WEBVTT - I Choose … to Heal from the Inside Out with Dr. Roshini Raj 0:00:01.560 --> 0:00:09.039 You're listening to I Choose Me with Jenny Garland. Hi. Everyone, 0:00:09.200 --> 0:00:12.120 welcome to I Choose Me. This podcast is all about 0:00:12.119 --> 0:00:15.640 the choices we make and where they lead us. Let's 0:00:15.680 --> 0:00:20.560 talk about our bellies aka our gut. Having a healthy 0:00:20.640 --> 0:00:24.960 gut is vital to our overall health. It not only 0:00:25.000 --> 0:00:29.960 aids in proper digestion and nutrient absorption, but it's also 0:00:30.040 --> 0:00:34.199 associated with positive mental health and emotional well being, a 0:00:34.360 --> 0:00:39.720 robust immune system, and protecting us from chronic inflammation and 0:00:39.880 --> 0:00:44.440 other chronic diseases. My guest today is someone I think 0:00:44.479 --> 0:00:47.520 we all need to listen to because what we're about 0:00:47.560 --> 0:00:51.560 to discuss. Yep, you guessed it. Gut health is connected 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:55.680 to so many different things in our bodies. She is 0:00:55.720 --> 0:01:00.560 a gastro enterrologist and the author of Gut Renovation. Please 0:01:00.640 --> 0:01:06.160 welcome doctor Roshini Raj to the podcast. Hi, Hi, thank 0:01:06.200 --> 0:01:09.360 you so much for being with us today. This is 0:01:09.400 --> 0:01:12.399 going to be good, Okay, Gut health This is my 0:01:12.520 --> 0:01:15.760 number one and most important question. Gut health is linked 0:01:15.920 --> 0:01:19.200 to the aging process. Right. If we don't get our 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:21.280 gut health in check, what are some of the possible 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:23.160 risks we could be facing? 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:25.520 One hundred percent So I wrote a book a couple 0:01:25.520 --> 0:01:27.720 of years ago called Gut Renovation, and it is all 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:31.440 about exactly what you're discussing. How does gut health affect 0:01:31.440 --> 0:01:34.600 how we age, how we optimally age, and everything from 0:01:34.880 --> 0:01:37.920 external things like our hair and our skin, but also 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:40.399 our internal aging, which is so important. You know, whether 0:01:40.440 --> 0:01:44.200 we develop certain chronic diseases, things like heart disease, you know, 0:01:44.240 --> 0:01:47.720 autoimmune diseases, inflammation throughout the body, which we know is 0:01:47.800 --> 0:01:50.320 kind of the key to how we age, as well 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:53.040 as things like even cancer. So what we know now 0:01:53.120 --> 0:01:55.960 is that our gut microbiome and that's that community of 0:01:56.000 --> 0:02:00.440 bacteria organisms that live inside our gut, really dictate most 0:02:00.440 --> 0:02:03.200 of the processes that go on throughout our body from 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:06.160 head to toe. And it can influence even things like 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:09.600 collagen breakdown and elast and breakdown in our skin. It 0:02:09.600 --> 0:02:13.680 can influence whether there's inflammation, you know, causing build up 0:02:13.760 --> 0:02:17.359 of cholesterol in our arteries, in our heart or brain. 0:02:17.560 --> 0:02:20.680 So it really does affect everything, you know. I think 0:02:20.760 --> 0:02:23.640 mental health is a huge connection that we're now really 0:02:24.360 --> 0:02:27.240 mind connection. So I really think if you look at 0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:31.040 any aspect of aging, there is definitely like a line 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:33.359 you can draw to your gut microbiome. And that's why 0:02:33.600 --> 0:02:36.400 I'm so passionate about taking care of your gut microbiome. 0:02:36.560 --> 0:02:39.960 I know, I'm so glad you are because I don't 0:02:39.960 --> 0:02:41.960 know a lot about this, but I know how it 0:02:42.000 --> 0:02:44.080 can really mess you up. So if you have an 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:46.720 unhealthy gut, also, is there another word that we can 0:02:46.760 --> 0:02:48.200 call it other than gut? 0:02:49.080 --> 0:02:51.320 We can for sure, we can say microbiome, we can 0:02:51.360 --> 0:02:52.079 say digestion. 