Do you struggle with indigestion, food sensitivities, bloating, gas, or other digestive issues? What about thyroid problems, anxiety, or chronic fatigue? These are all symptoms of a compromised gut lining! Read on to learn our top ways to heal your gut.
Healing Leaky Gut and Dysbiosis with Kiran Krishnan
The Best Supplements for Leaky Gut
Healing Gut & Oral Infections With Herbs with Dr. Rachel Fresco
Dr. Rachel Fresco is a doctor of Chinese Medicine out of California. She's also the founder and President of Bio-Botanical Research. In this episode we talk about her formulations, biofilms, gut infections, essential oils, oral health, and eating healthy.
Here's what you'll hear:
Min 02:00 Introducing Dr. Rachel Fresco
Min 03:58 Dr. Fresco's Biocidin® formula
Min 09:40 Biofilms
Min 14:55 Microbial blends
Min 20:30 Olive leaf extract & essential oils
Min 25:00 Using Biocidin
Min 29:00 Binders
Min 32:15 Biocidin Throat Spray
Min 38:20 Marcons
Min 40:15 Dentalcidin & oral health
Min 46:53 Amalgam filling & detoxifying
Min 52:45 Eating healthy
Min 64:40 Dr. Fresco's resources
To learn more about Rachel Fresco and her company Bio-Botanical Research, visit her website here and on Facebook
Resources:
Bridgit’s shop
Leaky Gut Solutions Webinar
Dentalcidin toothpaste
MegaSporeBiotic
Cyrex Labs
Here's a video version of the interview with Dr. Rachel Fresco:
The Five-Day DIY Detox Guide
Do you wake up groggy and tired, turning to coffee or pastries to get you going?
Add in a simple 5 minute routine to have more energy for the day!
Grab our Five-Day DIY Detox Guide and get some spring back in your step, naturally.
Case Study: A Functional Approach to Hormones and Gut
How Functional Health Coaching Treats Mood, Gut and Hormones in an Integrated Way
The Symptoms
When Emily joined our coaching program, she was struggling with depression, anxiety, fatigue, and brain fog. She said that she did not have the energy to improve her diet or exercise regimen to support her health. She feared that trying to make major changes could have the potential to elicit panic attacks that would prevent her from moving forward.
Photo by Jason Briscoe
Emily felt “tired almost all of the time.” Up until a few years before joining our functional coaching program, she had lived an active life. She had spent years gaining her education and working as a public health professional. And, at 38-years-old, she found herself barely making it through the day.
Emily had resorted to some of the most common coping mechanisms available: coffee in the morning to give her enough energy to get going, and alcohol at night to help her sleep.
Emily had resorted to some of the most common coping mechanisms available: coffee in the morning to give her enough energy to get going, and alcohol at night to help her sleep.
She suffered from symptoms of gas, bloating and indigestion. Her symptoms eased when she was strict about her diet but returned whenever she wavered slightly.
The First Steps
The first thing we advised Emily to do was to take the huge step of removing coffee and alcohol from her diet. Within a matter of a couple of weeks, she was amazed at how much better she felt, just from those small changes. While this is not always as impactful for everybody as it was for Emily, it does show that sometimes a couple of small tweaks can have big effects.
The Labs
As Emily made those early changes to diet, we ran a handful of functional labs, including:
DUTCH Complete hormone panel
Comprehensive thyroid panel
GI-Map stool pathogen test
Micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) test.
The Test Results
The test results showed that Emily was quite deficient in the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is the primary stress hormone but it is also responsible for providing a sense of energy and plays an important role in regulating the circadian rhythms controlling sleep/wake cycles.
Emily was also very low in all of her female sex hormones (the estrogens and progesterone) and she was also very low in melatonin, a hormone that helps promote restful sleep.
Emily's thyroid appeared to be slightly sluggish and she was deficient in seven different important micronutrients.
Her stool test detected two different parasites, an overgrowth of two different opportunistic yeast species, suppressed immune response in the small intestines, and a very strong sensitivity to gluten-containing foods.
Part of the Hormone Report
Stool Test Results
The Protocol
Emily remained free from coffee and alcohol and began to adopt a gluten-free diet.
