Great article by Water for Health https://www.water-for-health.co.uk: Your Body is Not Just You - In Fact You are in the Minority! Recently there has been considerable press coverage on the hugely vital role that our microbiome plays in our health. It is very difficult to comprehend but the latest science suggests that ‘our body’ is actually 57% microbial cells and only 43% human cells. Not what any of us naturally would have thought. It begs the question who is calling the shots as far as your health is concerned - is it your human cells or is it all the microbial cells that have taken up residence? High levels of wellbeing depend on us living a symbiotic relationship with our residents; a relationship to enhance the wellbeing of both. Understanding this make us realise where many of our disease problems are coming from. It also gives us the insight to see the tremendous opportunity that a diverse community working for us can bring. We want to harness their power. Unfortunately for the last 60+ years our microbial residents have been under considerable attack. The primary problem has been antibiotics, but they are not the only culprit. many other medications along with chemicals in our environment have taken their toll. Of course antibiotics have saved many lives over the years, but the down side is significant and we are increasingly seeing that with the proliferation of superbugs. Defying The Rules Of Nature Comes With A High Price Tag. Whenever we defy the rules of nature you can be sure that we will pay a high price and that is now happening on a major scale with so many modern day diseases having a gut connection. It is not just digestive dysfunction but a myriad of other problems which on the surface do not appear to be related. One area in particular is our mental health, with problems such as depression and anxiety having their roots in gut dysfunction. Brain degenerative disease in its many facets also has strong ‘gut’ connections. Additionally a significant amount of our immune response is dependent on what is happening in the bowel. In other areas such as weight management, our residents play a key role. We might struggle to loose unwanted weight if the wrong bacteria have set up home in our gut. Your Health Probably Depends More On Gut Health Than Anything Else A plentiful and diverse microbiome will determine our levels of wellbeing - physically and mentally. I cannot urge clients enough to look at reducing the underlying causes that have depleted the good colonies of microbes in their gut. Where these are depleted, take measures to replenish them, not only with beneficial bacteria, but as importantly get the conditions right where the bacteria that support our health can flourish. It is probably the best investment we can make in improving or regaining our health. Personally I think that high levels of chlorine in our public water supply have been unhelpful to gut health. After all the function of chlorine is to kill bacteria. The ongoing move to replace chlorine with chloramines is, in my view, a step in the wrong direction as far a human health is concerned. The attraction to using chloramines are that they persist longer in the water distribution pipework. That probably also means that they will persist longer in the human body once ingested. That is basically a very brief resume of one of the current major threats to human health. I do not want to view it all negatively, because understanding a problem can in itself empower us. There are a huge number of things that we can do to help rebalance our systems. The following are some suggestions: the list is by no means comprehensive. What Can We Do? Firstly filter your water to remove chlorine and other toxins. Drinking good healthy water is exceptionally important, if we are to keep our internal organs clean and energised. There are a number of options you can look at from the Biocera Jug to the Energy Plus Undersink System. We have always been advocates of optimum body pH balance. It is very important for gut health, immune response and our energy levels. Products such as pHAlo or Alkamax can help to supply the body with alkaline minerals to aid pH balance. One of the great benefits of Green Superfood blends is the fact that they are very alkalising, in addition to being nutrient dense. Products such as Green Vibrance Powder, Field of Greens, pHresh greens and Rejuvenate are all excellent choices. If you require a higher protein content, Maximum Vibrance is the ideal choice. You will not achieve good gut health, or for that matter good immune health, without adequate good fats in the body, particularly plenty of Omega 3’s. Excellent choices include the WHC fish oil range, particularly UnoCardio 1000 and UnoCardio x2. They are a great choice, because of their outstanding quality, If you do not eat at least a couple of portions of oily fish per week then you should add fish oils to your diet. If vegan take Flax Seed oil. Introduce the Nicest Residents into Your Home (Body). They will Support you Best. These choices will all help to support gut health. However many people also need to introduce a diverse collection of good bacteria into the body and let them colonise there. By creating the right conditions they will be much more effective. Progurt are not just the suppliers of the most concentrated probiotics on the market, but they understand, from experience, better than most the vital conditions for colonisation. They are not just probiotic suppliers they are ‘gut care’ specialists, supplying other products to help to restore optimal gut microbial conditions. They also understand that bacteria from animals or plants are not the strains that are best at home in our body. We need human strains - strains that are most comfortable in the human body. Reduce Sugar - Increase Good Salt. Of course there are other things you can do that are going to help get more of the right residents to feel content in your body and really support your health. In particular get plenty of sunshine - vitamin D levels are very, very important. Secondly consume enough good unprocessed salt. Our body needs it to provide us with vital electrolytes and help us keep hydrated. At the same time reduce our consumption of sugar which feeds all the wrong microbial residents. Interestingly, when we increase our consumption of salt we begin to reduce our cravings for sugar. The following paragraph from the book The Salt Fix by cardiovascular research scientist Dr James Dinicolantonio gives a flavour of the problem and the solution. It’s clear that sugar, not salt, can be addictive. Sadly, the staggering availability and consumption of sugar makes us sitting ducks for sugar addiction - while the bias against salt could be blocking a cure we so desperately need. It’s time for us to get savvy about salt: who (really) needs less, who really needs more and how we can look to salt’s wildly undervalued powers to help us to recapture our nation’s lost health. The Simple Things That Can Be Life Savers. Personally I think his book could be a life saver for many, and for the majority of people suffering from long standing health challenges it gives you simple options that might just open your eyes to other possibilities for optimum health. We begin to see that so much of the advice that we have been fed over the last decades by ‘experts’ is just nonsense that has been promoted by vested interests. It is so often just wild assumptions, not supported by credible science, that have been repeated over and over again until people think that they are proven facts. Now don’t take my word for it, do your own research. Satisfy yourself and then take action. Make a commitment to yourself that you will do whatever it takes to move yourself towards your goal of optimum health. If you currently enjoy excellent health, then keep it up, keep investing in your health every day. Roddy MacDonald Water for Health PS: Don’t abdicate responsibility for your health to anyone else, take personal responsibility. When you do you will appreciate that you have choices - your life will become empowered.

Open classes at Reece Strawbridge Youth Centre, Colyton, EX24 6PU. 7:15 TO 9pm, £10 drop in. Block of 6 classes for £45 (£50 via PayPal) . Next block starts 25th Apr until 6th June 2018 (no class on 30/5). The classes are held upstairs. Please arrive on time. Wear layered clothing and dance barefoot or soft indoor shoes. Bring water.

Dance on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month. Everyone welcome from 16yrs+ Mixed ability classes are varied each time in content. Just dance the parts you feel comfortable with. Jewell often gives alternatives to deeper dances for beginners, but as a complete beginner you may also love the dances offered for regulars...so you choose ! Arrive 7:15 for 7:30pm start. Pay £8-10. This month the 12th February focuses on the components of love: romance, passion and friendship. On the 26th February enjoy exploring the rhythm, tribe, instincts and rest as a group.