Dr. Ruscio Radio, DC: Health, Nutrition and Functional Healthcare

It can be useful for all of us to have nutrition and fitness guidance every now and then, to pull us out of ruts and encourage greater breadth and balance in our routines. Those who have adopted a paleo-style diet may trend towards a too high fat intake and may be surprised to learn that there are situations where high carbs lead to higher performance. For those who lift weights only, adding endurance/cardio may contribute to greater longevity. Varying one’s nutritional intake and types of activity can also increase metabolic flexibility (the body transitions between using macronutrients more flexibly). Dr. Mike T. Nelson takes us through an optimized hierarchy of the top eight diet and lifestyle interventions. https://drruscio.com/?p=32209 My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook/ Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources

Juan was facing an autoimmune arthritis condition, gut issues, and infertility. After trying a prescription drug that made him feel worse, he turned to healing his gut and mixed fasting with the elemental diet. In taking these steps, Juan was able to eliminate his symptoms—like joint pain, fatigue, and inflammation—and his wife became pregnant. The elemental diet is a liquid diet in which the contents are broken down into essential elements that can be quickly absorbed by the gut. Elemental Heal is the elemental diet formula that Juan used. If you’ve already tried diet, lifestyle, probiotics, and other interventions and still have lingering symptoms, personalizing the elemental diet (explained below) may be a good option to explore. https://drruscio.com/?p=32206 My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook/ Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources

The autoimmune paleo (or AIP) diet and community support together can benefit patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, according to a landmark study. AIP removes nightshades, eggs, nuts, seeds, ghee, and caffeine, in addition to standard paleo restrictions. The study’s community support (which included online health coaching) contributed to 90-100% adherence to this diet. Interestingly, multiple participants improved symptomatically and/or were able to reduce thyroid medication, while their antibody levels didn’t change. This suggests that caution is warranted when drawing conclusions about one’s health status from thyroid antibody levels. In this podcast, Dr. Robert Abbott—third-time guest on the show and researcher on the study—discusses other health lessons, and insights on beneficial clinical models. https://drruscio.com/?p=32044 My new book is finally available: Healthy Gut, Healthy You. Click here to learn more: https://drruscio.com/getgutbook/ Looking for more? Check out our resource page that includes how to become a patient, how to pick up a copy of my new book, how to sign up for my clinical training newsletter, and more. https://drruscio.com/resources

Some articles circulate online claiming that low-carb or ketogenic diets starve your gut bacteria and are thus unhealthy. But these diets are not bad for your gut health. The claims are misleading: while they may starve some bacterial populations, they may promote the growth of others. These diets may not work for everyone. If you feel fatigued or irritable on a low-carb or keto diet, a moderate to higher-carb diet might be more ideal for your body. A diet low in fermentable carbs (called the low FODMAP diet) is worth considering if you suffer gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, or other digestive challenges. https://drruscio.com/?p=32042 My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook/ Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources

A GI functional marker test, or test of gut function, can be very useful to detect some gut conditions. It can help diagnose inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), predict pancreatic insufficiency (or need for digestive enzymes), and potentially detect leaky gut. However, patients should beware of paying attention to markers like secretory IgA, fecal lysozyme, chymotrypsin and beta-glucuronidase that are problematic or unvalidated. Also—because lab testing processes vary and markers can be difficult to filter even for clinicians—it’s important that patients work with an experienced clinician in order to properly interpret their results. https://drruscio.com/?p=31764 My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook/ Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources

Leaky gut syndrome—also known as increased intestinal permeability—is a state in which the intestinal lining becomes damaged. This allows toxins, bacteria, and foreign particles to leak into the bloodstream. Robust research shows links between leaky gut (and other gut issues) and brain-based issues like cognition and mood. For example, intestinal infection was associated with later onset of anxiety. In other research, elevated zonulin (a marker of leaky gut) was correlated with higher psychological distress and social impairment. Evidence also shows that probiotics and gut-supporting nutrients can help heal these issues. Learn more about what steps to take below. https://drruscio.com/?p=31762 My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook/ Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources

Neuroscience research has revealed and continues to show the wide-ranging health benefits of meditation. These benefits range from lower inflammation in the body to emotional resilience to increased compassion. A small investment of time daily, just 10-20 minutes, can yield many returns on effectiveness in multiple areas of one’s life. But it can sometimes be challenging for beginners to figure out what to do or what the process even looks like. Researcher and meditation teacher Ashok Gupta shares his recommendations for getting started, by becoming an observer of your thoughts and feelings. https://drruscio.com/?p=31643 My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook/ Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources

Medicinal cannabis has been studied and administered for health benefits like chronic pain reduction and chemotherapy-induced nausea. Compelling—while currently more limited—evidence shows that a small, controlled dose of cannabis can also improve sexual function in the four main domains: libido, arousal, orgasm, and bonding. The optimal medium to use is cannabis flower (to avoid harmful byproducts and have predictable effects) with a vaporizer that has proper temperature regulation and dose control. It’s also important to wait about 10-15 minutes between each inhalation because effects are delayed. Just one or two puffs has impact for most at the recommended dose, and more can be counterproductive. See more details in Dr. Jordan Tishler’s protocol below. https://drruscio.com/?p=31641 My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook/ Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources

Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) is an inflammatory response in the body that may affect multiple systems—like digestive, respiratory, nervous, musculoskeletal, pulmonary—and is generally brought on by environmental exposure or infection. The most common trigger for CIRS is mold and mycotoxins from buildings with water damage. If you see health changes after a water leak, moving to a new residence (or office), or even after a brief exposure like a hotel stay, consider mold and CIRS a possibility. Tick-borne illnesses can also impact CIRS. The ERMI test may be useful to detect mold in your home. Some CIRS sufferers may be able to resolve their symptoms after a supplement protocol and ending exposure to the triggering toxins. Others may need to try further measures such as limbic system retraining. https://drruscio.com/?p=31402 My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook/ Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources

A large, 20-year study of farmers shows associations between exposure to certain pesticides and herbicides and an increased risk of hypothyroidism. Many of these chemicals are still in use. Note that the study measured occupational use, or very high exposure. Another study which measured pesticide levels in the blood—after participants ate organic versus conventional food—showed higher levels of pesticides in the blood of those who ate conventional food. Eating organic food whenever possible may help to moderate risk to your thyroid from pesticides and herbicides. https://drruscio.com/?p=31400 My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook/ Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources