Exciting news! If you live in the greater Tampa Bay area, be sure watch me LIVE on WEDU-TV tonight from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. for my NEW PBS special, The Road to Perfect Health.

A lot of folks don’t realize that a healthy body begins with a healthy gut. That’s because your digestive tract is where more than 80 percent of your body’s natural defenses are found, and it’s where trillions of bacteria live in a delicate balance to help you absorb nutrients, defend against toxins, and fight off illness and disease—not to mention help with bowel regularity!

But what may surprise you is that even things you wouldn’t normally associate with digestive health—everything from anxiety, joint aches and food sensitivities to fibromyalgia and even high cholesterol—they all start in the gut. That’s how important it is to keep your digestive system running smoothly.

Join me to learn the secret to balancing your gut and healing your body, beginning with the power of probiotics. Those are the beneficial bacteria in your intestines that help with healthy digestion and immune function, and they are the key to a strong GPS, or what I like to call your Gut Protection System. From there, I’ll give you the keys to rebuilding your health from the inside out and finally living the life you’ve always wanted. See you there!

If you don’t live in the Tampa Bay Area, The Road to Perfect Health is also airing nationwide right now through mid-December. Visit PBS for air times and station in your area.

Share this Post...

absorb, anxiety, bacteria, balance, body, bowel, Brenda Watson, defend, defenses, digestion, digestive system, digestive tract, disease, fibromyalgia, food, gut, healing, Health, healthy, high cholesterol, illness, joint aches, life, natural, new, nutrients, PBS, Probiotics, regularity, sensitivities, show, strong, Tampa, Tampa Bay, toxins

Do you know what heartburn, constipation, weight gain, high cholesterol and fatigue have in common? What about things like allergies, arthritis and even chronic disease? Well, you might be surprised to hear it, but ALL of these things are related…and guess why? Because they ALL start in the gut. Want to know more?

Join me on October 13^th at Sunflower Farmers Market in Scottsdale for a free digestive health lecture. I’m going to be talking about the link between a properly functioning digestive system and a healthy body, including how our increasingly toxic world is taking a serious toll on the natural defenses found in our gut. We’ll also talk about the natural supplements that are essential for helping you look and feel your best every day, so mark your calendar!

WHEN: Wednesday, October 13^th  7:00-9:00 p.m.

WHERE: Sunflower Farmers Market, 4402 N. Miller Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251

RSVP: 480-941-6001

Share this Post...

allergies, Arizona, arthritis, body, chronic disease, Constipation, defenses, digestion, digestive, digestive system, essential, fatigue, free, functioning, good, gut, Health, healthy, Heartburn, high cholesterol, lecture, natural, October, properly, related, Scottsdale, Sunflower Farmers Market, Supplements, toxic, weight gain, world

The other day I had the pleasure of joining my friend and colleague Jeffrey Burke, host of the Staying Healthy! radio show in Las Vegas, to talk about one of my favorite subjects: the connection between your gut and your health.

I know I sound like a broken record sometimes, but folks this is SO important. Your digestive tract is where the majority of your body’s natural defenses are found (we’re talking roughly 80% of your immune system!) so making sure you have a balanced gut is absolutely essential when it comes to being healthy and staying healthy.

Science has now linked nearly every major health problem out there today—things like heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and even mood disorders—to what’s going on in your gut, so you really start to get an idea of just how important those trillions of bacteria are that are living in your gut, especially the good bacteria called probiotics.

In fact, I think the relationship between your gut and your health is so important that it’s the topic of my new PBS special and upcoming book, The Road to Perfect Health, which also explores the vital role of probiotics in maintaining optimal health, so be sure to tune in and read the book! 

Here’s the Staying Healthy! radio show link if you’d like to hear more about what Jeff and I talked about: http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=batch_download&send_id=959336021&email=9db959967ad15a15bc93ada13afebb9c.

Share this Post...

arthritis, bacteria, balanced, book, connection, defenses, diabetes, digestive tract, essential, good, gut, Health, health problem, healthy, heart disease, immune system, major, mood disorders, natural, PBS, perfect, Probiotics, radio, relationship, science, show, special, staying, topic, trillions

When you hear the word “antibiotics” I’m sure a lot of you think, “Hey, those are good for me—they help me feel better when I’m sick.” Right? And yes, you’re partly right, but there’s also a dark side to using antibiotics that a lot of people either don’t know or don’t want to think about. What do I mean?

Well, did you happen to hear that recent story about an antibiotic-resistant gene making its way to the U.S. from India? So-called “superbugs” like the ones linked to the overseas gene are making people very sick, but the worst part is that the powerful antibiotics we’d normally use to get rid of them aren’t working anymore because of widespread antibiotic resistance.

