Dr. MacFabe has extensively studied how gut bacterial-deprived short chain fatty acids (SCFA) affect behavior and neurology. In brief, when we eat, we don’t just feed ourselves, we feed these little guys in our gut, largely anaerobic. They ferment.  They eat and depends what they eat. They eat these certain foods. We were interested in mostly these refined high sugar carbohydrates, some wheat-based carbs. You feed these bacteria. They ferment, kind of like giving carbs to yeast to make beer and alcohol, they make compounds very similar to alcohol called short chain fatty acids. Some of us know from personal experience, what small molecules like alcohol can do very complex things with your brain and your behavior, again, not all good and not all bad, but also very sensitive early in development. We had this idea, could these bacteria, which we did know these bacteria produced compounds called short chain fatty acids, kind of like alcohol, and could these compounds, have an effect on us similar to the intoxication of alcohol.

In this episode, we take a deep dive into how SCFA affect behavior, immune function and metabolism.

Dr. Vincent Pedre, medical director of Pedre Integrative Health, is a board-certified internist and a Functional Medicine–certified practitioner in private practice in New York City. Dr. Pedre’s integrative medical approach combines both Western and Eastern traditions. He is a clinical instructor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and is also certified in yoga and medical acupuncture. His holistic philosophy is patient-centered and focuses on uncovering the root causes of illness to create long-term wellness. Dr. Pedre based his Gut C.A.R.E. Program on his own recovery from irritable bowel syndrome, becoming an expert on healing the body from the inside out with an emphasis on the gut microbiome. He believes the gut is the “seat of all health.” He is also the founder of Dr. Pedre Wellness, which offers health-enhancing programs, content and lifestyle products, dietary supplements, and weight loss programs. Dr. Pedre is a sought after speaker at medical conferences around the world.

Liping Zhao is professor of microbiology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Mike and many expert guests have quoted Dr. Liping’s research.  He had already begun work on the microbiota when he read a paper on the microbiome and fat storage. He had been obese for nearly 15 years by then.  Dr. Liping was inspired. He shifted the focus of his research to how the microbiome may contribute to the development of metabolic diseases: obesity and diabetes. Both of these are important health issues in China.

Dr. Carrie and I caught up to discuss “adrenal fatigue.” What is Adrenal Fatigue? Well many people think the adrenals just “get tired,” but she says there is more to the story. The pituitary tells the adrenals what to do. In response, the adrenals make cortisol. It is a miscommunication issue. Most often it is from the hypothalamus and the pituitary, not the adrenal. 

Dr. Jones earned her ND from National College of Natural Medicine, where she is Adjunct Faculty and now serves as the Medical Director at Precision Analytical, Inc. Hormone Lab.

Russell Jaffe, MD, PhD has had the privilege of contributing to the “birth” of modern integrative medicine. He works from first principles of biology to clarify the causal mechanisms of good health and ill health. His over 100 articles and invited reviews attest to his professional contributions.

Key Highlights:

4:34 Microbiome Wasteland: For many of us, our microbiomes are a wasteland. Few of us were breastfed, and even fewer of us were breastfed until we were ready to be weaned and our guts were mature

20:48 A Detailed Description of Digestion: Digestion begins with your eyes. They tell your gut and your brain, what you will be consuming.

27:43 Pre-Meal Strategies to boost digestion.

31:37 Calming Your Brain

Danielle Pashko is a New York City based Wellness practitioner with almost two decades of experience. She is a holistic nutritionist, certified yoga instructor, licensed massage therapist, fashion model, thyroid cancer survivor and author of "Smile At Your Challenges".

In this episode we discuss:

How Sumo wrestlers maintain their weight by not snacking and only eating 1 or 2 very big meals (lunch and/or dinner) per day. Sumo wrestlers also drink a lot of beer and wine.

Our Struggle with Cellulite:  It is easier to prevent cellulite than to get rid of it. Cellulite can be genetic; however, it can be caused by poor quality foods and toxins.

And they exercise. This hits home for a lot of us.  To keep our metabolism going, we need to eat throughout the day. Lean children eat small meals and small snacks and keep active throughout the day.

Orthorexia, the Obsession with Being Healthy: Being so rigid and demanding negates many of the benefits of the healthy lifestyle. It corrupts our mindset, bringing it out of balance. You need to be healthy and have healthy habits, but you need to be able to live and be happy and have your soul fulfilled.

Kevin Kruse is a serial entrepreneur and NY Times BESTSELLING AUTHOR, who has used a relentless focus on Wholehearted Leadership and employee engagement to build and sell several, multimillion dollar technology companies, winning both Inc 500 and Best Place to Work awards along the way.

Kevin is also the author of several books including Employee Engagement for Everyone, Employee Engagement 2.0 and the NY Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller, We: How to Increase Performance and Profits Through Full Engagement, which was named one of the top leadership books in 2011 by 800-CEO-Read.

Kevin writes regularly as a columnist for Forbes.com and American Express OpenForum, and has published over 100 articles for various publications on topics related to leadership, engagement and entrepreneurship. He delivers keynotes to audiences around the world.

Dr. Andrea Maxim graduated from McMaster University, completing an Honours Degree in Biology and Pharmacology. After another four years of rigorous training at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, Andrea completed her degree as a licensed Naturopath in Ontario and is proud to be serving the Haldimand and Burlington Community.

Dr. Andrea Maxim is one of Southern Ontario’s leading naturopathic doctors and the creator of ‘The Maxim Movement’; a movement helping people move towards improving their digestion, hormones, and facilitating weight loss.

I posted the show notes at www.highintensityhealth.com/drmaxim

Jeff Leach is the Founder of the Human Food Project. author of Honor Thy Symbionts and Rewild. His opinions on health and nutrition have appeared as Op-ed articles in the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Sydney Morning Herald and his peer-reviewed research has been published in the British Journal of Nutrition, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, BioScience and Microflora, Journal of Archaeological Science, Public Health Nutrition and many others. He lives in New Orleans – but hopes to spend more time in Africa.

After 25 years of practicing internal medicine, Dr. Principe got frustrated that his patients were still sick (and some were dying). So he closed his business, went to culinary school and re-opened a new clinic focused around teaching people how to better manage stress and cook real food!  His story is so unique, we had to film this onsite in his “teaching kitchen” adjacent to his medical clinic in Chicago, IL.

His clinic is called WellBeingMD and is located in the Chicago suburbs.