In 2010, Laura de Magistris and colleagues published a study in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition that compared intestinal permeability in children with autism, their first-degree relatives, and healthy controls. They found significantly elevated intestinal permeability in 36.7 percent of children with autism, compared to 4.8 percent of controls. This is the phenomenon often called “leaky gut”: tight junctions between intestinal epithelial cells become loose, allowing larger molecules (partially digested food proteins, bacterial endotoxins, microbial fragments) to pass through into the bloodstream where they trigger immune responses. When this happens, several cascades unfold. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an endotoxin shed by gram-negative bacteria, enters circulation and triggers systemic inflammatory cytokines that can cross the blood-brain barrier and activate microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells. Food peptides that should have been digested into amino acids reach the bloodstream and provoke immune memory and food sensitivities. Mast cells, distributed throughout the gut, lung, and brain, become primed and start releasing histamine, tryptase, and inflammatory mediators in response to ordinary stimuli. The gut-immune-brain axis is one continuous loop, and dysfunction at any node propagates throughout the system. Digestive Enzyme Insufficiency A separate but related problem has emerged from endoscopic biopsy studies in children with autism: many of them simply cannot digest sugars and carbohydrates properly. In 1999, Karoly Horvath and colleagues evaluated 90 children with autism undergoing endoscopy and found that 49 percent had at least one deficient disaccharidase enzyme (lactase, maltase, sucrase, palatinase, or glucoamylase), and 20 percent had deficiencies in two or more. Lactase deficiency was the most common. A 2011 study by Williams and colleagues, published in PLoS ONE, confirmed and extended these findings, also documenting altered intestinal microbiota associated with the carbohydrate digestion impairment.

Sleep is essential for memory consolidation, tissue repair, and emotional regulation, yet most of us aren't getting enough. Your gut microbiome may be directly influencing your sleep quality. Scientists have discovered that bacterial peptides released during microbial growth cross the blood-brain barrier and bind to receptors that trigger sleep responses. Metabolites like butyrate (a short-chain fatty acid produced by beneficial gut bacteria) and compounds involved in melatonin synthesis can directly or indirectly affect your sleep-wake cycles. Studies show that a more diverse microbiome correlates with better sleep efficiency and longer total sleep time, while conditions like insomnia are linked with lower abundances of health-promoting bacteria. In my clinical experience, I've seen this connection play out repeatedly: when we successfully address GI issues like SIBO or IBS, patients often report dramatic improvements in sleep quality. If you're struggling with sleep and also have digestive issues, addressing your gut health could be an important piece of the puzzle.

While most know pineapple as an exceptionally delicious tropical fruit, indigenous peoples used it to treat a variety of ailments. Unfortunately, much of this intimate plant knowledge was considered by early anthropologists to be based on mere "superstition" and subsequently disregarded, so that few in the modern world are aware of its formidable healing powers. Thankfully, research on the medicinal properties of pineapple has steadily accumulated over the past few decades, to the point where the conventional medical system has been compelled to take notice. Bromelain, for instance, is a protein-digesting enzyme extract from the pineapple plant and has even been found to be superior to the highly toxic chemotherapy agent 5-fluorouracil as an anti-tumor agent in preclinical research. This remarkable compound, concentrated primarily within the stem (i.e., fibrous core), which is often wastefully discarded, has been researched for the following potential medicinal applications: - Allergic Airway Disease - Asthma - Breast Cancer - Breastfeeding Problems: Poor Milk Production/Quality - Colitis - Colon Cancer - Constipation: Post-operative - Debriding Agent - Dyspepsia - Edema - Glioma (Brain Cancer) - Immune Disorders: Low Function - Inflammation - Irritable Bowel Disease - Influenza - Liver Damage - Lung Cancer - Melanoma - Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) - Osteoarthritis of the Knee - Sinusitis - Skin Cancer - Tendon Injury - Thrombophlebitis - Thrombosis (pathological clot) Bromelain extracts are actually composed of a variety of substances, including peroxidase, acid phosphatase, calcium, and protease inhibitors. But the main active ingredients are two enzymes: fruit and stem bromelain. Keep in mind that bromelain's potential therapeutic activity depends entirely on how you take it. When consumed on an empty stomach, the plant's enzyme enters the bloodstream and exerts systemic action. When consumed with food, its activity is mostly expended helping the body break down dietary proteins, easing the body's digestive burden.

Good Morning; I have been using Crystal Mineral deodorant stick unscented for several years. Lately my skin has been irritated when I use it, any suggestions?