Though it’s often overlooked or misunderstood, there is a strong gut-thyroid connection. This may make it tricky for patients to pinpoint what’s causing their symptoms of brain fog, fatigue, gas, bloating, and anxiety. In this podcast, I walk through the treatment of a patient of mine, Beth, whose labs showed she had hypothyroidism, but despite taking thyroid medication and trying a variety of diets like autoimmune paleo and low FODMAP, she still wasn’t feeling relief. Tune in to learn how we he...
Mar 16, 2022•28 min•Ep 347•Transcript available on Metacast Are you thinking of taking digestive enzymes for your digestive symptoms? Digestive enzymes are one of the most frequently recommended supplements in the wellness industry for digestive health, but does research support their use for IBS? There isn’t a lot of research to go by, but what’s there does suggest that enzymes improve IBS symptoms like bloating and abdominal pain. Let’s explore what digestive enzymes are, what research actually shows about their effectiveness for IBS symptoms, and how ...
Mar 14, 2022•17 min•Ep 347•Transcript available on Metacast When stress, chronic pain or illness, a sleep disorder, or an imbalance in gut bacteria are present, a good night’s sleep can be difficult to achieve. Knowing that sleep is imperative for our emotional and physical wellbeing, it’s crucially important to uncover what can help those experiencing poor sleep. In this podcast, I speak with neurologist Dr. Stasha Gominak about her research about the connections between gut health, vitamin intake, and sleep. Listen in now. https://www.drruscio.com/vita...
Mar 09, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep 346•Transcript available on Metacast When Julie came into the clinic, she was doing many things right - like cutting out certain inflammatory foods and managing stress levels. However, her symptoms of diarrhea, abdominal pain, and distention were disrupting her life. Dr. Joe Mather, medical director of The Ruscio Institute for Functional Medicine, focused on finding the root causes of her symptoms to help formulate a treatment plan and help her feel better. Some of these treatments included eating an anti-inflammatory diet, incorpo...
Mar 07, 2022•16 min•Ep 346•Transcript available on Metacast Advances in epigenetics show exciting potential for helping to treat disease and slow the aging process. Podcast guest Dr. Kara Fitzgerald has made an important contribution to this field with a new study of epigenetics and aging. Her groundbreaking clinical trial found that biological age can be reversed by more than 3 years by introducing simple diet and lifestyle modifications. In short, genetics do not necessarily determine our health destiny. Listen to our discussion and prepare to have you...
Mar 02, 2022•55 min•Ep 345•Transcript available on Metacast Recent clinical trials on the use of probiotics with children found evidence of effectiveness for colic, intestinal infection, atopic dermatitis, and upper respiratory infection. New benefits were identified for adults, as well. The studies include a look at the benefits of dead vs. live probiotics, which should be of interest to anyone who has ever forgotten to put the bottle back in the fridge. Evidence continues to mount for the potential of probiotic supplements to address a wide variety of ...
Feb 28, 2022•27 min•Ep 345•Transcript available on Metacast If you’re facing a diagnosis of autoimmune skin disease, like psoriasis or scleroderma, you may want to start paying attention to your gut and take action. One of the first steps you can take is to switch to an anti-inflammatory diet and make simple lifestyle changes. Studies show that steering clear of gluten, getting exercise or movement, and being outside in the sun absorbing Vitamin D can reduce inflammation and intestinal permeability. This can also reduce symptoms like lesions, rashes, and...
Feb 23, 2022•19 min•Ep 344•Transcript available on Metacast While there are a few ways to assess the presence of Hashimoto’s, thyroglobulin (Tg) antibody tests, in particular, can suffer from false positives. This may mislead patients into thinking they have Hashimoto’s. It's crucially important to move over to a model of treating patients and not treating only labs. In this podcast, I speak about a patient who was told he had Hashimoto's disease, but his symptoms, health history, and response to treatment were telling a different story. Listen in now to...
Feb 21, 2022•28 min•Ep 344•Transcript available on Metacast There are many symptoms associated with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Some directly affect the digestive system, such as diarrhea, bloating, and indigestion, while others like fatigue, brain fog, and joint pain can seem vague with no evident cause. Here’s an overview of why SIBO causes so many symptoms, what the treatment is, and how poor gut health may be the root cause of your fatigue and other non-digestive symptoms. https://drruscio.com/sibo-fatigue/ My book Healthy Gut, Heal...
