Good Gut Bugs: warriors against eczema

The gut microbiome. These are buzz words you may have heard before. They seem splashed everywhere in the health world…but what does it mean? And more importantly, what does it mean for skin conditions such as eczema?

Your gut is home to trillions of microbes, bacteria and fungi that are all natural parts of the human ‘ecosystem’ within you. Each of them plays a role of their own, and the diversity of them together plays a role in your health. A healthy gut microbiome plays a role in digestion, nutrient absorption, immune and mental health.

But let’s talk eczema and skin specific links…

The immune system and inflammation:

Eczema is an inflammatory condition in it’s nature. And your immune system is the thing that helps control inflammation within the body when it spikes too high. Since the gut (and all the microbes that reside within it) support the immune system), a healthy microbiome is key to ensuring your immune system can do that work to keep inflammation at bay. This way you get balanced responses rather than reactive ones, which often results in extreme flare-ups and cool periods.

Allergy protection:

Creating and nurturing a diverse microbiome from early life is the best way to protect against allergy development and, of course, conditions such as eczema. Setting up the gut for success in health right from the start is always best, so if you are reading this for help with your young child’s condition, this is a starting point for you. Encouraging diverse diets that grow and nurture that microbiome can help the body tolerate food and environmental substances better.

The bowel and detoxification:

The digestive system as a whole is an important part of the waste removal process for the body. There are microbes within the gut that help with things like gut motility i.e. ensuring your bowels are working and emptying properly. Ensuring waste products are dealt with quickly and correctly is important for reducing inflammation, too.

Nutrient absorption:

The gut and all the population of bugs within it all play a role in the breakdown of food and, more importantly, the extraction of nutrients from the food items. Some of them even play a role in converting these components to form required vitamins and minerals that support overall health and healing.

Mood and mental health:

The science is truly in on this one. A health gut microbiome is key for supporting healthy moods and mental well-being. They are part of the process that produces and regulates compounds that strongly influence moods across all ages, and even influence brain signalling. Yes, your what’s going on in your gut influences your body all the way up to your brain!

So where can you start when you have no idea how to improve these factors?

Simple: book a free introductory consultation to chat with me about it. This is what I do. This is where I can give you individualised guidance on what will help support your journey to healing. Lets get you (or your child) back to optimum health together.

Belinda x