Your gut is your gateway to

health or illness and what you put

in your body is the key.

You house an incredible 25 feet of intestines! This is where you absorb your nutrients from food, make your feel good neurotransmitters and where a vast network of immune cells and nerve cells reside. When your gut isn’t working properly, it affects every system in the body from your brain to your hormones and immune system.  

The ability to enjoy, perceive, sense and experience life is dictated by the firing rate and health of your brain. It is impossible for a person to become healthy mentally or physiologically without a healthy brain.

– Datis Kharrazian, DC, MS

I live in Northern California in a coastal town surrounded by vineyards and pot farms. Most people who live in the “Emerald Triangle” have been steeped in the medicinal properties of cannabis for decades now, but truth be told, the medicinal use of cannabis predates recorded history.

I am not a cannabis user; however, I jumped onto the CBD bandwagon after I experienced the profound anti-inflammatory, sleep-inducing, and pain relieving herbal compound for myself. But don’t take my word for it, the CBD industry reported 518 million dollars in 2018 and is projected to reach 22 billion dollars by 2022. It is quite clear that with the legalization of cannabis across the US, this plant is going to continue to grow in its popularity and its medicinal uses are likely to expand exponentially as well.

Did you know that you have

a wandering nerve in your body that is

the boss of your nervous system?

Did you know that inflammation, and the ability to bond, and go to the bathroom is directly influenced by this nerve function?

In functional medicine, research now shows that this nerve may be a missing link to treating chronic inflammation, and new medical technologies are creating a field of treatment using vagal nerve stimulation that leaves the use of medication in the dust. 

Your internal ecology

is the key to your health.

I liken this ecology to a rainforest, existing in symbiotic harmony with the creatures and plants that live there.

With a balanced ecosystem, life exists as nature intended, reflecting a healthy terrain. However, when the ecosystem goes out of balance due to environmental changes, disruption often occurs causing damage.

The end result of this disruption manifests as new species of plants and animals not indigenous to the area move in and take over the weaker or less dominant plants and animals. The long term results ultimately create a process that can set the stage for imbalance and disease.

Colostrum has a lengthy history of therapeutic uses and benefits. Known best as natures “first food”, I first came across its use while studying Ayurveda.

In India, Ayurvedic physicians have used colostrum for thousands of years to help heal the body and enhance longevity. It is also used by India’s Rishis (spiritual teachers) as an exception to their vegan diet, for its spiritual and physiological benefits.

In Europe, colostrum has been a traditional folk remedy and tonic. In the United States, conventional doctors have consistently used colostrum as a natural antibiotic prior to the introduction of sulfa drugs and penicillin and in the 1950s colostrum was implemented in the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. It was also used in 1950 by Dr Albert Sabin, (the researcher who developed the first oral vaccine for poliomyelitis) who found that colostrum contained antibodies against polio.

We are living, breathing biomes. Our biomes make up an inner ecosystem that determines our health and we rely on thousands of bacterial and yeast species to help ensure that we receive the correct building blocks to make the nutrients we need to survive and thrive. In order to get the correct nutrients, our "inner ecosystems" needs to be kept in balance, and when we disturb our inner ecosystems with poor diet, stress and infection, an overgrowth of "unfriendly" microorganisms can lead to imbalance and sickness.

Candida is one of those problematic "carbohydrate loving" yeasts that is commonly viewed in TCM (traditional Chinese medicine)  as a "damp" condition that leads to an imbalanced gut. Candida may be triggered by infection, an over consumption of grains and sugar, antibiotics, etc. Ultimately, if the system is out of balance, Candida can cause all sorts of imbalance in the body and it usually doesn’t leave quietly. Alan Levin, a prominent immunologist from University of California states that “One out of three Americans is adversely affected by candida.” This may be surprising to some, but this single celled organism can monopolize entire bodily systems quickly causing major damage. As a FDN practitioner, with a focus on digestive health I believe that this is a necessary and key component to address when healing the gut.

I was enrolled this last winter in a digestive intensive with Andrea Nakayama exploring the role of the gut in healing chronic illness. This topic hits very close to home for me as I have been working to strengthen my own families gut health for the past 5 years. This intensive provided an eye opening amount of detailed information pertaining to how we can heal this incredibly complex and interconnected system and why its such a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to healing the body. The truth of the matter is that, the gut is implicated in every single system in the body and 70% of all Americans dysfunction in their lifetime. So whether a person is dealing with depression, skin conditions, allergies, MS, autoimmune conditions, cancer, etc... it is simply impossible to address issues without taking a serious look at the workings of the gut.