What is the Human Microbiome Project (HMP)?
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Dear Friends, 
What is the microbiome? Can you define it? The National Institute of Health defines it as the full collection of microbes (bacteria, fungi, virus, etc) that naturally exist within the human body. The Human Microbiome Project describes it this way – Our adult bodies harbor ten times more microbial cells than human cells. Their genomes (the microbiotme) endows us with physiological capacities that we have not had to evolve on our own and thus are both a manifestation of who were are genetically and metabolically and a reflection of our state of well being. This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt’s three-day medical conference entitled, Lyme Disease And Other Chronic Infections As The Underlying Cause Of Chronic Illness. It was a very important event with presentations given by many experts in this field. The bottom-line consensus is that the mounting crisis that we are seeing in chronic illnesses is caused by not only emerging pathogens such as the Lyme bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi but by a host of co-infections as well-Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, Ehrlichia, etc. This infectious load in our bodies stimulates oxidative damage, which results in the increase in the all too familiar chronic illness patterns that cause much suffering in today’s world. The ecological issues we have been discussing in the last year under the rubric of De-Evolution connects the reasons for the wide spread of Lyme and other co-infection: Our calloused disregard for sound ecological practices with the consequential systematic destruction of our environment. Remember, we have been dealing with increasing amount of chemicals, toxins and poor life style habits since the beginning of the industrial age. We have been treating our earth and water as a toxic dumping ground and therefore have thrown-off the balance of all creatures, large and small, including the microbial world, of friends and foes, that must be in-balance with our own body’s cells and systems. As a zoologist, I have noted many beloved creatures suffer the disruption of climate change, and the horrific effect of environmental toxins we use daily in our industrialized lives. We talked about habitats vanishing and ecosystems crashing. The growing consensus is that we have reached a critical moment in our history, where the toxic load and our life style practices have finally broken the balance of the necessary symbiotic relationships we must have in our biosphere for a healthy life. Combining my zoological background with many years of experience as an educator (I have a Fifth Year graduate degree in education), I have taught and discussed parts of the subject I have titled De-Evolution: The Disintegration of the Biosphere and its effect on the Human Microbiome. I would like to share with you in the coming weeks key thoughts from this lecture. Food is an integral part of our failing world. We spray it, over process it, add more chemicals to it, pack it to last years, and destroy every nutritional aspect of what used to be food. And somehow we think our body can exist without real food. So we eat well “most of the time” but often enough utilize our fast food industry to be “efficient” with our time, and suppress our hunger. It is really, why we created the Therapeutic Foods line. Hearing the alarm sound from our ecological system, and seeing the mismanagement of our food supply system and dietary habits—propelled us to create a pure, and powerful food line to “eat” and nourish our weakened bodies. But it is not easy to understand this ancient way of using foods, and you have been right in requesting a comprehensive, systemic way (and elegantly simply, as Dohrea likes to say), to understand how to incorporate these foods into your protocols to heal people. So we are going to educate how food can be once again our healer and supplier of life.
As you can see in the photograph above there are 14 Therapeutic Foods Formulas. Liz Ashley is the artist who painted this beautiful picture. Check her website—she is an incredible human being, and a friend to Dohrea and I for several years. I have arranged the Therapeutic Foods into five groups. Looking at them from the right to the left: group number one on the far right contains four synbiotic formulas derived from our collaborative work with American scientists. Group number two contain three synbiotic formulas resulting from our work with Bulgarian scientists. Group number three contains four product designed to reduce oxidative stress in our body. Group number four has two patented mineral formula resulting from our work with East European and American scientists and group five contains pure unadulterated extremely potent freeze dried garlic. Each formula represents the life work of many dedicated people, and are backed up by laboratory bench tests and patient years of development. It this email we will focus on the synbiotic formulas.
