone with IBS problems should give it a try. They just want another grant for a bigger study. And then another…
• Aspirin not so helpful for heart health. People’s Pharmacy radio shows and newspaper columns are usually good resources. Recently they reviewed a study that cast doubt on the value of a daily low dose aspirin for the prevention of heart attacks. Although there was a teeny weeny itsy bitsy reduction in heart attack risk, there was also a significant increase in intestinal bleeds.
• High fructose corn sugar / syrup. In Sherry Rogers, MD’s extremely well-researched and in-depth Total Wellness™ Newsletter,* she discusses that ever-present ingredient. Dr. Rogers notes that it is used by researchers doing animal studies to create the #1 liver disease (fatty liver) and leaky gut which leads to auto-immune diseases. A 12 ounce Dr. Pepper contains 10 teaspoons of the stuff. If you read labels carefully, you will find it in thousands of other products. Dr. Rogers has also recently discussed the alarming amount of mercury that is in this sweetener.
• Use code P129P for a 20% discount for HBN listeners for books and newsletters

Two health tips that are fast, effective and FREE

Anyone can afford these two suggestions and the benefits are unbelievably good!

• Drink more water. I was reminded of this one during my work out today. I just didn’t have my usual energy and I’d had enough sleep. Then I realized that I didn’t finish my allotment of water yesterday and was off to a slow start on water today. Even mild dehydration can lead to headaches, fatigue and muscle cramps. Water is also needed for the body to run its detox processes and most everything else. Shortchange yourself on water and risk constipation, insomnia and much more. The common guideline is to drink as many ounces per day as ½ your body weighs in pounds. E.g. 180-lb person would drink 90 ounces of water. I fill a big glass bottle in the morning and usually finish it all by the end of the day. On those days I feel better and eat less. Naysayers may tell you to only drink when you are thirsty. However, by the time that happens, you are already too low. Also, some people interpret the signals as hunger. Obviously, clean filtered water is best and we should avoid the hormone disrupting plasticizers in plastic bottles.
• Eat less sugar. Now, them’s fightin’ words…because it is hard…at least at first. Maybe this new information will motivate you…“Adding less than three teaspoons of sugar to your tea every day increases your risk of Alzheimer’s disease [54%], new research suggests.” Why did the author mention “tea”? Probably because the article was in a British source, The Daily Mail. You’ve heard no doubt that excess sugar also leads to diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Author Nancy Appleton, PhD lists 144 Reasons Sugar Ruins Your Health. (New research has added many to that list since she was on our radio show the first time.) Maybe we can be strong in the face of baked goods and turn down sodas which are the worst. Sadly, what makes sugar so hard to avoid is that you don’t always see it coming. Sugar is hiding in salad dressings, frozen entrees, pasta sauces, yogurt, instant oatmeal, some processed meats, soups and…well almost every manufactured “food”. My friend, celebrity physician, Fred Pescatore, MD, likes to point out that there is more sugar in ketchup than ice cream. (By the way, that is not advice to eat ice cream.) It is imperative to read labels because that is how you know! The good news is that if you can be strong for a even few days to a week, you will feel a whole lot better and not crave sweets like you might have in the past.

These two positive changes go hand in hand. Drink more water and you will eat less sugar. Eat less junk and water will taste better.

The BIG story in the TINY print on vitamin labels

In last week’s blog, I discussed the critical need for vitamin D for immune function, maintaining normal weight and lung function, avoiding mood problems, and preventing both diabetes and dental cavities in children as well as adults.

