Presenter: Russell Marz, ND, MAcOM
Original Date: May 3, 2025

Increasing your microbiome is becoming more appreciated for its effects on mood and mental health. There are 10x more bacteria, viruses and yeasts in your GI tract than there are cells in your body. These organisms are in a delicate balance in your body and are dependent upon what you eat. More than 90% of the serotonin that is produced in the body is produced in the GI tract. We know that this microbiome that we possess is dependent upon the amounts and the diversity of plant fiber that we consume on a daily basis. It is known that many of the cancers that we create in our bodies are created because of an imbalance of our microflora. Elevated levels of sugars in our blood (50% of the U.S. population has either prediabetes or diabetes outright) stimulate a number of undesirable microbes in our gut. In addition, chronic use of antibiotics intentionally or unintentionally through the consumption of animal protein (80% of the 35 million lbs. of antibiotics that we use in the U.S. in used to feed livestock). These antibiotics are both consumed in the animal products that we consume or outright in our water supply as runoff. In addition, we spray around the planet over 4.5 billion lbs. of glyphosate (Roundup Ready) herbicide which gets into our food and water supply because it is water soluble. The combination of all of these factors has created a tremendous imbalance in our microflora. Our intake of both amounts and variations of fiber are so egregiously low that it is creating the perfect storm in our GI tracts and is contributing to the epidemic of depression, anxiety, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, mood disorders and a host of hormonal imbalances. In this lecture a thorough examination of this situation will be discussed and what we all need to do to correct this imbalance.

NUNM is accredited by the North American Naturopathic Continuing Education Council (NANCEAC). This activity qualifies for 1.5 General CEUs Total.