1). “I don’t think we will survive another 1,000 years without escaping beyond our fragile planet.” (Steven Hawking) But will our microbes survive beyond earth? A NASA study hopes to shed light on this very important question CNET 2). A Fitbit for your digestive tract? Sensors that spend time in your digestive tract and […]
Author Archives: Gutbliss
A fascinating study published in Microbial Ecology took a close look at the bacteria in the feces of 19 patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and 20 healthy controls. They found remarkable differences between the two groups: fecal samples in people with CRC showed signs of an imbalanced microbiome, with higher levels of pathogens and lower […]
1. Colon cancer linked to specific gut bacteria. Altering the specific gut bacteria associated with cancers may be a viable strategy for treatment and prevention American Society of Human Genetics 2015 Meeting 2. Bank your stool and preserve your health. This cutting-edge medical therapy could be a real fix for microbial depletion and a plausible way to achieve […]
In his October 9th New York Times Op-ed, Moises Velasquez-Manoff asks the question: “Why [aren’t] doctors [working] harder to prevent [the collateral damage of antibiotics], not with store-bought probiotics, but with ‘microbial restoration’?” The microbial restoration he’s referring to is the process of using your own stool (autologous fecal transplant) to recolonize your gut when […]
When I was pregnant with my daughter I planned for a natural birth. But as luck would have it, I tested positive for group B strep (GBS) and was told I would need IV antibiotics before delivery to protect my daughter from the risk of serious infection. Like most people, I was unaware that antibiotics […]
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects 15-20% of Americans and is the most common GI condition, yet we still don’t know what causes it. The medical community often categorizes IBS symptoms as stress-related, but a recent study shows that although stress may be a contributing factor, gut bacteria play an important, and maybe even causative role. […]
Almost 1 in 5 Americans use laxatives regularly, but not all laxatives (or laxative users!) are the same. Stimulant laxatives – the most popular kind– may be associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), while fiber laxatives may reduce the risk. A study from Washington State recently validated this concept when they found […]
A decrease in libido is a natural part of aging, but in my gastroenterology practice, a lot of the women who are having bedroom issues are in their 20s and 30s. If you’re bloated and also not in the mood, there may be a connection between the two! Anatomically, the bowels your digestive tract and […]
A 2015 study published by the American Society of Microbiology revealed there are other factors besides what we eat that can predict a city’s health – turns out what comes out of our digestive tracts is pretty important too! At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, scientists discovered that microbial contents in sewage are almost 90% accurate […]
Is it possible that gut bacteria can alter your mood? A New York Times Magazine Article released in June poses the question – and the answer – which scientists believe is yes. Recent studies show that when “healthy” gut bacteria, like lactobacilli, are transferred to highly stressed animals, stress levels are reduced. Norwegian scientists found that […]