In another article we covered what SIBO is, how it comes about, what feeds it, and how it creates cravings for sugar and other junk foods, preventing fat loss and causing low energy levels.

But there is another aspect to SIBO which has more destructive and far-reaching effects.

There is something called Leaky Gut, where there are actual microscopic perforations in the intestinal lining that is meant to protect our internal organs from the harmful bacteria, parasites and toxins coming in through our digestive tract.

And it's behind a significant number of physical conditions common today, from hormonal imbalances, stress and poor sleep, to liver and kidney trouble, heart trouble, skin issues and even premature aging.

So let's see what it is and what SIBO has to do with it.

The Gut Health Protocol & 30-Day Challenge starts today!

On this protocol we address Acid Reflux, GERD, IBS, Candida, H. Pylori, C. Diff, Leaky Gut, SIBO, Gluten Reactions & Much More.

We address hormone and energy levels, mood, the ability to burn body fat and increase muscle gains.

We address sleep, stress levels and overall mood.

We address cravings for sugar that derail our diets or fat loss attempts.

We address bloating and a protruding stomach.

And we improve overall health and longevity.

This is probably the most important protocol we have released, because it truly affects every aspect of our overall health.

Our gut is the chief entrance to our body.

And its ability to break down foods into nutrients our cells need to function, to balance our hormones, to provide key neurotransmitters for our brain and nervous system, and to prevent harmful toxins and microorganisms from making it into our bloodstream is more important than any other aspect of our body to ensure our overall health, energy levels, and longevity.

But let’s go a little deeper.

We’ve upgraded PerfectAmino by adding nucleotides and nucleosides — the building blocks of nucleic acids: our DNA and RNA.

But we want to make sure you fully understand why we did this and how this works.

Because it was for a very exact reason. And it is very much an upgrade.

We know that the building blocks of protein and collagen are the essential amino acids.

Having all of the essential amino acids, and having each of them in the correct overall ratio, is necessary for complete protein synthesis, as well as protein synthesis without the caloric impact.

However, there is another aspect to this.

While these essential amino acids are the material used to synthesize new protein, the actual building blocks of protein and collagen, if we want perfect protein synthesis then we need to look at the process of synthesizing protein itself: how they are being made.

Because if the process is at all faulty, then even if we have the correct amino acids and correct amounts, we won't necessarily get correctly made proteins.

In fact, we can even have stopped creation of specific proteins. And that can affect us in any number of ways.

Our digestive tract’s ability to fully digest and absorb protein determines, in large part, our body's ability to build muscle and lose body fat.

It affects our energy levels, hormones, inflammatory responses, and overall health.

It affects our gut and our ability to repair intestinal lining that has been damaged by toxins and harmful bacteria.

And when protein isn’t properly digested, this triggers a sequence of actions involving our immune system that leads to higher levels of cortisol, the hormone that prevents fat loss and breaks down muscle.

It leads to lower energy and mood, hormone issues, Leaky Gut, and even to our immune system mistaking our own cells for harmful bacteria and toxins, and so attacking them.

Even more, without full digestion, our body receives less of the protein we consume in a form it can actually use.

So we get less protein for muscle, properly balanced hormones, cellular repair and upkeep, and overall health and energy, while at the same time we’re eating more that goes to waste.

This is a big deal. Due to processed foods and sugars, many of our digestive tracts don’t function at optimal levels, preventing a significant amount of the food we eat from being fully broken down so our body can use it.

Beyond this, improper digestion leads to not only heart burn, acid reflux, GERD, gas and a bloated stomach, but also allows for harmful bacteria, parasites, and fungi to take root, further causing us trouble.

Everything hinges on protein. Or, more specifically, the essential amino acids protein provides, which is what our body actually uses.

So, understanding exactly how digestion works and how to keep or get it working properly is very important.

Here is your very short, very simple schedule for use on the Gut Health 30-Day Challenge.

You can print this out and keep it with you or put it on the refrigerator to run your day.

Our digestive tract is very important for our overall health.

When it’s running smoothly we have good digestion without discomfort where the foods we eat are fully broken down into useable nutrients for our body.

Our stomach kills off most harmful microbes entering it, and if they aren’t killed off there, then they are in our small intestine where 80% of our immune system exists for this exact reason.

Once any of these microbes are neutralized, our intestine opens what are called tight junctions to let the nutrients from our food through and into our bloodstream.

Further down we have our colon, where trillions of bacteria live, consuming left over food and producing vitamins, amino acids, and neurotransmitters like GABA and serotonin which are then absorbed through the wall of our colon and sent to our brain or elsewhere. This is our microbiome.

And how well our digestive tract is doing, our gut, parallels fairly closely how well we are doing, both physically and mentally.

However, if harmful microbes do make it in and take root, evading our immune cells, along with toxins, these can cause real trouble.