Zinc is key to most aspects of health but too often overlooked

• Parents who want to keep their child from getting whatever is going around (surely, they all do) may think of Vitamin C. That is good, but as noted last week, vitamin D might be even more critical. So is the mineral zinc. Zinc not only aids our immune systems, it makes vaccines work better. Hundreds of enzymes in the body use zinc for crucial functions like building the brain and maintaining normal function of the nervous system. This linked study associated dyslexia with a shortage of zinc. This linked Bill Sardi article shows that zinc helps with ADD/ADHD. Zinc is needed for the normal growth of muscles and clear skin. (Teens often need more zinc.)
• The safety range of doses for minerals is less flexible than that for vitamins. The recommended levels of zinc range from 3 mg for a 1-year-old to 8 mg for a 13-year-old. The richest food sources of zinc (like oysters and crab) are not popular with kids, but breakfast cereals are fortified with zinc, even if it is in an inferior form. Vegetarians eat a lot of foods (like beans) that bind up zinc making it unusable. And so, they may need more zinc.
• Popular children’s multivitamin/mineral pills use sugar, artificial colors and cartoon characters to distract from their inferior ingredients. Flintstones is typical in that it uses zinc oxide which is difficult to absorb and utilize. The product also suffers by inclusion of sugar, cornstarch, and aspartame (a.k.a. Nutrasweet, the scary chemical sweetener). The parents that made this brand a top-seller must not be reading the fine print where they would also find several artificial colors that are linked to behavior problems. Note that those colors also contain aluminum which is increasingly showing up as a toxic overload in testing. The quote in this week’s newsletter is from musician, Pete Seeger: “Education is when you read the fine print. Experience [often a bad one ] is what you get if you don’t.”
• As a big fan of Bill Sardi’s Molecular Multi for adults, I was relieved that he formulated a multiple for kids, “First in Class”. As expected, it has the nutrients children need and in the right doses and forms that are best utilized. Of course, it is free of the artificial junk mentioned above. What wouldn’t have been expected is that it also contains nutrients (vitamins A, vitamin D and IP6 a factor in bran) that have been found lacking in children who develop peanut allergy. The capsules are tiny and easy to swallow. Although many kids can swallow a hamburger in 3 bites, some resist taking a capsule. If so, the contents can be mixed into food. Fortunately, his priceless product is very affordable—as low as twenty cents a day when you buy three bottles. LINK.

Teachers really appreciate well-nourished students because those kids behave and learn better.

As a big fan of Bill Sardi’s Molecular Multi for adults, I was relieved that he formulated a multiple for kids, “First in Class”. As expected, it has the nutrients children need and in the right doses and forms that are best utilized. Of course, it is free of the artificial junk mentioned above. What wouldn’t have been expected is that it also contains nutrients (vitamins A, vitamin D and IP6 a factor in bran) that have been found lacking in children who develop peanut allergy. The capsules are tiny and easy to swallow. Although many kids can swallow a hamburger in 3 bites, some resist taking a capsule. If so, the contents can be mixed into food. Fortunately, his priceless product is very affordable—as low as twenty cents a day when you buy three bottles. LINK.

Teachers will really appreciate well-nourished students because they behave and learn better.

* Our sponsor MindWrks Wellness has had great positive responses with ADD/ADHD using their non-drug microcurrent neurofeedback treatments.

D is for “darned well better have enough”

Parents of young children may not be a high percentage of Healthy by Nature radio listeners or readers of this newsletter. However, I’ll bet most have family and friends whom they can bless with helpful information about children.

This week I was interviewed by Mike Triem of KLTT radio in Colorado about preparing kids nutritionally for going back to school. (That short interview will air Friday, Aug 10th, 2018 at 4:45 & 10:45pm on KLTT.) The conversation got me to thinking.

Vitamin D came to mind first.

• Of course, vitamin D is critical for developing strong bones. But, it is also necessary for building a vigorous immune system. (It seems highly likely that the diminished sunshine in winter is a key factor in the colds and flu having a “season”.) D is also important for maintaining normal weight and lung function, avoiding mood problems, and preventing both diabetes and dental cavities. Children with ADD/ADHD typically have low levels of vitamin D. A small but remarkable study shows that high doses of vitamin D markedly reduced the symptoms of autism in ¾ of the subjects! Blood levels of 40-100 were needed for the positive effect.
• Nature’s original plan was for kids to make vitamin D when sun contacts their skin. A recent study in England showed that the average child spends just 7 hours a week outdoors and that 40% of parents must force their video-gamer children to leave the house. I doubt it is much different in the US. When kids do go outdoors, careful parents slather them with sunscreen that blocks vitamin D formation.