0:02:53.440 --> 0:02:53.800 I don't know. 0:02:53.840 --> 0:02:55.679 I don't know the word. 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:58.239 Gut just freaks me out a little bit. But let's 0:02:58.320 --> 0:03:01.600 keep going. Let's use gut because that's what people know. Okay, 0:03:02.000 --> 0:03:06.880 what are some signs that you might have an unhealthy gut? 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:10.120 Yeah, it's a great question. So I'm a gastroentrologist, so 0:03:10.360 --> 0:03:12.839 I definitely see people in my office every day who 0:03:12.919 --> 0:03:15.200 have signs of an unhealthy gut. And I think some 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:19.240 of the more basic or maybe obvious things are, you know, 0:03:19.360 --> 0:03:23.760 bowel irregularity, you're bloating, or pain in your abdomen, things 0:03:23.840 --> 0:03:27.119 like that. But what I think people don't realize could 0:03:27.160 --> 0:03:30.640 also be signs of an unhealthy gut are mood changes, 0:03:30.800 --> 0:03:33.720 just feeling kind of foggy, you know, feeling tired all 0:03:33.800 --> 0:03:37.560 the time, fatigued, joint pain. All of these things can 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:41.880 be related to a disordered gut or disordered microbiome, meaning 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:44.560 the balance of your good and bad bacteria is not 0:03:44.640 --> 0:03:46.839 where you would want it to be. And so that's 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:50.160 why I think it's so important to take care of 0:03:50.200 --> 0:03:52.880 your gut, you know, investigate what's going on there, because 0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:55.839 you may notice positive changes once you have a better 0:03:55.880 --> 0:03:59.200 gut microbiome in every aspect of your life, not just 0:03:59.520 --> 0:04:01.560 how often you're gowning the mouth room that kind of thing. 0:04:01.640 --> 0:04:04.080 Well, we're learning so much about women's health, so much 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:08.640 more about women's health now, thank god, and we're learning 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:13.240 a lot about menopause and fatigue, brain fog, achy joints 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:16.680 are all signs symptoms of menopause too, Like how do 0:04:16.720 --> 0:04:17.800 you know what is what? 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:21.520 Yeah, it's not always easy to distinguish, but I will 0:04:21.520 --> 0:04:24.520 say that your gut health is also affected by menopause, 0:04:24.600 --> 0:04:27.680 because just like your gut is related to your mind 0:04:27.760 --> 0:04:30.520 and there's like a two way conversation there, your gut 0:04:30.600 --> 0:04:32.840 is also related to hormones and there's a two way 0:04:32.839 --> 0:04:35.320 conversation there. And as we go through the changes of 0:04:35.320 --> 0:04:39.279 menopause and all the different hormonal fluctuations that can affect 0:04:39.279 --> 0:04:42.760 your microbiome and vice versa. So it's not always easy 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:45.200 to tease out. We know that, you know, making sure 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:48.160 your hormones are sort of in the right balance during 0:04:48.160 --> 0:04:51.520 menopause can make a huge difference in symptoms, but things 0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:55.080 like bloating, irregularity, all of that can come as symptoms 0:04:55.080 --> 0:04:58.400 of menopause as well. And sometimes if you just rebalance 0:04:58.440 --> 0:05:01.240 your microbiome, whether that's through die or taking a probiotic, 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:04.440 you can experience significant relief even if you're not taking 0:05:04.800 --> 0:05:06.800 actual hormone replacement and things like that. 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:10.080 Interesting, that's so exciting because yeah, I guess it's all 0:05:10.080 --> 0:05:13.280 one and the same basically, So if you get your 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:16.159 gut healthy, then it will have a positive impact on 0:05:16.279 --> 0:05:19.039 the rest of your body exactly exactly. 0:05:19.279 --> 0:05:20.240 It's really important. 