Love & Guts

#256 Emily started her career as an archaeologist specialising in prehistoric human nutrition before training as a Nutritional Therapist to translate her enthusiasm for human nutrition into personalised, cutting-edge nutritional and lifestyle medicine. Emily has five years of clinical experience within the industry from running her own private practice, working within the supplement industry, and lecturing in Nutritional Therapy around the country.

In this episode we cover

• What is meant by the term 'missing microbes'
• How can missing microbes be linked to disease
• What can cause marked disruption of the commensal gut microbiota
• What happens when commensal species start to seek alternative sources of fuel
• What bacterial syntrophy is
• How can we replace/nurture missing microbes
• And so much more

#255 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 book Fiber Fueled and the Fiber Fueled Cookbook.

In this episode we cover

• The difference between food intolerances and food allergies
• Why food intolerances happen
• Histamine intolerance and histamine's relationship to estrogen
• What the gold standard way of diagnosing food intolerances and food allergies are and if these methods are flawed
• If food intolerances can be healed
• Strategies to improve digestive function and food intolerance
• And so much more

#254 Mark Pimentel, is Professor of Medicine at Geffen School of Medicine and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He is also the Executive Director of the Medically Associated Science and Technology (MAST) Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Pimentel completed 3 years of an undergraduate degree in honors microbiology and biochemistry. This was followed by his medical degree, and his BSc (Med) from the University of Manitoba Health Sciences Center, where he also completed a residency in internal medicine. His medical training includes a fellowship in gastroenterology at the UCLA Affiliated Training Program. Active in research, Dr. Pimentel has served as a principal investigator or co-investigator for numerous basic science, translational and clinical studies in such areas as IBS, and the relationship between gut flora composition and human disease. His work has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, American Journal of Physiology, American Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Gastroenterology and Digestive Diseases and Sciences, among others. Dr. Pimentel is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine (Gastroenterology) and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

• Exciting new developments with SIBO research
• What the research says on PPI's increasing the risk of SIBO
• Current treatment for hydrogen sulphide treatment
• Why methane overgrowth (IMO) is so stubborn to treat
• Sibo diet post active treatment - how long to keep people on it
• The impact of ageing on the small intestine and the link between Scleroderma and antivinculin antibodies
• The preferred substrate for SIBO breath testing
• The Microbiome Connection book
• And so much more

#253 Dr. Gurevich is a naturopathic physician and acupuncturist. She is currently co-owner of two large integrative medical clinics, one in northwest Portland and one in northeast Portland. She runs a very busy private practice specializing in treating inflammatory bowel disease as well as IBS/SIBO and functional GI disorders.

She lectures extensively and teaches about both conventional and natural treatments for inflammatory bowel disease as well as SIBO and IBS. She is one of the foremost experts on the intersection of IBD and IBS and how treating one resolves the other.

Dr. Gurevich also acts as a mentor in the naturopathic community educating about GI disorders. She supervises residents and consults with physicians about their most difficult GI cases. Dr. Gurevich was nominated as one of Portland Top Docs by the Portland Monthly in both 2014 and 2016.

In this episode we cover

• What Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and Bile acid malabsorption is and their link to diarrhoea
• The underlying causes of these conditions
• Symptoms someone may express if they experience any of these conditions
• Steatorrhea - what is it?
• Complications and consequences that can occur if left untreated
• Strategies and interventions
• Diagnosis of these conditions
• And so much more

#252 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.

In this episode we cover

• What Vaginal Lactobacilliosis and Cytolytic vaginosis is
• Why they often are described as one disorder and what the microbiome and diagnostic differences between the two are
• Other conditions that these may be mistaken for such as vulvovaginal candidiasis
• Why they occur
• How we diagnose
• Treatment strategies
• And much more
• Moira also has a valuable webinar available for practitioners and the public on these often confusing conditions. (I highly recommend)

#251 Nicole Bijlsma is a woman of passion, and her passion lies in environmental medicine. Nicole was a former naturopath and acupuncturist with 15 years of clinical experience who changed her career pathway to become a building biologist after noticing a strong correlation with many of her patients illnesses and health hazards in their home.

Nicole is the author of the best seller Healthy Home, Healthy Family, was a columnist for Body+Soul (Herald Sun) and is frequently consulted by the media to comment on health hazards in the built environment (The 7PM Project, Sunrise, The Today Show, The Circle, Channel 7 News, Today Tonight, Channel 74, ABC radio, Fox FM, numerous webinars and podcasts).

Nicole has thirty years experience lecturing at tertiary institutions in nutrition, Chinese Medicine and environmental medicine, and has published in peer-reviewed journals. Her extensive knowledge in environmental medicine has seen her speak at various conferences both in Australia and abroad (USA, Thailand and New Zealand).

Nicole single handedly established the building biology industry in Australia, was the former President of the Australasian Society of Building Biologists and established the Australian College of Environmental Studies in 1999 to educate people about the health hazards in the built environment. The college is the only institution in Australia to provide nationally accredited training in Building Biology and Feng Shui. Nicole is currently completing her PhD investigating health hazards in the built environment under the supervision of Professor Marc Cohen at RMIT. For information about her research

• What different forms of mould related illness exist
• The obvious and not so obvious signs that a house may be experiencing issues with mould
• What may someone experience physically/emotionally when they are exposed to dampness
• Mould - is it all bad news or does it serve a purpose? Why is it important to get to the source (water damage) itself rather than being focused on mould.
• Nicole's thoughts on Clove oil, vinegar, bleach, and air purifiers (how effective or ineffective are they?)
• Following a flood how long does it take for mould to take hold? And what can we do to prevent?
• When mould has been identified in ones home, car or working environment, what steps should one take?
• And so much more

#250 Dr. Paula Smith-Brown is the Clinical Science Lead at Microba and an Adjunct Lecturer at the Centre for Microbiome Research at The Queensland University of Technology. She is a PhD-qualified Accredited Practising Dietitian who combines her experience as a microbiome researcher and healthcare professional to translate the latest science on the gut microbiome into practical clinical application. Dr. Paula Smith-Brown has a specialist interest in infant and child nutrition and allergies and intolerances in all ages and is the founder of the ABC nutrition clinic.

In this episode we cover

• The prevalence of allergies in children
• Why children in Australia are getting more early-onset eczema and allergies
• The importance of the microbiome in immune development
• What families who can not breastfeed can do to support a child's health
• Why not all topical nappy cream preparations are great
• Why timely introduction of complementary foods is important
• Strategies to prevent allergy
• And so much more

#249 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.

In this episode we cover

• The difference between hyperthyroidism and Graves disease
• The prevalence of these
• Signs, symptoms, and drivers
• To iodine or not to iodine
• How Hyperthyroidism and Graves present on bloodwork
• How practitioners and patients can perform a thyroid physical assessment
• Treatment strategies
• And so much more
• I am making this ep live today rather than tomorrow as Tara is offering a free masterclass TODAY called "Why you can't lose weight even though your thyroid levels are normal"

#248 Gavin Guard believes that the average doctor visit is not giving patients the time and support they deserve. He graduated summa cum laude from Whitman College with a bachelor's in biochemistry before completing graduate medical school training at the University of Colorado.

Since then, he's completed training with the Institute for Functional Medicine, is a Kresser Institute ADAPT Level 1 Clinician, a Precision Nutrition Level 1 nutrition coach, an AIP Certified Coach, and is a Certified Sports Nutritionist. His main clinical focuses include digestive disorders and metabolic disease like weight gain, diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease.

He is bringing the latest medical research to the forefront of clinical patient care. He wakes up every morning to help patients find lasting solutions to their health so that they can experience hope and feel restored.

In this episode we cover

• The thyroid-gut axis
• Patterns in the microbiome that we may see
• The impact of dysbiosis
• Why we might see Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease co-occur with Celiac Disease and Non-celiac wheat sensitivity
• Treatment strategies
• And so much more

#247 Dr. Drossman received gastroenterology training at the University of North Carolina where he founded the UNC Center for Functional GI and Motility Disorders. Dr Drossman is currently the Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Psychiatry in Gastroenterology at UNC. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, a Master of the American College of Gastroenterology, Past-President of the American Psychosomatic Society (1997). Dr. Drossman has established multiple organizations to advance patient-centered education and treatment of Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction (DGBI). He founded the Rome Foundation, and served as president until 2019, and is currently the President Emeritus and Chief of Operations. He has served as Senior Editor of Rome I, II, III, IV and is co-senior editor of Rome V to be released in 2026.

As a gastroenterologist, Dr. Drossman consults or manages the care of difficult-to-diagnose and -treat patients with DGBIs. As Founder and President of DrossmanCare (Center for Education and Practice of Biopsychosocial Care) Dr. Drossman produces educational materials to teach communication skills and patient-centered care. He has published peer-reviewed articles and videotapes on medical interviewing and the patient-doctor relationship. He also facilitates workshops and communication skills training programs and has received numerous awards, as an educator and practitioner.

Most recently he co-authored a book with a patient advocate called Gut Feelings: Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction and the Patient-Doctor Relationship for patients and clinicians. Dr. Drossman has written over 500 articles and book chapters serves on six editorial and advisory boards, was Associate Editor of the journal Gastroenterology and was the Gastroenterology Section Editor of the Merck Manual for 17 years. His research relates to the clinical, epidemiological, psychosocial, and treatment aspects of gastrointestinal disorders, and he has been principal investigator in several NIH-funded epidemiological outcomes, clinical trials, and abuse grants in DGBI and has done brain imaging in IBS.

In this episode we cover:

• What is constipation
• The different types of constipation - including primary and secondary
• Dyssynergic defecation - drivers and signs and symptoms
• What investigations are carried out by a gastroenterologist to confirm this
• Treatments commonly recommended or administered by gastroenterologists or GI motility specialists
• Why effective communication skills and patient-centered care are needed
• What are some ways that patients can improve their communication with doctors
• Get your hands on the book Gut feelings
• And so much more