When asthma, allergies, or a nasty chest cold makes it hard to breathe freely, a popular option is to turn to decongestants, vapor rubs, and inhalers.
Here’s another option for you to consider:
Support your gut!
The link between your gut microbiome – the trillions of bacteria in your gut – and your breathing may at first seem like a stretch.
But the latest research confirms that a direct connection exists between your gut microbiome and your lungs.
That means the health of your intestinal bacteria can play a big part in your respiratory health.
With too many pathogens and not enough beneficial gut bugs (probiotics) in your gut microbiome, your breathing could suffer.
But the right probiotics can get your gut microbiome back in balance… support your optimal immune system function… and help you breathe easy.
The Gut-Lung Axis
Just like your gut, your lungs have a microbiome full of bacteria. And those bacteria all communicate with each other over the gut-lung axis (GLA).
The GLA influences your immune responses, and can change the course of respiratory infections (like bronchitis) and chronic respiratory conditions (like asthma).
That means that bacteria in your gut can affect your breathing and your ability to recover from diseases that threaten your airways.
In fact, some scientists believe that the gut microbiome may be more important than the lung microbiome for some respiratory diseases.
For one thing, both beneficial (probiotic) and harmful (pathogenic) bacteria in the gut produce active compounds that can directly affect and alter lung function. The compounds produced by probiotic bacteria can improve lung function… but the compounds produced by pathogens can make it much worse.
Plus, gut bacteria affect the whole-body immune response, including the release of inflammatory compounds called cytokines. A flood of those cytokines can trigger lung inflammation that makes it increasingly hard to breathe.
Harder and Harder to Breathe… Cytokine Storms and your Cardiovascular System
That frightening phrase frequently makes its way into news headlines, but doesn’t always get explained. It first attracted media attention during the H5N1 (bird flu) infection wave, and has been steadily gaining in attention since.
But let’s put aside the hype, and look at the facts:
A cytokine storm occurs when the immune system overreacts and sends out too many inflammatory compounds. This can be triggered by:
- An infectious virus, bacteria, or fungus
- A confused immune system
- Medication
Whatever the cause, the result is the same: excessive inflammation, which usually affects the lungs.
When inflammation overwhelms your lungs, your airways become narrowed and breathing becomes more difficult – sometimes impossible.
While it’s possible (but difficult) to calm down cytokine storms, it’s much better to prevent them from happening.
And many experts believe that means making sure your gut microbiome houses plenty of probiotic bacteria that can direct healthy immune function and calm the production of inflammatory compounds.
Keep Your Gut Microbiome in Healthy Balance for Better Breathing
When your gut microbiome is in healthy balance, beneficial bacteria outnumber harmful bacteria. Those beneficial bacteria – probiotics – help you stay healthy and properly address both infectious and chronic diseases. That includes conditions that affect your lungs and breathing, thanks to the GLA.
Beneficial bacteria contribute to lung health by:
- Managing anti-inflammatory compounds and keeping inflammatory cytokines under control.
- Producing short chain fatty acids (SCFA) that help create a healthy inflammatory response in the lungs
- Producing butyrate, an important SCFA, which reduces airway hyperreactivity (when the lungs tighten up, leaving less space for air flow)
But when harmful bacteria (pathogens) outnumber probiotics in your gut – a condition called dysbiosis – they can hijack your immune system and cause all sorts of problems.
Dysbiosis can trigger overproduction of inflammatory cytokines, which can constrict your lungs and make it very hard to breathe.
Scientific studies have linked dysbiosis with:
- Asthma
- Respiratory allergies
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Lung cancer
So keeping your gut in healthy balance can make all the difference when it comes to lung function.
Probiotics For Healthy Gut Balance and Optimal Lung Support
As odd as it may sound, taking a probiotic supplement can help you maintain strong lung function.
The right probiotic helps regulate the innate immune response, the body’s first line of defense against foreign invaders. They also help manage a healthy inflammation response.
And while that immune support starts in the gut, it doesn’t stay there. Research shows that probiotics affect immune responses throughout the body… including in the lungs.
Studies also show that probiotics can
- Reduce the risk of developing respiratory ailments
- Decrease the severity and duration of respiratory challenges
- May be useful for treating various lung issues
Proven probiotic supplements are able to offer so much lung support because they help increase the beneficial bacteria population in the gut microbiome.
That’s why you want to make sure to take a highly effective probiotic, one that reaches your gut 100% alive so it can create maximum impact.
Rebalance Your Gut to Support Lung Health with Just Thrive
Just Thrive contains four clinically studied spore probiotics that work together to support and rebalance your gut microbiome.
Bacillus subtilis HU58™ which has been proven to be a hyper-potent fighter of harmful bacteria that seek to negatively impact the gut.
Bacillus indicus HU36™ which transforms your gut lining in your intestines into a free-radical-fighting factory.
Bacillus coagulans which is proven to soothe occasional diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, and unusual stool frequency.
Bacillus clausii which is the only strain of probiotic known to resist damage from a variety of common antibiotics AND support strong lungs and healthy breathing.
And when your gut microbiome is in healthy balance, it produces more of the compounds – like butyrate and other short chain fatty acids – your lungs need to stay healthy.
For optimal respiratory health… and feeling your absolute best… try Just Thrive Probiotic today!