0:05:20.560 --> 0:05:24.680 Is it possible to get your gut health under control 0:05:24.960 --> 0:05:27.480 and sort of reverse the signs of aging? 0:05:28.640 --> 0:05:30.960 Yeah, I think it is. I think that you know, 0:05:31.080 --> 0:05:33.919 sometimes people and it's funny because I write about this 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:36.800 in sort of introduction to my book, where as a doctor, 0:05:36.839 --> 0:05:40.280 I see sometimes an eight year old woman walk in 0:05:40.360 --> 0:05:42.880 and she literally jumps on the table and has so 0:05:43.000 --> 0:05:45.280 much energy and just you know, oh I love that. 0:05:45.920 --> 0:05:46.640 Yeah, she just. 0:05:46.600 --> 0:05:49.080 Looks and it's so inspiring, and she looks and feels 0:05:49.360 --> 0:05:51.800 so much younger than her actual age that's written in 0:05:51.839 --> 0:05:54.080 the chart. And then I can see the opposite. I'll 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:56.120 see let's say a forty year old woman come in 0:05:56.160 --> 0:05:59.039 and she's you know, she's just walking very slowly or 0:05:59.120 --> 0:06:02.000 hunched over. She just looks miserable, and she looks much 0:06:02.040 --> 0:06:04.400 older and feels much older than her state of age. 0:06:04.440 --> 0:06:08.120 So I think that definitely what's going on internally can 0:06:08.160 --> 0:06:11.479 absolutely affect how you age. And then yes, because I 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:14.240 can sometimes see those same people that didn't you know, 0:06:14.320 --> 0:06:16.800 look or feel so great, come back, you know, or 0:06:16.800 --> 0:06:19.240 a year later or six months later when they've really 0:06:19.240 --> 0:06:21.480 been working on their microbiome, and it's like a different person. 0:06:21.640 --> 0:06:23.320 Ten years have been erased from there. 0:06:23.480 --> 0:06:26.159 Okay, that's good, that is from there, that's what I 0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:26.680 want to hear. 0:06:27.000 --> 0:06:29.839 Yeah, So it's definitely not, by any means a done deal. 0:06:29.880 --> 0:06:32.000 There are definitely things we can do, and our microbiome 0:06:32.120 --> 0:06:35.000 is always evolving, which is why you know, you do 0:06:35.120 --> 0:06:36.920 have to keep on it. It's not like a one 0:06:36.960 --> 0:06:38.560 and done. I took care of it. Now I'm good 0:06:38.600 --> 0:06:40.040 for the rest of my life. You have to really 0:06:40.040 --> 0:06:41.880 pay attention to it. Like most things when it comes 0:06:41.920 --> 0:06:43.960 to our health, you need to kind of pay attention 0:06:44.040 --> 0:06:45.239 to it on a daily basis. 0:06:46.760 --> 0:06:50.880 Okay, we've all heard about probiotics prebiotics. What is the 0:06:50.920 --> 0:06:54.480 difference between a prebiotic and a probiotic? 0:06:54.720 --> 0:06:59.320 Great question. So a probiotic and literally pro means four 0:06:59.480 --> 0:07:02.880 and iotic is your health basically, So, a probiotic is 0:07:03.320 --> 0:07:07.800 a good bacteria supplement or or actually within foods, good 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:11.240 bacteria that confer some health benefit to a human being, 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:14.880 to the person who's taking it. Now, a prebiotic is 0:07:14.960 --> 0:07:18.240 something that feeds a probiotic. So if you think about 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:20.640 your gut, which I know you don't like that word, 0:07:20.680 --> 0:07:22.600 when we think about it as like a field of 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:24.000 beautiful flowers, the fly. 0:07:24.440 --> 0:07:27.360 Is a field of beautiful flowers. Okay, I'm envisioning it. 0:07:28.560 --> 0:07:30.560 We're going to transform that word for you. But yeah, 0:07:30.800 --> 0:07:33.280 so it's beautiful flowers. The beautiful flowers are your good, 0:07:33.360 --> 0:07:36.440 healthy bacteria, the things that are protecting you, and they're 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:39.920 secreting hormones and neurotransmitters and all sorts of important things 0:07:39.920 --> 0:07:42.080 for your body that you really need. So those are 0:07:42.080 --> 0:07:45.080 the flowers, and you want them to grow and be beautiful. 