What Is a Biofilm and Why Do You Need Biofilm Disruptors
Science Based
Written by Amy Myers, MD
You’re pretty savvy about your body and your health. You know about the bacteria and fungi (good and bad) that live in and on our bodies. However, do you know about biofilms and biofilm disruptors? A biofilm formation can occur nearly anywhere, yet most people don’t even know they exist!
Biofilms are groups of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungus, and parasites. They are protected by a layer of slime. Once they form, they can be difficult to remove. Those that colonize your gut can be particularly stubborn without the help of biofilm disruptors such as Microb-Clear®.
Microb-Clear® is a powerful biofilm disruptor. It features a blend of herbal extracts and fatty acids. This blend contains plant-based ingredients that are known biofilm disruptors. I recommend this supplement to support optimal digestive tract health. I’ll get into how biofilm disruptors work after I’ve explained what a biofilm is and how it can damage your health.
What Is a Biofilm?
A biofilm is like a tiny city of microbes. It has three main parts:
These are microorganisms that stick together or to a surface. These are like the residents of this little city.
The microorganisms’ change from their single-celled “planktonic” state to their “biofilm state”. (1) In other words, the residents band together and start working like a team. This makes them stronger and harder to get rid of.
The team is now in building mode. They make a slimy, protective layer around themselves. It’s made up of various substances like proteins and sugars. This layer protects the microbes from harm. It also stores the tools it needs to grow stronger. (2)
Common Examples of Biofilms
Biofilms grow throughout nature on or within minerals, metals, and plants. They can also form under and above the ground and under and on water. Pond scum is one example of that.
Biofilms also form on and in animals and people. A common example is the dental plaque that forms on teeth. Bacterial biofilms also colonize the lining of your nasal passageways and GI tract. In fact, your gut is an ideal environment for bacterial biofilms and fungi. That’s because it has a huge surface area and a constant supply of nutrients.
Your gut is naturally lined with mucus that lubricates and protects it. However, when inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), or Candida overgrowth damages your gut wall, the mucus can also be disturbed.
Damaged mucus allows bacterial biofilms to attach to the gut cell wall. There, it creates further damage and increases the likelihood of leaky gut. I’ll discuss this in greater detail later on in this article.
These colonies don’t just attach to living tissue. They often stick to implanted medical devices such as prosthetic heart valves, joint prosthetics, catheters, pacemakers, and even breast implants. (3) Devices that can be removed — such as retainers or dentures — attract biofilm formation as well. Now that you know what biofilms are, let’s explore how they’re formed.
Where Do Biofilms Form?
Just about any surface with naturally occurring moisture is the perfect place for biofilms to grow. However, a lack of moisture isn’t enough to wipe them out. Biofilms can flourish, spread, or become inactive depending on changing environmental conditions. This means they can survive drought, changing water temperature, and predators such as insects or fish. (4) They’re quite persistent!
Microorganisms can grow both above and below ground. Therefore, bacterial biofilms can form almost anywhere. The moisture, nutrients, and microorganisms biofilms need to form are all around us, on us, and even in us.
How Does Biofilm Formation Happen?
Biofilm formation begins when microorganisms stick to the surface of an object in a moist environment. Once attached, they begin to reproduce. They spread along the surface and attach by secreting a slimy, glue-like substance.
A Biofilm Formation Contains Diverse Organisms
Biofilms can be made up of just one kind of microorganism. However, they almost always consist of a motley crew of many bacteria species —such as fungi, algae, yeasts, protozoa, and other microorganisms.
The films can be just a few cells thick. Or, they can build up to many layers over time in the same way coral does. Biofilm formation also tends to trap non-living debris such as microscopic food particles.
How a Biofilm Formation Grows
These colonies function as one well-oiled machine. This helps them survive within an environment with other competing organisms. Teamwork makes the dream work!
The microorganisms arrange themselves to form open channels. Water and nutrients circulate through these channels and waste products are removed. Bacterial biofilms can even communicate among themselves. They use a system of chemical signals, so the whole colony gets information. Talk about smart design!
Any bacterium can form a film once it finds a place to stick. It seems to be what they want to do. When a colony reaches a critical point, cells can break away and set up shop on another surface. This allows them to spread throughout your body.
How Do Biofilms Affect Your Health?
Amazingly, when hidden in a sticky film, bacterial infections can completely resist antibiotics. In fact, their tolerance is at least double — and maybe as much as 1,000 times! — that of solo bacteria. (5) That “defensive layer” we talked about earlier is no joke!
Though they are slow-growing, they form phenomenal barriers. A biofilm formation can become inactive and then reemerge. They can confuse and evade your immune system, and even push medications and antimicrobials out of cells. Kind of aggressive, no?
