Cured

Prevention is better than cure. Desiderius Erasmus

(I’m on the new platform this week. I played around with a new logo this week. And I hope you’re sitting down, but the links on these images actually work with one click this week! I truly hope you take as much joy in this development as I do.)

I had a bit of a milestone this past Thursday, April 26th.

It marked my 5th trip around the sun since I was knee-capped by colon cancer. Although each passing year diminished percentages of a reoccurrence, year five brings an assumed "cured" status with it.

I'll take it for sure. But pardon me if I continue to sleep with one eye open.

So, what have I learned in 5 years? How about a lot and not much, all at the same time.

Let me explain.

I have learned so much about the gut microbiome mechanics over the last 5 years. In this same period of time, I should have a bachelor’s degree and my first year of grad school done.

Whether you’re starting from scratch with a gut rebuild like me, or you're just making some improvements to an otherwise healthy lifestyle, or anywhere in between, fueling your body with a primary focus on feeding your gut microbiome by consistently giving it what it needs to thrive and defend, you will enjoy health benefits.  

Guaranteed.

The other side of this equation is in 5 years, I also haven't learned much at all.

This is what I mean.

Five years ago after getting my diagnosis, I mastered staring at the ceiling every night, not knowing how this whole story would end.

But I knew one thing.

I knew there were still pages left to be written in my life. And five years later, the only difference is the pages that are yet to be written have grown from a chapter or two to a War and Peace novel.  

Admittedly, the gut microbiome experiences own the lion’s share of the new chapters.

But here's what’s not new.  

Like anything in life, once you learn something new, learn something the hard way, or endure a terrible loss, it’s what you do with that experience that matters.

Think of it this way:

Are you going to be a reader or a writer?  

Do you want to be in the crowd or on the stage?  

Are you content to be just a fan or will you be a player in the game?  

And lastly…

Do you get more enjoyment from watching sunsets or chasing sunrises?

The last one is what never changed for me.  

From the start, it's always been about chasing another sunrise. It's another day to work on getting healthier and hopefully staying healthy longer, so I can write some more pages.  It’s having memories and experiences accessible so you can use them as motivation.

For the computer nerds out there, it’s keeping your motivation in RAM (random access memory) and not buried on your hard drive.

We all have pages still to write, so let's continue the work.

(This will require a Netflix subscription for the full documentary…sorry, but the trailer is free)

A little background is required here. Usually, every day, I go home for lunch to walk my dog Gibbs, his second of three daily walks. (It’s as much for me as for him!)

Last week I was eating my lunch with my right hand, letting Gibbs lick his tablespoon of Greek Yogurt from my left hand (separate spoon- the transfer of microbes has limits), and simultaneously penning my annual “thank you” email to Justin Sonnenburg, Co-Author of The Good Gut.

You see every year for five years; I have fired off an email to Sonnenburg as a “thank you” to him and his wife Erica for writing the book that changed my life. We’ve had a once-annual correspondence without fail. As Skip Prosser always said, “Never delay gratitude.”

Then this happened.

I remembered this Netflix documentary was released about gut health, Hack Your Health, The Secrets of Your Gut so I cranked on the television.

As I’m typing away with one hand, Gibbs is savoring every lap of his Greek Yogurt in the other hand. With my back to the TV, I suddenly hear Justin Sonnenburg being interviewed. The very recipient of the email I’m sending appears on my TV!

How’s that for some “hair standing up on the back of your neck” timing?

Anyway, this worthwhile documentary is a very good discussion on the basics of gut health. It’s also a “Who’s Who” of gut health experts.

However, I fully expect it to be a refresher course for you, the faithful Gut Pilot readers.

Another frequent contributor in the documentary is John Cryan, Co-Author of The Psychobiotic Revolution. John is a scientist from Ireland that is on the forefront of research into the gut-brain axis, which we discuss in this space frequently. Here’s a link to a few words about his book:

Speaking of John Cryan, he is also responsible for the “read of the week”. He posted on Twitter about a cool article from a study describing how prospective fathers with gut microbiota perturbations increased the potential for their offspring to present with low birth weight, severe growth restriction, and premature mortality rates.

This was yet another week where I was absolutely blown away by the emerging research on the gut microbiome. A Dad’s microbiota can potentially influence his future child? Seriously?

Wow.

I say this a lot, but some really cool people join me weekly on this newsletter list. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned Shennen Bersani before. Shennen is an illustrator for children’s books.

You can find her on Twitter (still not calling it X) @Shennebersani. She’s a very talented illustrator but recently I realized she’s quite the writer too.

Take a look at this recent repost from Shennen.

It was actually a post she made some eight years ago, where she contributed an article about a personal experience with serendipity.

Reserve a few minutes of your time to read this story. With all the crap going on in this world right now, Shennen’s story will go a long way in restoring your faith in humanity.

(Sorry if I embarrassed you Shennen)

Since I now have 5 years of unscientific, personal research under my 6-inch shorter belt, next week it'll be a Throwback Thursday of sorts.

I’ll give you a rundown (or recap for the OG subscribers) on some of my eating basics. And this time, I'm armed with data from a wearable, CGM (continuous glucose monitor).

That’s right, I will provide some validation for some of my eating habits, but I’ll also regretfully say WTF(!) to some others.

Thanks for reading and start writing those pages!

Jeff