Love & Guts

#176 Leah is an experienced and respected clinician who specialises in fertility, pregnancy and reproductive health. She has completed extensive advanced training and is a lecturer, keynote speaker, author and educator. She leads by example, remembering to live life to the fullest and is passionate about educating and empowering women to be their own health advocates.

In this episode we cover;

• What is the reproductive microbiome
• The concept of the eco-holobiont and reproductive microbiome
• The interplay between the various reproductive microbiomes - semen, uterine, endometrial and their role in fertility and conception
• How we can modify, support and adapt the various microbiomes to support the healthiest next generation
• How the reproductive microbiome influences the next generation
• How the reproductive microbiome influences pregnancy, labour and breastfeeding
• Strategies that clinicians need to address when treating the reproductive microbiome
• The fascinating role of the oral microbiome and it’s link to many aspects of our health. Now this you have to hear
• Invivo has also generously offered 10% off the Reproductive microbiome course and the Oral microbiome testing. Please visit the show notes for further instructions
• And if you have yet to get your hands on the Advanced Clinical Naturopathic Medicine Manual - a must have for all health practitioners I highly recommend you do

#175 Ashok Gupta  suffered from ME/CFS  and managed to recover fully. Ashok has made it his life long quest to help others recover too, from similar chronic conditions.

Ashoks 20 years of research combined with the latest findings about “neuroplasticity”, lead him to believe these conditions are ultimately caused by abnormalities in brain function, which can be reversed using revolutionary “brain retraining” techniques, called "Amygdala and Insula Retraining". Despite what people may say, many people do recover successfully from these conditions, and the Gupta Program triggers the body's natural ability to heal itself.

• Ashoks amygdala and insula hypothesis
• What neuroimmune condition syndromes are (NICS)
• Common drivers of NCIS
• What the Gupta program is and how it involves retraining the amygdala and insula
• The three R’s of recovery
• Interesting case studies and research where the Gupta Program was implemented
• Ashok also generously offers the Love & Guts listener a 15% discount off his program. Simply use the code, Lynda at the checkout. This offer expires Nov 30th 2020

#174 Alyssa Tait is both a physiotherapist and a nutritionist. After doing postgraduate studies in pelvic floor as a physiotherapist, she returned to university with the drive to get even better and faster results for her patients by incorporating nutrition. Two nutrition/naturopathy qualifications later, she is still incorporating more tools to help her patients, taking on a Master of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine.

Alyssa has a bee in her bonnet about painful sex, leaky bladder, irritable bowel, chronic/recurrent urinary tract infections, all manner of horrible types of pelvic pain, and annoying itchy vaginal discharge issues, and has made it her mission to help as many as people rid themselves of these problems.

Believing that the world of orthodox medicine and natural therapies are complementary, Alyssa Tait founded Equilibria Physiotherapy & Nutrition, which uniquely bridges the gap between the two worlds. 

Intrigued by the world of women’s hormones and fertility, Alyssa Tait is is also an Accredited Teacher of the Billings Ovulation Method.

In this episode we cover:

• What the pelvic floor encompasses
• The major risk factors for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
• Signs that indicate one has pelvic floor dysfunction
• How PFD is assessed
• The difference between control type and pain type pelvic floor dysfunction
• The risks of pelvic floor exercises such as Kegels
• And so much more

#173 Dr. Tania Dempsey is an expert in chronic disease, autoimmune disorders and mast cell activation syndrome. Dr. Dempsey is sought after internationally for her knowledge of chronic immune dysregulation, and has attracted patients from Israel, England, Thailand and France. Dr. Dempsey uses integrative medicine to get to the patient's root cause(s) of their illness.  Her purpose is to understand why people get sick and to help patients understand their body and why it fails them when it does.

Dr. Dempsey is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and a Diplomate of the American Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine.

• What mast cells and mast cell activation syndrome is
• Symptoms and signs might one experience if they have MCAS
• How we differentiate between histamine intolerance and MCAS
• Triggers of MCAS
• Testing available to establish if Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) exists
• The involvement of heparin and the tryptase “issue”
• Treatment strategies
• Why diagnosis is important
• And so much more

#172 Prof Dr Karin Ried is Director of Research at the National Institute of Integrative Medicine. Dr Ried has more than 20 years’ experience in medical and public health research, and research interest in complementary and integrative medicine with a focus on nutritional health. Her current research projects encompass nutritional medicine, cardiovascular and brain health, chronic diseases and cancer. Her PhD and early postdoctoral work in human genetics at the Centre of Molecular Genetics, University of Adelaide, culminated in the discovery of various genes, one of which is involved in the development of cancer. Dr Ried is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. Her research has been featured on national radio, television, and in the print media in Australia and overseas.