Foods basically do not provide vitamin D. Milk is usually fortified with small amounts of vitamin D2. That form is only about ½ as useful as the vitamin D3 in supplements. And, what about kids that do not tolerate milk? Dark skin is a natural sun block, so it is more difficult for them to achieve adequate blood levels of D.

• Government supplement guidelines limit vitamin D for kids to 400-600 IU a day. That amount may be enough to avoid the deficiency disease, Rickets. A much greater amount would be needed to achieve the other benefits mentioned in the first bullet point. This journal article recommends as much as 3,000 IU/a day for children. It makes sense that they can handle more when you consider that the side effect of excess vitamin D (exceeding rare) is too much calcium. Kid’s bones are growing fast and using up calcium at a high rate. Note, the mineral magnesium is required for the proper utilization of vitamin D.

Next week, I will continue this discussion about sending kids back to school with a better chance for health and success with another nutrient.

Good bugs in the belly may prevent “bats in the belfry”

Most people don’t realize how very strong the connection is between the digestive tract and the brain. In my book, The Probiotic Cure, I review many scientific references regarding the importance of healthy probiotic bacteria in the intestines to good mental health and function. Recently, scientists have begun to suspect that a virus may be one of the causes of Alzheimer’s disease. What fights viruses? Your immune system! Where is 70% of that? In the intestinal tract!

In last week’s blog I discussed a number of health factors that have become more challenging since our parents and grandparents were young. One problem is that our microbiome has become less diverse. The “microbiome” is the entire collection of trillions of organisms in our gut. The speaker in one of the Ted Talks below offered a great example of how many bacteria each of us are host to. He said it is equivalent to all the blades of grass in a million football fields.

Diversity of strains is important because each one provides different benefits for us. For example, a recent study showed the importance of one strain for bone density in older women. (A Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotic study showed the same supportive effect many years ago.)  There are many reasons for the loss of diversity, some of which seem beyond our control but there some we can affect.

One key factor is the overuse of antibiotics in hospitals and especially “doc in the box” neighborhood medical clinics. One round of antibiotics can disrupt the gut balance for a year!!! So, it is smart to push back a bit when an antibiotic is prescribed. You want to make sure that the problem isn’t caused by a virus because those are not helped by an antibiotic. Sometimes doctors will go along with “watching and waiting”. (The immune section of the Library on HBNShow.com has many natural ways to chase off infections.) We also get second hand antibiotics because the overuse in agriculture leaves residues of secondhand antibiotics in meat and dairy products that are not organic. The indiscriminate use of antibiotics has created strains of bacteria that are no longer killed by the drugs. Bacterial resistance is projected to kill more people than cancer by 2050. Insert frowny face.

We can support our good bugs by feeding them good foods. They especially like vegetables but, we have a way to go because fewer than 1 person in 10 eats the minimum 5 vegetables a day. Manufacturers are now adding probiotics to the most ridiculous foods. I say that junk food with added probiotics is still junk food. Yogurt is a source of a strain or two of bacteria. But, they don’t colonize and most have too much sugar, or perhaps worse, artificial sweeteners which kill bacteria.

There seem to be a bazillion probiotic supplements. From what I’ve seen, the vast majority are variations on a theme…they are composed of bacterial strains quick-cultured individually and then spun down to separate them from their dairy or soy food supply. That also breaks up families. They are then freeze-dried into a white powder and encapsulated. Once you swallow them, IF they survive to the gut, they need to first find food. What if they do not like what you had for lunch? Then they must compete for territory with the other strains in the capsule that they never saw before. Only then can they get to work for you creating “postbiotics” which is the magic. I promise you that probiotic gummies are the same type except with some additives that we don’t need.

My choice is the one of a kind Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics. It is created from 12 well-researched strains fermenting dozens of vegetables and superfoods for YEARS. The paste in the capsules contains the food supply, the live bacteria, and the wonderful health giving postbiotics they have been busy creating for years. Postbiotics can be hundreds of substances including enzymes, neurotransmitters, vitamins, immune signaling compounds, organic acids and so on. Check out this video of Dr. Ohhira’s fermentation facility – where science meets nature.

Resources to learn more.

Ted Talk – How microbes shape our world

Ted Talk – An amazing look inside our gut