Judith Boyce md | Health Coaching & Retreats

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Your Aging Immune System: Gut and Oral Health

What has your gut got to do with your aging immune system?

A healthy immune system can handle 100,000 invaders a day. We are [now] exposing our immune system to 1,000,000 invaders a day.                                                                                                 - Dr Edward Group III

The gut is one of the key players in a healthy immune system.

The gut is the first point of contact for many allergens and toxins that enter the body via the food we eat and the liquids we drink. 80 percent of all immune cells are found in the gut lining!

Gut immune cells talk to the brain. This is relatively new information, discovered in the last decade.

The vagus nerve, the longest nerve in the body, travels from the base of the brain down into the far reaches of the gut, sending branches to the larynx, esophagus, and the heart before reaching the gastrointestinal tract. It is now known that the vagus nerve not only innervates the smooth muscle of the gut, but also sends sensory messages from the gut lining back to the brain.

So, proper functioning of the gut lining is integral to our total health. Our energy levels, ability to think clearly and remember details easily, our ability to absorb nutrients, vitamins and minerals, and for our tissues to utilize them after digestion. It’s all related to gut function.

Normally our gut wall is a tight barrier, letting only familiar and necessary nutrients pass through. But, if the gut is damaged by a poor diet, toxins or bacteria, holes will develop that allow those invaders into our bloodstream to wreak havoc on our immune system, our cells and our health, including our brain. This is the leaky gut syndrome you may have heard or read about. And this is why a strong gut wall is so important to protect our immune system.

Our gut microbes communicate with our brain immune cells.

A healthy gut houses a colony of friendly bacteria and yeasts, known as our microbiome. These billions of beneficial microbes are crucial to a healthy immune system, helping digest foods, produce vitamins, keep our hormones balanced, regulate our metabolism and weight, AND our brain function!

Now, I know it might be a little hard to comprehend -  the concept of friendly bacteria. We're so used to thinking of bacteria as the enemy in our generation. Penicillin was introduced in our parents' time and was known as a wonder drug. My parents were so sold on the idea of antibiotics as germ-killers, we were whisked off to the doctor at the first sign of a cough. Was it like that in your house?

Recent research on the microbiome has revealed that it, too, communicates with the brain via the vagus nerve, and if it is damaged or altered by a high sugar, processed food diet, toxins or medications, sick signals are sent to the brain and the rest of the body, and we may become symptomatic.

Dr Mark Hyman says, “as with any garden, when the weeds take over, we’re in trouble."

A healthy gut means a healthy immune system!

Each of us has a unique microbiome, based on our genetics, our birth history, early childhood, diet and lifestyle. Some researchers feel that up to 90 percent of all diseases can be traced back to the gut and the health of our microbiome.

It's now become clear that our health, fertility and longevity are all improved by an optimally-functioning gut and the healthy microbes living in it.

Sleep and stress affect gut health! Poor sleep and chronic stress will decrease digestive function up to 50%. Our microbiome is negatively affected too, its function is suppressed by lack of sleep and negative self-talk.

Medications like antibiotics, antactids, and antiinflammatories destroy the beneficial microbes. The same goes for pesticide toxins in our food supply, and the chemicals found in processed foods, which also have a detrimental effect on both the gut immune cells and the microbiome.

Poor gut health, leaky gut and an altered microbiome can lead to autoimmune diseases, dementia, heart disease and cancer.

"All disease begins in the gut" - Hippocrates
...Or does it?

 I think it will come as no surprise to learn that the mouth has its own microbiome, too!  

Our oral cavity is home to over 700 different species of microbes that colonize every corner of our mouths - teeth, gums, tongue, palate and tonsils. Dr Steven Lin, functional dentist, says the oral microbiome flows beyond the mouth and down the digestive tract to become the gut microbiome.

Our mouths are the entry point to our digestive and respiratory tracts. And like the gut, these friendly microbes function to fight off invaders, alert the immune system, and help to start breaking down food.

