Rebuilding Immunity with Pomegranate, Zinc & Prebiotics after antibiotics
By Prithu Nath
So, had your course of Antibiotics which possibly were not necessary in all probability, because viruses don’t need antibiotics !
Antibiotics ruin our immunity in many ways specially by creating havoc in our Gut where most of our immunity is present, by killing the Friendly Bacteria that actually are a part of our Microbiome.
About 100 trillion bacteria, both good and bad, live inside your digestive system. Collectively, they’re known as the gut microbiota.
Science has begun to look more closely at how this enormous system of organisms influences—and even improves—health conditions, from heart disease to arthritis to cancer. But understanding how the gut microbiota works, and how you may benefit, can be daunting.
“This is a new frontier of medicine, and many are looking at the gut microbiota as an additional organ system,” says Dr. Elizabeth Hohmann of the infectious diseases division at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. “It’s most important to the health of our gastrointestinal system, but may have even more far-reaching effects on our well-being.”
The gut microbiota in action
Within those trillions of gut bacteria are about 1,000 different species, represented by some 5,000 distinct bacterial strains. Everyone’s gut microbiota is unique, but there are certain combinations and collections of bacteria that are found in healthy individuals.
The main factors that affect your personal microbial mix are age, diet, environment, genes, and medications (particularly exposure to antibiotics, which can deplete gut bacteria). Your gut microbiota plays many roles. It metabolizes nutrients from food and certain medications, serves as a protective barrier against intestinal infections, and produces vitamin K, which helps make blood-clotting proteins.
But the gut microbiota may do much more. Most research has involved only preliminary animal studies; however, initial findings suggest gut bacteria may be the key to preventing or treating some diseases.
We are Holobionts where 50% of our Body is Bacteria. These approx 37 trillion bacteria in our Intestine need to remain balanced for a healthy body.
Pomegranate Juice
After an antibiotics a course of Probiotic help to rebuild the Microbiome but one friendly bacteria namely Akkermansia muciniphila important for our immune system can be rebuilt with a course of Pomegranate Juice to be taken twice a week.
One remains deficient in Akkermansia Muciniphila till the time Pomegranate Juice is not taken after a course of Antibiotics,
Another way to rebuild our Microbiome is by feeding them Prebiotics.
Probiotics are the beneficial Bacteria and Prebiotics are the food that the Friendly and beneficial Bacteria like.
To make a Prebiotic drink , take a cup of precooked Rice, and place it in an earthen vessel with one glass of drinking water and cover it. Leave overnight and consume the water the next morning.Wash the earthen vessel only with Soda Bi Carb.
Some other Important Gut Friendly Bacteria are
BC 30
B Longum
B Biffidum and the list is non exhaustive
Other foods that help are:-
Kiwi
Sour Dough Bread
Purple Potatoes
Walnuts
Green Tea with Chamomile.
Oysters and Oyster extracts
Fermented Uttapam Mix using Probiotic Yogurt has both Pre and Pro Biotics
Fermented Dosa Mix
Kimchi
Saurkrat
Indian Fermented Pickles in Water
Zinc and Gut Health
Food is broken down in the digestive tract and nutrients then get absorbed into the bloodstream. The walls of the intestines effectively act as a barrier allowing certain nutrients to pass through whilst blocking the passage of harmful substances. Small gaps withing the intestinal wall allow nutrients and water to pass through and these are known as tight junctions. In some cases, these tight junctions can become loose allowing more harmful substances such as bacteria and other toxins to pass through into the bloodstream. This is known as ‘Leaky Gut’ and is thought to cause widespread inflammation and often triggers an immune response.
Zinc is reported to support the immune system and important in many metabolic processes.
It was reported in a 2001 study on zinc and leaky gut, that, when given to patients with Crohn’s disease, zinc can have a positive effect on gut lining.
Recent research on intestinal permeability suggested that zinc was able to limit gut permeability by modifying the tight junctions.
This reported effect of zinc on the barrier function of the intestinal walls has led to the consideration of what effect zinc deficiency and supplementation may have with regard to various gastrointestinal issues and gut health, as discussed in this review on zinc and gastrointestinal conditions.
Exercise can also encourage the growth of a variety of gut bacteria. Having a more varied gut microbiota may promote better health and, in turn, reduce your risk of disease.
Why Ghee is Important for Your Gut
What Makes Ghee so Special?
Ghee is made from butter. The primary fatty acid in butter is butyric acid. Butyricacid, or butyrate, is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) that the intestinal tract thrives on. It helps to protect the integrity of the gut wall lining.
A healthy gut makes butyric acid. When we eat healthy fiber our gut microbes convert the ingested fiber into butyric acid. The cells of the colon use butyric acid as one of their main sources of energy and their main way to support the health of the intestinal wall.
Research has shown that patients with unhealthy digestive tracts do not produce butyric acid and have other low levels of fatty acids or related oils. This is why ghee can be an amazing way to heal the gut.
Some benefits of Ghee in the colon:
- Helps digestion by maintaining the heal of the gastrointestinal mucosa
- Supports and regulates healthy bowel movement
- Inhibits the growth of unwanted bacteria
- Supports the health of the intestinal mucosa and healthy bowel functions in those with inflammatory bowel conditions
- Reduces hunger levels
- Increases insulin sensitivity
- Supports healthy cholesterol levels
- Increases thermogenesis (metabolic process that burns calories for heat production)
Ingesting ghee whether for culinary purposes or as a carrier oil for nutrients in herbs, serves to lubricate the gastrointestinal tact and all the tissues inside the body.
Eating ghee not only makes your taste buds happy, it keeps you fueled throughout your day and makes beneficial bacteria in your gut, the center for digestion and assimilation, where the production of mood-regulating neurotransmitters and a strong immunity are made.