Maybe it’s not on my back? Well, physically it is, but maybe the damned thing is actually in my… guts? I’ve been reading a very interesting book. I’m not through with it, but the Audible version of it just ain’t gonna cut it. There are too many facts, and numbers and quotables that I just can’t go back and reference via audio book. I’ve ordered the hardback and am anxiously awaiting its arrival. It’s called Brain Maker, by Dr. David Perlmutter.
He’s a neurologist. Weird, I know. I’m reading a book by a neurologist about guts. Oh, but it’s fascinating! I kid you not. It makes so much sense too.

Basically I’ve learned that my gut biome is an overgrown jungle of wild things. This I’ve gleaned fairly clearly. The good news is that I can cultivate that wildness into one that grows the proper kinds of bugs that could change my life, not just that 50 pounds either. We are talking about ridding me of the brain fog, and my debilitating fear of following in my mother and grandmother’s footsteps of Alzheimer’s. Could this really be why we’ve got such a surge in cases of Alzheimer’s, obesity, and Autism in this country? Those few maladies affect my family, tragically. What if I could fix this now, by changing what I eat, and what grows in my guts?

Last weekend I complained to my hubs that I don’t eat as much as other people, yet, I gain weight, and trust me, I watch my skinny friends closely. Laughingly I say that I’m an “easy-keeper” which is a term my parents used to use when speaking about their bccowssmBeefmaster herd of cattle. The cows that were round, fat and happy even during the droughts were called “easy keepers” meaning they could somehow manage to get enough calories out of what they did eat. Well, I’m the human version of that. Dr. Perlmutter explains that very phenomenon and why it happens. As you can guess, he says it’s because of an overgrowth of a certain type of bacteria that specializes in extracting calories out of food. Wow! Could it be that I’m not secretly eating thousands of calories and then blacking it out of my memory banks? Of course I’m not, but dammit, sometimes it just feels like I must be doing something stupid!

For the first time, intellectually, I feel hopeful, excited even. I realize there’s no silver bullet, but this makes me think that I can have a chance to change my future. Maybe I won’t develop ALZ. I’ve worried about that for years. The book also discusses neurological issues like depression, anxiety and other forms of mental illness. The studies are mind blowing. Read the book.

This post contains an affiliate link to the book I’m reading. You can choose the link, or go buy it wherever you want to! The rules state that I must admit it’s an affiliate link. Whatever. I just ordered it, for real. I recommend it.

 

 

 

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