The Forgotten Gut: Why Lactobacillus reuteri May Be the Most Important Microbe You’ve Never Heard Of

I’m sitting here in a cold, fluorescent-lit room in Chicagoland,

watching my mother inch her way toward death,

the long slow decline of health.

She’s not her independent self—

not the fierce woman who raised me—

but the systems around her are roaring with authority.

Pills, IV drips, food trays I wouldn’t feed a pig.

Lifeless things in a lifeless place.

They keep calling it “care.”

I don’t see much of that.

They pour antibiotics into her like water,

with no thought for the terrain they’re annihilating.

No sense of the gut as our first brain, our source of immunity, our seat of vitality.

Just war against the body, against the bacteria that are us.

We’re not taught this—but we are more microbe than human.

We’re walking ecosystems in skin sacks, more bacteria than cells.

And in all this madness, one thing rises to the top of my mind:

Lactobacillus reuteri—

a tiny organism that holds the power to bring us back to balance,

back to love, back to life.

We Forgot the Gut. And We Forgot Ourselves.

I grew up in the Midwest.

Processed food, TV dinners, microwaved plastic meals—

chemical-laced frankenfoods that shaped the very landscape of my gut.

We didn’t know.

And now, generations deep, we are watching the collapse:

autoimmune disease, leaky gut, fatigue, anxiety, infertility, cancer, apathy.

A body screaming through silence.

We were taught that germs are the enemy.

That every sniffle, rash, or upset stomach needs a pill.

But that whole theory—the “Germ Theory”

Louis Pasteur made famous—

was never the full truth.

Pasteur’s lesser-known contemporary, Antoine Béchamp,

offered something far more profound: that it’s not the germ,

but the terrain—our inner ecosystem—

that determines disease or health.

Pasteur, on his deathbed, supposedly admitted:

"The microbe is nothing. The terrain is everything."

But it was too late.

The pharmaceutical model had taken over.

Everything became “anti”—

antibiotic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-life.

And here we are, a planet of people with sterilized guts, sterilized lives,

and no understanding of why our health is slipping away.

L. reuteri: A Tiny Warrior of Love

Enter Lactobacillus reuteri.

If you were born vaginally, breastfed, and raised without antibiotics,

you might’ve gotten this strain.

Most didn’t. If your mother ever took antibiotics—even once—

it may never have been passed down to you.

Generational amnesia of the gut.

So why does this little microbe matter?

Studies have shown L. reuteri can:

• Stimulate the thymus gland, regenerating T-cells and boosting immune function.

• Increase oxytocin—the “love hormone” responsible for empathy, bonding, and emotional resilience.

• Accelerate wound healing and regenerate muscle, bone, and fascia.

• Help regulate inflammation, mood, digestion, and even restore gut barrier function.

  
  

One study on aging mice injected with

L. reuteri showed rejuvenation effects—

glossier coats, larger thymus glands, increased muscle mass,

and improved mood.

It didn’t just extend life. It brought quality of life back.

We’re Not Making Yogurt. We’re Making Medicine.

I’ve experienced, studied and practiced nearly every bodywork modality known.

I've had over 60 ligament and muscle tears from a wild life of extreme sports—

and my journey back has been long.

Painful.

Insightful.

And one of the most profound shifts came

when I started brewing my own L. reuteri probiotic yogurt.

Not just popping pills that barely survive the gut’s acid—

but fermenting these microbes alive in a 100°F incubator for 36 hours.

Bringing them back to life.

Bringing me back to life.

This isn’t yogurt.

This is microbial alchemy.

One of my clients called it “magic yogurt,” and I won’t argue.

When the gut begins to heal, the whole system follows.

Digestion stabilizes.

Mood evens out.

Fatigue lifts.

Cravings drop.

Skin clears.

The fog dissipates.

You return to you.

Everything is About Terrain—In Soil, and in Soul

I’ve gardened organically for over 30 years.

No gloves.

I want the soil microbes on my hands. In my breath.

I know that soil health is plant health.

You don’t fix a sick plant.

You build better soil.

That’s what we’re doing here.

When you ferment L. reuteri,

you're creating a living culture that inoculates the gut with the "good guys"—

the ancient friends we've lost to modern warfare.

It helps re-establish harmony, push out the invaders,

and remind the body of its own brilliance.

This is a Revolution of the Gut.

We’ve spent 200 years sterilizing everything.

And what has it brought us?

More disease. More fear.

More disconnection.

It’s time to remember what nature always knew:

life is symbiotic.

Healing isn’t about fighting the invaders.

It’s about building a strong, diverse, vibrant terrain. Inside and out.

So, brew the yogurt.

Grow the garden.

Touch the soil.

Take the power back from a system that’s forgotten you.

Because life isn’t found in a pharmacy.

It’s found in your gut.

Want to Learn More?

I teach clients how to brew this yogurt themselves at home—

with the right starter culture and equipment.

Reach out if you’re ready to get your gut back,

your brain back,

your mood,

your love, your clarity.

This isn’t about selling something—

it’s about empowering you to reclaim the terrain.

Your body is not broken.

It just needs its ecosystem back.

Let’s build it together.

Spoiler Alert: The Bugs Were Right

Studies That Shine a Light on L. reuteri’s Underdog Glory

Microbial Symbionts Accelerate Wound Healing via the Neuropeptide Hormone Oxytocin Poutahidis, T., Kearney, S. M., Levkovich, T., Qi, P., Varian, B. J., Lakritz, J. R., ... & Erdman, S. E.PLoS ONE, 2013; 8(10): e78898.

Summary: L. reuteri consumption was shown to elevate oxytocin levels, significantly enhancing wound healing and social bonding behaviors in mice.

Microbial Reconstitution Reverses Maternal Diet-Induced Social and Synaptic Deficits in Offspring Buffington, S. A., Di Prisco, G. V., Auchtung, T. A., Ajami, N. J., Petrosino, J. F., & Costa-Mattioli, M.Cell, 2016; 165(7): 1762–1775.

Summary: Supplementing L. reuteri reversed social behavior deficits in offspring of mothers fed high-fat diets, revealing its role in restoring brain-gut-microbiota communication.

Microbial Lysate Upregulates Host Oxytocin Varian, B. J., Poutahidis, T., DiBenedictis, B. T., Levkovich, T., Ibrahim, Y. M., Lakritz, J. R., ... & Erdman, S. E.Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 2016; 51: 1–10.

Summary: Lysates derived from L. reuteri stimulate the host's oxytocin production, further supporting its psychosocial and healing benefits.

Antioxidant Properties of Probiotic Bacteria Wang, Y., Wu, Y., Wang, Y., Xu, H., Mei, X., Yu, D., ... & Li, W.Nutrients, 2017; 9(5): 521.

Summary: L. reuteri exhibits significant antioxidant activity, supporting intestinal barrier integrity and offering protection against oxidative stress.

Probiotic Microbes Sustain Youthful Serum Testosterone Levels and Testicular Size in Aging Mice Poutahidis, T., Springer, A., Levkovich, T., Qi, P., Varian, B. J., Lakritz, J. R., ... & Erdman, S. E.PLoS ONE, 2014; 9(1): e84877.

Summary: Daily supplementation with L. reuteri helped preserve testosterone levels and testicular size in aging mice, indicating potential anti-aging effects.