Heal Your Gut: A Doctor’s 4-Part Protocol to Stop Bloating, Boost Energy, & Feel Better Now

Today on the Mel Robbins podcast, [music] a doctor's guide to better gut. health and five simple [music] steps to. healing your gut with food and natural. protocols. [music] Dr. Rajri Nambudrapod. is here to help you feel better. Now, Dr. Rajri, I am so excited that you're. here. Thank you, Mel. It's wonderful to. be here. >> Well, welcome to the Mel Robbins. podcast. I would love to have you start, Dr. Rashri by speaking to the person.

who's with us. What could change about. their life, their health, how they feel, if they really take to heart everything. that you're about to teach us? Well, today I'm going to help you better. understand what is actually happening in. your gut. So, if you're someone out. there who's struggling with bloating. every day or chronic constipation or. inconsistent bowels or maybe you have. reflux or food sensitivities and you. don't even know what to eat anymore, I. want you to know that there's hope and.

there's so much we can do to heal your. gut. And today, I'm going to share a lot. of practical tips that you can actually. begin using right away to start feeling. better. And by healing your gut and. improving your digestion, you're going. to notice so many other aspects of your. health improve. from your energy to your. mental focus, your mood, your skin, your. immune system, your metabolism, and so. much more. One of the reasons why I want. to talk to you is because you have such. an extraordinary background and you're.

in a clinical practice, but your. approach is grounded in science and. deeply personal. Could you just explain. a little bit more in depth about your. training and your background and how you. approach your gut health medical. practice? So I did my internal medicine. training at Northwestern in Chicago and. then I did um gastronurology training at. UC Irvine. And so during that GI. training I did endoscopies and.

colonoscopies. I did all the traditional. uh treatments like reflux was treated. with proton pump inhibitors to just shut. off the acid. If someone had. constipation, they were given. prescription laxatives. So intuitively, I just knew that there was so much more. we could do for the gut. I really wanted. to help patients heal, not just suppress. the symptoms. So and then I had my own. personal journey with SIBO, and I think. that really transformed the way I saw so. many things in the gut. And then a lot.

of things I've actually learned from my. patients. >> Why are you smiling so much? Like what. is what what have you discovered in 15. years of practice of not just treating. symptoms. >> but restoring the overall gut health. >> and how a simple protocol that we're. going to learn today really is the place. to start for absolutely every single. thing that you may be experiencing right. now related to gut issues. So many people I think maybe are stuck. and they're just living with these. symptoms every single day and they may.

have nowhere to turn to and they may. feel like is this how my life is going. to be for the rest of my life? You know. I know because I was there and how scary. that was. So when I finally figured it. out for myself I thought I have to share. this with others like there's so many. people suffering. I have to make this. standardized and I need to create a. protocol, a roadmap for people because. if it was that difficult for me to. figure out, imagine other people that. don't have GI training. The feedback I.

get is incredible. I get emails for from. people every day that tell me that they. were suffering for 20 plus years with. IBS and diarrhea. And I've, you know, once they fixed their gut, they took a. risk and following my protocol and now. they've gotten their life back. It's. that powerful. >> So why is gut health so important Dr. Rashri for your overall health. >> The gut is really the foundation of your. health. So if you truly want to be.

healthy, you absolutely have to pay. attention to your gut. So your gut is. sending signals to every organ in your. body. So for example, let's start with. your brain. Your gut is constantly. talking to the brain through the. gutbrain axis. So often when I'll see. patients who have gut issues, they're. also suffering from anxiety and brain. fog and often sometimes even insomnia. and then our gut strongly influences our. immune system. So 70% of our immune. cells are in the lining of our gut. So.

if your gut is inflamed, you might. notice that inflammation pop up. elsewhere in your body and then our gut. strongly influences our skin through the. gut skin axis. >> Wait, the gut skin axis? What is that? So, our skin microbiome strongly. reflects our gut microbiome. Really? Yeah. So, what's fascinating is when I. help patients heal their gut, they'll. often come back and tell me, "Oh, by the. way, my acne cleared up, my eczema. cleared up, and I treat some very. complex cases of psoriasis, which is an.

autoimmune skin condition. Simply by. healing the gut, we see the skin improve. dramatically.". >> You're kidding. >> Yeah. You talk about this concept of the. gut garden. What is that? >> So basically what I want to make clear. and share with the audience today is. that our gut is not a simple tube where. food goes in one end and waste comes out. the other end. >> Okay. >> A lot of time we're given that. impression. >> Yes. >> You know because you might have had an. endoscopy or a colonoscopy and during.

those procedures the gut kind of looks. like a tube from the inside, you know, with twists and turns. But so many of my. patients have had those procedures and. they're just told that everything looks. normal, but they don't feel normal and. they have a lot of symptoms that are. affecting their quality of life. So, what I want to share today is that the. gut is actually a complex and delicate. ecosystem. And the best way that I like. to explain it is that it's a garden. So, [snorts] let me show you more about. that.

>> Oh, I'd love to see that. >> Hey, great. I'm going to come in and. help. >> Our executive producer, Tracy. >> Okay. >> He's coming. You're wearing green today, Tracy. So, she's ready for the garden. >> Let's get you. >> Okay. And if if you're listening right. now, what we have is just a visual prop. We're going to talk all about this. And. it is just kind of a garden that we've. put together. You see soil, you see a. watering can, you see bees, and you've. got all these beautiful flowers and. greens that are growing in the garden. >> And one of the things I just want to.

say, Dr. Rashri is I am one of those. people that have always envisioned a. long tube. >> when somebody says the gut. So I think. about okay my gut is basically from my. mouth down a long tube out the other end. that's the gut. I've never ever in my. life envisioned a garden in there. >> Absolutely. >> Why do you want us to envision a gut. garden? So what I've observed, you know, from 15 years of clinical practice and. treating very complex gut disorders,

>> is that sometimes you can't explain. these conditions if you just look at the. structural aspects of our gut. >> Okay? >> So what I've discovered is that there's. actually four main systems of our gut. garden. And to really have ideal. digestion and to feel your best, you. have to correct all four aspects of this. garden. >> Okay? And when we do that, remarkable. things happen. Patients who have had. symptoms for years, sometimes even. decades, they get better.

>> Wow. >> Yes. So, let me tell you what these four. systems are. >> Great. The first system is the motility. in the gut. >> The who? The motility. >> Motility. >> Okay. >> That's like the irrigation system of. your garden. >> Okay. >> So, think of it as like you have. sprinklers or maybe you have a watering. can like we have here. Y. >> and so water comes into your garden. Yep. And that water needs to spread. evenly through your garden and there's. going to be a drainage system that's. taking that water out. What would happen. if that water stagnated in your garden?

>> Everything would die. >> Yeah. Some parts would dry out. >> It get like really like the soil gets. all thick. >> Exactly. >> And it's hard to dig in and it gets. crusty and. >> gh Yes. Exactly. You would get puddles. of water in some parts. >> And what happens when there's puddles? Now you've got moss growing. You've got. mushrooms popping up. Yep. >> So, we have to have good motility in. your gut. Everything's got to be moving. through your gut nicely. If anything. gets slowed down or backed up, that's a.

problem. >> What's the second of the four things in. the gut garden? >> So, the second is the pollinators of. your garden. So, like the bees and the. butterflies. >> So, we have one little bee here. So, similarly in our gut, we have to have. digestive enzymes. We have to have. stomach acid and we have to have bile to. break down our food. Okay. So many. patients I see, they're lacking in one. of those areas. They don't have enough. stomach acid or they don't have enough. pancreatic enzymes or they're they have.

their gallbladder removed. So they don't. have bile that's stored up and so when. they eat food they just can't break it. down. So that would be the second system. of the garden. >> Okay. Pollinators. Yes. >> What's the third? >> Okay. The third system is the garden. bed. So that's like the soil in your. garden. >> And that's similar to the integrity of. the gut lining. >> Okay? >> So it's so critical because if you have. inflammation in your gut lining, that's. very close to your immune system. So 70%.

of your immune cells are sitting there. right under the gut lining. So that's. like having big cracks in your soil. It. it's kind of like having leaky gut, which we'll talk about today. Yeah. >> So that's the critical third system of. the gut. >> Gotcha. And what's the final one? >> The final one is your microbiome. So the. plants and weeds in your garden. >> So as you can see here, we have these. beautiful flowers. These flowers are. like the good bacteria in your gut. And. then these weeds that have popped up.

here, these are like the bad bacteria, maybe even fungal organisms and yeast. So in order to have a healthy gut, you. need to have a balance. you need to have. a robust and diverse uh types of plants. so that these weeds don't pop up. But if. something causes the good flowers to be. wiped away, now all of a sudden weeds. can pop up. And the similar thing. happens in the gut. And when we see. weeds growing in your gut garden, we. call that dispiosis.