0:07:45.200 --> 0:07:48.240 A prebiotic think of it as the fertilizer that you're 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:50.800 sprinkling on it that's going to feed those flowers and 0:07:51.080 --> 0:07:54.840 allow them to flourish and grow and blossom. So prebiotics 0:07:54.840 --> 0:07:59.040 are basically food for your good bacteria. Most probiotics come 0:07:59.080 --> 0:08:01.840 in the form of fiber. So that's why fruits and 0:08:01.920 --> 0:08:04.640 vegetables and whole grains are so great for you. One 0:08:04.640 --> 0:08:06.240 of the reasons. One of the reasons they have great 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:10.000 vitamins and antioxidants and all that, but the fiber content 0:08:10.400 --> 0:08:13.600 is really what's feeding your microbiome. And that's that's why 0:08:13.600 --> 0:08:17.040 we always encourage people, you know, Americans, it's said only 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:19.760 about ninety five percent of Americans are not getting the 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:22.240 recommended amount of fiber, so we all could be doing 0:08:22.240 --> 0:08:24.120 a better job with that. And this is one of 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:27.200 the reasons why fiber is so crucial, because it feeds 0:08:27.200 --> 0:08:29.280 you the good stuff and make sure you maintain a 0:08:29.280 --> 0:08:30.280 healthy microbiome. 0:08:30.400 --> 0:08:35.120 I've just added fiber into my diet, so fabulous. I'm 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:36.079 feeling good about that. 0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:38.400 It's so important. I mean That's what inspired me to 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:41.240 start ya Day, you know, our probiotic Fiber company, and 0:08:41.960 --> 0:08:45.360 I just think it's a real need in our society, 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:49.360 especially American the American diet, and I find that as 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:52.920 a gastroenttrologist, I recommend fiber to I don't know seventy 0:08:52.960 --> 0:08:55.520 percent of my patients because like almost every GI condition 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:58.240 can be improved with fiber. But a lot of times 0:08:58.240 --> 0:08:59.960 they don't follow through because they don't like the way 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:02.640 it tastes, or they feel like it makes them feel 0:09:02.640 --> 0:09:04.880 ancient if they're taking fiber every day, you know. So 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:07.520 we really with Yaday, tried to come up with a 0:09:07.600 --> 0:09:13.320 much more modern, fresh, tasty, delicious formula. 0:09:18.440 --> 0:09:22.680 It's a little confusing, I gotta be honest. Pre biotic probiotic, Okay, 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:25.200 So do you don't have to take one before the other? 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:28.160 Or because when I think of pre I think you 0:09:28.160 --> 0:09:29.480 should take that before. 0:09:30.960 --> 0:09:34.600 Does imply that? But no, because you in your body 0:09:34.679 --> 0:09:37.520 right now as we speak, have plenty of good bacteria 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:39.719 that could use nourishment at any time of the day 0:09:39.760 --> 0:09:42.880 or night. So you can take a probatic whenever you want, 0:09:43.360 --> 0:09:46.200 and then again because you already have your probiotics naturally, 0:09:46.240 --> 0:09:49.199 you don't necessarily need to take a probiotic, but if 0:09:49.240 --> 0:09:51.280 you want it to take one, I do think you 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:55.720 can get it imformented foods, you know, whether that's yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, 0:09:55.800 --> 0:09:57.040 me So there are a lot of different ways to 0:09:57.160 --> 0:09:59.880 get it, or taking a supplement can definitely be ben 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:03.240 official in certain circumstances for certain things. But what I 0:10:03.280 --> 0:10:06.440 like about probatics it's sort of feeding all your good bacteria, 0:10:06.480 --> 0:10:08.480 as opposed to a probatic that might just have one 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:10.719 strain or two strains or you know. 0:10:10.720 --> 0:10:14.120 Yes, yes, that's another question. They always say how many 0:10:14.320 --> 0:10:16.199 thousands of whatever strains? 