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Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC

DC, Clinician, Lead Researcher

Dr. Michael Ruscio is a DC, natural health provider, researcher, and clinician. He serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Bridgeport and has published numerous papers in scientific journals.

Dr. Ruscio received his BS in exercise science from the University of Massachusetts, his DC from Life West, and is a board-certified Doctor of Natural Medicine through the ANMCB.

Dr. Ruscio founded the Ruscio Institute of Functional Health, a consulting practice and research clinic that helps patients heal a wide range of GI conditions. Dr. Ruscio serves as the Head of Research, rigorously researching complex gastrointestinal disorders as well as their relationship to thyroid health.

From his clinical research and experience, Dr. Ruscio authored a book Healthy Gut, Healthy You, created a Thyroid Self-Management Course, and developed the first ever over-the-counter fully elemental diet formula on the market.

Dr. Ruscio is an allied member of the Gastro AnP (Gastroenterology Association of Naturopathic Physicians) and ILADS (the International Lyme & Associated Diseases Society). He also lectures for the IFM (Institute for Functional Medicine) and is an instructor for the A4M (American Academy of Antiaging Medicine).

In 2016, Dr. Ruscio started the Dr. Ruscio Radio podcast, which frequently ranks in the top charts for Alternative Health podcasts.

Clinical Experience

Dr. Ruscio’s clinical experience is extensive and centers around digestive health while also exploring its connection to hypothyroidism, histamine intolerance, MCAS and chronic infections.

This includes:

Gastrointestinal

  • Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
  • Intestinal methanogen overgrowth (IMO)
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating & abdominal pain
  • Leaky gut & food sensitivities
  • Candida overgrowth
  • Reflux, heartburn, and stomach acid
  • Crohn’s disease & ulcerative colitis

Hormonal

  • Hypothyroid & Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
  • Natural supports for female hormones

Cognitive, Inflammatory & infectious

  • Fatigue, Brain fog
  • Lyme disease & co-infections (Bartonella, Babesia)
  • Histamine intolerance & MCAS

Research Experience

Dr. Ruscio feels scientific research is critical for understanding how to better help those struggling with health challenges. While staying current on the most recent clinical publications, he also performs and publishes research within his clinic.

This research has focused on:

  • Herbal treatment for SIBO and SIBO biofilm
  • The Gut-Thyroid and the Gut-Thyroid-Nutrient Axes
  • Ancestral principles for gut health
  • The scientific application of probiotics

Ongoing data collection and research involves:

  • Novel uses for the elemental diet
  • The utility of urinary mold testing
  • Herbal treatments for Lyme, Bartonella and Babesia
  • Probiotics Triple Therapy

Publications

  • Ruscio, M., Guard, G., Piedrahita, G., & D’Adamo, C. R. (2022). The relationship between gastrointestinal health, micronutrient concentrations, and autoimmunity: A focus on the thyroid. Nutrients 14(17), 3572. doi:10.3390/nu14173572
  • Ruscio, M., Guard, G., & Mather, J. (2022). Symptoms originally attributed to thyroid dysfunction were instead caused by suboptimal gastrointestinal health: A case series and literature review. Integrative Medicine (Encinitas), 21(3), 22–29.
  • Ruscio, M. (2019). Is SIBO a real condition? Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 25 (5), 30–38.
  • Ruscio, M. (2018). Healthy Gut, Healthy You: The personalized plan to transform your health from the inside out. Las Vegas, NV: The Ruscio Institute.
  • Ruscio, M. (2017). Do you really want a hunter-gatherer microbiota? Journal of Evolution and Health, 2(1).

Professional Training

  • International Lyme & Associated Diseases ILADs certification
  • Gastro ANP (Naturopathic Gastroenterology Board)
  • Institute of Functional Medicine
  • Hedberg Institute, Infections Connection training
  • Integrative Healthcare Symposium IHS
  • American Naturopathic Medical Association
  • Frontiers in Neurology and Brain Health – George Washington University School of Medicine
  • SIBO Pro Course
  • SIBO Symposium
  • World Congress on Anti-Aging Medicine
  • National Association of Nutrition Professionals
  • Ancestral Health Symposium
  • The Forgotten Role of Micronutrients in Gastrointestinal Health
  • Integrative SIBO Conference
  • International Congress on Natural Medicine
  • Gut, Microbiota, and Thyroid for Practitioners
  • Integrative Therapy Approaches to Treating Tick-Borne Disease

Personal Health Challenges

In his early twenties, Dr. Ruscio personally dealt with an intestinal parasite, amoeba histolytica.  In his early thirties, he had mold in two consecutive homes. In his late thirties he dealt with the Lyme-family organisms of Bartonella and Babesia. While painful, he used these challenges as an opportunity to learn, research, and develop into a vastly better clinician.

Michael Ruscio

Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC's Articles

Food Allergies Part 1

Food Allergies Part 1

When this food allergy reaction occurs a few other thing happen too; remember no system operates in isolation.  This inflammatory-immune response in the intestines will also cause an elevation in stress hormones, and elevation in stress hormones further damages your intestinal lining.  As your intestines become damaged by this inflammatory-immune response your ability to breakdown

Female Hormone Imbalance

Female Hormone Imbalance

Christina share’s her story of overcoming irritability and PMS while also increasing energy and libido. Subscribe to Dr. Ruscio’s YouTube account Dr. Michael Ruscio: Hi, this is Dr. Ruscio. And I’m here with Christina, who originally had some success with one of the programs we offer here at the office. And I wanted to take

Female Hormone Balancing

Female Hormone Balancing

Deidre shares her experience working with Dr. Ruscio to address her symptoms of depression through hormone balancing. Hi, my name is Deidre. I started working with Michael Ruscio, Dr. Ruscio, probably about four months ago. And my symptoms before were that of depression. I was moody all the time, low energy levels, could never get

Depression, Bipolar & Hormone Imbalances

Depression, Bipolar & Hormone Imbalances

I sit down with Vanessa, a patient who has been able to come off her meds and now feels great. Subscribe to Dr. Ruscio’s YouTube account Depression, Bipolar & Hormone Imbalances Dr. Michael Ruscio: So I’m here with Vanessa, who recently had some good results here in the clinic. And I’m wondering, would you mind

Are you alkaline enough? How to reduce acidity for better health

Are you alkaline enough? How to reduce acidity for better health

If your body becomes too acidic it can lead to health problems—good pH balance is necessary for cells to function properly. Too much acidity plays a role in obesity, diabetes, heart disease, chronic pain and inflammation, autoimmune disease, and other chronic conditions. Fortunately, we can make the body more alkaline simply through changes to the

Are you always hungry? You could have leptin resistance

Are you always hungry? You could have leptin resistance

You would think people who are overweight or obese would never feel hungry—after all, they have all that extra fat to burn. But in a cruel twist of metabolic trickery, carrying excess fat can actually make you hungrier thanks to a phenomenon called leptin resistance. What is leptin? Leptin is a “satiety” hormone secreted by

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