>> Despiosis. >> Okay. >> Despiosis means bacterial imbalance. >> Oh, okay. So, if you're having gut. issues, >> do you have to know which one of these. four things is out of whack? >> Well, the beautiful thing is if you're. not sure what to do, >> yes, >> you can just start with step one and. step two, which I'm happy to explain. today. >> Okay. >> And for more than 50% of people, that's. going to help them tremendously. And. that's the motility and the pollinators.

Those first two. So what I do with my patients when I see. them most of the time I have them work. on that irrigation system the motility. okay. >> and the pollinators breaking down their. food starting at that initial consult. even while we're waiting for testing to. come back. >> So if you have any gut issue and I were. to come to your office Dr. Rajri. >> you would tell me start doing these two. things immediately because these two. things no matter what you're dealing. with are going to help your overall gut.

health. >> Absolutely. What are they? >> Okay, so to promote motility, >> Uhhuh. >> usually we want to make sure your bowels. are 100% and complete every day. >> What does that mean? >> So, so many of us, we have some some. form of constipation. So, we got to get. the bowels empty perfectly. So, I'll put. patients on magnesium at bedtime. >> Which kind? Because there's so many. different kinds of magnesium. >> Absolutely. Magnesium citrate, glycinate, and malate. >> Okay. The citrate part is really the one.

that works as a natural osmotic. laxative. What that means is it pulls. water into your colon. So you take it at. bedtime and you can adjust the dose. based on your bowels. But that way when. you wake up your bowels are like. clockwork. >> Really? Yeah. Does that really work for. a lot of people? >> Absolutely. >> So how much do you take? >> So usually we start at around 250 millig. >> up to 500 millig. >> Okay. And that's just like basic. protocol in order to have good motility.

>> Absolutely. >> Just take your magnesium. And it was the. C, it was the G, and it was the M. >> Citrate, glycinate, and malate. That's. the one we use. So that's the first. thing. But we also use something called. a proinetic. >> A who? A proinetic. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> A proinetic is not a laxative, but it's. something that activates those cleaning. waves in the gut. >> Really? What what what is a pro What? Give me an example what a prokinetic. would So a natural prokinetic is ginger. >> Ginger. So we use a supplement but it's.

essentially a patented formula of ginger. and artichoke and you take that along. with the magnesium at bedtime and what. it's going to do is it's going to clean. up your small intestine while you're. sleeping and you take that consistently. and that's going to help that first. system of the gut garden that motility. that irrigation system and that's huge. >> Okay. So that's number one. The second. step that you give to people that come. to see you, no matter what their. complaints may be, is what? >> The second thing is I enhance their.

pollinators. >> Okay. >> So, I give them digestive enzyme. support. >> And how what does that mean? >> So, I have them take high potency. digestive enzymes either before or after. their meals and they can try it both. ways and see what works for them. >> But what that does is it helps break. down the food better. >> Huh. So, it breaks down proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. So, guess what? You. don't get bloated. You might be able to. eat foods that normally would upset you. Like, I have some patients who can't eat.

Brussels sprouts, but if they take their. digestive enzymes, they can because it. breaks down the food better. Is there an. example of like a food that acts as a. digestive enzyme? >> Absolutely. So, if you don't have access. to these supplements, you can at least. have water with lemon juice. Oh, >> okay. or a little bit of apple cider. vinegar. The acidity will help you break. down the food better. >> So, just those two recommendations, you. take your magnesium, right? And like, let's just say you're just going to. simplify. You take magnesium before bed.

and then you try some digestive enzymes. with your meals. >> That's going to help a lot of your. patients just out of the gate start to. feel a little bit better. >> Uh, yeah. Basically, when I see patients. at their second appointment, >> they've already started this. They've. been doing it for maybe a month. We now. have all their test results back, but. they tell me they're over 50% better. No. way. >> Yes. I love this. Okay, great. Let's. talk about some of the things that. happen when the gut garden gets out of.

balance. So, we know what we're looking. for and where we're headed, but let's. talk about the stuff that can make the. weeds come and kill the flowers and make. the dirt turn into cement. Okay. >> Okay. >> All right. Let's remove the gut garden. >> Okay. >> Dr. What causes bloating? What is it? >> So bloating is that uncomfortable. feeling that you get when there's. pressure building up in your abdomen and. you notice your abdomen get distended. So the classic scenario is when you feel. and look like you're 6 months pregnant.

by the end of the day. >> Mhm. >> So there's many reasons for bloating. The first thing I always ask my patients. is how are your bowel movements? And if they tell me, "Well, I go to the. bathroom every 3 to four days." Well, then that's the problem because if. you're constipated that severely, that. backup of stool in your colon is going. to make you feel bloated. So, we have to. fix that first. How often should you go? Number two, >> every day. Every day. Every day. So, is.

the protocol that you prescribe to your. patients for constipation the same. whether you're going once a day or going. once every 3 days or going once a week? >> So, we start with the basics. >> Okay, >> magnesium is my favorite because of the. other benefits on the body. It's safe to. take long term. The second again is that. proinetic, that motility activator, that's a ginger pill. Okay, >> that's also safe to take long term. If. that's not working, we escalate. We use.

natural stimulant laxatives like aloe, the plant aloe vera. >> Yeah. >> They they come in dried capsules. So. it's the leaves of the aloe vera plant. And that's a little bit stronger. That. will stimulate the bowels to move. That's not something I encourage people. to use daily. They can for a while, but. eventually our goal is to transition. back to just magnesium and motility. activator. Honestly, it those are kind. of like game-changing treatments. Again, I'm surprised because they're so simple. They're so accessible to anyone, but I.

don't think they get uh enough awareness. in mainstream medicine. >> So, Dr. Rashri, you said that when. somebody comes in and they're. complaining about bloating, the first. thing you do is you ask, "How often are. you going to the bathroom?". >> Yes. >> Because you want to rule out con. constipation. >> Absolutely. >> If somebody is bloated and they are. going to the bathroom regularly, what. are the other causes of bloating? >> So, usually when we're talking about. bloating, we're talking about trapped. gas in the intestines. Okay. But I do. want to make one thing clear. Gas itself.

is not the problem. Cuz if you're eating. certain foods, like you're eating beans. or a salad or broccoli, you're going to. have gas. That's normal. But if you pass. the gas and it doesn't bother you, that's totally fine. Not a problem. It. becomes a problem when that gas is. trapped inside of you and it's causing. you pain. And trapped gas can present. differently in different people. Some. people get sharp stabbing pain. Some. people get this intense pressure. Other. people get cramping.

