Love & Guts

#156 Dawn Whitten is a Naturopath, Western Herbalist, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Researcher and Educator. Passionate about protecting and nurturing the microbiome of the next generation, Dawn has a broad base of clinical experience with a focus on women’s health through pregnancy and beyond, as well as infant and toddler health. She has been in clinical practice for 16+ years.

Dawn has been published in the peer-reviewed literature and has contributed to clinical textbooks (Including the Breastfeeding chapter in the soon to be published Advanced Clinical Naturopathic Medicine, Elsevier). Dawn co-coordinates two units within the Evidence-based Complementary Medicine Program in the College of Health & Medicine at the University of Tasmania. She is part of the research team at Probitic.Advisor.com and a clinical director at Goulds Natural Medicine in Hobart.

In this episode we cover:

• Why the first 1000 days of a newborn's life is crucial for shaping long term health
• What sort of health issues are linked to early microbiome disturbance
• How much an infant's microbiome is disturbed when mothers take antibiotics
• The stages of early microbiome development
• How is the infant colonised? Seeding?
• Why breastmilk is the ultimate gardener
• How does the microbiome of formula fed infants differ
• How do we support and optimise seeding
• And so much more

• Goulds Natural Medicine
• Infant Microbiome Online Course
• Probiotics supplements and the breastfeeding infant - Why Not?
• Abstracts from the 19th International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation Conference

#155 Tara Nelson, is a West Australian-based naturopath with over 24 years of clinical experience. After many years of seeing primarily thyroid conditions in her clinic, Tara went into researching for herself and further education in order to improve her clinical outcomes in her complex thyroid patients.

Tara has developed a six-week online practitioner thyroid training program to further educate practitioners in thyroid health, and thyroid case mentoring for practitioners, a practitioner affiliate program and runs an online thyroid recovery program. Tara has completed extra studies in the AIP dietary and lifestyle approach, which she utilises with many of her thyroid and other autoimmune patients.

Tara is on a mission to bring awareness and education to the public and practitioner community alike, about the importance of thyroid health on a deeper level.

• Why the big increase in thyroid disorders
• The main triggers of thyroid dysfunction
• The interplay between cortisol and the thyroid
• What to test if compromised thyroid function is suspected
• Why your GP may have barriers to testing the full thyroid profile
• Tara sheds light on cellular hypothyroidism
• Treatment
• Tara’s thyroid training program 
• And so much more

Show Notes

• Tara Nelson's Level 1 Practitioner 6 week Thyroid Course
• Tara Nelson's Clinical Mentoring for Thyroid Cases
• Naturopathic Care

#154 Dr. Will Bulsiewicz Bull-suh-wits is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine and was chief medical resident at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and chief gastroenterology fellow at the University at North Carolina Hospital. 

He won the highest award given in both his residency and fellowship. As a former junk-food junkie and ribeye steak lover, Dr. Bulsiewicz personally lost 50 pounds and radically transformed his health by discovering the healing power of fiber and transitioning to a plant-based diet. 

He then brought these methods to his clinic and witnessed his patients have amazing results. Dr. Bulsiewicz completed 8 years of formal research training, including a masters of clinical investigation from Northwestern, an epidemiology fellowship at the highly rated UNC-Gillings School of Global Public Health, and a grant from the NIH. 

His extensive research training combined with his award-winning clinical skills make him an internationally recognized leader in digestive wellness and gut health. Dr. Bulsiewicz is also the author of the upcoming book Fiber Fueled (releasing May 12, 2020).

• Myths and Truths about Fiber
• What types exists and what are their functions in the body
• The downsides to our health if we do not consume enough fibre
• Which fibres to avoid when SIBO is present
• Why we want to begin diversifying the diet to include more fibre post SIBO treatment
• How to introduce more fibre into the diet
• And loads more

#153 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.

I have wanted to get Mona on for some time now as I have seen many of her lectures and just love the way in which she delivers well researched information so clearly and with much enthusiasm. 

