Multiple Sclerosis and GUT Health- The link between Gut-Microbiota and MS.

Support MS naturally: Nutritional and Herbal Practices to Restore YOUR BODY and BRAIN.

What is Multiple Sclerosis?

It is a “dis-ease” that causes the breakdown of the protective covering of nerves.

It is said that the immune system attacks the protective sheath that covers the nerve fibers (myelin). So, you can see how this could cause a brain and body communication interruption.

I want to share with you a little bit I have learned in the past few years; let’s talk about pericytes (not parasites although they are pronounced similarly). Pericytes help preserve the structural and also the functional integrity of the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB). Pericytes participate in the BBB repair in brain diseases. I share a video by one of my mentors on this topic at the end of this publication.

When there is an acute brain or chronic brain disease, pericytes initiate immune cells to regulate neuro-inflammatory conditions. You can see how if we have a loss of pericytes this will intensify BBB permeability. We hear so much talk about GUT permeability, but we are now learning more and more about the brain and it has a barrier that can be permeable just similar to our GUT. It is critical to brain health and it is amazing we are learning so much more about this.

Let’s talk about Pericytes and their role in BBB. But first!

Take a deep breath, many of us shallow breath and we all need more oxygen to our brain. You have so much power to restore health to your body, from my own personal journey, I know this to be true. Emotional and Spiritual healing and health are often overlooked especially when we are overwhelmed with the difficulties of our pains and inflammation in our brain and body. Create the healing environment your mind, body and soul need to heal from these dis-eases. Emotions do get trapped in our body and manifest into physical symptoms.

More and more people in the U.S. are suffering from Central Nervous System (CNS) problems leaving them suffering from sensory, motor and cognitive issues. This is why you will see be reinforcing, breath work, nervine herbs and gluten free eating. The BBB is responsible for maintaining balance (aka Homeostasis) inside the CNS by providing oxygen, nutrition, removing METABOLIC WASTE, regulating systemic factors.

BBB is made of different cells, Endothelial Cells (ECs), pericytes, astrocytes, neurons, and microglia. The BBB is paved by ECs, and pericytes are like a brick wall or road. Pericytes can regulate the BBB resident cells function through secreting various proteins in the BBB. In rat studies it shows increased BBB leakage in the pericyte deficient. So, the loss of pericytes in neurologic diseases increases BBB permeability. Pericyte loss can delay remyelination.

The glymphatic system (aka the Lymphatic system of your brain), this removes waste and regulates fluid movement. It is restored at night so you can see how getting a good night’s sleep and being in bed at a decent hour are important because this will prevent sufficient cleaning. You can also see how it is so important to jog, bounce, move your spine daily to get these fluids draining properly. Activity level is vital.

And as a mom or parent to young children, you can see how tough this can be, so our nutritional and lifestyle practices are super important during times of lack of sleep and having little ones. The glymphatic system is a network of vessels that clear waste from your CNS (central nervous system), mostly done during sleep. I know, I know I haven’t talked about GUT health yet but I promise we will get to it AND we will discuss some solutions to help your GUT, Brain and Nervous system so this will not just be another article filled with just facts of physiology, although it is very much empowering to learn about the systems in your body.

I say this often, LOVE your Liver and LOVE your Lymphatic System because making this a daily practice will ensure restoration of your body and help it restore balance in all areas. My entire lifestyle is tailored around restoring health and keeping health throughout life so be sure to watch all my other videos and read my other publications because I speak about nutrition and herbs often. There is research suggesting Epstein Barr Virus as leading cause of MS. We will cover the foods and herbs that help with this in the last section of this article.

Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash

So, what occurs in the gut microbiota of a MS person?

The microbiota modulates the response of the innate and adaptive immune systems in both the intestines and the brain. The human GI tract have more than 100 trillion microorganisms!!!! The neuroendocrine communication between intestinal microbiota and brain involves the Hypothalamus-Pituitary axis (HPA). MS -an inflammatory disorder of the brain and spinal cord when there is a lymphocytic infiltration leading to myelin damage. Demyelination in the brain and spinal cords aka plaques. Plaques are rupture of the BBB, damage to the myelin sheath.

GUT microbiome

It has been shown that MS people have a higher level of Akkermansia, Ruminococcus, Blautia, and Bifidobacterium and a lower level of Bacterioides, Parabacteroides, Prevotella and Lactobacillus.

In a study 47.3% had constipation, 45.5% had abdominal bloating, 25.5% had diarrhea.

You can see how nutritional practices and relaxation practices will help lessen MS any many ways and restore the GUT lining and help nourish the Nervous system, detox the lymphatic/glymphatic and liver.

Let’s also touch a little on prebiotics and how they are important too and there are many foods and teas good for this—herbal coffee alternatives are a great prebiotic because many contain roasted chicory root which is a great prebiotic, if you haven’t checked out our herbal coffee check it out here. Prebiotics are good food for probiotics.

Decreasing caffeine/coffee intake to help with staying hydrated, help stabilize blood sugars and calm the central nervous system. The caffeine decrease blood flow to the brain and that is last thing we need right now. Watch this 2 minute You Tube video on this.

Lifestyle and Nutritional Practices to restore health

Now let’s go over some actionable solutions you can take to improve your health. This topic is inspired one of our paid subscribers and this is a part of the Substack “group” coaching that is offered here at the Rooted Aether.

We will soon be offering a monthly zoom meet-up as well for all of you so stay tuned.