>> So, it really varies and it can really. the pain can be anywhere in your. abdomen. It could be at the top, it. could be at the bottom, the sides, but. usually comes down to a problem with one. of three things in your gut. >> Okay, >> the first thing is the motility like we. talked about. Maybe things are not. moving properly through your intestines, so it's getting backed up. The second is. maybe you're not breaking things down. properly. So again, a problem with your. pollinators. You're not digesting. properly. And the third is maybe you.

have bacteria in the wrong place. >> Okay, so how do you stop bloating fast? >> First thing, take digestive enzymes. right away. >> Okay, >> basically what it does, it's going to. break down your food. So if you're. bloated and you're uncomfortable, go. ahead and take one or two of those and. see how you feel. What it's going to do. is start breaking down the food and. within 30 minutes to an hour you should. feel that bloating go down. >> Wow. What's another thing you can do?

>> The second thing is take that prokinetic. that ginger artichoke pill. Take one or. two of those and it's going to start. getting those cleaning waves going so. that it moves the gas bubbles downward. so you can actually pass those bubbles. so they're not stuck inside of you. So. that's the second thing. And the third. thing is kind of what we touched on, taking that magnesium every night so. that you never run into a problem where. things are backed up. >> What I love about this advice is you. keep coming back to the same. recommendations. >> Oh yeah, it's very simple. >> Thank you for simplifying it.

>> You can also go for a little walk. >> Okay, how does a walk help? >> So walk naturally activates the motility. in the gut. So the worst thing you can. do if you're bloated is to just sit. there at your desk. >> What if you lie down? That's what I. always do. I always like lay down and. unut pants. I'm like, I'm so bloated. Oh. my god. >> Well, the problem is when you're just. sitting still or laying down, >> everything's kind of stagnant in your. gut. >> So, even if you can just get around, walk around the office, go up a flight. of stairs, that gets that motility.

going. >> So, that's an easy thing that anyone can. try. >> I love that. >> Yeah. >> Uh Dr. Rajri, what is IBS? So IBS, it's irritable bowel syndrome. and it actually affects 10 to 15% of the. population. It's that common. >> Wow. What What is it? What are the. symptoms? >> So to have IBS, you just basically need. three things. You need to have abdominal. pain or discomfort. You need to have an alteration in your. bowel habits. So either constipation or.

diarrhea or a combination of both. And. you need to notice that when you have a. bowel movement, your symptoms and your. pain improves. >> Okay? >> So, so many people fit the criteria for. IBS. >> How would you like us to think about. IBS? >> IBS is just a label for your symptoms. >> Okay? >> But it's not what's really causing the. symptoms. And so, if you've been told. you have IBS, there's so much more. investigation that can be done.

>> Okay? What we now know is that 70% of. IBS is actually caused by SIBO. >> Wow. But if it's IBS, >> what do you do about it? >> So if a person is coming to see me, I. have the luxury of doing all that. further investigation. So we always test. for SIBO. We test for food allergies. And if we don't, and most of the time. the SIBO test will be positive. If for. some reason it's negative, then we move. on to a gut microbiome test. So again,

it's always about figuring out what that. root cause is and fixing it. Now, if. you're just someone with IBS and you. don't know where to start, you can start. with the first two systems of the gut. garden, which is promoting motility, making sure your bowels are 100% and. complete with the help of magnesium and. motility activator at night, and. improving your digestion of food. Try. some digestive enzymes. It's a lowcost. intervention. it might help you. tremendously and see where that takes.

you. What is SIBO? >> Small intestine bacterial overgrowth. So. SIBO is basically when bacteria back up. So now they're in the wrong place. So. normally our small intestine does not. have much bacteria. The job of the small. intestine is to absorb nutrients from. your food. The trillions of bacteria, they're. located in the colon. That's where your. primary microbiome is. But if something. causes those bacteria to back up into. your small intestine where they're not.

supposed to be, they start fermenting. your food too early. So every time you. eat, you get this miserable gas and. bloating and it can alter your bowel. habits. Hence, now it resembles IBS and. maybe you've been labeled with IBS. It can also cause acid reflux and. nausea. It gives you that feeling of. what we call early satiety where you. can't really eat that much because. you've got all this pressure in your. abdomen. >> Yeah. >> And it can even interfere with your.

nutrient absorption. So then you get. deficiencies in B12 and vitamin D and. iron. And SIBO can even have effects. outside the GI tract. So people with. SIBO get really anxious. They get brain. fog, fatigue, joint pain, and so much. more. Wow. Yeah. I I see that you have a model. next to you of a human being and it's. all the insides. It's like something you. would see at a medical school, I think.

So, what's happening. >> for someone who has SIBO? >> In this D in this human model is these. little stickers are the bacteria in your. colon. Imagine what would happen if we. take these bacteria and we move them to. your small intestine where they're not. supposed to be. Oh my goodness. This is going to cause. so much havoc to your digestion. >> It looks like she's putting little uh. like explosions all over your small. intestines. >> Yes.

>> I'm just looking at this model and it. feels like I'm getting bloated. >> That's exactly what it does. >> Those bacteria, they start fermenting. your food in the wrong place and they. interfere with your digestion of food. And there's no there's not supposed to. be bacteria in the small intestine. because while the food is traveling. through the small intestine, the. intestines are trying to suck nutrients. out. >> Exactly. >> And how does the bacteria block the. ability of the small intestine to do.

that? Because being a non-medical person. >> and not having studied this, I think in. my brain, well, wouldn't the bacteria. help in some way? like we're eating. we're supposed to eat probiotics, prebiotics, all this stuff like enzymes. like why wouldn't it help? Why is it. creating gas? >> Okay, so I love that question. These. bacteria and this is the part I think a. lot of people don't understand. What they do is they start eating up. some critical enzymes instead of being.

broken down and properly absorbed into. your body. Y. >> now it's just sitting there in your. small intestine and the bacteria. fermented into gas. And now all of a. sudden foods that you used to be able to. eat, you can't eat anymore. So you. become more and more sensitive to foods. So you become more carbohydrate. intolerant. You can't eat certain. vegetables because of the fibrous. material. And you might even become sensitive to. dairy. So maybe before you could eat.

cheese, now you can't. And believe it or. not, you can even become sensitive to. fruit. Huh? Because fruit has a fruit. sugar called fructose. And SIBO causes what we call a secondary. fructose intolerance where now you don't. have the enzymes to break down fruit. So. fruit will make you bloated. >> Now when you say intolerance Dr. Rajri. what do you mean medically? >> So when you eat those foods you get. discomfort.

>> You don't feel well. You get bloating. and discomfort maybe even pain. >> How do you diagnose SIBO? So, it's a. simple breath test and it's a test where. you drink the solution of lactulose. >> What is latchulose? >> It's a type of sugar that your body. cannot absorb. So, it stays in your. intestines. And if you have SIBO, the. bacteria, they're going to ferment it. into gas. And then you me you actually blow and. collect your breath at 20 to 30 minute.

intervals for a full three hours. >> Okay? and you mail back the tubes and. they're going to graph out what's what's. being produced in your breath. >> No way. >> Yes. >> That's insane. Can I ask a question? >> Sure. >> Okay. I have noticed. >> that there is a particular type of bad. breath. >> Okay. >> That people have that has a very metally. tiny. like old smell to it.

