Over the past several months I have become a total convert to optimising the health of my gut microbiome. I had chronic serious gut issues for over a year, thanks to Long Covid and antibiotics used to treat other Long Covid symptoms. Increasingly connections are being discovered between gut dysfunction and a whole host of different diseases, including autoimmune diseases. Only relatively recently research has shown links between the gut and the brain, the gut and the skin, the gut and the eyes, the gut and inflammation, the gut and immunity … the list of connections continues to expand. What is becoming very clear is that the health of your gut is fundamental to your overall wellbeing.
I have previously shared the resources I found useful in gradually returning my gut to a healthy state. In this post I share the direct impacts I have seen on other aspects of my health during my journey to illustrate first hand the importance of gut health. Some of them may surprise you – they certainly did for me once I made the connection.
Skin & Hair
Although I’m getting older and at the stage when I would expect to see more changes, I certainly wasn’t expecting the very rapid signs of aging that I’ve experienced over the last 12 months. My skin quickly went very dry and crepey, and started to sag. I also had a lot more skin infections that were harder to control and skin ‘growths’ over this time, including a squamous cell skin cancer that had to be removed. I’ve usually had hair that was normal to oily, but my scalp suddenly became very dry and flakey, and my hair was very limp.
I have started to notice an improvement in both skin & hair as I am restoring my gut (and sleep). I am making sure that my moisturisers and hair products are made with all natural ingredients as well.
Teeth
I generally have very good teeth and oral health – and thankfully I didn’t have any major issues at my most recent visit to the dentist. But I have been getting very sensitive teeth which often indicates that the enamel is thinning (and problems are ahead if not treated). Imbalances in the microbiome throughout your digestive system can affect your oral health, contributing to things such as gum disease and tooth decay. You also have an oral microbiome and it can work the other way too: an overabundance of bad bacteria in the mouth can exacerbate digestive health issues. Antibiotics can upset the oral microbiome as well as the gut microbiome – and antibiotic mouthwashes kill the good bacteria as well as the bad ones.
I have swapped to using natural toothpaste and mouthwash to avoid all nasty chemicals for me and my microbiome. It is important to use a toothpaste that supports remineralisation of your teeth to repair any thinning enamel. I have noticed an improvement in the sensitivity of my teeth.
Bones
I had a regular scheduled bone density scan during the worst of my gut issues and was horrified to see an unexpected drop in bone density that took me into osteoporosis. With further investigation, I’m really not that surprised. Firstly, I was unable to exercise for 18 months so had not been getting any weight-bearing exercise that is important for bone health. Secondly, sleep is an important aspect of repair and maintenance of all kinds in the body (including the gut and bones) and that had been completely disrupted for me throughout Long Covid. Thirdly, my gut dysfunction and very limited diet meant that, even though I took lots of supplements, my gut wasn’t able to take up the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are essential for bone health. Many of these minerals are essential for the rest of the body as well so in order to maintain appropriate levels in essential organs etc the body raids the supplies that are stored in the bones if it can’t get them through your food.
With adverse reactions to osteoporosis drugs in my family, I was not keen to go down that route unless I had to. Looking into more holistic approaches, I was again not surprised to discover that all of the things that I have been implementing in my life to get back to gut health are all the things that are recommended to improve bone health as well (along with strengthening exercises for muscles and bones). So I am very hopeful that my current course of action will at least prevent any further major bone loss and hopefully improve my bone health.
Eyes
This one definitely surprised me when I made the connection. I also went for a regular check-up at the optometrist during the worst of my gut issues. My eyes are usually pretty good, but this time the optometrist told me that I was at risk of getting Acute Angle-Closure Glaucoma. I had never even heard of that before. This form of glaucoma comes on quickly and is a medical emergency because permanent vision damage can occur if not treated within a couple of hours. It happens when the lens is pushed against your iris blocking the drainage passages and quickly causes extreme pressure build up when the fluid can’t leave your eye. Gut dysfunction is known to affect inflammation in the body and inflammation can cause elevated pressure in the eyes (which would push your lens forward).
Knowing my luck I would be in Antarctica or in the middle of the Amazon Jungle if it happened and unable to get to hospital within the desired short time period. Thankfully prevention is the same as the treatment: lasers are used to ‘drill’ extra holes in the iris so that any excess fluid can escape. I had the treatment but am hopeful that at my next check-up the pressure in my eyes will have decreased and my risk will have decreased considerably regardless.
Brain & Immunity
I certainly had issues with the brain (such as brain fog and fatigue) and immunity but these could be attributable to Long Covid rather than a direct influence of gut health (although I’m sure it is involved as well).
My experiences have made me acutely aware of the importance of good gut health to my overall health and well being. Much of my focus now is on improving my health and wellbeing through using natural approaches with the aim of being even healthier than I was pre Long Covid and maintaining this throughout the rest of my life. I hope I have inspired you to take at least some steps towards improving your health too.
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