gutflora

Each human being is host to a microbiota, an ecosystem made up of trillions of bacteria that inhabit the surfaces and crevices of our body and especially the insides of our large intestine. In this episode we’ll look at the ecology inside our gut, where bacteria are on a constant quest to feed and multiply, while bacteriophages scheme to snatch their minuscule bodies for their own reproductive purposes.

Our guide is molecular biologist Dr. Laura Bridgewater. She’ll tell us how our microbiota influences our weight, our health, and even our personality. Believe me - it’s a zoo down there!

February is Heart Health month, and here are a few things you need to know but might not:

1. Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the United States, far outpacing breast cancer.
2. Estrogen is protective of the heart - it relaxes arteries and promotes the "good" kind of cholesterol.
3. Ten years post-menopause, a woman's risk of heart disease is equal to a man's.
4. Women are more likely to die due to heart attack because our assumptions about what heart attacks "look like" are based largely on men's symptoms - not women's. So women often don't seek treatment or are misdiagnosed.

That's enough of the bad news. Here's some good news instead.

Nutrition, exercise, and attention to gut health can go a long way toward reducing your risk of heart disease (and this is true of everyone at every age).

In this conversation with bariatric surgeon and gut-health expert Dr. Erika La Vella, Gennev Director of Health Coaching Stasi Kasianchuk asks the questions YOU need the answers to: how to maximize gut health to have a healthier heart.

You can find Dr. La Vella at lavellayourguts.com. You can make an appointment with Coach Stasi or any of our Dietitian Nutritionist coaches at Gennev.com/plans.

Resources for additional information:

In this episode, Dr. Hernandez and Dr. Retz discuss the importance of gut flora, what impacts it, and why Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is not an accurate diagnosis.

Dr. Michelle Retz is the faculty chair for Gastroenterology at SCNM and a physician at Ethos Integrative Medicine. 

Science is starting to uncover the many ways our gut flora affect our health. While many of us still believe the beneficial bacteria is good for digestion (and it is), it does a whole lot more. 

In this podcast, metabolic surgeon and gut expert Dr. Erika La Vella talks with Gennev's Director of Health Coaching Stasi Kasianchuk about the bi-directional relationship between your gut and your brain.

The "Gut-Brain Axis" affects your perception, cognition, your nervous system, your mood, pretty much everything. Given that, and how cattywampus everything is during menopause anyway, doesn't it make sense to be sure your gut is getting exactly what it needs?

Have a listen, then find Dr. La Vella at LavellaYourGuts.com and make an appointment to work with Coach Stasi or one of our other amazing coaches at Gennev.com. 

GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) are getting a lot of attention these days. Do GMOs represent "better living through science" or are they "frankenfoods" that have long-term ill-effects that we don't even know about? While the truth is not yet fully known, find out the bet that Sal, Adam and Justin are making with their own personal health.