>> I know exactly what you're talking. about. You do? >> Absolutely. I see it all the time. >> You do? >> Yes. And bad breath, it's basically a. change in the bacteria in your oral. microbiome and it reflects strongly. what's happening in your gut microbiome. >> No way. >> Or body odor. >> Body odor can be an indication of. bacteria in your gut. >> Absolutely. >> Why? you know, whatever is happening in. your gut translates to your skin, your.

your uh sweat glands, your hormones, and. it all comes out. So, the interesting. thing is after we clean up their gut, they tell me, "Oh, my breath is so much. better. I don't smell as bad anymore.". >> Dr. Rashri, tell me about what happened. that makes this deeply personal for you. So about seven or eight years ago, I. started to notice that at the end of the. day, I had so much pain in my abdomen. It was miserable pain, super sharp. And.

it was so so much pressure in my. abdomen. I even felt like it was hard to. take deep breaths. And that pressure. would make me feel anxious. It would. make me feel agitated. It's hard to. focus on other things. So I was really. um trying to figure out what was causing. it. So, I initially thought maybe it's a. sensitivity to gluten and dairy. So, I. cut those out. >> because that's pretty common. A lot of. people cut out gluten and dairy. >> Yep. >> But then all of a sudden, I couldn't eat. quinoa anymore. I couldn't eat brown.

rice. Those would make me bloated, too. And then all of a sudden, I couldn't eat. cheese anymore. I had eaten cheese my. whole life. Now, I couldn't eat that. I. couldn't have butter. So, my diet became. very restricted in order to control the. symptoms. I literally was down to like. eggs, salmon, rice, white rice, arugula. salad, and chicken soup. So, I couldn't. even go out to restaurants. Uh I was. afraid when I got an invitation to. someone's house, I would always eat.

before going going out. The turning. point for me wasn't when I realized I. couldn't eat fruit anymore because fruit. is what I consider healthy. And I had. always enjoyed eating bananas, but now. even a banana was causing bloating. So. that's when I realized that the problem. wasn't the food. The problem was my gut. So how did you treat SIBO? Like what was. the first thing that you did. >> to either confirm that this was what.

this was or to just go, you know what, I. have a feeling this is what this is. And. so what do you do to treat this? So, the. conventional treatment for SIBO is to. take an antibiotic. >> What? Yes. >> Wait, how how does that work if what. you've just explained is you have. bacteria in there that's creating havoc. >> Yes. and impacting the functioning of. the lining of the small intestine and.

potentially creating these like gross. pools of overgrowth of junk. >> Uhhuh. >> I mean, I'm I'm like, you know, that's. my words, not yours. >> Absolutely. The conventional treatment. unfortunately doesn't work well. It has. a very high failure rate and a very high. relapse rate. When I treat SIBO, I look. at this as a full garden ecosystem. problem. Okay, >> we have to fix the motility in the gut. We have to fix your breakdown of food. During my own personal struggle with. SIBO, I actually first wanted to treat.

it naturally. I tried to take the herbal. antimicrobials and there were so many. different ones out there, different. potencies. I didn't know how long to. take them. I just tried different. things. I got super nauseous. I got. sick. So then I switched gears and I. said, "Well, if this is my only option, let me take the antibiotic." So I did. And I did not get better. In fact, I did. a repeat SIBO breath test and it looked. identical. Like the antibiotics did not. touch it at all. Wow. So that's when I.

really dug deeper. I'm like, why do why. does SIBO happen? What are the root. causes? So that's when I realized. something that I really had to address. the gut motility. That's that irrigation. system of the garden. So I started. taking that prokinetic that was a game. changer for me. The ginger artichoke. pill. >> Absolutely. What I didn't realize is gas was all. trapped inside of me. It was never. coming out. After I took the motility.

activator, that ginger artichoke pill, I. was finally passing gas. >> Wow. >> The second turning point was when I. started taking a supplement called. betane and pepsin. >> Betane and pepsin. Okay. When I took it, it helped me break down the food better. So, I wasn't bloated anymore. So, is. this just what you did to get the. bacteria out of the small intestine and. to get things moving again? And then. once you are kind of cleared of the gas. and you start feeling better and you.

pass the breath test, now it's just the. standard protocol of the magnesium, the. digestive enzymes, and some of the other. things we're going to get into. >> Well, what I would. >> Because you don't want it to come back. Absolutely. >> And if you have a problem because those. little bacteria keep sneaking out of the. colon back up. I I'm I'm assuming they. might come right back. >> Absolutely. So I call it the. foundational steps of treating SIBO. The. foundational steps is where we get. everything ready to kill the bacteria.

We don't kill the bacteria until the. fourth and final phase of treatment. Oh. So phase one is promoting motility. That's the magnesium and the motility. activator. We got to get that all going. first. Phase two is the digestive. enzymes. Some people need that extra betane and. pepsin. Not everybody, but some people. have low stomach acid and that can be a. gamecher. So that's the pollinators. We're getting. that going. Phase three is there's. probably inflammation in the gut from.

all these bacteria. So I start patients. on a spore probiotic that has. imunoglobulins to heal the inflammation. in their gut. So that's phase three. So. those are the foundational steps to get. everything in order before we can. actually kill the bacteria in phase 4. with the herbal antimicrobials. The ones we use are called bourberine. It comes from the root of a bourberine. plant. >> Okay. >> Oregano oils. You're probably familiar. with oregano. >> And the third one is alocyiden. It comes.

from garlic. >> Now what have you seen in your clinical. practice and in yourself Dr. Dr. Rajri. >> when you follow this protocol with your. patients and with yourself when somebody. comes in and has a positive SIBO test. >> So this protocol I would say is. incredibly successful. It was for me and. for hundreds of my patients but we see. incredible results because again I think. that my protocol really addresses the.

four systems of restoring the gut. ecosystem. So at the end of it, not only. have you cleared SIBO, you have a. healthier gut microbiome. And then we have this whole strategy for. preventional relapse. That is so. critical in SIBO because 50% of patients. will relapse in 9 months if you don't. have a strategy. One thing I want to say. before I ask you this next question is I. just want to remind you as you're. listening that we have a comprehensive. guide to every episode with show notes.

with links that we prepare for every. episode. So if you're like me and as Dr. Rajri is talking you're trying to take. mental notes. Okay, what did she just. say? Cuz I got to send this. You can go. to the show notes and it's all going to. be right there for you. So you can just. lean in and listen and we got you. Um. let's talk about leaky gut. What is. leaky gut? >> So the medical term for leaky gut is. increased intestinal permeability. So. it's basically a problem with that third.

system of the gut garden, the garden. soil. Imagine your garden soil having. big cracks in it. >> So normally our small intestine is made. up of tiny little cells, which I have a. little example here. >> She's got yellow yoga blocks. I'm going. to narrate this for you if you're. listening. And these tiny little cells are what we. call interosytes. They're like the. little tiny cells on the lining of your. small intestine. >> Okay. So these are the things that line. the wall.

>> Mhm. >> Okay. >> Now these tiny cells, they're bound. together by tight junctions that hold. them together. >> Okay. >> And the job of these cells is to just. absorb nutrients from your food. >> Okay. But if something disrupts these. tiny junctions between these cells and. pops them open, now it could be a. variety of things. It could be the. standard American diet which is full of. preservatives and and emulsifiers and. additives. >> Okay? >> It could be antibiotics.

It could be NSAIDs like uh if you're. taking a lot of ibuprofen on an empty. stomach. Could be if you're a heavy. drinker. So all of these are insults to. the gut. Can the bacteria we talked. about also be okay? Great. >> Absolutely. So SIBO is a big root cause. of leaky gut because of the bacteria. again interfering with the enzymes. creating inflammation in the gut. So. this is what leaky gut looks like. Now. you've got openings between these tiny. cells in your small intestine. >> Oh. So instead of having a tube, you.

have mesh. >> Exactly. You have little holes in your. in your gut. Now, this is a problem. because bacteria and food that are. normally on the inside of your gut, >> instead of getting properly absorbed. through these cells, they now have a an. open window to enter your bloodstream. >> Uh-oh. Uhoh. >> Like this. This little. >> She's got a ping pong ball and she just. shoved it through the wall. >> Yeah. >> So now it's floating around in my body. >> It's entered your bloodstream. And guess.

what's over on this side? >> The rest of me. >> Yeah. and 70% of your immune cells, they're sitting right there on the other. side of these tiny cells in your body. >> So on the inside, you've got this lining. that's absorbing nutrients and that's. also when working correctly is supposed. to keep all the food bacteria and crap. on the tube. >> Exactly. But if you're eating a bunch of. unhealthy ultrarocessed crap or doing. too much ibuprofen or taking like. antibiotics or you got bacterial or SIBO.

