Healing from Within: Gut Health

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As the old adage goes: “You are what you eat.” Extending that further: you are only as healthy as your microbiome—the flora, or microbes, that live in your gut.

In traditional medicine, such as Indian Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, the digestive system and microbiome are recognized as the foundation for good health. Our intestinal flora perform a large number of duties—far more than just aiding digestion. Recent research has revealed that our intestinal flora help fight off infections by killing microbes and viruses, increase our resistance to allergens and inflammation, cleanse our internal systems by neutralizing toxins, and even support our moods and energy levels by interacting with hormones and neurotransmitters.

If you are looking for a healthy start to the New Year, your gut health may be the place to start. Here are some great new books to help you on your healing path:

	The Ayurvedic Reset Diet by Vatsala Sperling, Ph.D. In this step-by-step guide to Ayurvedic dietary resets, Vatsala Sperling, Ph.D., details how to rest and gently cleanse your digestive system, lose extra pounds, and reboot your body and mind with the Ayurvedic techniques of fasting, mono-diets, and food combining. She presents easy-to-follow instructions for a full 6- or 8-week Ayurvedic rest diet, as well as a simplified 1-week plan, detailing what to eat and drink day by day.
	Restoring Your Intestinal Flora by Christopher Vasey, N.D. Offering easy techniques to rebuild good gut health, strengthen the immune system, and reduce inflammation, Christopher Vasey, N.D., explains how to restore your microbiome after taking medications such as antibiotics and how to support your flora with prebiotics, probiotics, and simple changes in your eating and drinking habits. He also examines the many functions of intestinal flora and the major causes of weakened flora.
	Cultivating Your Microbiome by Bridgette Shea, L.Ac., MAcOM In this holistic guide to improving your gut flora for better physical and emotional health, Bridgette Shea explores digestive functioning from the perspectives of Western science, Ayurveda, and traditional Chinese medicine. She presents herbal remedies, acupressure techniques, and dietary methods to restore balance to your gut flora, including a microbiome reset.
	Holistic Keto for Gut Health by Kristin Grayce McGary Combining the best gut-healthy elements of primal, paleo, and ketogenic nutritional plans, Kristin Grayce McGary offers a one-of-a-kind approach for optimal digestive health. Her science-based, functional ketogenic program emphasizes a holistic nutritional and lifestyle plan to repair your gut while avoiding inflammatory foods, such as gluten, dairy, soy, starches, and sugars. She also includes dozens of delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes that keep you feeling satisfied.
	Good Sugar, Bad Sugar by Christopher Vasey, N.D. Sugar supplies the essential energy the body and brain need to function. But there are healthful and harmful forms of sugar. In this practical guide, Christopher Vasey, N.D., explains the harmful effects of bad sugars as well as how to replace them with good sugars for physical, emotional, and mental healing and more energy.
	Healing with Clay by Ran Knishinsky Revealing how to eat clay for health and well-being, the author explores the science and history behind eating clay and explains how it can be used for detoxification, protection, and nutritional supplementation. He details how to select the appropriate type of clay as well as how to consume it for benefits throughout the body.
	Total Life Cleanse by Jonathan Glass, M.Ac., C.A.T. Jonathan Glass presents a practical 28-day program, divided into four cycles, to initiate and maximize detoxification of your body, mind, and spirit. Integrating the ancient wisdom of yoga, Ayurveda, and traditional Chinese medicine with naturopathic principles and contemporary nutritional science, he includes recipes, exercises, mental and physical detox practices, and tips on liver and digestive health.