And now a new study from Stanford University shows that taking antibiotics over and over again may impact our health by affecting the normal levels of bacteria in our digestive tract. Yup, that’s right—it all comes back to the gut! Because as you know, that’s where roughly 80 percent of our natural defenses are found, and it’s where literally trillions of microbes (both good and bad) exist in a delicate balance to keep us healthy.

So what this new study looked at was 1. whether or not repeated antibiotic use affected that nicely balanced bacterial colony in your gut, and 2. if and how well your gut bacteria were able to “bounce back” after each round of antibiotics. Now I’m sure you saw this coming, but the results weren’t great. The antibiotics wiped out large numbers of existing gut bacteria in all of the participants, and even though some gut populations returned to normal a few weeks after the antibiotic treatment stopped, this wasn’t the case after a second course of antibiotics. In fact, two months after the second round of treatment, gut bacteria levels still hadn’t returned to normal.

This topic is so important, and I’m really glad to see that it’s starting to get so much attention. When I say everything is connected to the gut, I REALLY mean it, especially now that all these new studies are finding that an out-of-balance gut can contribute to everything from digestive problems and weight gain to allergies, arthritis and yes, even chronic disease. So it’s time to pay attention—take a proactive stance when it comes to your health, and make sure you really need that antibiotic before you take it!

Share this Post...

allergies, antibiotic, antibiotic resistance, antibiotic-resistant, antibiotics, arthritis, bacteria, bacterial, balance, chronic disease, colony, connected, defenses, digestive, digestive tract, gene, gut, Health, healthy, India, levels, microbes, natural, normal, overseas, populations, proactive, problems, sick, Stanford, study, superbugs, treatment, U.S., weight gain, widespread

Exciting news! If you live in the DC/Baltimore area, be sure to tune in to your local PBS station this Saturday, September 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for an exclusive one-day-only sneak preview of my NEW PBS special The Road to Perfect Health.

A lot of folks don’t realize that a healthy body begins with a healthy gut. That’s because your digestive tract is where more than 70 percent of your body’s natural defenses are found, and it’s where trillions of bacteria live in a delicate balance to help you absorb nutrients, defend against toxins, and fight off illness and disease—not to mention help with bowel regularity!

But what may surprise you is that even things you wouldn’t normally associate with digestive health—everything from anxiety, joint aches and food sensitivities to fibromyalgia and even high cholesterol—they can all start in the gut. That’s how important it is to keep your digestive system running smoothly.

Join me this weekend to learn the secret to balancing your gut and healing your body, beginning with the power of probiotics. Those are the beneficial bacteria in your intestines that help with healthy digestion and immune function, and they are the key to a strong GPS, or what I like to call your Gut Protection System. From there, I’ll give you the keys to rebuilding your health from the inside out and finally living the life you’ve always wanted. See you there!

The Road to Perfect Health will also air nationwide beginning in late November through mid-December and continue periodically in 2011 and beyond. Stay tuned to www.brendawatson.com and I’ll keep you posted!

Share this Post...

absorb, anxiety, bacteria, balance, Baltimore, body, bowel, Brenda Watson, defend, defenses, digestion, digestive system, digestive tract, disease, fibromyalgia, food, gut, healing, Health, healthy, high cholesterol, illness, joint aches, life, natural, new, nutrients, PBS, Probiotics, regularity, sensitivities, September, show, sneak preview, strong, toxins, Washington D.C.

Here’s something I thought you might find interesting: researchers at Harvard University Medical School recently discovered that bacteria in the gut can trigger the autoimmune response associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

In simple terms, an autoimmune response means that there’s an immune response in the body that goes astray, causing the body to attack its own tissues instead of a foreign invader, in this case causing the breakdown in healthy joint cartilage seen in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

So what does all this mean when it comes to the trillions of bacteria living in your digestive tract every day? It means that they can affect your whole body, sometimes even causing conditions nowhere near the gut, and it’s something I’ve been saying for years! Not only that, but more and more studies these days are proving me right, showing that many autoimmune conditions begin right in the gut.

This isn’t surprising, since more than 70% of your body’s immune defenses are found in the gut—and when things like digestive problems, gut bacteria imbalance and toxin overload put a strain on the immune system, it often leads to the development of autoimmune conditions. 

The folks at Harvard are planning to look at the effects of intestinal bacteria on other autoimmune conditions as well, including type 1 diabetes, so stay tuned! And remember to take good care of your gut!

Share this Post...

autoimmune, autoimmunity, bacteria, body, breakdown, cartilage, Conditions, defenses, digestive, digestive tract, dysfunction, gut, Harvard, healthy, imbalance, immune, immune system, intestinal, invader, joint, overload, rheumatoid arthritis, study, tissues, toxin, type 1 diabetes

A lot, actually! Just recently scientists at the University of California discovered a difference in brain structure between people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and those who showed no IBS symptoms.