or other stuff, it starts to stretch the. lining and now all the stuff on the. inside is scooting through and now it's. in your bloodstream, but the first thing. in your bloodstream on the outside of. your intestinal walls. >> is the immune cells. >> Exactly. And so they're like, "Uhoh, wait a minute. That piece of broccoli. wasn't supposed to come. Wait, what is. that bacteria doing out here?". >> Right? >> So what happens? >> So it confuses your immune system and it. creates this whole entire inflammatory.

cascade. >> So now what's happening in your gut. affects the rest of your body. and it can present in different ways in. different people. So I actually had a. clinic day. This was a real day where I. saw five patients with leaky gut all on. the same day and they had five different. presentations entirely. >> What were they? >> The first one was a 70-year-old woman. who had this dermatitis on her legs, like a skin rash,

>> and she had been to two dermatologists. They couldn't figure it out. They did a. skin biopsy. They gave her a bunch of steroid creams. to put on the rash, but it wasn't. getting better. So, we tested her gut. She had leaky gut and we worked on. healing her gut, getting these cells. back together and lo and behold, her. skin clears up. So the second patient I. had that day was a 55 55-year-old woman. who had rheumatoid arthritis, which is.

an autoimmune condition, >> but her disease was flaring. So she was. getting more pain in her joints. So we. we check her microbiome and the same. thing we find leaky gut. So the third. patient I saw that day was a 45-year-old. man and he was having severe migraine. headaches like almost every day. >> and he was having to take abortive. medications daily which was very unusual. for him. Tremendous brain fog out of the. blue and sure enough he had leaky gut. We treated that and his migraines.

reduced significantly. >> So how do you heal a leaky gut? >> Okay so we heal leaky gut. First we've. got to clean up the diet. So, we've got. to get rid of those inflammatory. triggers. We have to remove alcohol, gluten, and dairy. because those are potentially. inflammatory triggers, at least while. we're treating leaky gut. Okay, we may. be able to reintroduce those later. >> We also cut out processed foods to get. rid of all those additives and. emulsifiers. And then the two treatments.

we use for leaky gut, the first is. llutamine powder. So it's just an amino. acid and it happens to be food for these. little antasytes. So it feeds these. cells and it nourishes these cells and. seals up these tight junctions between. the cells. It does take time. It's not. an overnight process. >> How long do you need to dedicate to do. this? >> 3 months for sure. Sometimes up to six. months. >> Okay. >> So that's the first treatment we use. Okay. >> The second treatment we use is.

imunoglobulins. um also known as IGG antibodies. They're kind of similar to colostrum. Are you familiar familiar with. colostrum? >> It's from milk, isn't it? >> Yes. >> It's like the mother's first milk, you. know, that has all the antibodies to to. nourish the infant's gut and immune. system. >> So, the issue with colostrum is it has. dairy proteins. >> So, imunogloabbulins are completely. dairyf free. So, there's no dairy. proteins and they're derived from boine. serum and they just come in capsules.

Huh? So, these two are are the primary. treatments that we have for leaky gut, but leaky gut does not usually happen in. isolation. So, we're back to that garden. metaphor. And now there's this new. bacteria that I'm noticing that's. missing in a lot of people's gut and. it's called acromancia. Acrimansia, the full name is acromancia. mucinilia, but it lives in the mucous layer of the. gut. So, it lives right here next to. these antasytes and it creates that. protective mucus that you know prevents.

leaky gut. But if you're missing this. critical bacteria that's making the. mucus, well, you're definitely higher. risk of leaky gut. So, if you're missing. that, we will also replenish that. acromancia. And then the final thing is. if you've got a bunch of weeds on this. side, the bacteria like we talked about. SIBO or dispiosis or candida, we've got. to clean that up as well. And that's. where the herbal antimicrobials come in. >> Amazing. Yeah. >> Dr. Rajri, what is the best diet for gut. health? >> So, everyone has a different gut garden.

So, the interesting thing is that the. same diet might not work for everyone. >> Oh, I see. I wanted a simple answer. [laughter]. >> Well, let me give you an example. I have. some friends who are vegan and they eat. a vegan diet incredibly high in fiber. and they're thriving on that, which is. wonderful. But if that same diet was. given to someone else, they probably get. bloated and miserable. >> So, some people do good on a. Mediterranean diet, some people do good. on a paleo diet, but there are some key.

principles that I recommend across the. board. The first is that you want to eat. whole foods. So, you want to avoid. processed foods as much as you can. Absolutely. The second is that you want to have as. many colors on your plate as possible. So that means, you know, having some. berries or colorful, you know, purple. potatoes or purple cabbage, carrots, because colors is when you're going to. get the antioxidants and the. phytonutrients.

So try your best to eat a diverse array. of colors. The third thing is to listen. to your gut and figure out which fibers. agree with you. >> Now, how do you know? >> So it's a little bit of trial and error, >> okay? But let's say you eat arugula. Arugula is usually well tolerated. because it doesn't have any fermentable. carbohydrate. So if you eat arugula with. lemon juice and olive oil and you feel. good eating that, that's a great fiber. to keep in your diet versus if you eat.

beans and you get bloated, maybe that. doesn't agree with you. So fiber is. good, but you may have to do trial and. error to figure out what fibers agree. with your gut and keep those in your. diet. And the fourth and final thing is. to try to diversify your diet as much as. possible. So what that means is that. instead of just having like broccoli. every night, maybe try green beans or. asparagus or better yet stir fry a bunch. of vegetables together because the more. diverse your diet, the more robust and.

resilient your gut microbiome. So, you're going to get more plants growing. in your gut garden, and that's going to. make it more strong so that the weeds. don't come back. >> Um, what foods tend to make your gut. health symptoms worse? >> Okay, great question. The first one is. beans and legumes. I think that's an. obvious one. I mean, that can cause gas. and bloating. It's true, but I, for some. reason, I look at beans and legumes and. I'm like, they're so good. I know. they're so yummy, right?

>> Yeah, >> so yummy. But again, it's very specific. Each person's different. Some people eat. beans every day and they're great. You. know, they have the microbiome that's. able to break it down. >> Gotcha. So, beans, beans, and legumes. Anything else that tend to make gut. health symptoms worse. >> The second would be dairy again because. a lot of people have lactose intolerance. or they have sensitivity to the dairy. proteins uh which are casein and whey. So, that would be the second one. The.

third would be whole grains. So that's. like quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal. Again, it's not for everyone, but again, the. people struggling with SIBO, bloating, that's a category that can cause. discomfort for them. The next one would be garlic and onions. Again, if you're having bloating and. SIBO, those can be problematic. Again, not long term. Our goal is to always. heal the gut and try to reintroduce all. these foods back. What does fiber do for.

your gut? >> So, when we think about fiber, usually. we think of it as bulking up your stool, keeping your bowels flowing regularly, >> but it does so much more for your gut. So, fiber is actually food for the good. bacteria in your gut. So, when you're. eating fiber, it's like putting. fertilizer into your gut garden. M. >> So you're going to have more flowers. popping up and the good bacteria use the. fiber to then produce critical. postbiotics. that are critical for your health. I.

mean these postbiotics influence your. immune system, your metabolism, your. skin, and so much more. >> How much fiber do you recommend to your. patients that they try to get every day? And do you have your favorite forms of. it? >> So that's a great question. Fiber for a. lot of my gut patients can be like a. double-edged sword. [gasps] A lot of my gut patients are. what I call fiber sensitive. So even though fiber in theory is so.

good for your gut, I can't just tell. patients to take the recommended 25. grams for a woman or 38 grams for a man. That'll probably cause them a lot of. problems. Okay? Usually what I recommend. is start with the leafy greens. That's. like the arugula, the spinach, the. chard, and start with the cooked form if. you prefer. Cooked vegetables are always. easier to tolerate than the raw. But the. nice thing about these leafy greens is.

they don't have any fermentable. carbohydrate, so they usually don't. cause bloating. >> So if you're someone who's fiber. sensitive, try sautéing a bunch of. spinach first. Make sure it's well. cooked. So, usually it's about taking. baby steps, starting with really. well-cooked, figuring out what agrees. with you, and then trying new things in. your diet, and then whatever does work. for you, keep that in your diet and try. to diversify. What are the five most. important daily habits for having a. healthy gut?