Feb 16, 2022•16 min•Ep 343•Transcript available on Metacast When Jeff came into the clinic, his primary symptom was chronic, non-responsive brain fog. The strategies we used to finally clear this fog included improving Jeff’s breathing, modifying his fitness program, and making his diet LESS restrictive by increasing his carb intake. This case study is a great example of a personalized diet making a huge difference. If you’ve been following a strict low FODMAP or low carb diet and you’re not noticing an improvement in symptoms, you may, like Jeff, be som...
Feb 14, 2022•24 min•Ep 343•Transcript available on Metacast Feb 14, 2022•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast A scientifically validated tool for diagnosing gut dysbiosis has recently appeared on the market. Developed by a pair of researchers in Norway, the GA-map® test enables clinicians to quantify a diagnosis of IBS or IBD based on lab markers rather than relying on symptom reporting. This makes it possible to determine appropriate treatment for gut issues with a greater degree of specificity and accuracy than ever before. https://drruscio.com/ga-map-test-for-dysbiosis My book Healthy Gut, Healthy Yo...
Feb 09, 2022•55 min•Ep 342•Transcript available on Metacast It’s an all-too-common experience in healthcare for patients to feel unheard and unseen by healthcare providers, who can sometimes prioritize lab results over their patient’s experience. And this isn’t limited to conventional medical doctors or specialists. It happens in functional medicine, too. And when it happens, the patient is profoundly underserved. In this video, I speak with Danielle, a former patient who explains how her gut symptoms resolved when all the pieces (including the psycholog...
Feb 07, 2022•30 min•Ep 342•Transcript available on Metacast At the Ruscio Institute for Functional Medicine, we personalize care based upon a four-part order of operations: History Symptoms Treatment response Lab work In the third and final video of my patient education series, I explain how our process ensures a science-driven, patient-centered model that results in better outcomes than a model based upon emotion, algorithms, and marketing. https://youtu.be/ATyZ19IL7Q8 My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook If y...
Feb 04, 2022•22 min•Ep 341•Transcript available on Metacast One of the core principles guiding our work at the clinic is the idea that treating the patient - rather than just lab numbers - leads to better outcomes and at less cost. In the second video of my 3-part patient education series, I explain how relying on lab work - from allergy testing, SIBO tests, and adrenal cortisol tests - rather than treating the symptoms, is less likely to result in benefits to the patient - and may even cause harm. https://drruscio.com/food-allergy-lab-testing-vs-diet-ch...
Feb 02, 2022•17 min•Ep 341•Transcript available on Metacast Scientific research tells us that treatment approaches in functional medicine are best decided by looking at patients and their symptoms rather than allowing lab results to dictate those decisions. In this video series, I provide a short checklist to help educate patients and clinicians about best practices. Video 1 discusses why weeding out unnecessary tests reduces costs and improves health outcomes. https://youtu.be/bwGd8H2wTmc My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio...
Jan 31, 2022•18 min•Ep 341•Transcript available on Metacast Today we answer listener questions, including: Is leaky gut real or is it a theoretical marker? Without a functioning thyroid gland, can healing gut issues make a difference in my need for thyroid meds? Could the Prep Diet for SIBO tests provoke a false positive? Do your probiotics absorb well in the small intestine? What is the appropriate probiotic dosage for young children? Is NMN (an anti-aging supplement) helpful for IBS? Are thyroid supplements like selenium and l-carnitine safe to take wi...
Jan 26, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep 340•Transcript available on Metacast The latest batch of clinical research into probiotics therapy includes findings about the effectiveness of probiotics for children with IBS and other conditions, respiratory tract infections, atopic dermatitis, athletic performance, C. difficile, chronic diarrhea, and more. I also discuss the importance of moving away from strain-specific and species-specific bias in probiotics use, the pitfalls of an overly cautious approach to probiotics dosing, why we at the clinic address gut health before a...
Jan 24, 2022•35 min•Ep 340•Transcript available on Metacast The first installment of our monthly patient support call covers a lot of ground. We discuss: The use of probiotics vs. yogurt for treating SIBO Addressing emotional trauma to help patients find relief from physical symptoms Time frames for using antimicrobials to improve gut health Constipation as a symptom, and the role of antimicrobials in addition to diet and other approaches A case study describing how a single symptom led to a diagnosis of mold illness in a 73-year-old man (and a motorcycl...
Jan 19, 2022•52 min•Ep 339•Transcript available on Metacast Today’s podcast episode features the latest gut health research, my thoughts on how these studies fit into what we’re doing at the clinic, and how I use the information in the studies to consider whether we’re practicing in accordance with current science or if we need to consider modifying our approach. This latest batch of studies examines: The impact of low FODMAP diets on IBS A meta-analysis of the efficacy of rifaximin in treating SIBO A prospective study of IBS patients who derived benefit...