We have seven synbiotic formulas. Let’s focus first on the four to the right. As you know the word synbiotic means a product that has good bacteria and food for the bacteria such as fiber. We combine our good bacteria with powerful therapeutic foods. In many parts of the world, the healthy traditions of fermented foods are very much alive, but not anymore in America. We have forgotten how important it is to eat fermented food, and often forget that probiotic are in fact also a part of the food chain and crucial to our diet. The question I have heard many times is whether probiotics are important to take as a supplement, and of course the answer is yes, but do remember that it is not just a supplement—but also an integral part of our food. The probiotic organisms we use in all of our synbiotic formulas are lactic acid bacteria. What we call the original collection of organisms include-Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Streptococcus thermophillus. Each of these organisms has been identified according to their ATCC strain designation. The Original Synbiotic Formula contains five lactic acid bacteria plus inulin, a soluble fiber derived from organic chicory root. I call this product good bugs and fiber. One teaspoon contains 20 billion cfu and 4 grams of fiber. We need 25 grams of fiber daily! How to use and remember: This is your foundational fermented food product. Use it daily. One teaspoon for daily food requirement. One teaspoon three times daily for therapeutic dosage, after antibiotic therapy, for intestinal disruption of any sort, and to support normal bowel function. The Beta Glucan Synbiotic Formula contains the same five bugs and inulin as the Original plus we have added a patented Oat Bran Beta Glucan soluble fiber and red beetroot fiber. The Beta Glucan Synbiotic Formula is also bugs and fibers (two different root-fibers). Two tablespoons contain 25 billion cfu and 10 grams of fiber. How to use and remember: The Beta Glucan Formula is used for cardio-vascular support. Because of the level of beta glucan fibers in a two tablespoon recommended daily dosage, we are able to put on the label the “Healthy Heart” FDA approved statement, that the Beta Glucan Synbiotic Formula may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease because of the reduction of cholesterol. It actually lowers LDLs (bad cholesterol) and raises HDLs (good cholesterol) because of the betalein molecules in the red beet root. Many of you have sent to me effective protocols, you have developed using these synbiotic formulas, that I would like to share. As you discover other protocols, please email me them so that I can continue to share with everyone in the clinical note section of the weekly emails, and within the shopping cart. For Syndrome X (Metabolic Syndrome) – take a tablespoon with each meal. Due to the low glycemic index of the Beta Glucan Formula, it slows down the absorption of sugars. It also suppresses the appetite, stimulating satiety, and therefore is helpful in weight loss programs. The Triple Berry Probiotic Formula and the High ORAC Synbiotic Formula are both concentrated fruit and berry products, a part of the 5-9 fruit and vegetable foods we need to eat daily. The Triple Berry contains the whole berries of wild blueberry, sweet cherry and raspberry with two lactic acid organisms-Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum (the same strains as used in the Original). This is in a powdered form and taste really good. One teaspoon contains 7 billion cfu and 4 grams of freeze dried berries for a 1000 ORAC per teaspoon. The High ORAC contains bugs, fruits, berries and fiber. It has the Original strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum plus Wild Blueberry extract, Wild Bilberry extract, Grape and Grape Seed extract, Raspberry and Raspberry Seed extract, whole Tart Cherry, Cranberry and Prune, plus organic inulin. There is 25 billion cfu and a 1500 ORAC per capsule. How to use and remember: The Triple Berry Probiotic Formula has a triple usage—As a probiotic for children, a brain protector (Blueberry), and a GI tract supporter. The raspberry’s elegiac acid has broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties, which imparts an important microbial balance for children and adults. The High ORAC Synbiotic Formula is used as a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuro-regenerative, and anti-microbial. It provides your fruit and berries that you normally do not get in your diet. All the nourishing elements of our orchards and vineyards are in this High ORAC product. One capsule a day for preventative measures, and two-four capsules for therapeutic measures. Can be used with “after antibiotic therapy”, and with any other of the fermented products. We like to see it combined with the Original for extra fiber and bugs, or the No 7 Systemic Booster (from the Bulgarian collection) for complete phyto-nutrient protection. Consider: The formulas offer therapeutic foods and fiber, fermenting bugs, and the various medicinal aspects of foods. Help your patient understand the power of food by going into the website and learning from the library. This information sounds simple, yet we all have forgotten to think of real food as medicine. So more information helps the patient to synergize this knowledge with therapeutic foods strategies. Other uses: Use as a part of your family’s daily fruit and fermented food intake. For kids, many of you have used it to untangle candida and other yeast overgrowth. One doctor used a half-teaspoon of the Triple Berry to un-do years of candida battles. The TB is a powerful food that offers the antioxidant and antimicrobial as both fruit and bugs work synergistically—as it has for eons. For very sensitive kids, starts with the Original and then add the Triple Berry as they get stronger. We need fruit in our bodies—it has a very important function and purpose. For kids that can swallow pills, you can alternate with the High ORAC Synbiotic Formula. I call this group the American Collection. Next week we shall talk about the Bulgarian organisms as a collection of fermented food products; as well as general discussion—moving us deeper into the world of the microbiome. Sincerely yours, Seann Bardell Clinical Note: The Freeze Dried Organic Garlic is one of the best immunizations against bacterial and viral imbalance in our bodies. Use one capsule a day with the High ORAC Synbiotic Formula for added boost for the immune system. Take more when you feel under the weather. The Last Quiz Answer: The giant panda is perhaps the most powerful symbol in the world when it comes to species conservation. In China it is a national treasure, and for the World Wildlife Federation the panda has been the organizations symbol since 1961 when WWF was formed.
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