Cultivating Your Microbiome: Ayurvedic and Chinese Practices for a Healthy Gut and a Clear Mind

Description

A holistic guide to improving your gut flora for better physical and emotional health * Explores the influence of the gut microbiome and the mesentery on all other bodily systems, especially the brain and immune system * Explains the central role of the digestive system in Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine and how these systems treat the microbiome * Presents herbal remedies, acupuncture and acupressure techniques, and dietary methods to restore balance to your gut flora, including a microbiome reset In traditional medicine, such as Indian Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, the digestive system and microbiome are recognized as the foundation for good health. Our internal flora influences our immune system, brain function, hormonal balance, cravings, sleep, mood, inflammatory response, digestion, nutrient assimilation, and elimination. In this holistic guide to cultivating a healthy microbiome and managing gut health naturally, Bridgette Shea explores digestive functioning from the perspectives of both Western science and traditional medicine. She examines Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine principles on digestion and constitution types. She reveals how, in addition to describing what we now call the microbiome, traditional Chinese medicine also has long recognized the importance of an abdominal organ that modern science has only recently acknowledged: the mesentery, the tissues that connect and support the internal organs. Going beyond probiotics and prebiotics, the author presents practices from Ayurveda and Chinese medicine to reestablish balance in your internal microbiome, support the mesentery, improve digestion and elimination, and restore a clear mind and strong immune system. She explains how to read your symptoms, from brain fog and fatigue to congestion and stool quality, and offers herbal remedies, acupuncture and acupressure techniques, and dietary methods to improve your internal health, including a microbiome dietary reset. Revealing the diverse role that our inner microbial colonies play in keeping us happy and healthy, this book shows that by changing your microbiome, you can greatly improve your physical, emotional, and mental health.

Bridgette Shea, L.Ac., MAcOM, is a licensed acupuncturist and wellness educator who has been practicing traditional healing modalities for more than 20 years. Her private practice is an integration of Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, and she enjoys teaching workshops on Eastern wisdom. The author of Handbook of Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda, she lives in Saratoga Springs, New York.

"Finally! A book demonstrating how the ancient traditional medical systems of both China and India understood the importance of the gut microbiome. The ancients, along with Hippocrates, declared that all diseases begin in the gut. As part of both the digestive and immune systems, numerous health problems result once these delicate flora are disturbed: autoimmune diseases, food allergies, and cancer, to name a few. Reestablishing intestinal health should be the starting point for the treatment of any disease. The research cited throughout this book corroborates over and over what these ancient doctors described in their texts thousands of years ago. A must-read for anyone interested in getting to the root cause of all diseases." * Marianne Teitelbaum, D.C., author of Healing the Thyroid with Ayurveda * "As a practitioner of Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, I loved how Bridgette wove these amazing systems of healing with our modern understanding of the microbiome. Cultivating Your Microbiome is a wealth of information and practices that will absolutely serve the seasoned health practitioner. Remarkably, it is also a book that can be read by anyone interested in improving their health and understanding the underlying principles of real well-being. Cultivating Your Microbiome is a must-read for all health practitioners and enthusiasts alike." * Jonathan Glass, M.Ac, author of Total Life Cleanse * "A fascinating book on the microbiome! Cultivating Your Microbiome combines the recent Western scientific knowledge and the teaching of the several millennia-old Eastern medicines." * Christopher Vasey, N.D., author of The Acid-Alkaline Diet for Optimum Health * "Cultivating Your Microbiome is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to community and college/university library Holistic Medicine collections and supplemental curriculum studies." * Midwest Book Review * "Asian healing methods have always focused on the vital importance of the digestion system to overall health. This is an easy-to-understand book which stills feels challenging and cutting-edge." * Adam Gordon, Kindred Spirit Magazine * "Blending Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine concepts is never a simple task, but this book does a good job of presenting them mostly individually and adding a healthy dose of nutritional science as it explores the workings of digestive health. The author explains how the digestive tract and its microbiome are the seat of health or disease that influences the body-mind connection. Included are details on how digestion, assimilation, and elimination influence the immune system, hormonal function, brain, and inflammation from both scientific and traditional perspectives. It looks at not only what to eat, but how to eat, suggesting relaxing while eating and carefully chewing food with breakfast as the largest meal and dinner early." * Kathi Keville, American Herb Association Quarterly *