In this episode we cover

• Cardiovascular disease and the drivers
• The Gut-Heart Disease Connection
• Why we need to look further than LDL and total cholesterol on blood work 
• The drivers of high LDL, in particular the fascinating role it has in infection
• Why adequate levels of cholesterol is important
• The role of garlic in cardiovascular disease
• Garlic and its potential role in athletic performance
• Other treatment strategies for cardiovascular health
• And so much more

#171 Christine is a Nutritionist and Registered Nurse and works as a Clinical Application Specialist at Microba. Christine has a passion for chronic disease prevention and further understanding the association between the microbiome and disease. She has worked in a number of settings ranging from clinical through to public health nutrition and is a board director on Nutrition Australia's National Board.

In this episode we cover

• What serotonin is commonly known for
• It’s other, fascinating not so known properties
• How serotonin is produced in the gut
• How serotonin affects gut motility
• Serotonin’s influence on pathogens and vice versa
• How to increase serotonin production
• What negatively impacts serotonin production

#170 Anna is a qualified Doula, Hypnobirthing Practitioner and mama of 3 little boys aged 3, 5 and 7. They have been living in Byron Bay since 2012. Anna started Byron Babymoon 3.5 years ago with the goal to empower women and their partners to see birth as a transformational and life changing personal journey rather than a medical event whereby one looses power over her body and choices. Anna trained as a psychologist and understands the influence of our mind during birth and the importance of mental wellbeing during pregnancy and parenthood

In this episode we cover

• What a doula is 
• How it’s different to a midwife
• Who would benefit from a doula.
• If a doula replaces the dads or partner’s role during birth

• How a doula supports the dad/partner
• What hypnobirthing is
• If developing a birth plan is worth our time
• The challenges of being a doula
• And so much more

#169 Kiran Krishnan, a research microbiologist that has been involved in the dietary supplement and nutrition market for the past 18 years. He comes from a university research background having spent several years with hands-on R&D in the fields of molecular medicine and microbiology at the University of Iowa. Kiran established a Clinical Research Organization where he designed and conducted dozens of human clinical trials in human nutrition.

Kiran is also a co-founder and partner in Nu Science Trading, LLC.; a nutritional technology development and research company. He is a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Microbiome Labs. He is a frequent lecturer on the human microbiome at medical and nutrition conferences. He is an expert guest on national and satellite radio, has appeared in several international documentaries, and has been a guest speaker on several International health summits as a microbiome expert. He is currently involved in 16 novel human clinical trials on probiotics and the human microbiome.

In this episode we cover:

• The differences between innate and adaptive immunity
• The role of the gut microbiome in the immune response
• The impact Free LPS on the immune system
• How commensal microbiota is required to fight viral infections
• The difference between a virus and bacteria
• How the success of vaccines depend on one's immune capabilities
• How to effectively improve SCFA, especially butyrate production
• Ways we can support our immune system, via the gut
• And so much more

#168 Bernadette is a birth-lover, midwife, personal trainer, author, wide, mother and creator of Core and Floor Restore. She has worked across Australia and internationally from big-city hospitals to remote Aboriginal communities to tiny pacific islands. She is passionate about every woman finding their own ability to use their bodies and minds to their greatest ability in all aspects of life. She believes strengthening your core and pelvic floor is fundamental for a healthy and strong body.

I really do wish I had more time with B and she was such a delight to chat with, open , honest, intelligent and fun. I cannot recommend her programs enough. I’m currently undertaking one now to support my core postpartum and loving it.

• Bernadette’s inspiring story
• What the core and pelvic floor encompasses
• Challenges women face when it comes to their core 
• What Diastasis Recti is, how to prevent it and how to treat it
• The dangers of getting back into exercise too quickly after birth
• What we can do on a day-to-day basis to structurally support our core
• How to baby-wear correctly
• B’s thoughts on belly wrapping
• And so much more

#167 Dr. Mona Morstein has been a naturopathic physician for thirty-one years. She graduated from and did a residency at National College of Naturopathic Medicine.  She was Chair of Nutrition, Gastroenterology professor and Clinical Supervisor at a naturopathic medical school.  She now has her own clinic, Arizona Integrative Medical Solutions, in Tempe, AZ.

Dr. Morstein has a busy gastrointestinal focused medical practice. She has been on all three SIBO SOS Summit series and has done numerous webinars/lectures on SIBO and other gastrointestinal conditions. 

Dr. Morstein is recognized as an expert on diabetes. Her 560 page book “Master Your Diabetes: A Comprehensive, Integrative Approach to Both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes,” is an in-depth, evidenced based, educational book for both patients and physicians.  She is the founder and Executive Director of the Low Carb Diabetes Association, a 501c3 education non-profit.

In this episode we cover

• How the healthy gut microbiome influences weight and appetite
• How lipopolysaccharides contribute to obesity
• The characteristics you might see in the gut microbiome of the obese
• How can evaluating the gut microbiota of infants help identify who is at risk of becoming overweight or obese.
• What are some ways that we could influence the gut microbiome and therefore reduce weight
• What functional tests Mona uses to test the gut microbiome  
• And so much more