0:10:16.760 --> 0:10:18.880 Yeah, billions and billions. 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:21.680 Billions strains, so that you want just like the higher 0:10:21.720 --> 0:10:23.960 the number, the better, No, And. 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:26.400 I think that can be kind of confusing and also 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:30.160 a bit of marketing, where twenty billion is necessarily better 0:10:30.200 --> 0:10:32.880 than five billion, you know. I do think that usually 0:10:32.880 --> 0:10:36.440 you need a certain threshold, like one billion at least 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:39.360 to have a good clinical effect, but beyond that, it 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:41.840 really depends on the strain, how they're you know, what 0:10:41.880 --> 0:10:44.480 they're mixing it with. So I wouldn't get sort of 0:10:44.520 --> 0:10:47.480 seduced by this bigger is always better when it comes 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:50.000 to biotics, and it is confusing. I mean, I don't 0:10:50.000 --> 0:10:52.320 even know how many out there. Probably there's probably a 0:10:52.320 --> 0:10:56.360 billion of companies out there, maybe not that many, but 0:10:56.400 --> 0:10:59.120 it's very hard to choose which one. And I think 0:10:59.400 --> 0:11:01.320 that's when I do you think talking to your healthcare 0:11:01.360 --> 0:11:04.760 provider can be helpful? Because different proetics are helpful for 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:07.960 different things. They're probatics for vaginal health. We were talking about menoplause. 0:11:08.000 --> 0:11:09.920 I mean, there are many different ways you can take 0:11:09.920 --> 0:11:12.560 care of your gut and other microbiomes in your body. 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:16.559 So I think some guidance is important on a more individual, 0:11:16.600 --> 0:11:18.360 personalized level when it comes to that. 0:11:20.280 --> 0:11:26.240 Okay, I have another question about probiotics. You know, when 0:11:26.240 --> 0:11:29.280 you go into the fancy grocery store I won't name names, 0:11:30.440 --> 0:11:33.880 and there is a sea of wall, a literal wall 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:39.960 full of probiotic quote unquote healthy sodas. Yes, are those 0:11:40.320 --> 0:11:44.120 actually good for our gut? Because there are so many 0:11:44.600 --> 0:11:47.400 and they're so pretty, like there's all beautiful cans. 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:50.280 Yeah, I know, I know, and I mean some of 0:11:50.280 --> 0:11:52.760 them are doing really well. You see prebiotic sodas, you 0:11:52.800 --> 0:11:56.000 see probiotic sodas. I think one thing that you need 0:11:56.040 --> 0:11:58.880 to be careful of is what else is in the soda, 0:11:59.120 --> 0:12:02.360 and you know, make sure you're looking at the other ingredients, 0:12:02.440 --> 0:12:05.400 because if there are some probiotics in there, you know, 0:12:05.760 --> 0:12:08.480 all the health benefits will be negated by the massive 0:12:08.520 --> 0:12:10.880 amounts of sugar that might be in there. I think 0:12:10.920 --> 0:12:13.920 that the artificial coloring or you know, whatever it is 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:16.480 that's making it look so pretty, So definitely read your 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:19.840 labels carefully. I will say that, you know, for many 0:12:19.880 --> 0:12:23.960 companies like that, you do have to really wonder about 0:12:24.080 --> 0:12:26.319 are they just sort of sprinkling some probiotics in there 0:12:26.400 --> 0:12:28.800 or is it the actual dose that you would need 0:12:28.840 --> 0:12:30.679 to see a benefit. And I do think some of 0:12:30.720 --> 0:12:34.040 the bigger ones, because they're under they're bigger, they're under scrutiny, 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:37.240 they have been, you know, pretty good about making sure 0:12:37.240 --> 0:12:39.960 they are giving you at least a decent amount. It's 0:12:40.000 --> 0:12:43.600 not all marketing, but I mean you raise a valid concern. 