>> I love this question because I think we. pay so much attention to what we eat, but how we eat and when we eat are so. important. So the first thing I. recommend to all my patients is to. practice meal spacing. Meal spacing. Yep. So meal spacing. essentially means no snacking between. meals. So that's having four to five. hours between your meals. And what that. does is it activates the cleaning waves. in your gut. So it really reduces.

bloating. The second thing I recommend. is to practice mindful eating. So I. think so many of us are eating under. very stressful circumstances. You know, we've got stress from work. We may be. eating on the go, you know, or while. doing work or scrolling through. stressful emails or news. And that. stress puts us into a state of fight or. flight. So when you're eating, you want. to activate the parasympathetic nervous. system, which helps you rest and digest.

So, one of the easiest things you can do. is put away all your devices, take a few moments for yourself, take a. few deep breaths, and that's going to. activate that vagus nerve. And that. vagus nerve is what tells your stomach. to make stomach acid, your pancreas to. make pancreatic enzymes, and it gets. that motility going. So, your digestion. will be so much better. And when you. eat, you really want to enjoy every. bite. you know, take the time to chew, chew your food, taste your food. The.

third thing would be to only eat when. you are truly hungry. So, when you are truly hungry, that's. when your stomach acid's going to be. strongest, your pancreatic enzymes are. going to be strongest, your motility is. going to be activating, and your. digestion is just going to be so much. better. So, the fourth thing is to stay. active throughout the day. So after. eating, if you can go for a little walk, again, you're going to naturally. activate the motility in the gut. So,

you know, if you can work in a little. bit of movement throughout the day, that's going to help your digestion so. much more. Again, being stagnant and. just sitting at your desk is probably. the worst thing you can do for for your. digestion. And the fifth thing is to try not to. drink too much water with your meals. Really? Yeah. Why? So water obviously is. important for hydration, but when you. drink a ton of it with your meals, you're actually diluting your stomach. acid and your pancreatic enzymes. So.

what I've observed with my patients and. with myself is when I eat my meal, I'll. take a few sips of water if needed, but. I'll save the bulk of my water for like. 45 minutes later. And by doing that, I. need far less digestive support. Like I. don't need to take as much digestive. enzymes because my natural acid and. enzymes are concentrated. >> Wow. I didn't realize that about the. water. Cuz when I sit down to have. dinner in particular, we always have a.

glass of water for everybody at the. table. Yeah. >> And I make myself wrong if I don't. finish it because I think I'm supposed. to have a lot of water. >> while I'm sitting eating a meal. And it. makes sense now that you explain it that. way. >> that the water dilutes the environment. which makes it more difficult. And here. I thought he was doing something. I mean. it is very healthy to drink water. It's. better to drink water than not drink. water. But I see what you're saying. You. get up, take a quick 10-minute walk and. then have your water. Awesome. So I'd.

love to switch gears. What is histamine. intolerance? So, histamine intolerance. is another extreme form of food. sensitivity. And basically, a person with histamine. intolerance suddenly feels like they're. allergic to everything. And the. unfortunate part is a lot of really. healthy foods that we think are good for. our gut are loaded in histamines. So. that's the fermented foods like the. kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, and the.

bone broth. What is a histamine? >> So, histamine is a compound that's made. by our immune system and it's naturally. released when we're having an allergic. reaction. So, if you're having um a. sneezing attack or you know. environmental allergies, your immune. cells are releasing that histamine and. that's causing the nasal congestion. But. histamines can affect multiple organs in. your body. So in your brain it can. create anxiety, insomnia, headaches. In.

your skin it can cause rashes and hives. >> In your heart it can cause palpitations. And in your stomach it can it can cause. acid reflux. And in your gut it can. cause bloating and diarrhea. So it can. really affect your whole body. And. histamines are found like I said in. those fermented foods. It's also found. in aged foods. So, it's found in soy. sauce and aged vinegars, aged cheeses,

and alcohol. >> Can you show me how histamine builds up. in the body? >> Absolutely. So, let me get a an example. over here. >> Okay. She's got a glass like vase that. has uh pingpong balls in it, white and. blue. >> And there's a red line halfway up to. mark halfway up. And then we've got. you've got some more ping pong balls. here. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> So, these balls represent the. histamines. Okay. >> So, to I'm going to give you a story of. one of my patients and describe his day.

and what happens with his histamine. levels. >> Okay. >> So, one of my patients, let's just call. him John. He's a 45-year-old man and he. comes to see me and he's basically. reacting to everything. Everything he eats is making him feel. sick. He's bloated all the time. He's. got diarrhea. He's got headaches now. He's super anxious and he can't sleep at. night. And his skin is breaking out. >> That's a lot. >> And sinus congestion. >> It sounds like everything's going. haywire.

>> Everything's falling apart. He's now. relying on benadryil all the time, Zerek. all the time. He's trying to suppress. all these symptoms. He's even been to. the ER and they just give him steroids. and benadryil and send him on his way. So, let me describe what's happening to. John. So, let's say he wakes up in the morning. and he's trying to be healthy. So he has. his sourdough toast with avocado, a. slice of tomato, and an egg. That sounds.

healthy. >> It sounds healthy. But little does he. realize that avocado and the tomato have. histamines. So now his body's got more histamines. And I'm going to explain the root cause. of all this in a little bit, but I'm. going to describe his day first. Okay. So after lunch, he's trying to be. healthy again. And he's trying to keep. up his protein intake. And he heard. sardines are healthy. Yeah. >> So, he has a sardine salad. Little does. he realize sardines are loaded in. histamines. So, sure enough, his body.

has a higher exposure to histamines. >> Okay. >> And then for dinner, he goes out to. dinner with his wife to his favorite. Japanese restaurant and he has a couple. glasses of wine, which again have. histamines. Oops. And then he has his. favorite sushi with a bunch of soy. sauce. Soy sauce is loaded in. histamines. So, guess what happens to. John that night? He comes home, he has a. horrible headache. He's super anxious.

He can't sleep the whole night. His skin. is breaking out. It's itching. He's. absolutely miserable. So, he basically. crossed the threshold of his histamine. bucket. It's overflowing in his system. >> So, why did this happen? Because. literally 6 months ago, he could have. eaten the exact same foods and been. fine. >> Yes. >> What? Well, it comes down to what's. happened in his microbiome. There's been. a shift and there's an overgrowth of. weeds in his garden.

