When I graduated from chiropractic college in 1980, we knew the body was remarkably interconnected, but we didn't yet understand just how complex that connection really was.
Over the past 46 years, I have watched our knowledge expand tremendously. Genetics, nutrition, the immune system, inflammation, methylation, the nervous system, and especially the microbiome, have given us an entirely different window into how the body functions.
For me, one of the most fascinating changes has been realizing just how much health resembles a puzzle. A symptom may be only one piece. Bloodwork may give us another. The gut, nutritional status, stress, genetics and the nervous system can each add another piece.
The challenge, and the fascinating part, is learning how those pieces fit together.
One of the major turning points came in 2007 with the launch of the Human Microbiome Project. Scientists began taking a much deeper look at the enormous communities of microorganisms that live in and on the human body.
And what we have learned has changed the conversation about health.
For years, we thought about bacteria primarily as germs that could make us sick. Today, we understand that we live with an enormous microbial ecosystem that interacts with us every day.
The collective genetic potential of this microbial community is enormous, far greater than the number of genes contained in our own human genome.
Think about that for a moment.
We talk so much about our genetics, yet we are also carrying an entire microbial ecosystem whose genes and metabolic activity interact with our food, environment and biology.
That has changed the way I look at health.
Health has become a puzzle
Today, when I sit down with someone's bloodwork, I don't want to find one abnormal number and simply chase it.
I look for patterns.
To me, it has become much like putting together a puzzle.
Blood sugar may be one piece. Digestion may be another. Iron, B vitamins and other nutrients may give us additional pieces. Then there are liver patterns, inflammation, thyroid function, methylation, hormones, sleep, stress, diet and the nervous system.
One piece by itself may not tell us very much.
But when we begin putting those pieces together, a much bigger picture can start to emerge.
And the more bloodwork I analyze, the more frequently I find myself asking:
What is happening in the gut?
Not because every health problem begins in the gut. It doesn't.
But because the gut and microbiome interact with so many of the systems we're trying to understand.
Your gut is a living ecosystem
I often compare the microbiome to a garden.
A garden isn't healthy simply because you throw a handful of good seeds onto unhealthy soil.
You have to look at the environment. What is growing there? What is feeding it? What has disturbed it? Does the soil have what it needs?
The same basic idea applies when I look at the intestinal environment.
This is why I don't believe gut health is as simple as telling everyone:
“Take a probiotic.”
Sometimes we first need to understand what may be disrupting the environment.
In some patients, that may mean addressing unwanted microbial overgrowth. Then we have to think about rebuilding and supporting the beneficial organisms and the intestinal environment.
- Food matters.
- Protein matters.
- Fiber and prebiotic foods matter.
- Polyphenols matter.
- Fermented foods may be helpful for some people.
- Certain amino acids and nutrients may be important.
- Sleep and stress matter.
- And the nutritional status of the person matters.
You can't only ask what needs to be removed. You also have to ask what the body needs to rebuild.
Healing the gut isn't an overnight project
This is another place where I think expectations have become unrealistic.
People want a 10-day answer to a problem that may have been developing for years.
When the intestinal environment has been disrupted and the gut barrier is not functioning optimally, rebuilding it may take time.
For some people, that may mean months of improving food choices, supporting digestion and nutritional status, changing the intestinal environment and then reassessing.
The goal isn't to endlessly “kill bad bugs.”
The goal is to help create an environment where a healthier ecosystem can develop and be maintained.
Then there is methylation
This is another piece of the puzzle that has fascinated me.
Methylation is a basic biochemical process occurring throughout the body. It is involved in numerous functions, including gene regulation and the processing and utilization of certain nutrients and compounds.
And methylation requires nutritional support.
So when I see a patient with digestive problems and, at the same time, patterns suggesting inadequate nutritional or methylation support, I don't automatically look at those as two unrelated problems.
I start connecting the pieces.
The gut influences digestion and nutrient absorption. Our cells need those nutrients. Our biochemical pathways need those nutrients.
And the intestinal lining itself is living tissue that requires the proper raw materials and environment to maintain and repair itself.
Everything is connected.
What is your body trying to tell you?
One person comes in saying: “I'm exhausted.”
Another: “I can't lose weight.”
Another: “Everything I eat bothers me.”
Someone else says: “My brain just isn't as clear as it used to be.”
These symptoms matter.
But after 46 years of working with patients, I've learned not to stop with the symptom. I want to ask:
What is the body trying to tell us?
Bloodwork may give us clues. Your health history gives us clues. Your diet and lifestyle give us clues. Sometimes specialized testing gives us additional clues.
And very often it is the pattern of those clues together that begins to tell us the story.
Something new is coming
Over the years, I have continued studying the nervous system, blood chemistry, microbiome, nutrition, methylation, genetics and lifestyle. The more I have learned, the more convinced I have become that we cannot keep looking at these pieces separately.
The body doesn't work that way.
That's why I've been working on a process that brings these pieces together, to look beyond the symptom and begin asking what may be happening within the entire ecosystem of the body.
Not just the symptom. Not just the gut. Not just the bloodwork. Not just your genetics.
The whole person.
Because your body doesn't operate as a collection of separate departments. It is an intelligent, interconnected system, and when we begin understanding how those pieces influence one another, we may begin seeing our health very differently.
Over the next several months, I am going to share more about this approach: what I have learned, what I look for, and how we can begin building a stronger foundation for health rather than simply chasing one symptom after another.
Don't miss what I'm going to be sharing. It may give you an entirely different way of understanding what your body has been trying to tell you, and it could be the beginning of a change that affects your health and your life for years to come.
Science • Structure • Self — In Sync.Dr. Schmidt
Helping you reconnect with the extraordinary healing power already within you.
This article is general education, not medical advice. Talk with your own provider before changing your diet, supplements or medications.