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Fix Your Allergies By Fixing Your Gut And Changing Your Diet with Dr. Cindy Geyer

Aug 30, 2021

Guest

Cindy Geyer

Dr. Cindy Geyer, a triple board-certified physician specializing in integrative and lifestyle medicine, dives into the link between gut health and seasonal allergies. She explains how our immune system's response to allergens can be traced back to early life influences. They discuss the importance of breastfeeding for establishing a healthy gut microbiome and how nature play can enhance children's microbiota. Dr. Geyer emphasizes dietary changes and lifestyle modifications as natural alternatives to traditional allergy treatments, focusing on root causes rather than just symptoms.

31:41

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INSIGHT

The Allergy Problem

Allergies are rising, causing fatigue and other symptoms.
Traditional treatments often involve steroids, which can have negative side effects.

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INSIGHT

Early Life Influences on Allergies

Early life exposures, like C-sections and less dirt exposure, increase allergy risk.
Conversely, vaginal births, farm life, and pets decrease the risk.

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ANECDOTE

Dr. Geyer's Allergy Experience

Dr. Geyer had chronic allergies despite growing up with typical allergy-protective factors.
Eliminating dairy, to which she had antibodies, reduced her allergy symptoms.

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Understanding Allergies: Causes and Treatments

04:53 • 5min

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The Impact of Microbiota on Immune Health in Infants

09:53 • 3min

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Breastfeeding and Gut Health Connections

13:22 • 13min

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Exploring Gut Health and Allergies Through Nature Play

Martin Blazer's "Missing Microbes" explores the connection between the rise of chronic diseases and the widespread use of antibiotics. The book argues that the overuse of antibiotics, both in medicine and animal agriculture, has disrupted the human microbiome, leading to various health problems. Blazer presents evidence suggesting that a balanced microbiome is crucial for overall health and well-being. He discusses the role of gut bacteria in various bodily functions and how their disruption can contribute to chronic illnesses. The book advocates for a more cautious and targeted approach to antibiotic use to preserve the beneficial bacteria in the gut.

Epidemic of Absence

Moises Velasquez-Manoff

This book delves into the dramatic increase in allergic and autoimmune diseases, attributing it to the loss of critical immune stimuli as societies modernized. Velasquez-Manoff discusses how the absence of certain parasites and microbes, which were once part of the human microbiota, may have led to immune system malfunctions. The book examines various aspects, including the lower prevalence of allergies in farmers' children, the impact of modern hygiene practices, and the potential benefits of restoring the human ecosystem through controversial therapies such as deliberate infection with parasitic worms. It also touches on the link between immune system dysfunction and conditions like autism and cancer, and the fetal origins of allergic diseases.

Fix Your Allergies By Fixing Your Gut And Changing Your Diet | This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health and MitoPure

Seasonal allergies are something we’re all familiar with, whether you’re personally affected or not—and they’re rising in prevalence. Allergies occur when the immune system reacts to substances in the environment making IgE antibodies that trigger mast cells to release histamine. High histamine levels cause symptoms like itchy watery eyes, sneezing, stuffy nose, headaches, and more. Conventional treatments may help reduce symptoms temporarily, but they often include steroids which can be detrimental to your immune system, may contribute to osteoporosis, and, most importantly, don’t address the root cause of the immune dysregulation.

In this episode, Dr. Hyman discusses seasonal allergies with Dr. Cindy Geyer. They talk about how our early life informs the immune system and what steps parents can take to ensure a healthy gut flora and healthy immune system, right from the start. They also discuss ways to address the root cause of the allergy symptoms using diet, supplements, stress reduction, and more.

Dr. Cindy Geyer received her Bachelor of Science and her Doctor of Medicine degrees, with honors, from the Ohio State University. She completed residency in internal medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. and is triple board certified in internal medicine, integrative medicine, and lifestyle medicine. She joined The Ultrawellness Center in 2021 after practicing and serving as the medical director at Canyon Ranch for 23 years. She has served on the Board of Directors for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and is a recently elected fellow of ACLM. Dr. Geyer has been a core faculty member at The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM) for 20 years, teaching physicians and other healthcare professionals how to use food and lifestyle to address health concerns in their own lives and those of their patients. A clinician, educator, and avid hiker, she is passionate about collaborative approaches to health and wellness: from the integrative team model in working with individual patients, to community partnerships that together can affect healthy changes in the places people live and work.

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health and MitoPure.

Rupa Health is a place for Functional Medicine practitioners to access more than 2,000 specialty lab tests from over 20 labs like DUTCH, Vibrant America, Genova, Great Plains, and more. You can check out a free live demo with a Q&A or create an account at RupaHealth.com.

Right now, Timeline Nutrition is offering Doctor’s Farmacy listeners 10% off MitoPure, which you can get in a capsule, powder, or protein blend. Just go to timelinenutrition.com/drhyman and use the code DRHYMAN10.

In this conversation, Dr. Hyman and Dr. Geyer discuss:

How your environment since birth informs your immune system

Why over-the-counter allergy medications that include steroids can help in the short term, but may have negative long term implications

Benefits of breast milk and vaginal seeding in preventing and reducing allergies

How addressing other issues in the body can help to reduce allergies

Why the low histamine diet is a consideration for people who have severe allergies

Supplements to support the body and immune system

Stress reduction techniques that help support the nervous system

Worms as a treatment option for allergies

Nature’s medicine to calm the nervous system and stabilize the immune system

Additional Resources

The Problem With Our Vanishing Bacteria

https://drhyman.com/blog/2019/05/21/the-problem-with-our-vanishing-bacteria/

What Does Your Microbiome Have to Do With Soil?

https://drhyman.com/blog/2019/05/17/what-does-your-microbiome-have-to-do-with-soil/

What is Leaky Gut and How Can You Treat It?

https://drhyman.com/blog/2020/03/20/podcast-hc2/

Behind the Scenes with Ara Katz, Pioneering Microbiome Entrepreneur, Mom, and Co-Founder of Seed

https://drhyman.com/blog/2019/11/26/behind-the-scenes-with-ara-katz-pioneering-microbiome-entrepreneur-mom-and-co-founder-of-seed/

Supporting the Vaginal Microbiome, the Root Cause of Acne, and Why Your Dog Has Leaky Gut with Kiran Krishnan

https://drhyman.com/blog/2019/09/12/bb-ep71/

Getting to Know Your Gut Bugs: Akkermansia Muciniphila

https://drhyman.com/blog/2021/07/26/akkermansia-muciniphila/

Books mentioned in this episode

An Epidemic of Absence by Moises Valesquz-Manoff

Missing Microbes by Martin Blaser

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