0:12:43.679 --> 0:12:46.160 It's it's not easy to know for sure if those 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:49.599 are really helping. And I think for me personally, I 0:12:49.640 --> 0:12:53.240 think trying to get your probiotics through foods and your 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:56.080 probatics through foods that are also healthy for you. In 0:12:56.120 --> 0:13:00.559 many other ways, like fruits and vegetables. I talked about fiber, 0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:03.840 you know, I think fermented foods. These are ways that 0:13:04.360 --> 0:13:05.920 not only are you going to get you know, you're 0:13:05.960 --> 0:13:08.239 going to get a healthy dose of probiotics and probotics, 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:11.000 but you're also getting vitamins and antioxidants and all the 0:13:11.040 --> 0:13:13.800 other fabulous things that come along with those foods. 0:13:14.040 --> 0:13:17.400 Okay, So if I do succumb to buying a pretty 0:13:17.440 --> 0:13:21.320 can of pro or prebiotic beverage, what is the dose 0:13:21.400 --> 0:13:23.880 that I'm looking for that would be beneficial? And does that? 0:13:23.960 --> 0:13:25.000 Does it say it on the can? 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:28.120 Yeah, it should say it, probably in fine print on 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:31.960 the can somewhere. But you do want to I mean again, 0:13:32.000 --> 0:13:34.760 I don't think I would rely on drinks or sodas 0:13:35.080 --> 0:13:37.640 write as much as you need on a daily basis, 0:13:37.679 --> 0:13:40.480 but it certainly can't hurt. So if you say something 0:13:40.559 --> 0:13:42.920 like a billion, I think you're in good shape. If 0:13:42.920 --> 0:13:45.360 it's less than that, I mean, and you're probably don't 0:13:45.400 --> 0:13:48.280 you don't want to drink several cans a day necessarily? 0:13:48.760 --> 0:13:50.840 I would say, drink it because you like it, but 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:54.200 not necessarily because you're going to get some huge probiotic benefit. 0:13:54.320 --> 0:13:57.960 Okay, that's that's very revealing. I like that you said 0:13:57.960 --> 0:14:00.160 too about like the sugar content is very important than 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:04.080 anything I think. I don't eat sugar, and I see 0:14:04.200 --> 0:14:07.400 massive benefits to my overall well being in health and 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:14.040 mental health. Oh man, does sugar damage the gut? Is 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:16.280 it going in there and killing all the good stuff? 0:14:16.559 --> 0:14:20.400 Yeah? In a word, yes, so definitely there are certain 0:14:20.440 --> 0:14:23.320 things that are damaging to your gut microbiome, to those 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:26.760 healthy bacteria that you want to be flourishing and blossoming. 0:14:27.040 --> 0:14:30.920 Sugar can be directly toxic to your microbiome. So you 0:14:30.960 --> 0:14:34.120 can see people who have like a high sugar diet, 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:36.760 they'll have a shift in their microbiome towards a more 0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:40.480 unhealthy mobile. The good bacteria are not as plentiful in 0:14:40.520 --> 0:14:43.600 that situation. Other things that can be toxic to your 0:14:43.600 --> 0:14:48.240 gut are alcohol, antibiotics for sure, that can definitely wipe 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:51.480 out your all your healthy bacteria. So definitely, sugar is 0:14:51.480 --> 0:14:53.400 one thing you want to be mindful of in your 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:56.720 diet for many reasons, but particularly if you're looking to 0:14:56.840 --> 0:14:57.880 have a healthy gut. 0:14:58.400 --> 0:15:01.920 So cut out sugar for one. And also you said 0:15:02.400 --> 0:15:06.120 alcohol and the antibiotics, so for anybody that doesn't know 0:15:06.600 --> 0:15:09.720 when you take an antibiotic because the doctor prescribes it 0:15:09.720 --> 0:15:12.600 for you, it's really really important to give your gut 0:15:12.680 --> 0:15:13.760 back the. 0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:17.240 Healthy stuff exactly. Yeah, because you know, it's such an 0:15:17.240 --> 0:15:18.920 interesting I mean, this is why I find the whole 0:15:18.960 --> 0:15:24.000 probiotic microbime story is so fascinating because you know, whenever 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:26.520 