>> Okay. >> These bacteria are now producing more. histamines and they're eating up a. critical enzyme that normally breaks. down histamines and that enzyme is. called DAO, damine oxidase. >> Okay. So, what I did for John is I I had. him do the SIBO breath test and the. stool microbiome test. And we found that. he had very significant SIBO, both. types, and he had leaky gut. So, he had. the perfect storm. He had a bunch of.

weeds in the wrong place in his gut. And. because of the leaky gut, his immune. system was now confused, overreacting. So, I basically treated him by putting. him on a protocol to heal the SIBO and. the leaky gut. So, it was a three-month. protocol doing everything we talked. about today. And to help with his symptoms during. that time, I put him on a low histamine. diet. Now, this is where a lot of people. get confused and they think that the. treatment for histamine intolerance is a.

low histamine diet. >> What's the treatment for a histamine. intolerance? Then. >> the treatment is really getting to that. root cause, cleaning up those weeds. >> So, it's like the same protocol we've. been talking about over and over to get. the gut environment healthy again. >> And in order to help it, >> you're just lowering your own histamine. intake, to give your gut a chance to get. healthy again. Because one of the things. that I think is important to say is. >> you're not saying these foods are.

unhealthy. You're saying that based on. your gut system and what's off. >> in those four ways your gut can be off. >> Foods that are really healthy can wreak. havoc because your gut environment is. bad. And so when you recommended a low. histamine diet, it's not because the. other stuff was unhealthy. It's because. his gut couldn't tolerate it because the. gut was unhealthy. >> Exactly. >> Got it. Okay. Dr. Rashri, how are your. thyroid and gut connected? So our.

thyroid is that butterflyshaped organ in. our neck and it's basically connected to. your gut through the gut thyroid axis. So your thyroid can affect your gut and. your gut can affect your thyroid. So. let's talk about the ways that the. thyroid can affect the gut. So first is. your thyroid strongly influences that. motility in the gut. So, anytime I see a patient who's. constipated, we we need to check the. thyroid labs to make sure that's not a.

root cause. The thyroid can also. influence your production of stomach. acid. So, a lot of my patients with. hypothyroidism, they have slow low stomach acid and they. may benefit again from the digestive. enzymes. Sometimes even that betane and. pepsin, those acid pills that I talked. about. Now, people with hypothyroidism. because of that slow motility, they're. also higher risk of getting SIBO. So, if they're struggling with bloating. or food sensitivities or bowel issues,

we always test for SIBO. So, now let me. explain how the gut can affect the. thyroid. So again, because the immune. cells are in the gut, a lot of people. with autoimmune thyroid disease, whether. it's Hashimoto's or Graves disease, Hashimoto's is the one that's associated. with low thyroid and Graves disease is. the one that's associated with high. thyroid. A lot of that can be linked to. what's happening in the gut. So if their. disease is flaring, again, it could be.

because of leaky gut or inflammation in. the gut. So when we pay attention to to. the gut and treat whatever we find. there, we often see antibbody levels go. down. >> That's super helpful. What actually is. Hashimoto's and what are the symptoms? >> So Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease. of the thyroid. Your body is producing. an antibbody. It's called the thyroid. peroxidase antibbody or TPO antibbody. and that's attacking your thyroid. Now there's many stages to Hashimoto's.

Like a lot of times we can catch. Hashimoto's early before it actually. makes you hypothyroid. So the symptoms. of Hashimoto's are kind of general. It. depends on how active the disease is. Some people with mild disease may not. have any symptoms. Maybe they're having. fatigue, brain fog, maybe they're having. slow gut motility and bloating and. constipation, sometimes joint pain. So it really varies. How do you heal. your thyroid? you know, our thyroid is.

dependent on critical nutrients. So, an. easy thing that I do for patients is I. check their nutrient levels and we try. to optimize that. You can easily do that. by taking a high quality multivitamin. that has all of these things in there. Um, but if someone's really deficient in. iron or vitamin D, I might have them. work on that specifically. And then again, if we're talking about. Hashimoto's, because of the autoimmune. process, we really need to target gut.

inflammation, the health of the. microbiome, and seeing what we can do. there to improve the immune regulation. >> Let's talk about insulin. What is. insulin? >> So, insulin is a hormone that's been. made by our pancreas. And the job of. insulin is to tell our cells to take up. blood sugar. So, let's say you have a. piece of cake, >> okay? your blood sugar goes up. and the way your body controls that is. by releasing insulin from the pancreas.

Now, the key thing is whether or not. your insulin receptors are listening. So, let me show you an example. >> Oh, I would love to see an example. >> Okay, she's got a a glass jar of sugar. cubes. Perfect. >> Oh, and she's got a Tupperware round. Tupperware thing with a lid on it. So. this Tupperware container is like the. cells in our body and then these sugar. cubes represent glucose in your. bloodstream. So you had your piece of. cake and your blood sugar just is just.

going up. So your body is going to. release insulin from your pancreas and. insulin is like the key. Now, in order. for insulin to work and tell your cells. to take up the blood sugar, the cells. insulin receptors have to be unlocked. Got it? So, let's say this is a. receptive cell. It's unlocked. So, it. opens up. It listens to insulin and it. takes up the blood sugar.

And interestingly, you can actually na. naturally open up your receptors. >> You can how? >> By exercising. >> Really? When you exercise, your muscles. will naturally open up their insulin. receptors and take up glucose. But the. problem is a lot of people have cells. where the insulin receptors are locked. So that's like having a tightly closed. Tupperware container that's not. responding to this insulin key. Got it? Okay. >> So when this happens, your pancreas.

responds by increasing the production of. insulin. >> Oh, so hold on. So, if your insulin. cells are locked and they're not. responding to the little bit of insulin. that you have or the normal amount of. insulin that would unlock it, >> your pancreas is like, "Okay, hold on. I'm getting the memo. Let's flood the. body with insulin because we got to get. these cells unlocked because this woman. just ate some cake. We got to bring the. glucose down." Okay, so now the pancreas. has come online.

>> Yeah. >> You now have more insulin and now what. happens? >> This is a problematic scenario. Okay? >> Because high insulin levels is. inflammatory on the body. High insulin. levels tells your cells to store fat and. lock it away. [snorts] And high insulin. levels makes you very hungry. So guess. what? Two hours later, you're ready for. your cookie. even though you just had cake. So it. drives this vicious cycle of hunger and.

weight gain. So people who have high insulin levels, they often struggle to lose weight. It's. very difficult to fast because of the. hunger that's, you know, controlling. everything. Insulin resistance can. happen far before you're diagnosed with. pre-diabetes or diabetes. >> And we now know that about half the. population here in America are insulin. resistant. What I do in my practice is I. test people's fasting insulin level.

This is a test that's not usually part. of routine blood work, but you could ask. your doctor for it because you could. have a normal fasting glucose. So, normal fasting glucose is under 100 and. you could have a normal hemoglobin A1C. That's that marker of your sugar for 3. months, but you could have elevated fasting. insulin far before those become a. problem. The good news though, there's. so much we can do to reverse insulin. resistance. So that's kind of um a a a.

window of opportunity where we can. intervene and reverse this whole. process. >> What can you do to reverse insulin. resistance? >> So usually it's a combination of three. things. The first thing is the diet. So. we take away the things that spike the. insulin because that's feeding into this. whole vicious cycle. So obviously we. want to avoid simple sugars and. carbohydrates. as well as alcohol because alcohol turns. into sugar. So we really want to put you.

on a diet that's going to stabilize your. blood sugar. When we do that and you. focus more on eating proteins and. vegetables and healthy fats like. avocados and nuts, that totally reduces. your blood glucose level so you're not. having these spikes up and down all day. Your blood sugar is kind of stable meal. to meal. So, guess what happens? Your pancreas. doesn't have to produce as much insulin. So, your hunger goes down. I mean, you. can still have some carbs like from.

berries and yams. So, the insulin goes. down. And then all of a sudden, because. the cells are not overflooded with the. insulin, they start opening up. >> What's the second? >> The second thing we can do is exercise. Like I mentioned, exercise is going to. naturally open up those insulin. receptors. So, I'd recommend 30 to 45. minutes of cardio every day. You can. split it up into two sessions if you. want. And strength training two to three. times a week because the more muscle. mass you have, the more insulin.

sensitive you are. So, that's the second. thing. And the third thing you can do is. to take some natural supplements. And. so, the two that I use in my practice. are bourberine and cinnamon and. chromium. >> You're smiling as you say this. Well, I. think because I've seen such radical. transformation in patients. So, I have. seen Okay, I'll share the one of the. most fascinating stories of my career. I. met a lady, she was vegetarian. and her hemoglobin A1C when I first met.

her was 13, which in other words, her fasting. glucose was over 300. She was a very. poorly controlled diabetic [snorts] and. she was adamant that she did not want to. take any pharmaceuticals. I was quite. concerned when I met there met her if. that was even possible and I knew that. the high blood sugar was damaging all. her organs. Her fasting insulin when I first met her. was like 35 incredibly high. but she followed everything I asked her.

to do. >> the diet the exercise and these. supplements. And we had a few, you know, setbacks. here and there where I had to make. adjustments with her diet. But by six. months, she had lost over 30 pounds and. her hemoglobin A1C was 5.7, which is. like normal. And her insulin was 8, which is also pretty close to normal. >> That's incredible. Dr. Rajri, what is. the difference between acid reflux and. gird? And how do you treat them?

