An important contributing factor to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a food poisoning incident (and subsequent antibodies to a toxin called cytolethal distending toxin B, or CdtB). CdtB looks like a protein made by the body and can trigger autoimmunity that disrupts motility in the intestines. Dr. Mark Pimentel and his colleagues developed a blood … [Read more...]
Functional Medicine Tests, “Which Should I Do?” – Listener Question
Here is a great question from our audience. To paraphrase, "My new functional medicine doctor has recommended 7 tests, costing over $5,000. Which of these tests do I really need to do?" Let’s discuss the specific tests recommended and identify which to run and which to avoid. Dr. R's Fast Facts How much testing is too much? Too much testing can actually make results worse or harder to … [Read more...]
Is SIBO a Real Condition?
SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and essentially means someone has too much bacteria in their small intestine. This may cause the symptoms associated with IBS (such as abdominal pain, diarrhea and/or constipation and bloating), food sensitivities, and even things like skin breakouts, fatigue and depression. SIBO can be tested via a simple breath test. Recently this concept … [Read more...]
Mapping Your Microbiota – Health Miracle or Hyperbole, with Professor Rob Knight
The impact of the gut on one’s overall health is quite remarkable. Knowing this leads to a very tempting proposition – map the world of bacteria in your gut and then treat imbalances to prevent and reverse disease. Sounds reasonable, but there are some major errors with this assumption. Understanding what to do and what not to do can prevent hundreds of dollars in useless testing and … [Read more...]
Organic Acid Testing for Gut Dysbiosis and Beyond, with Dr. Jeff Moss
Organic acid testing is very popular in some functional medicine circles. I am open to it, but have had some reservations. Dr. Jeff Moss comes on the podcast today to discuss organic acid testing and provides some very important insights that satisfy my reservations and some key insights regarding how and when to use this test. Dr. R's Fast Facts What are OA (organic acids)? OA are … [Read more...]
SIBO Breath Testing – Review of the North American Consensus with Dr. Allison Siebecker
SIBO breath testing can be an incredibly valuable tool for those suffering with gas, bloating, abdominal pain, loose stools, and/or constipation. However, there is debate on what the best test is and how to interpret the test results. Today Dr. Allison Siebecker and I discuss the new North American Consensus statement regarding SIBO breath testing. We also discuss an upcoming SIBO summit Dr. … [Read more...]
The Dark Side of Functional Medicine
Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that functional medicine is infallible; unfortunately, this is not the case. Today we will discuss how a fairly popular functional medicine lab was found to falsify lab ranges, a change which led to increased treatment recommendations, which were serviced by their sister company’s supplements. This story provides a good example for both clinicians and … [Read more...]
Dr. Ruscio Releases “The Future of Functional Medicine” Review
I am very excited to announce that Future of Functional Medicine Review is here! If you are looking to become a better functional medicine provider or learn more about a better model of functional medicine, this is what you have been waiting for. This is our new practitioner training tool and in today’s podcast we will discuss this tool, which involves case studies, research summaries, the … [Read more...]
SIBO Updates with Dr. Allison Siebecker
Today we talk with Dr. Allison Siebecker on all things SIBO. We discuss biofilms, small intestinal fungal overgrowth, worms and more. If you would like help understanding all things SIBO, click here. Subscribe: Topics: Episode Intro... 0:42 Anti-biofilm Agents... 2:06 SIBO and Yeast... 14:20 Herbal Treatments... 21:54 Worms... 28:06 Episode Wrap-up... … [Read more...]
Adrenal Testing – When You Should and What It Tells You with Dr. Nick Hedberg
Adrenal testing is one of the most recommended tests in functional medicine, but unfortunately, most of the tests recommended are antiquated. Furthermore, most test results are not used correctly. Today Dr. Nick Hedberg joins us to discuss which adrenal tests make sense and, more importantly, how to use them. If you have questions about the role fiber plays in your diet, click … [Read more...]