ICF Virginia Summer Wellness Series-The Gut Microbiome

In this summer wellness-series, we connect coaching with biology and psychology. To create energy, we need to break down bonds in our foods. Breaking bonds releases stored energy. The same is true of coaching – we break up limiting beliefs to free ourselves and our clients to grow. The gut is where this hard work starts. Within our gut lives a huge colony of diverse bacteria, viruses, fungi and archaea which extract essential nutrients from foods we cannot process ourselves. This symbiosis is crucial to keeping our bodies supplied with the right stuff at the right time. Gut health is tied to both our brains as well as our immune systems in a bidirectional pathway. This  series will examine how boosting gut health can build resilience from the inside out!

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June 29th, 11:30 PM to 1:00
(CCEU Approved) .5 in Core Competency & 1 in Resource Development

Part 1: Building resilience from the inside out: the gut-brain axis and mood 

• The lining of the gut comprises 70-80 percent of our immune system
• Massive surface area of about 4000 feet – size of a large house!
• Job of the immune system lining the gut is to process food and pathogens (friend or foe?)
• The microbiome is comprised of trillions of microbes which help break down food
• Probiotics are the live organisms in the microbiome
• Prebiotics are the foods which feed the live organisms
• Our foods are broken down into essential nutrients and neuroactive compounds
• These compounds come in contact with the peripheral and central nervous systems (think – sugar)
• Unhealthy foods (sugar, processed foods) set up a pro-inflammatory state linked to depressed mood
• The brain also sends signals to the gut – this bidirectional pathway is an instant-messaging platform
• Gut-brain axis research is in its infancy but rodent models have shown promising connections

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July 27th, 11:30 PM to 1:00
(CCEU Approved) .5 in Core Competency & 1 in Resource Development

Part 2: Building resilience from the inside out: the gut-immune axis and defense against illness 

• The microbiome and mammals have co-evolved in symbiosis – the microbes help us process foods, we give them a place to live
• The immune system and the microbiome is in a handshake agreement which tolerates a mixture of helpful and harmful microbes
• Maintaining balance is important – gut dysbiosis can trigger an inflammatory state
• Inflammation is the body’s defense against invading organisms, but staying in an “on” always-alert mode is not good
• Constant inflammation causes a leaky gut and leaky vessels, allowing pro-inflammatory antigens loose where they do not belong
• This further stimulates the immune system to attack
• Sometimes the immune system attacks organs that it should not attack, such as the thyroid.
• This pro-inflammatory state can lead to auto-immune conditions
• It is possible to restore gut diversity by eating healthy, fresh foods and being aware of where to find probiotic foods and prebiotic foods

August 24th, 11:30 PM to 1:00
(CCEU Approved) .5 in Core Competency & 1 in Resource Development

Part 3: Preventing and treating autoimmune conditions with our diet 

• Gut-endocrine axis is important to preventing autoimmune conditions
• Prevent a surge of pro-inflammatory antigens from leaking out of your gut
• Importance of selenium, zinc and iron to thyroid function
• Microbiome extracts these nutrients from our foods when we eat prebiotics
• A  steady supply of these prebiotics allows our body to keep thyroid hormones more stable
• More stable hormones mean less need for medication if you have an underactive thyroid
• Reducing pro-inflammatory (sugar/processed foods) means that you avoid releasing antigens into your bloodstream which promote inflammatory state
• Avoiding an inflammatory state helps to reduce the risk of an auto-immune condition

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ICF Competencies Covered in this series:

This series evokes awareness among coaches about the relationship between the gut microbiome and a person’s overall wellness. In this rushed culture, we often eat mechanically and without intentionality or awareness of what our bodies need to function optimally. The food we eat fuels a complex system of interactions between the trillions of bacteria, viruses, fungi and archaea living in our intestinal tract and our brains and immune system. Coaches seek to help clients build awareness of their internal worlds so they can grow from functional to optimal condition, able to live a life of abundance. Similarly, raising awareness about how the microbes living in our intestines need good food to do their jobs well may provoke curiosity among clients about how they can optimize their diet for maximal health.

This series helps facilitate client growth by provoking curiosity about the importance of gut health to mood, immunity and autoimmune diseases. By providing coaches with an opportunity to witness a coach and client interaction during the presentation we will model how coaches can facilitate client growth. The information shared presents the opportunity to translate knowledge into practical steps to incorporate more probiotics and prebiotics into the daily diet. Asking clients “how do you see this information fitting into your life?” helps to inspire clients to identify action steps, such as continue research and identify habits which could be changed. The coach provides a framework for accountability in this process which will promote eventual client autonomy.

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Topic: ICF Virginia Summer Series

Join Zoom Meeting:
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Allison Krug, MPH is an epidemiologist with expertise in preventive health. She has just completed Module 1 with iPEC and is looking forward to continuing her love of teaching and research as a health/wellness coach. Ms. Krug is a health/wellness writer with over 50 articles published and also conducts original research published in peer-reviewed journals on vaccine epidemiology. Alli also has a passion for coaching gifted children, adults and families struggling to love their truly diverse selves and find a path that honors their passions. She runs workshops for parents to teach how to advocate within the public school system and when that fails helps parents create personalized learning pathways tailored to the child’s temperament while still extracting every credit possible from public school. Favorite mood-boosting activities include trail running, splitting wood, riding horses, paddling, writing, and most importantly – laughing! Brand-spankin’ new website (under construction by me, lol!): www.coachalli.com  on Instagram @allikrugmph  and new to Facebook @allisonkrugmph  Twitter @krugalli 

The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website or during the live series.

Link to recording of Session 1- Please note the CCEU's are only awarded to those who attend LIVE virtually

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/mvNlxBTO9GOzvzHhx9J5_MKEewUDTbcbc-bAnKmNAm0A-4QYusWsPQzOZ6t76dRv._V-BCAljJYEAAqaO

Passcode: 8W5E@1uf