This protocol aims to address these harmful microbes, ridding our digestive tract of them, while at the same time building all aspects of our digestive tract back up to optimal levels.

Welcome to the Gut Health Guide, Protocol & 30-Day Challenge!

Our gut is one of the most important aspects of our health.

If our gut is generally healthy, so are we. If our gut is not healthy, then neither are we. It really is that simple.

But about two thirds of Americans are living with gut issues.

Acid reflux, heart burn, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Gas and bloating, causing a protruding stomach that can’t be “exercised off.”

Leaky Gut, SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), Candida, H. Pylori and C. Diff.

Gluten reactions.

An imbalanced microbiome causing higher stress levels, poor energy, and much more.

If we want the healthiest body we can have, with high energy levels, an easy time maintaining our figure, healthier skin, a calmer mood, hormonal balance, lean muscle, and good sleep — then we need to take control of our gut.

This is the third article in the Autoimmune series.

In the last two articles we covered what autoimmunity is and what causes it.

And in this article we’re going to talk about how to address it.

When we look at addressing some kind of physical condition, we can look at it from two different angles: addressing the symptoms and working to suppress those, or locating the root cause that is creating the condition, and keeping it created on a daily basis, and address that so that it is no longer being continually created.

This is the second article in the Autoimmune Series.

In the last article we covered what autoimmune conditions are and what they’re actually doing in the body. But in this article we’re going to cover how they come about.

What actually causes them.

And it starts in the gut, our first defense against illness.

About 1 in 10 people in the US now suffer from some sort of autoimmune disease. And this level has been rising fast over the last couple of decades.

It’s rising fastest amongst adolescents, where the number has tripled in the last 3 decades.

In 1988-1991 an estimated 22 million people between 12 and 19 years old had an autoimmune disease, and in 2011-2012 it rose to 41 million.

But it affects adults as well, generally manifesting somewhere between the ages of 15-45. And about 75% of those affected are female.

These are conditions such as Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn's disease, Fibromyalgia, Hashimoto’s, Ulcerative Colitis and a host of some 80 others.

And other conditions, such as Lyme disease, can trigger autoimmune conditions.

These can cause low thyroid, muscle pain or fatigue, stiff or painful joints, and exhaustion and lethargy. Or they can attack specific organs or nerve cells, and even the skin.

But what is an autoimmune disease? What's happening in the body when someone has one?

We've spoken about what free radicals are, how they occur, how they affect our aging, stress levels, energy levels, hormones, skin, and much more.

And about what oxidative stress is, when free radicals reach a tipping point, causing gradual destruction throughout our body over time.

This causes high stress levels, both physically and mentally, poor sleep and recovery, lowered energy and mental focus, lowered health, and reduced longevity over time.

But there’s one free radical that’s worse than any other, and which not only causes more harm, but even the creation of new free radicals in a chain reaction of destruction in our body.

These are called hydroxyl radicals. And they speed aging and the development of many other conditions more than anything else.

They're caused by toxins and pollutants in our food, water, and air, cigarette smoke, chemicals in processed foods, and sun radiation.

If you’ve heard about hydrogen water and how good it is for you, this is why. It’s what neutralizes these. And it’s quite helpful.

But understanding what they are, what they do in our body, and what we can do about them is essential for optimum health and longevity.

Let's dive in.

In today’s world, from the viewpoint of our bodies, they’re under constant attack.

Harmful toxins come in through our air, food and water, and even our clothing and personal care items. And these are at levels over 50 times that of just a few decades ago.

And they are affecting us quite significantly.

On top of that, our processed foods not only contain harmful chemicals, but have key vitamins and nutrients processed out of them. The exact nutrients our bodies need to fight or neutralize the harmful chemicals coming in.

As just one example, if you were to buy beef, you should be able to expect that it has one ingredient: beef. Nothing else. Why would it?

However, unless you’re buying completely naturally raised, certified organic, 100% grass-fed and finished beef, what you’re actually getting generally includes Antibiotics, tranquilizers, pesticides, animal drugs, artificial flavors, industrial wastes, and growth-promoting hormones.

Just to name a few.

Not quite one ingredient.

But what do you think these chemicals do in our body? How do they affect us?

Because that’s just one food source. We have the same things happening in vegetables and fruits today, and almost all of our processed, packaged or boxed foods.

We get literally thousands of chemicals in through our water sources, drinks, and even our skin care products and our clothes.

What does this do to our body?

Well, look at the amount of physical conditions occurring in society today. These either didn’t exist or were in most cases quite rare just four or five decades ago.

Look at stress levels, hormonal imbalances, and common allergies today.

And look at how fast aging is occurring in our younger generations, with members of Gen Z appearing to age faster than Millenials, and Millennials aging faster than Gen X and Boomers.

This is a real thing.

So let’s dive in and see exactly how these chemicals affect us and what we can do about it.