antibiotics were discovered, I think it was around World War two, 0:15:26.520 --> 0:15:28.520 it might even World War One, but it was such 0:15:28.560 --> 0:15:31.840 a huge medical breakthrough, right because people were dying from 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:35.640 seemingly in our world, minor infections that would just ravage 0:15:35.640 --> 0:15:39.240 their whole body. And then finally pedicillin was discovered and 0:15:39.280 --> 0:15:41.760 you were saving so many lives on the battlefield and 0:15:42.040 --> 0:15:45.720 then just with regular people. And it wasn't until maybe 0:15:45.960 --> 0:15:49.200 twenty now, I would say, thirty years ago that this 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:53.280 whole concept emerged of actually not all bacteria or bad. 0:15:53.320 --> 0:15:55.480 There are some that we want to keep around that 0:15:55.520 --> 0:15:58.880 are good. And so the antibiotic story, which was the 0:15:58.920 --> 0:16:03.360 hero of me medicine for several decades, then became something 0:16:03.400 --> 0:16:06.800 of a villain. And there's still absolutely life saving and 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:10.440 necessary in many circumstances, but you really want to be 0:16:10.520 --> 0:16:13.360 cautious of when you're using antibatics, because now we know 0:16:13.840 --> 0:16:17.920 they can really have detrimental effects on your microbiome, because unfortunately, 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:21.200 most antibatics are not so selective that they only kill 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:23.480 the bacteria you want to get rid of. They kill 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:27.240 almost all your healthy bacteria. And sometimes that's a temporary effect, 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:29.760 but sometimes it can have more long term effects. I mean, 0:16:29.760 --> 0:16:33.440 they're really interestingies looking at children who had repeated courses 0:16:33.440 --> 0:16:35.880 of antibatics for ear infections, which we know children get 0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:39.720 very frequently, and the kids that had the more frequent 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:43.560 courses twenty thirty years down the road had higher incidences 0:16:43.600 --> 0:16:47.240 of autoimmune disease and things like Krohn's disease or things 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:50.760 like asthma. So there are effects that you really and 0:16:50.840 --> 0:16:57.240 so I'm always very hesitant to take antibiotics or prescribe 0:16:57.280 --> 0:17:00.840 antibiotics unless I think they're absolutely necessary, because now we 0:17:00.880 --> 0:17:03.160 know there's definitely a potential downside. 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:06.600 It's just so hard though, because like for in my 0:17:06.920 --> 0:17:10.560 personal experience, I take my daughter to the doctor and 0:17:10.760 --> 0:17:15.080 they just automatically give her antibiotics, and if I were 0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:18.399 to I'm assuming if I were to say is this 0:17:18.520 --> 0:17:22.720 absolutely necessary, they would probably say, yeah, it. 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:25.040 Is well, it depends. I mean, I do think it's 0:17:25.080 --> 0:17:28.640 important as a parent or a consumer to push back 0:17:28.680 --> 0:17:31.600 a little bit. And when that decision is made by 0:17:31.600 --> 0:17:34.399 the doctor and is it, you know, is this something 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:36.520 we could maybe wait and see, or is it something 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:39.040 we should do right now? And you know, you have 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:41.119 a doctor that you like and trust, and if they 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:43.000 say no, we really should give it now, then then 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:45.400 that is the right decision. But at least to make 0:17:45.440 --> 0:17:48.800 everyone think about it a little bit without having, you know, 0:17:49.040 --> 0:17:50.760 a sort of a knee jerk reaction to give it. 0:17:50.800 --> 0:17:54.520 And I do think most most physicians realize exactly what 0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:57.600 I'm saying, that antibiotics do not come without potential down 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:00.960 you know, a downside, So they are thoughtful of it. 0:18:01.000 --> 0:18:04.320 And I'm hoping that your europe nutricians are giving it 0:18:04.440 --> 0:18:06.920 because they think it's really necessary and not just kind 0:18:06.960 --> 0:18:09.480 of throwing it at people because we've all seen the 0:18:09.840 --> 0:18:10.480 effects of it. 