Jan 17, 2022•36 min•Ep 339•Transcript available on Metacast Health technology tools such as the Continuous Glucose Monitoring Device can help you improve your metabolic health by providing a picture of how your lifestyle factors – including diet, exercise, alcohol consumption, and sleep – affect your blood glucose levels. However, these tools are only as good as the user’s mindset and basic understanding of the science behind the numbers. Dr. Ronesh Sinha explains how to regard the CGM as an opportunity to learn about your body rather than getting stress...
Jan 12, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep 338•Transcript available on Metacast There are a lot of incentives in the functional health marketplace to rely on lab testing to make treatment decisions. Unfortunately, this model often serves the bottom lines of lab companies better than it serves patients. At the clinic, we use a science-guided framework that is oriented to improving clinical outcomes rather than just focusing on lab results. Our patient-centered approach speaks for itself. Listen in as Dr. Joe, Gavin and I discuss. https://drruscio.com/which-functional-medicin...
Jan 10, 2022•50 min•Ep 338•Transcript available on Metacast Today we will cover listener questions including: What is the role of hunger and satiety in digestive problems? Do elemental diets help gastritis or ulcers? What are your thoughts about taking probiotics while doing immunotherapy cancer treatment? Is pea protein ok on a low sulfur diet? Does frequent nausea mean I have gut issues? What is a good starting dose for DHEA? Does taking HCL stop normal acid production? https://drruscio.com/listener-questions-hunger-pea-protein-probiotics-dhea My book ...
Jan 05, 2022•47 min•Ep 337•Transcript available on Metacast Anyone who’s dealt with symptoms of mold toxicity such as brain fog, insomnia, fatigue and digestive disturbances has likely also experienced the fear and worry that often arises in response. These psychological symptoms can make an already distressing situation even more stressful. In this podcast episode, I provide an update for listeners about what happened after mold was discovered in a second home in Austin. I describe how I navigated my way through a variety of related concerns and how thi...
Jan 03, 2022•32 min•Ep 337•Transcript available on Metacast High quality health research provides evidence that is robust, ethical, and can be used to support good healthcare decision-making. It improves the lives of patients by enabling healthcare providers to effectively determine the root of problems, make informed decisions about patient care, and avoid the guessing games that can plague attempts to diagnose complex health issues. However, when a study (such as the one we discuss here) is plagued with methodological flaws, it adds little to the exist...
Dec 29, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep 336•Transcript available on Metacast When a group of researchers looked at 1800 patients to see which condition was most strongly associated with SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), they were surprised to find hypothyroidism at the top of the list. A number of other studies over the last few years have pointed to a significant connection between bacterial overgrowths in the gut and thyroid health. Most importantly (and shockingly for many), research has now shown that probiotics, which improve gut health, SIBO, inflammati...
Dec 27, 2021•3 min•Ep 336•Transcript available on Metacast Sleep is a cornerstone of health, and the field of sleep medicine encompasses a variety of devices, therapies, products, and lifestyle modifications to help those with sleep disorders. However, it can be difficult to navigate your way through all of the research and content on sleep health. On this podcast, physical therapist Zac Cupples and I break down the approaches in a hierarchical fashion from simple, inexpensive, and easily accessible to more complex, making it simpler to identify the one...
Dec 20, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep 335•Transcript available on Metacast This podcast episode is one in a series that reviews the current state of research on various aspects of gut health. I delve into recent studies on Crohns’ disease and elemental diet, the relationship between H. pylori and GERD, Aloe extract for IBS, the association of SIBO and heart failure, and much more. https://drruscio.com/gut-health-research-updates-1 My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https:/...
Dec 15, 2021•36 min•Ep 334•Transcript available on Metacast MCT oil is a nutritional supplement widely used for weight loss, cognitive health, improved metabolism and keto diets. It offers many benefits for those who are unable to break down dietary fats and is helpful for lowering blood sugar, improving insulin resistance, and supporting cognitive function, as well as for patients with Alzheimers and Crohn’s disease. Although safe for most people, MCT oil poses potential risks for people with certain health conditions. Learn how to maximize its benefits...
Dec 13, 2021•18 min•Ep 334•Transcript available on Metacast Beth had a long history of gastrointestinal issues, a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s, chronic fatigue and several food intolerances… to name a few. She was taking thyroid medication as prescribed, but it didn’t seem to help. Then, she started working with Dr. Joe Mather from our clinic, who worked through our science-based, algorithmic process to find a better way. Beth and Dr. Mather worked together, focusing on implementing a new diet, beginning probiotic therapy and using other evidence-based tools...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep 333•Transcript available on Metacast 
