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Is Your Gut Healthy? This ‘second brain’ can affect mood and overall wellness By Dr. Alexandra Prach and Tara Storjohann

Ever wonder why you feel “off” after having to take antibiotics for a prolonged period of time? The term “gut health” is usually mentioned when talking about overall well-being, but what does it really mean? The truth is, your gut is tied to all aspects of health including mental, physical,

emotional and immune. There are many products on the market that target improving gut health such as prebiotics, probiotics, apple cider vinegar and “gut shots.” Throughout this article, we will discuss what it means to have a healthy gut and how to get there.

The human microbiome consists of thousands of bacteria, fungi and viruses that colonize our nasal passages, mouth, skin and gut. Each person’s microbiome is individualized and affected by many lifestyle and environmental factors. It’s important to keep your microbiome diverse because it has many important jobs including defending against pathogenic bacteria, making vitamins, absorbing nutrients and producing hormones.

Your gut is intimately connected to your brain and affects mood, cognition and overall health. The gut is known as the second brain and produces serotonin and short-chain fatty acids, which influence brain cell development and function. Microbiome diversity is also strongly tied to mood. For example, those with less of a variety of good bacteria in their gut usually have associated depressive symptoms. Many factors can impact your gut health such as stress, the environment, sleep and medications. A healthy microbiome increases resistance to stress. As previously mentioned, the brain and gut are intimately connected. They communicate bidirectionally (gut to brain and bring to gut). When the brain is under stress it sends messages to the gut that can disrupt the microbiome, further leading to inflammation, mood disturbances and chronic health conditions. In the environment, exposure to toxins such as heavy metals, pesticides, air pollution and molds can cause gut imbalance. Next, your circadian rhythm (your sleep-wake cycle) is directly linked to the microbiome. Poor quality of sleep may be due to unhealthy microbiome, but an unhealthy microbiome may be due to poor sleep habits. In other words, it is important to have both quality sleep habits as well as a healthy gut. Lastly, medications such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, acid reducing medications and antipsychotics are all culprits of causing gut dysbiosis. Now that we know what may hurt our gut, we can discuss how to heal it using the “Five R Framework.”

The “Five R Framework” Remove – When starting to heal the gut, we want to remove everything that may be hurting it. Foods that cause inflammation are important to remove. These irritating foods can be identified by having a foodsensitivity test done (which may be costly) or completing an elimination diet. In an elimination diet, we first eliminate common foods that cause reactions, including dairy and eggs, soy, peanuts, corn, gluten, processed foods and alcohol. After eliminating these foods from the diet for four weeks, food groups are reintroduced, one at a time every three days, and a food diary is kept to recognize what is causing any symptoms. This diet has shown to clear up symptoms such as chronic runny nose or congestion, skin conditions such as eczema, chronic bloating, constipation and nausea.

ponents that aid in nutrient absorption, such as digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid (great for patients on long-term acid-reducing medications, vegans and vegetarians). Supplements that contain amylase, lipase, lactase and pepsin can be found to help aid digestion. Hydrochloric acid supplements will contain an ingredient called “Betaine HCl,” which may even be found in combination products with the previously listed digestive enzymes.

Reinoculate – This step involves introducing pre- and probiotics to the gut. Prebiotics are foods that stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria. You can get prebiotics through flax seeds, oats, artichokes, garlic, onion, soy products and sweet potatoes. Probiotics are live bacteria that provide benefit to the host (you!). A quality probiotic is one that is broad spectrum (contains many different strains), has at least 30 billion colony forming units (CFUs) and includes soil-based organisms (SBOs). The quality of these products matter! Quality probiotic brands include Xymogen, Garden of Life, Florastor and Culturelle. These products can be found at your local pharmacy or ordered directly from the manufacturer online.

Repair – Key nutrients that aid in the healing of the gut lining must be replenished. These include vitamins and minerals such as zinc; vitamins A, C, D and E; omega-3 fatty acids; and glutamine. A diet containing foods rich in collagens (bone broth), fermented vegetables (sauerkraut, kombucha and pickles) and fruits and vegetables is best for repairing and maintaining a healthy gut. Raw vegetables contain more phytonutrients than cooked; however, both are beneficial to the gut.

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Rebalance – This final step involves implementing stress-reducing activities and increasing sleep and exposure to a healthy environment. Stress-reducing activities include meditation, yoga, exercise, aromatherapy, breathing techniques and comedy. Positive environmental changes include pets (this increases your microbiome diversity!), spending time outdoors, walking barefoot on pesticidefree grass and having live plants in your home. Sleep hygiene can be improved by not eating too late at night, avoiding caffeine late in the day, having a regular bedtime, getting sunlight exposure and avoiding blue light (television screens, cellphone screens and laptops) two hours before bedtime.

As you can see, a healthy gut is important for overall health. Gut health can improve immune function, mood and energy level. Using the “Five R Framework” you can be on your way to a happy gut and a healthy life.

Dr. Alexandra Prach earned her Pharm.D degree from the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy in Kingston, Rhode Island, in 2019. She interned full time at two compounding pharmacies in New England and has been heavily involved in seeking solutions to the national opioid epidemic. Her passion for compounding and interest in alternative pain management guided Alexandra to Arizona to do a post-graduate residency training program at Potter’s House Apothecary & Wellness. She is excited to have the opportunity to learn from the leaders in compounding pharmacy and play a role in providing personalized pharmaceutical care to patients.

Tara Storjohann has resided in Anthem since 2002 and is a pharmacist and an assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy at Midwestern University in Glendale. She enjoys spending time in the Arizona great outdoors hiking and snow skiing. She is a health advocate and is passionate about helping others achieve their wellness goals.

John Kovach, Agent Bus: (623) 551-7900 jkovach@amfam.com johnkovachagency.com 42407 N Vision Way Ste 104 Anthem, AZ 85086 John Kovach, Agent Bus: (623) 551-7900 jkovach@amfam.com johnkovachagency.com 42407 N Vision Way Ste 104 Anthem, AZ 85086

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Back to Heath of Anthem How to stay active at a sedentary workspace By Dr. Brian Hester

With every new piece of technology that makes our lives easier and more convenient, there’s the potential that it can make us more lackadaisical (cough—lazy) in our approach to staying active in our day.

No need to even go to a restaurant or grocery store. Click, click, click, food delivered. There’s no need to walk to a different building to have a conversation with someone. Type, type, type, conversation had via text or email. Business Insider tells us that 86% of Americans sit for a majority of the day at their job. That doesn’t even factor in the sitting we’ll do at home while we’re eating meals, watching television or reading. We sit a lot.

But is it that big of a deal? What if you watch what you’re eating and really try to exercise a few times a week? Is all that sitting actually hurting anything?

Spoiler alert: Yeah, it is. The most obvious issue from sitting or slouching all day is on your joints. You’ll be more likely to have issues with back pain, arthritis, bursitis and the like. But more than that, it actually gives you a higher risk for heart disease, obesity and diabetes. Sitting is one of the most passive things you can do, so it causes your body to go in “coasting mode.” This tells your body to do the least amount of “work,” thereby causing weight gain and all sorts of other troubles. Even if you workout regularly.

So, what do you do? Walk into the boss’ office and quit immediately.

Just kidding. Don’t do that. But there are things that you can do to squeeze in a little bit more activity while you’re at work.

day is to actually move. You’re welcome. But truthfully, just changing positions semi-regularly is so helpful. Setting timers on your phone is a great way to remember (but be a good cubicle mate and turn it to vibrate). Standing once an hour for even a few minutes and then finding a different position when you sit back down can do wonders. You can even add in a few squats without raising too many eyebrows. If you aren’t brave enough for that, start by just standing up and then sitting in your chair a couple of times (just make sure your chair hasn’t rolled away before you pseudo-squat again!)

2. Don’t just take the stairs

Sure, it’s great advice to bring in a little physical activity. But if you walk up a couple flights of stairs when you go into work and then the next time you do it again isn’t until 5 p.m., it’s not going to get you a ton of benefit. Instead, go out of your way to take them when you really don’t have to. Every time you fill your coffee cup, walk up and down a flight of stairs (maybe before you fill your cup). When you take a phone call that doesn’t require you to be at your desk, walk the stairs (you can go slowly on this one, so you’re not mouth breathing on your call). My personal favorite: When you’re frustrated with someone or something at work, go walk a couple flights. Not only does it help you stay active, but it can keep you from balling all that tension up. Two birds. One stair.

3. Find an inconvenient parking spot

If you’re here in Arizona, during the summer this might not be such a great idea since we live on the surface of the sun. But when it’s nice outside, finding a parking spot that actually takes you a few minutes to walk to, rather than a few seconds, is another way to add even a few minutes of activity in your day. Especially if you walk out to your car to head to lunch, then you’re doubling your efforts.

4. Walking meetings

Again, when it’s 183,000 degrees outside, not super helpful. Rather than sitting around a conference room table, take it outside! Unless you need a whiteboard or are doing a presentation, walking meetings are a great way to get active in the day. I know it’s not possible for all meetings, especially if they are with a ton of people. Bonus: No matter how boring the meeting is, you won’t get caught falling asleep!

“Sitting disease” might seem silly or made up, but it’s a widespread problem here in America. We already have enough tendencies to overeat on processed foods; we shouldn’t be making it worse on ourselves by not moving for hours at a time most days. Simple steps and changes can be the difference maker in your health.

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