In this episode we cover:

• How common gallstones and cholecystectomies are
• The main reasons people get their gallbladder out
• Who is at most risk of developing gallstones
• The different types of gallstones that exist
• What Biliary Colic and cholecystitis is
• The best way to assess for gallstones
• Treatments for gallstones - conventional medicine and functional medicine 
• And so much more

#152 Dr. Corina Dunlap is a licensed naturopathic physician and medical researcher specializing in women's health.  She earned her Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine and Master of Science in Integrative Medicine Research from the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland, Oregon. She completed a 2-year accredited residency with rotations in gynecology, general endocrinology, and reproductive endocrinology. She also completed a 2-year postdoctoral research fellowship, followed by faculty placement at the School of Research and Graduate Studies. Dr. Dunlap's work is frequently published in medical journals. She is a clinician and medical consultant and often asked to write for or speak to medically trained audiences.

In this episode we cover

• How hormones influence the gut and brain
• How hormones specifically affect motility
• How poor gut health triggers AutoImmune and non-AutoImmune thyroid disease
• What the estrobolome is
• What we might expect to see with estrobolome overgrowth and reduced biodiversity
• How endocrine disrupting chemicals affect gut health
• and so much more

#151 Dr. Crane Holmes is a naturopathic physician who strives to provide high-quality, compassionate and individualized care to discover the underlying causes of system imbalances whether physical or emotional.

He has a private practice in Portland Oregon where he specializes in digestive issues and men’s health. He is the owner and operator of the SIBO Testing Center where he strives as a small business owner to educate naturopaths on the treatment and diagnosis of SIBO.

 He completed two years of medical residency under Dr. Steven Sandberg-Lewis and NUNM Health Centers focusing on gastroenterology and primary care. His clinical internships included rotations with medical professionals in both the naturopathic and conventional medical fields allowing him to confidently integrate the modalities of nutrition, botanical medicine, homeopathy, nature cure, and pharmaceuticals into achieving optimal wellness.

He continues to collaborate with NUNM as an adjunct professor teaching dermatology, minor surgery and gastroenterology and is a board member of the GastroANP focusing on post-graduate education with the ultimate goal of creating a fellowship in naturopathic gastroenterology.

In this episode we cover:

• What are the common Anorectal Disorders
• Symptoms that may indicate someone may have an anorectal disorder
• Assessments for anorectal disorders
• Haemorrhoids - what is it, why does it happen and what we can do about it
• Anal fissures - what is it, why does it happen and what we can do about it
• Fecal incontinence - what is it, the different types, why does it happen and what we can do about it
• Pruritus Ani 
• And so much more

#150 Dr Sarah Buckley is trained as a GP (family physician)  with qualifications in GP obstetrics. She is the author of the internationally best-selling book Gentle Birth. Gentle Mothering and the scientific report Hormonal Physiology of Childbearing, published with Childbirth Connection (US) in 2015.

Sarah is also mother to four children, all naturally born and raised, now happy and healthy in their teens and twenties.

Sarah’s work supports parents to be well informed, and to listen to their hearts and instincts, and take their rightful place as the real experts in their bodies, babies, and families.

Sarah currently works as a writer and lecturer on pregnancy, birth and parenting and is also a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. 

See www.sarahbuckley.com  and her Hormonal Physiology report at http://transform.childbirthconnection.org/reports/physiology/

Sarah speaks so passionately about gentle birthing and gentle mothering that my pregnant self can not help but get excited for now and what's to come. I am so very grateful that pioneers like Sarah exist to empower women and families in what could be one of the most glorious times in their lives.

