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Knowledge, like food,
is powerful medicine.
Dr. Chutkan’s homemade facial scrubs for oily and dry skin, which can be found in her bestselling book, Gutbliss (Penguin 2013), are a great, all natural and microbe-friendly face wash. Enjoy these microbe-friendly scrubs once a week and make a larger batch for the entire body! Oily Skin Facial Scrub Ingredients 2 tablespoons raw honey […]
Jenny didn’t have much in the way of bowel symptoms, just bloating after meals and some constipation. She came in to see me because of severe fatigue, brain fog, thinning hair, and a history of infertility, and she wanted advice on what supplements might be helpful for these problems. As soon as I heard her […]
Ever wonder why carrots, romaine lettuce, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and other produce in your local market (whether organic or not), all look and taste the same? It’s all about the seed, and it’s not so good for the health of our bodies or our earth – not to mention our taste buds! New York Times […]
Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) receives an FDA safety alert due to adverse reactions in two individuals who underwent FMT and received stool from the same donor. The stool, infected with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) – a multi-drug resistant organism (MDRO) and therefore very challenging to treat – was administered to two immunocompromised […]
The placenta could be the surprising reason why so many women get autoimmune diseases – even in women who have never been pregnant. Women are diagnosed with 80% of all autoimmune diseases in the U.S. Humans in hunter-gatherer communities have an average of 8 to 12 children – a stark contrast to today’s U.S. average, […]
Does exercise help you lose weight? Of course it does… right? Well, maybe not. As the research piles up on exercise and its true contributions to weight loss, it turns out that while exercise has astounding benefits for health, it may not actually move us closer toward our weight loss goals – and too much […]
While often publicized as a healthful choice, a gluten-free diet (GFD) can have its drawbacks. Based on a talk given by gastroenterologist and celiac disease expert, Dr. Peter Green, studies show that a GFD can result in the following: not enough fiber, low levels of B vitamins, and low iron high salt, fat, and sugar […]
Introduction Inulin is a soluble fiber that is not absorbed in the small intestine – it’s constructed of fructose molecules linked in a way that prevents breakdown. Instead, it acts as a prebiotic, meaning it feeds beneficial bacteria (including Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli) in the large intestine that play an important role in improving bowel and […]
Scientists have created E. coli bacteria using a 100% man-made genome. While the bacteria is “unusually shaped and reproducing slowly”, scientists say it’s alive and is four million base pairs long, four times larger than the synthetic genome built 9 years ago. The study was conducted so that scientists could better understand how living things […]
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Because food is such effective medicine, there are very few supplements I actually recommend. But over the last 20+ years of working with patients, I find myself returning to a handful of products that work well with minimal side effects. Ground psyllium husk is one of those. Psyllium is a form of water-soluble plant fiber with […]
Low FODMAPs Diet For SIBO – Is It Worth It? FODMAPs (fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides, and polyols) are difficult to digest or poorly absorbed sugars. In searching for an elimination diet to treat hives in the 1970‘s, Australian researchers created the beginnings of the low FODMAPs diet. In 2005 the diet was introduced as a […]
Some of the most common questions I get from my patients are: “Should I do a cleanse or detox?” “Will it help improve my symptoms?” “What about my gut heath or my appearance?” Some people rave about the cleansed, glowing feeling they have after a colonic, while others feel dried out and dizzy. Colonic irrigation, hydrotherapy, or colonics all […]
Recently, I’ve been increasing the amount of fibrous vegetables I eat, based on the recommendations I’ve seen here. I’ve also started eating oatmeal again. But I seem to notice Candida flare-ups when I eat too much starch. Should I limit my intake of oatmeal and other starchy foods, such as sweet potatoes? Also, I’ve seen […]
I really enjoy having a drink in the evenings, but I’ve seen a lot of new information about alcohol and its detrimental health effects when consumed at any level. How much should I (or shouldn’t I) drink, and if it’s okay to drink in moderation, what form of alcohol should I choose? -Adam Dr. Chutkan: Adam, I […]
If you think your face cleanser should cost big bucks and wear a long list of unidentifiable ingredients to really work, think again! The best cleanser is one that will help balance your skin microbiome – which means one that addsbeneficial bacteria, not one that scrubs away all your microbes (including the good guys). Too-harsh cleansers […]
When a patient walks into my office, I can see what’s going on with their outer appearance – from skin conditions to hair loss – way more quickly than what’s going on in their digestive tract. But make no mistake – there’s an intimate connection between the two: Studies have found that more than half of […]
Scientists have discovered a key factor in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) prevention: reducing meat consumption. A recent study looked at the daily dietary habits of 3,882 seventy-year old adults and their liver scans. Scans showed that 34% of study subjects had NAFLD, despite many of them being a healthy weight. Those who were overweight and […]
A new study uncovers evidence that a single course of antibiotics may irreversibly damage important beneficial gut bacteria. Using a computer model based on past studies that looked at how antibiotics affect the microbiome, scientists found that even after 1 year of taking a single antibiotic prescription, overall gut bacteria was less diverse with fewer species. […]
High dietary fiber intake lowers non-communicable disease (namely cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes) risk, and the relationship is causal. The study included all past studies (200+ observational studies and randomized control trials) involving dietary fiber and its relationship to human health. A dietary intake of between 25 and 29 grams of fiber showed the […]
Have arthritis or at risk for developing arthritis? A new study found that both rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) have specific oral microbial footprints that could be used in screening and early detection of the disease. Scientists analyzed saliva from 110 RA patients and 68 OA patients and compared these to 155 healthy subjects. Scientific Reports […]
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is drastically higher in those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD – Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis). After analyzing 11 studies, including over 1,100 IBD patients and 400 controls, researchers found that IBD patients are 9 times more likely to develop SIBO. Alimentary Pharmacology Therapeutics →Takeaway: Why this incredible risk of developing SIBO in IBD […]
