Hector Warnes’ reply to Barry Blackwell’s comment
Hector Warnes: The gut-brain axis

            I am very grateful to Professor Blackwell for his comments! In most of his publications I have the distinct impression that he speaks from his heart (or gut), with an unusual sincerity, humanness, knowledge and insight.

            He has just written on his own dysbiosis which responded to probiotics. I usually prescribed Urosedac probiotic (cranberry, lactobacillus sporongenes and ascorbic acid) for recurrent urinary tract infections and or irritable bowel syndrome.

            It is amazing that we carried in our body 10 times more microorganism that the number of cells we do have.  70% of the microflora inhabit in our colon. As I wrote in my paper our gut is colonized by a complex microbial ecosystem which may become pathogenic as we all have experienced, e.g., when we use an excess of antibiotics.  It also may affect the bioavailability and response to prescribed drugs.

            We have an ongoing interaction between the microbiota and the gut-brain axis that when it is dysfunctional affects our health. This interaction takes place at the biochemical, endocrine, immunological and neural levels. The gut permeability and the enteric reflex are to be reckon with because they are the first line of defense (the gut immune barrier) as it is the blood brain barrier which protects our CNS.

March 1, 2018