You don’t have to look too far to find frustrating and disparate advice, especially in the world of medicine. Perhaps one of the more notable cases in recent years involves the rise of probiotic supplements. For many medical providers, both those within the functional medicine focus and outside of it, the advice to add a…
When a patient complains of subtle bloating and heartburn, typically doctors diagnose them with high stomach acid and prescribe acid-blockers. However, reducing stomach acid frequently compounds the problem because in many cases the issue isn’t high, but low stomach acid caused by a pervasive H. pylori infection. H. pylori is a common bacterium that burrows…
We’re led to believe there are good and bad bacteria, and that if you take good bacteria then it will support your gut health. However, we now know probiotics have a completely different effects from one person to the next. This is going to change how they are used in medical practice. So how do…
Gastrointestinal problems are some of the most common complaints functional medicine practitioners face from new patients. However, many practitioners treat the gut with a one-size-fits-all protocol — probiotics, digestive enzymes, gut supplements, and a gut-healing diet that cuts out all the “bad” foods. Unfortunately, many patients continue to suffer because a cookie-cutter approach doesn’t work…