But oral microbial dysbiosis, or shift in the diversity and type of bacteria toward bad or unhealthy species, is now thought to contribute to a number of oral and systemic diseases.

As recently as the past 3 or 4 years, studies on mouth dysbiosis have shown links to inflammatory bowel disease, liver cirrhosis, pancreatic cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, diabetes, adverse pregnancy outcomes, obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and coronary artery disease.

The reason for this may be the inflammaging phenomenon that was described in Part 1 of this series - the chronic inflammation that’s related to cell damage and aging. It is believed by some researchers to be caused by low-level “kindling” chronic infection(s), and the root cause may lie in the mouth.

Gum disease is a major source of infection and stress on the immune system. 

Meanwhile, mercury fillings and root canals have long been a source of concern for many biological dentists. Dr Stuart Nunnally says that mercury is a toxic metal that suppresses the immune system, and root canals and cavitations (craters left in the jaw bone after tooth extractions) can harbour microbacteria.

It is these microbacterial pockets that are felt to be the source of the kindling-type of infections mentioned above, that keep the immune system activated and result in the chronic inflammation of aging.

Are you considering having your mercury fillings removed? There are situations in which it is safer to leave them in place, so you’ll need to consult the right dentist. Look for an office that specializes in safe mercury amalgam removal, one that removes mercury fillings correctly and can replace them with the appropriate material for you.

I had all my mercury fillings removed about 20 years ago by a biological dentist. I had EIGHT of them and was advised to switch them up because I'm a pretty bad grinder at night. I was unwittingly releasing a lot of mercury into my system by gnashing my teeth together. Needless to say, I'm very relieved that they're gone.

If you're plagued by gum disease or bad breath, cardinal signs of oral dysbiosis, rest assured these problems can be approached the same way we support our gut microbiome.

Here’s how to have a healthy mouth:

  • Brush and floss at least twice a day.

  • Stop using alcohol or antibacterial mouthwashes! They destroy the friendly oral bugs and contribute to the problem.

  • Stop using flouride toothpastes. Fluoride is harmful to our microbiome and has many other detrimental health effects. (We are exposed to so much that fluoride-damaged teeth is now a condition called dental fluorosis!)

  • Try oil pulling! Use a tablespoon of coconut or sesame oil with a drop of peppermint or clove oil and swish it around your mouth and through your teeth for 10-15 minutes. Spit it out after - into the trash so it doesn’t clog your sink. The oil has trapped a lot of bacteria from your teeth and gums that you do not want to swallow! Rinse and brush after. It feels amazing!

Diet is key to a healthy oral microbiome! Follow the diet recommendations below for a healthy gut microbiome, but especially focus on cutting sweet drinks, and that means juices.

Chew your food! Eating on the run and swallowing your food almost whole can starve the healthy bacteria of their food processing role! Plus, it results in acid reflux.

Slow down. And chew until your food is liquid.

How to take care of your gut and oral microbiomes:

Try these tips from Dr Mark Hyman and Dr Lin:

  • Eat whole, organic, plant-based foods, high in fiber, with no artificial ingredients added

  • Eat fermented or cultured foods, such as sauerkraut, pickled vegetables, Kimchi, Kefir, miso and tofu

  • Take a probiotic supplement containing at least 25-50 billion living CFUs

  • Take MCT oil - a supplement made from coconut oil that dramatically reduces intestinal inflammation

Avoid highly processed or packaged foods, refined grains, sugars and sweetened drinks, artificial sweeteners, refined oils and fats, antibiotic drugs unless absolutely necessary, hormones including birth control pills, steroids, antiinflammatories, and antacids.

And, I recommend adding intermittent fasting to your routine to kick your cells into clean-up mode and give your digestive system a much-needed rest.

If you're struggling to get your symptoms under control, I strongly suggest you find a functional medicine practitioner to work with you. These health care professionals are trained to find the root cause of disease, and have special expertise at healing the gut and the microbiome.

By the way, the ginger-lemon tea pictured at the top of the post is a great natural remedy for reflux and heartburn. Try it instead of reaching for those Tums!