She started doing moderate exercise, managing her stress levels, eradicating gut pathogens through an herbal protocol, and supporting her healthy hormone balance through diet, herbs, and lifestyle changes.
She introduced some herbal tinctures such as black cohosh, red clover, vitex, and motherwort to support her female hormone levels. She used a product called Adrenotone from Designs for Health to support the adrenal glands and the balance of stress hormone production through the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.
Emily supported her micronutrient balance through the introduction of a complete mineral support formula and used the Designs for Health GI Microb-X product as one of the antimicrobial blends for eradicating infectious microorganisms. She also introduced Megaspore probiotic to rebuild beneficial gut flora and to support the immune system.
For dietary support, Emily began seed cycling and introduced more healthy fats into her diet. She also incorporated detoxification strategies such as dry brushing and rebounding into her daily routine to help her move toxins out of the body in a natural way.
The Transformation
Photo by Patrick Hendry
As Emily gained energy, she was able to reintegrate exercise into her life and she enjoys mountain biking and outdoor sports of many kinds.
After six months on the coaching program, Emily reported feeling better than she had in years despite experiencing some extreme stress, including the sudden death of her partner’s mother.
Over the course of her six months on the program, Emily gained enough energy and mental clarity to make big decisions about her life, including the purchase of a new home and a desire to have a baby.
Emily is now thriving, pregnant, happy in her life, and excited about her future.
Are You Ready for Your Transformation?
Work With Us!
We would be honored to work with you as a private client. We provide testing and coaching options to women in most every state and country. Come check out our coaching options to see if it’s a fit.
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is trained in functional health coaching and has worked with thousands of women over her career since 2004. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Collaborative llc and HormoneDetoxShop.com.
Top Ten Podcasts of 2016
As the year comes to a close, I want to celebrate ALL the guest experts we had on Women's Wellness Radio this year, and our listening community. It was a great year of growth, both in knowledge and in community building.
Today I'm sharing the top ten most downloaded episodes, in case you want to catch one or two that you missed. Here we go:
1. Why Your Probiotic Supplement Isn't Working With Kiran Krishnan
This episode I saved for many months to make it out 100th episode! This interview with Kiran Krishnan, microbiologist and founder of Megaspore Probiotics, is super fascinating. This conversation breaks through confusion about the gut and myths about probiotics.
2. Natural Solutions for Hormonal Problems with Dr. Carrie Jones
This was a very popular episode right away! Dr. Carrie has great insights on hormone labs and why our hormones go haywire. She also shares some of her favorite supplements. Don't miss the free handout on the page.
3. The Hormonal Imbalances That Make You Gain Weight With Cammi Balleck
Well, I didn't know this show was so popular 'til today! It suggests to me that lots of women in our community are dealing with hormonally-based weight issues, so I'll bring more resources to you on this subject.
4. Seven Keys to Fertility Into Your 40s With Dr. Anna Cabeca
This was an interesting one for me too! I am fascinated with the topic of optimizing fertility at an older age, and Dr. Cabeca is both an inspiring and knowledgeable expert in this area.
5. The Autoimmune Fix With Dr. Tom O'Bryan
This was less of a surprise. Dr. Tom O'Bryan is a well-known expert in the field of gluten intolerance and autoimmunity, and many women in our community are dealing with autoimmunity. What wowed me in this interview was what a talented presenter Dr. Tom is.
6. Easy Essential Oils for Women's Health with Dr. Mariza Snyder
I had no idea this episode was creeping up the ranks. It suggests to me that you all are hungry for more practical, simple solutions. Let's do it!
7. A Holistic Approach To Adrenal Healing With Kelly Graham
I also did not know this one was faring so well! But adrenal dys-regulation is so prevalent today, I shouldn't be surprised. What I loved about Kelly's presentation was her insight on how we put ourselves into this box.
8. Nutrition And More For A Healthy Cycle With Caroline Zwickson
Y'all love to learn about your cycles! Caroline brings some clear explanation and great tips with this one.
9. Why You Need to Support Your Mitochondria With Susanne Bennett
We have a tie for #9 with the exact same number of downloads. Dr. Bennett gives a rarely-heard and much-needed explanation of the importance of our mitochondria. This one is good for chronic disease and infertility.