What they found was that those with IBS actually had less gray matter in the areas of the brain that controlled things like thinking, reasoning and evaluating. Pretty interesting stuff, I thought, and it just goes to prove that the gut and the brain are more connected than we might think.

Experts call this relationship between our digestive system and the brain our gut-brain connection, and it’s been linked to everything from migraine headaches to autism. It’s not surprising though, when you consider that more than 70 percent of your body’s natural defenses are found in your gut. To put this in perspective, it helps to remember that there are only about 10 trillion cells in your entire body, but roughly 100 trillion bacteria cells in your gut. Talk about running the show!

Results of the UCLA study are also helping scientists to better understand IBS, a debilitating disorder with symptoms that include abdominal pain and cramping, along with severe diarrhea or constipation. At one time doctors thought IBS was a psychological disorder, but thanks to studies like this one they’re starting to change their tune—and it’s about time. I see and talk to people every day with IBS, and let me tell you, it’s real!

Share this Post...

abdominal, Autism, bacteria, brain, cells, changes, connected, Constipation, defenses, Diarrhea, digestive, digestive system, disorder, evaluating, gray matter, grey matter, gut, gut-brain connection, headaches, Health, IBS, irritable bowel, migraine, natural, organ, organic, pain, physical, psychological, reasoning, scientists, structural, studies, study, symptoms, thinking, UCLA, University of California

This past Saturday, we filmed my newest PBS special about probiotics called The Road to Perfect Health, and what a great time everyone had! Okay, so it can be a little exhausting making sure all the technical stuff gets done right, and sure, there were some do-overs, but the energy from the audience was so positive, and I can’t wait for everyone to see the show when it airs on PBS later this year. Check out these photos for an exciting sneak preview!

For those of you who may not know, probiotics are what I like to call your Gut Protection System, or GPS. That’s because all those friendly bacteria in your digestive tract make up a huge portion of your body’s natural immune defenses, so keeping your gut in balance has a lot to do with how you feel every day. Not only that, but probiotics play a key role in good digestion and manufacturing important vitamins, which is why taking a daily probiotic supplement is so important. Be sure to tune in to PBS beginning this November to find out more about the benefits of probiotics—and what you can do every day to keep your GPS in tip-top shape!

Share this Post...

bacteria, balance, benefits, defenses, digestion, friendly, good, gut, Health, immune, important, probiotic supplement, Probiotics, protection, vitamins

It’s a subject you’ve heard me talk about before, but considering new research it’s definitely worth repeating. A recent CBS news segment revealed that not one but five new studies showed that using acid-blocking drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) can be potentially dangerous to your health, and that “more than half of prescriptions for these drugs are unnecessary”. Folks, this is an eye-opener if there ever was one!

Every year more than 100 million Americans are prescribed PPIs to help relieve symptoms of heartburn and acid reflux, but what many people don’t know is that these drugs often come with some pretty serious side effects—including a nearly 75 percent greater risk of developing a severe intestinal infection known as C. diff, according to new evidence. Essentially, taking PPIs upsets the healthy bacterial balance in your intestines (which is where the majority of your natural immune defenses can be found), leaving your body vulnerable to illness and infection.

Widespread PPI use has also been linked to higher rates of pneumonia, as well as esophageal candidiasis (yeast overgrowth), inflammation of the stomach lining, increased permeability of upper GI tract lining, and even osteoporosis-related bone fractures due to the fact that PPIs block calcium absorption in the body. Because long-term PPI use also leads to hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid secretion), bacterial overgrowth and acetaldehyde production, PPI users have an increased risk of developing gastric cancer. 

The good news? There are simple things we can do every day to help prevent heartburn and acid reflux without relying on harmful drugs. Diet changes like limiting our intake of caffeine, alcohol, chocolate and fatty or spicy foods can make a big difference, along with maintaining a healthy body weight, getting plenty of exercise and quitting smoking—all pretty good advice if you ask me! Natural supplements made with ingredients such as ellagic acid (from raspberries and pomegranates) can also provide soothing relief for occasional heartburn, and digestive enzymes with added HCl can help ensure complete digestion and reduce the chances of heartburn and acid reflux happening in the first place.

The bottom line is this: why take a potentially dangerous drug when smarter, safer alternatives exist? My hope is that the more people learn about PPIs and their side effects—including why they may not even need them in the first place—the more people will take steps to improve their digestive health naturally.

Share this Post...

acid reflux, alcohol, bacterial, balance, bone fractures, C. diff, caffeine, calcium, candidiasis, chocolate, defenses, digestive, Digestive Health, drugs, ellagic acid, Enzymes, esophageal, fatty, gastric cancer, GI tract, HCl, Heartburn, illness, immune, infection, inflammation, intestines, low stomach acid, natural, osteoporosis, pneumonia, PPIs, proton pump inhibitors, relief, side effects, spicy foods, stomach lining, Supplements, yeast overgrowth