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:21.720 Yeah, okay, I'm seeing all over the TikTok the trend 0:18:22.240 --> 0:18:26.359 of when people start their day with a spoonful of 0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:31.359 live probiotic coconut yogurt or something like that. Does that 0:18:31.440 --> 0:18:33.440 actually work and what are the benefits? 0:18:33.960 --> 0:18:36.800 Yeah? I mean, I definitely think yogurt, whether it's the 0:18:36.800 --> 0:18:40.280 coconut yogurt with bacteria or just regular yogurt, has live 0:18:40.320 --> 0:18:42.400 and active cultures most of the time. You can check 0:18:42.440 --> 0:18:44.720 the label to be sure. I mean, I definitely have 0:18:44.840 --> 0:18:47.840 that every morning. I have yogurt every morning because I 0:18:47.880 --> 0:18:51.280 want to get my dose of probiotics that way. And yeah, 0:18:51.280 --> 0:18:53.080 I think it definitely is a great way to help 0:18:53.200 --> 0:18:56.960 introduce and keep introducing on a daily basis healthy bacteria 0:18:57.040 --> 0:19:00.040 into your system, which will then kind of settle, you know, 0:19:00.200 --> 0:19:03.520 set up shop in your gut and reproducing. But I 0:19:03.560 --> 0:19:05.720 definitely think that's a great, great way to start your day. 0:19:05.840 --> 0:19:08.320 Well, that's a lesson learned from the TikTok, So thank 0:19:08.359 --> 0:19:11.320 you to all those people doing it. Also, this is 0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:14.440 another one I wanted to ask you about castor oil 0:19:14.840 --> 0:19:16.399 packs on your belly button. 0:19:17.000 --> 0:19:20.440 Yeah, that I've seen vaguely. I don't think that there's 0:19:20.480 --> 0:19:24.720 any good evidence to support that being beneficial in any way. 0:19:24.760 --> 0:19:26.600 But if I'm. 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:28.000 Doing it, and I have no idea, why. 0:19:29.800 --> 0:19:34.040 Say it for whatever reason makes you feel calmer or 0:19:34.280 --> 0:19:36.800 suits you in some way, Like I'm all for it, 0:19:36.880 --> 0:19:40.200 that's fine, But do I think it's somehow like sweeping 0:19:40.240 --> 0:19:43.480 in and causing actual internal changes in a good way. No, 0:19:43.840 --> 0:19:44.479 I don't think so. 0:19:45.160 --> 0:19:48.919 Yeah, I know a lot of people, probably some of 0:19:48.960 --> 0:19:53.240 our listeners right now are sober or sober curious. 0:19:53.760 --> 0:19:53.960 Yeah. 0:19:54.400 --> 0:19:56.880 We talked about this briefly in the effects of alcohol 0:19:57.240 --> 0:19:59.040 on the gut? Are no bueno right? 0:19:59.440 --> 0:20:00.280 Correct? Yeah? 0:20:00.480 --> 0:20:01.320 A hammer at home? 0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:04.680 Yeah it is, and it's you know, it's been unfortunate, 0:20:04.720 --> 0:20:07.840 I guess, unfortunate in the sense that we used to think, well, 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:12.080 drinking and moderation actually could be healthy for you overall, 0:20:12.240 --> 0:20:15.280 and then we found well, moderation isn't what you may think. 0:20:15.359 --> 0:20:18.720 Moderation is only one glass for a woman per day, 0:20:19.119 --> 0:20:22.040 and now it looks like even that is not healthy. 0:20:22.160 --> 0:20:23.959 I mean, if you're doing it because you enjoy it, 0:20:24.000 --> 0:20:26.960 then do it, But don't do it because you think 0:20:27.000 --> 0:20:30.160 there's a health benefit. Now it looks really not. It's 0:20:30.200 --> 0:20:30.800 better not to. 0:20:31.560 --> 0:20:33.920 I just heard it all but different ways, like, yes, 0:20:34.080 --> 0:20:37.040 it's good to drink a glass of red wine every day, No, 0:20:37.280 --> 0:20:38.879 you should never drink alcohol. 0:20:39.640 --> 0:20:41.639 Yeah, I think that's I mean, I think the research 0:20:41.680 --> 0:20:44.880 research is showing us that none is better than some. 0:20:45.680 --> 0:20:48.679