"You're the only person I know that has poop on their desk." - one of my patients 🤣 View your stool type here: I learn a lot about my patient's health by asking about stool. For example: If you regularly have Type 1 stool, that might mean there's not enough fiber in the diet. Type 2 may mean not enough hydration. Type 3 and 4 are considered healthy and normal. Strive for 2-3 of these per day! Type 5 and 6 may be an absorption issue, such as low enzyme function or Celiac Di

The gut-brain connection has been present since the beginning of humankind, but the research on this connection has expanded significantly in the past decade. Though the research is showing us more and more ways the gut and the brain communicate with each other, we still have unanswered questions: how does the microbiome affect a person’s mood? Can we modify the microbiome to support mental health? Where do probiotics come into play? This is what we’ll focus on today: probiot

Many of my patients come to see me for digestive health, so why on earth would I ask them about past head injuries? Here's why: Brain injuries affect the microbiome! As I was nerding out in my free time, I came across a 2018 research review on TBIs - traumatic brain injuries - and their effect on immunity, inflammation, and the gut microbiome. Most of this research is hot off the press, and what is shown is that brain injuries start a cascade of events within 2 hours of the T

Though I'm a big fan of expressing your true emotions, this post is about herbal bitters. The kind that you put in cocktails and the kind that can improve digestive health! Bitters are a form of herbal medicine that taste exactly like you'd think: bitter! This bitterness plays an important role in stimulating the digestive system; priming the pump if you will. When the bitter taste hits your tongue, it sends a signal to the nervous system, which turns on the digestive system.

Worried you might have leaky gut? No need to fret! There are many treatment options for healing the gut and decreasing intestinal hyperpermeability (fancy name for leaky gut). This list of gut healing treatments was overwhelming to me, and I'm a gut health nerd! So here it is in simple cliff note terms: How to heal a leaky gut cliff notes:⁠ Balance the flora - find and get rid of any bacterial, viral, or yeast overgrowth in the GI tract. This can be done with a breath test/st

Ah the microbiome, a hot topic in today's world though something that has been present since the beginning of humankind. Think of the body as a planet, home to trillions of organisms - bacteria in the intestines, on the skin, in the nose, in/on the reproductive organs. This is our microbiome. All of these places on our body create a unique ecosystem with different temperatures, water content, oxygen levels, and nutrient variety. Each ecosystem has a different community of mic