So gird is gastro esophageal reflux. disease. So that's basically the medical. term for acid reflux. It's the same. thing. >> pretty much. But what I've observed in. my practice is that out of 10 people who. tell me they have reflux, they call it. reflux. Seven of those 10 people. actually have the opposite problem. They. have non acid reflux. >> What is that? So non- acid reflux is.

where they're not digesting their food. properly because of low stomach acid and. that undigested food fragments kind of. trickle up their esophagus. It causes. all this fleg in their throat. They're. constantly clearing their throat after. meals. And in the SIBO IBS population, this non-acid reflux is very very. common. And so it's an important. distinction. So when we're dealing with. true acid reflux, the patient will often.

describe burning in their stomach, burning in their chest. >> So they kind of hold it in between their. breasts or right above it, saying it's. kind of right here. >> Exactly. When they're talking about non. acid reflux, they don't describe any. burning. They're talking about flem and. throat clearing. Huh. And so I have to ask these questions to. really tease it out because otherwise. patients just think they all have acid. reflux. But this distinction is so. important because the treatments are.

opposite. >> How do you treat acid reflux and gird. versus non acid reflux? >> I'll start with the non-acid reflux. because that's the easy one. >> Okay. >> Non- acid reflux the treatment is to. provide the acid. So we use those. capsules of betane and pepsin. Betane is. hydrochloric acid and pepsin is an. enzyme to digest proteins. So a patient. will try that. They'll take it after a. meal and if they notice all these. symptoms reduce, their flem is gone, throat clearing's gone. Burping is.

another symptom I forgot to mention. Burping, excessive belching after meals. is a symptom of low stomach acid. >> Oh, so when a patient starts taking this. betane and pepsin, they notice their. belching goes away. um their throat. clearing goes away, their fleg goes. away, then we know it's working. And if. they take it and they don't feel any. burning, that means they need it. It's. actually helping them. >> But if they were to get burning, then we. know that they don't need it. They have. enough acid. So that's the treatment of.

non acid reflux. >> You just add acid. >> Yeah. Very simple. Very simple. >> Now, when we're dealing with acid. reflux, um there are natural treatments, but we also need to do more. investigation. We use DGL capsules which. are a type of licorice and they're. convenient because they're in capsules. that they can take with them anywhere. and it's very soothing to the stomach. and the esophagus. So that's the. symptomatic relief part. But then acid. reflux is your body almost saying that.

it doesn't like what you ate. It's. sending it back up. Then it could be. food sensitivities. So I review their. diet very carefully. like maybe they're. drinking six cups of coffee a day or. maybe they're drinking a lot of wine at. night or maybe it's the tomato sauce uh. or spicy food. So maybe there's a. trigger that we can identify. then we do a more investigation of their. gut garden. So SIBO interestingly is a. big root cause of acid reflux and part.

of that is because if you have a lot of. pressure under the diaphragm from the. SIBO that gas pressure is going to push. the acid upward. So we have to take a. full picture at their gut ecosystem and. once we fix that usually we see acid. reflux go away. >> How do you suggest or recommend that I. or the person listening go about finding. the right doctor when you have. unexplained gut issues? Because I think. as I listen to you and as the person.

who's watching and listening is like I. want you to be my doctor but what. questions would you ask her? How do you. find somebody that takes such a holistic. approach to gut issues? >> So, you probably need to do a little bit. of research. I think your your. gastroenterologist is a great starting. point as far as ruling out all the. structural issues um for doing all the. standard tests to make sure nothing. really serious is going on like ruling. out colon cancer, ruling out. inflammatory bowel disease, celiac.

disease. They can help with all of that. A lot of times, well, you could ask your. GI doctor for the SIBO test. A lot of. them are familiar with it. Um, for some. reason, they don't offer it unless you. kind of ask for it. And unfortunately, I've even had patients who ask for the. test and instead of being given the. test, they're just handed the. antibiotics for SIBO without even. testing. So, you don't really want to go. that route. You always want to know what. you're treating. Then, you might want to. research someone who has knowledge in. integrative and functional medicine.

someone who's familiar with SIBO, familiar with the microbiome, who offers. these tests. So, the stool microbiome. test, the SIBO test, someone who's going. to pay attention to your diet, the food. allergies, the food sensitivities. So, it may take a little bit of. research. What are for you kind of top. red flag symptoms. >> that you would recommend that I or the. person listening go talk to a doctor. about?

So if you have blood in the stools, that's usually a red flag. I mean, it. can be hemorrhoids. And so I try to. understand the patient's history. Like. if it was after a significant straining. and it was a one-time thing, one wiping, >> but if it's a consistent blood in the. stools, that is definitely a red flag. >> Okay? >> If you're vomiting a lot, that's a red. flag because SIBO can cause nausea, but. it shouldn't cause persistent vomiting. If you're losing a substantial amount of. weight, more than 10 pounds, and you.

can't seem to stabilize that weight, it's just coming off, that's another red. flag. Dr. Rashri, what are your parting. words? So, if you're someone out there who's. struggling with gut issues, whether it's. bloating every day or constipation or. reflux or you're reacting to foods, I. just want to bring you hope that healing. is possible, that you don't have to live. like this for the rest of your life. There's so much we can do. It's just a. matter of figuring out what part of your. gut gut garden needs support. So.

hopefully with all of these tools and. tips that we've talked about today, you. can see improvement in your gut health. and in your overall health. Well, I just. want to say thank you. Thank you for. getting on a plane and flying across. country and taking time out of your. extraordinarily busy clinical practice. to share all this. This is a. comprehensive guide that not only left. us with specific things to do that.

you're seeing work for yourself, for. your clinical practice over and over. again, but that also was easy to. understand and I really appreciated that. and I feel way more hopeful and I've got. like seven people in mind that I'm. sending this to immediately that are. having constant problems with their gut. And what I also appreciate that you. brought to this is that there is the. emotional side. It impacts your quality. of life. And so I loved that your. approach kept coming back to the.

baseline understanding of these four. factors of how you create this healthy. garden in your gut system so that your. overall life becomes healthier. So thank. you. Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mel. It's it was such an. honor and a privilege to be here today. to have this amazing conversation and I. really hope it reaches a lot of people. and helps so many people. >> I know it will. And I also want to thank. you. Thank you for taking the time to. listen to this to better understand your.

gut and to learn how to create a. healthier gut. There's no doubt in my. mind based on the way that she explained. this all to us that you can feel better. in your life. And I really hope that you. not only take the recommendations and. try it, but you also share this free. resource with people in your life who. deserve to feel better, too. And in case. no one else tells you, I want to be sure. as your friend to tell you that I love. you and I believe in you and I believe. in your ability to create a better life.

And boy, wouldn't your life feel better. if your gut felt better? Of course it. would. I will welcome you in to the next. episode the moment you hit play. I'll. [music] see you there. Thank you for. watching all the way to the end. Didn't. you love this? And don't you love. knowing that you have this as a free. resource, both to help you heal your gut. and [music] something that you can share. with people in your life so that they. can understand gut health and take these. [music] simple steps to start healing. theirs. And I know you enjoyed watching.

this one, which means you're going to. love watching this video [music] next of. the Mel Robbins Podcast. And I'm going. to welcome you in the moment you hit. play.