9. Interpreting Your Period Symptoms with Rachel Eyre
I loved this episode with Rachel Eyre and I'm so glad it made the top ten. We cover some detailed stuff like uterine positioning and clots in menstrual blood...and vaginal steaming!
10. A Healthy Dose of Productivity with Laura McClellan
And I'm so happy this episode squeaked in there, because I'm a big fan of Laura. She is not in the 'health space', but she an incredibly wise teacher on the important subject of getting sh*t done with wearing yourself out. She has great presence.
I am filled with gratitude as I write this for our experts and our listeners. Looking back and remembering all these amazing conversations gives me energy for the year to come!
If you are not yet a subscriber, you can subscribe by searching 'womens wellness radio' on most podcast player apps. Here is the iTunes link. Get a new episode very week!
If you want to share a favorite episode, speaker, take-away or memory from the podcast this past year, I'd really love to read it below!
Why Your Probiotic Supplement Isn't Working With Kiran Krishnan
Kiran Krishnan is a Microbiologist and has over 20 years experience in the probiotics industry. He is trained in Microbiology and Biochemistry and worked in several companies developing health products. He left academic research and opened his own clinical research organization and now focuses on carrying out clinical research on the various nutritional products produced by different companies.
Kiran's journey on probiotics started about 12 years ago when he was hired by a large company to research on the probiotics market. He found out that most probiotic products in the market had been created based on presumptions from decades ago on what the microbiome was like.
In this episode we will talk about the microbiome and Kirian will introduce us to the term holobiome. We will talk about good and bad bacteria in the gut, how the body gets out of microbiome balance, diet as well as supplements. We will discuss in detail about a probiotic product he developed in his lab and talk about its possible side effects for patients with certain disorders like candida/yeast infection.
PRODUCT
Megaspore is only sold through licensed providers, and we feel very fortunate to be one of the few online carriers! Please visit this link to access our store.
HAND-OUT
We put all Kiran's information together in a handy sheet, printable for you. You can get a copy by using the button below:
Before you order, please carefully read through the FAQs listed lower on this page. You'll learn more about the product, when to use it, and how to order it from our store whether you're in the US or internationally.
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If you have not yet joined our community, be sure to grab our hidden Hormone stressors quiz here, and come on board!
Thanks for listening!
Bridgit Danner, Founder of Women's Wellness Collaborative
My Top Ten Supplements of 2015
Is it weird that I love supplements so much??
I took me about 2 minutes to gather up a bunch of my fav supplements. Which didn't surprise me too much as I'm a connoisseur of supplements! If I learn about something new, I like to try it. There is rarely a supplement I recommend to clients that I do not have personal experience in taking.
What I find interesting about this collection of ten favorites, is that only 3 are in pill form. So many people complain about not liking to take a lot of pills. You don't have to take pills! Most everything comes in a topical form or a liquid form.
Also many people tell me that they want to eat to get their vitamins. That's all well and good, but as Mira and Jayson Calton point out, of the handful of most popular diets, including paleo, none delivered 100% of our daily micronutrient needs. However, with some of the above supplements, you can drink your nutrition in a tasty beverage.
The following products are in no particular order. They are all fabulous. They cannot all be found over-the-counter. Some are available only through providers.
If a product is meant to be sold only through providers, DO NOT attempt to buy it on the internet. You do not know what you are really getting in these cases. I will detail more about how to get each below.
1. Aloe Vera Juice, whole leaf by Lily of the Desert
The one picture above is not whole leaf, but I later learned whole leaf is best (although inner filet is closely comparable.) The whole leaf contains more variety of beneficial compounds.
Aloe is an amazing tummy soother, gut lining healer, stem-cell stimulating miracle food, and a great wing-man to get your other herbs and supplements. It's so powerful!
You can buy it at your local natural foods store. Keep it in the fridge and drink it within a few weeks for best taste. You can take an ounce or two twice daily. As mentioned above, pair it with your supplements for better absorption. Sometimes I like to put in shot in a glass of water. You could also add it to a smoothie or green drink. It has a bit of a sour taste.
