GUT-TOXIC AMERICANS
Research Uncovers Links Between
Gut Health, Brain Health & More.
RICK SPONAUGLE, MD
An amazing collection of 'good' bacteria
resides in the gut and contributes to
good health—but when the balance
is upset, it can affect our bodies
in surprising ways.
IN 1998, I used my intensive
care skills to design a
relatively painless and
effective detox treatment—but
too many patients still relapsed.
Further studies of brain chemistry
and addiction ultimately led me
to discover that gut toxicity—an
imbalance of gut bacteria—is the
number one cause of the threefold
increase in depression, anxiety,
insomnia, and panic disorder that has
occurred in the U.S since 1980. The
more severe the gut toxicity, the more
inflamed and over-electrified the
brain. Gut-toxic patients are sitting in
rehabs throughout America because
they use OxyContin and Xanax to
calm their anxious brains.
Ninety percent of my patients are
diagnosed with gut toxicity, which
causes a multitude of autoimmune
diseases including psoriasis, arthritis,
multiple sclerosis (MS), and more.
We also diagnose mold toxicity in 80
percent of our patients. Both conditions
cause symptoms of depression,
chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, anxiety,
insomnia, and panic disorder.
THE ANTIBIOTIC FACTOR
A primary factor in the increase
of gut toxicity is our over-exposure
to antibiotics. Although they are
essential for treating many conditions,
antibiotics have crept into our
everyday environment in unintended
ways. Poultry and cattle farmers have
used antibiotics for decades in order
to maximize the growth and health
of their animals under the unnatural,
industrialized environments in
which they are raised. Fowl raised in
crowded conditions are more susceptible
to contagious diseases, so
they are treated with antibiotics. Milk
cows given antibiotics produce more
milk. As a result, we receive antibiotics
second-hand through many of the
foods we eat. We are even exposed
26 COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE DIGEST • APR–JUN 2019 | WWW.CHDIGEST.COM
/WWW.CHDIGEST.COM