“So, I want to give you a sense of the amount of data that you can get from a single sample, right? If I get stool sample and go through the lab process and generate the data that corresponds to that one sample, it’s several gigabytes of data. In fact, if you think about it as the number of books that you might want to read or something, in one sample there’s the equivalent of a public library’s worth of books.” Guru Banavar from the Interconnected series Imagine a world where everything you need to know about yourself was as close as your bathroom.  Years ago, stool specimens were mostly used for detecting occult blood, bacteria or parasites.  Artificial Intelligence data can now give you an entire library of information about your gut microbiome from one stool specimen the deficiencies in nutrients, and toxicities that are causing inflammation. The root cause of almost all chronic disease is deficiency of nutrients and toxicity of chemicals. You may not think autism, heart disease, cancer, or Alzheimer’s has to do with your gut microbiome, but it all starts there.  The nutrients your body needs, the way your body breaks down your food and assimilates the nutrients, the way your immune system works, the way you eliminate toxins, determine your health or lack of it. Our fast food, highly processed, convenience store, energy in a can Western diet has no nutrient value and despite an epidemic of obese individuals these same individuals are starving for actual nutrition.  And they’re full of toxic chemicals. And it all starts in your gut. But what exactly should we eat?  Keto, Paleo, Mediterranean, grain free, low carb, raw food, high fat, low fat, no sugar, artificial sugar, grass fed, cage free, vegan–the choices are confusing, contradictory, and overwhelming. Is organic really better?  Is the higher price worth it?  And don’t forget about lectins–those nightshades are definitely not gut friendly. (Resource below) But seriously–what Italian couldn’t digest a tomato? The state of our individual gut microbiome is a microcosm of the state of our food supply and lifestyle adaptations over the last several decades. The ancients never debated organic vs. hybrid, genetically modified food crops. They farmed the land along with the power of nature,sunlight, rainwater and the help of soil microbes.  Soil that is fertilized from composted vegetation and manure create rich aerated fields filled with worms, bacteria, and healthy microbial organisms. Nothing like the smell of fresh manure spread on a field in spring.  (Unless of course, the animals donating the manure are factory farmed, antibiotic filled, sickly beings.) The natural ammonia has life restoring properties. Natural fertilizer is teeming with microbial life and gives nutrients back to the land. It’s the circle of life. Contrast this to our modern day synthetic fertilizers.  Sprayed rather heavily due to run off from the hard dead soil it creates– by humans wearing protective gear this chemical poison has no benefit to the soil. Synthetic fertilizer works by shocking the plant to spur growth. This inhibits the plants natural growth cycle that allows it time to take in essential minerals and nutrients. Every time you grow a crop, that crop takes specific nutrients from the soil that must be replaced. This is why farmers rotate crops and replace nutrients. Lack of soil nutrients means tasteless and nutrient deficient crops that don’t nourish our human microbiome either. The run off from these chemical fertilizers contain nitrates that enter our streams, lakes, and water systems. These nitrates deplete the water of oxygen causing algae to grow and suffocating fish and aquatic life. Similarly, when these synthetic nitrates enter our human bloodstream they attach to hemoglobin molecules and starve the body of oxygen. Synthetic nitrates can convert into tumor causing nitrosamines. Plants that have been nurtured with organic soil and get their ammonia from manure and composted veggies, convert that ammonia into healthy nitrates, which produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide enriches the human body by dilating the blood vessels, lowering blood pressure, and increasing oxygen consumption. Nitric oxide benefits the entire human body in many ways. I’ve heard it helps with erectile dysfunction.  (Resource below) Mother nature always knows best. In addition to GMO food, there are many lifestyle factors that contribute to our gut dysfunction. Some say that bacteria outnumber our regular blood cells by 10:1.  The rise in C-section births and bottle fed infants has lead to a lack of seeding our gut with these beneficial bacteria. We now know that these microbes are critical to lifelong immunity. The bacterial composition in a pregnant woman changes as the body prepares for birth. This prepares the fetus for life outside the womb.  However, in the first 12 years of life, many children receive multiple courses of antibiotics that can decimate a child’s microbiome and cause leaky gut.  Rarely do pediatricians suggest preventative strategies or enough probiotics to replenish good bacteria. This deficiency sets you up for all kinds of chronic conditions along life’s path. You’re only born once.  And no medical doctor will ever trace the root cause back to the birth experience. No cardiologist will ever tell you that your arrhythmia is caused by a lack of nutrients, not a lack of heart drugs.  Nor will they have any answers how to create the microbial diversity necessary to truly heal the cause. Instead, they will give you medicine upon medicine to sequester the symptoms.  Chronic disease is great for repeat business but not for vibrant health for the patient. And that’s where Artificial Intelligence will change the dynamics. The current food system profits from cheap processed foods that rely on taxpayer subsidies. The food industry enables the medical industry to profit from trillions of dollars spent treating symptoms that arise from poor food and lifestyle choices. Interesting circle. The good news is you can choose to change your lifestyle choices!  You can grow your own organic food. You can make your own fermented food. The power lies within you. 90% of your health comes from food and lifestyle choices, while only 10% comes from medical intervention. By using new AI technology that provides detailed data from simple saliva, finger stick blood tests, or stool specimens you take at home–you can get detailed information on how to correct these lifelong imbalances. You can heal chronic conditions. Do some research. The body is a miraculous self-healing gift. The choice is yours. Resources: https://www.viome.com/blog/meet-guru-banavar-viomes-chief-technology-officer https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/nitric-oxide/

https://drgundry.com/lectin-guide/