In the episode we cover

• Where the passion for pregnancy, gentle birth and parenting came from
• What is an ecstatic birth
• The four major hormonal systems active during labour and birth
• The role of oxytocin during labour and postpartum and the practices that negatively impact their function
• How mum’s giving birth during the covid - 19 pandemic can still have an ecstatic birth
• How our hormones ‘behave’ in that first hour after birth and how can we work with them harmoniously
• And so much more

#149 Moira Bradfield, founder of Intimate Ecology clinical and education services, is a Naturopath, Acupuncturist and educator with over 18 years clinical experience. She has a passion for helping people experience optimal health in sustainable and sensible ways. Clinically she has a niche interest in recurrent vaginal infections, the vaginal microbiome and their associated impact in health and disease.

In 2019 Moira is embarking on formal research with Griffith University as part of commencement of PhD studies in the area of the vaginal microbiome and conditions of vaginal dysbiosis.

• Why Moira is so interested in vaginal/ vulval health
• The changes that commonly occur in the vagina and vulva during menopause
• How this presents symptomatically
• Aerobic vaginitis. What is it and how does it present in menopause
• How does it differ from BV
• Clinical treatment for aerobic vaginitis and menopause

#148 Dr Jason Hawrelak is a research scientist, educator, naturopath and Western herbalist with more than 18 years’ clinical experience. Jason practices at Goulds Natural Medicine, a 136-year-old natural medicine apothecary and clinic located in central Hobart. He did his Honours and PhD degrees examining the causes of dysbiosis and the capacity of probiotics, prebiotics and herbal medicines to modify the gut microbiome and has written extensively in the medical literature on these topics – including 16 textbook chapters.

He is on the Medical Nutrition Council of the American Society for Nutrition and was recently awarded a Fellowship from the American College of Nutrition for his significant contributions to the teaching and practice of nutrition in Australia and North America. Jason is also a Fellow of the Naturopaths and Herbalists Association of Australia. He is Chief Research Officer at ProbioticAdvisor.com, which offers a searchable database that enables easy, evidence-based prescribing of probiotic products and online resources for clinicians, and health-conscious members of the public, to learn more about the human microbiome and how they can positively influence these ecosystems.

• What a probiotic is and how they work in our body
• In last week's episode there was discussion that probiotics could be classified into three categories and that all you need to do is use one quality formula from each category, together. Jason and I challenge this idea
• What spore forming bacteria is
• How the gut and gut bacteria are tied to the immune system 
• Specific probiotic strains that support immune function, respiratory health and even stress and anxiety during these challenging times
• How supplemental probiotics differ from food based probiotics such as kimchi, sauerkraut, yoghurt, kefir, pickles etc
• How to ensure that we are getting a good quality probiotic which matches the claims made on that supplement
• And so much more

#147 Firstly, how are you? It's a rather surreal time in our world at the moment and I hope that you are keeping safe and sane. As mentioned in the last episode I will not dedicate all of my upcoming podcast episodes to Covid - 19. I feel it's important to have platforms where we can fill our brains, mind and body with content other than Covid-19.

If you are after some informative podcasts and webinars on covid-19 I recommend Chris Kresser, Gregg Braddon and even Patrick Mckeown. They have some practical and easily accessible tools to help keep the calm and support the self, mind and body during these times.

So on that note, let me introduce my podcast guest. Dr Micheal Ruscio. Michael Ruscio is a doctor of natural medicine, Doctor of Chiropractic, clinical researcher and author whose practical ideas on healing chronic illness have made him an influential voice in functional and alternative medicine. His work has been published in peer-reviewed medical journals and he speaks at integrative medical conferences across the globe. Dr. Ruscio also runs an influential website and podcast at DrRuscio.com, in addition to his clinical practice located in northern California.

• If SIBO exists
• What is SIBO not
• How do we currently test for SIBO
• What are the testing pitfalls and how do we avoid them
• Why is SIBO treatment not necessary for all who have SIBO
• Are SIBO treatments effective
• Dr Ruscio’s recommendation to practitioners who may be overzealous with SIBO investigation
• It’s always interesting to get a different view from practitioners and while at times I was challenged personally I do appreciate having these conversations and the different insight. Make sure you listen to next week’s podcast (or the one after) where some of these views may yet again be challenged.