2. Natural Calm by Natural Vitality
This is a new magnesium I tried, and I don't 100% love the taste and effervescence, but it is a popular one, and it's a good example of a great way to get magnesium. You mix it into water, and it is well absorbed. Magnesium is very good for women's hormones. It helps us make progesterone and avoid cramps and PMS.
You can buy this at your natural grocery store. Take up to 600 mg/ day in divided doses. Start will a smaller dose to watch for reactions. As with all supplements, ask your doctor if on prescriptions or if dealing with a special health concern.
3. Mega Spore Biotic
This probiotic is sweeping our Functional Diagnostic Nutrition community! It is spore-based (picture those tiny bits of mold you see on rotting produce) which is better for colonizing the colon.
I am unfortunately one of those people who doesn't necessarily feel a ton different on probiotics, but I do have a success story. I had an irregular bacteria profile on my stool test, and took Mega Spore. My bacteria was normalized on the re-test.
One thing I learned about probiotics this year is that taking it twice a day can have added benefit. And taking it at night can help you have a nice BM the next day, as all that bacteria helps make for bulky stool.
This product is not cheap and is sold only through providers. Once you have a provider, you can re-order online. See more here.
4. GI Revive by Designs for Health
This formula was suggested to me by my mentor in the Functional Diagnostic Nutrition program. I love it. It is so soothing for my gut. I would imagine it would be very nice for those people who feel it's hard to push out their bowel movement. And it's good for anyone healing leaky gut or Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
This product is only sold through practitioners. I would suggest 1 scoop a day in water for maintenance, and twice daily for added therapeutic value.
5. O.N.E. Multivitamin by Pure Encapsulations
I discovered this multi this year and I've been recommending it ever since. It's a good price point on a well-formulated one-a-day. The B vitamins are methylated / activated, there's lots of zinc, and bit of iodine.
My one problem with this formula is that the high amount of zinc can make me nauseous, so I have to take it with a large meal. Unfortunately when I try to remember at dinner, I sometimes forget. It's sold through practitioners. Learn more here.
6. Gelatin powder by Great Lakes
I'm really crazy about this easy-to-use gelatin powder. You can use it to make jello treats with the kids, or make it into a cup of broth.
This grass-fed collagen and gelatin powder is good for building the gut, calming the nerves and nourishing skin an nails. I've have seen it only once locally at a co-op. Mainly it is found online.
7. Vitamin D3 + K2 by Thorne
Vitamin D is still a nutrient most people don't get enough of, even though we know more about it now. If you are dealing with low immunity, Seasonal Affective Disorder, inflammation or an autoimmune disease, pay special attention. I like to see vitamin D in the 60-80 range on a blood test.
This vitamin D is in the right form, and is paired with K2 for best absorption. It's in an easy dropper, so you don't need to take a pile of pills. I like 5,000 IU a day for maintenance, but you can safely go up to 20,000 IU day temporarily if you are trying to correct a big depletion.
This product is sold through practitioners.
8. Omega Co3 by Apex Energetics
Apex has very well-formulated products, and this Omega Co3 has become the staple fish oil in our house. It tastes delicious, and has lots of co-factors to help absorption. My son takes it very well.
Fish oil helps us burn fat, have a smart brain, and ward off colds. It is very important for pregnant and breastfeeding women, to build baby's brain. It is sold through practitioners.
9. Adapt Align by Biomatrix
This is a diverse adrenal support, with adaptogens, key vitamins and glandulars. When I was taking it more regularly, it really seemed to help. I was taking two in the morning, and then another two at lunch before my afternoon slump. This one is sold through practitioners as well.
10. Resvero Active and Tumero Active by Apex Energetics
I snuck in a two for one on this last one! These two are often paired together, as they are both natural anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories that seem to have a synergy when dosed together.
The first time I took Tumero Active, I couldn't believe that my body felt less achy within an hour. Taking it over the course of a month, some heightened brain fog I was experiencing went away.
The Tumero and Resvero together are often recommended for autoimmune conditions and runaway inflammatory conditions. I recently had a client take them together for her stubborn plantar fasciitis. She was very pleased with the outcome.
These products are sold through practitioners, especially functional medicine practitioners.
I had a lot of fun writing up this list! Hope it's helpful to you. Feel free to share your questions or comments below.