Biofilm Removal is Challenging
Complete biofilm removal is a challenge. That’s because the bacteria or other microorganisms hide in their protective layer. This defensive layer is tough. It protects the microorganisms underneath it, acting like a fortress against attack. (6)
These colonies show increased tolerance to antibiotics, disinfectants, and the body’s defense system over time. (7) The longer they exist, the harder biofilm removal becomes. This is one reason why so many people suffer from chronic infections, despite their best efforts to rid their bodies of these unwanted guests.
What Conventional Medicine Got Wrong
Conventional medicine may have given you the impression that bacteria are single cells floating around in your body. Nevertheless, this isn’t usually the case. This is because conventional medicine studies bacteria as individuals.
They don’t tend to study it as part of a unit. A unit that contains multiple types of organisms and group defenses. In fact, most microbes carry out their jobs within one of these colonies. They attach to each other to form something that is its own microbiome.
Some biofilms, like the dental plaque I mentioned previously, are very common. Others, such as ones that can colonize chronic wounds (8) or the lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients, (9) affect people with compromised immune systems and/or long-term illnesses. Conventional medicine does acknowledges these.
However, as I mentioned, the gut is an environment where biofilms can flourish. This can be as a result of leaky gut and as a cause of this condition. Conventional medicine focuses on one symptom or issue at a time. They fail to make the connection between biofilms, leaky gut, and your whole body.
What Can You Do About Biofilms?
Now that we know that they exist and the effect they have on our health, we can stop them in their tracks. Luckily, there are ways to prevent them. We are also discovering natural methods of eliminating them. We can break the sticky film down using biofilm disruptors such as herbs and other natural substances. Once we break down the sticky film, we can move them out of your body using your body’s natural detox pathways.
Heal Your Gut
Gut biofilm removal can be the most challenging type. Microbes attach to your intestines. There, they form a sticky layer that’s protected from your immune system.
Your intestines have a huge surface area where microorganisms can attach. When out of balance, your gut becomes an ideal, warm place for biofilms to grow. Biofilms in your gut even have a steady food source available around the clock. This makes them extremely stubborn. (10)
To combat gut biofilms, use the 4R approach that I detail on my blog. The first of the 4Rs is remove. The goal is to get rid of things that negatively affect your gut’s environment. This includes bacteria, fungi, and the colonies that can form without your knowledge.
To remove the bad, cut off their food supply. Support your immune system by avoiding inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, grains, and nightshades. Eliminate toxic foods such as sugar, alcohol, trans fats, food additives, and preservatives.
However, biofilms are SO stubborn. Changes in diet alone will not likely be enough. I recommend adding a natural supplement that’s been designed as a biofilm disruptor, such as Microb-Clear®.
Prioritize Hygiene
Biofilm formations build up over time. The more proactive you are, the less chance they can do harm. The best way to prevent these colonies from forming is to keep yourself squeaky clean without the use of antibacterial products. Unfortunately, these products also kill the helpful bacteria that keep your body in balance.
Brush your teeth after every meal. Have them cleaned by a functional dentist. Thoroughly scrub any removable appliances. Rinsing alone very likely won’t get the job done. Dentures, retainers, and CPAP machines also need more attention than we often give them to ensure they are free from microbes that can create these sticky films.
What is a Biofilm Disruptor?
As I mentioned above, the defensive layer protecting the harmful bacteria is tough to crack. Usually, standard treatments such as antibiotics and disinfectants are not enough to get rid of these unwanted guests. This is where biofilm disruptors come in.
Simply put, biofilm disruptors sneak into and literally disrupt the colony of bacteria from within. As individual microorganisms, these bad bacteria are easier to eliminate. A biofilm disruptor then clears out the leftover minerals and bacterial DNA of the organisms, breaking up the party for good.
An Effective Biofilm Disruptor
My newly reformulated Microb-Clear® is a powerful biofilm disruptor. It contains a blend of herbal extracts and fatty acids and supports microbe balance in the GI tract. It also creates an inhospitable environment for bacterial overgrowth and gut biofilms. This makes it a fantastic biofilm disruptor. Microb-Clear® supports your body in creating a favorable environment for beneficial probiotics. These probiotics fight the harmful bacteria that dominate your gut when it is out of balance.
The amino acids and botanical extracts in my Microb-Clear® biofilm disruptor support optimal bacterial balance in the gut. They also help to suppress Candida overgrowth and discourage opportunistic parasites.
The Final Word
We’ve taken quite the journey through the microscopic world of biofilms and biofilm disruptors, haven’t we? Now that you understand these sneaky microbial cities, how they spread, and how to crash their party, you’re armed with biofilm knowledge.
These tiny troublemakers can be persistent. However, you may get good results by healing your gut — through diet — and practicing good hygiene. If that’s not working, you can turn to biofilm disruptors to finish the job. If you’re fighting biofilms, don’t hesitate to try my newly reformulated Microb-Clear®. It’s a powerful biofilm disruptor that can support your body in this fight.
Awareness of these invisible battles happening around us and within us is half the battle. Information is your greatest ally. Stay healthy, and don’t let those biofilms get too comfortable!