You’ve probably used the phrases: “I have butterflies in my stomach,” “I have a gut feeling about this,” or “there’s a pit in my stomach." Have you ever wondered why so many of these sayings involve our brains and tummies? The answer is the gut-brain connection. As it turns out, your nervous stomach isn't such…
Helichrysum essential oil comes from a natural medicinal plant that's used to make a beneficial essential oil that boasts many different full-body benefits due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal and antibacterial properties. (1) Helichrysum essential oil, typically from the Helichrysum italicum plant, has been established in various experimental studies to have strong abilities to lower inflammation due to…
Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans, are one of the oldest consumed crops in the world. In fact, they have been a part of certain traditional diets for over 7,500 years, and it's not hard to see why when you take into account the benefits of chickpeas nutrition. Today, chickpeas remain one of the most popular legumes…
Most people have the occasional gut symptoms after eating a heavy meal or during periods of high stress. This is normal, as the human body has ways of telling you that you need to take a break and take better care of yourself. What’s not normal, however, is when your digestive symptoms get so bad…
While knowledge about the benefits associated with probiotics has exploded over the past decade, many people are still unsure about how prebiotics and postbiotics work. Probiotics are the "good" (or "friendly") bacteria that colonize the digestive system and support many functions of the immune system. Prebiotics essentially feed probiotics, helping them survive and reproduce through the…
A cornbread recipe that doesn’t use corn. Seems a little odd, right? Cornbread is a staple side dish for Thanksgiving, or it goes swimmingly with chili and hot cider. But many of my patients I encountered over the years as a functional medicine doctor could not tolerate or digest corn. That was the inspiration for…
It’s not uncommon today for people to carry around small bottles of hand sanitizer wherever they go, wash their hands deliberately throughout the day, and scrub produce squeaky clean. Although many of us have been led to believe that all germs are potentially dangerous — and that the cleaner our diets, bodies and environments stay,…
The anti-aging market is a booming business, with Americans — and the rest of the world — spending billions of dollars on products to combat the signs of aging every year. While it's common to rush to a cosmetics counter to find the "next big thing" in anti-aging, we should remember that aging affects internal…
With bone broth bars opening up around the globe and supplements in powder, liquid and capsule form flying off the shelves, it’s no wonder that bone broth has secured its slot as one of the hottest superfoods in history. In fact, take a look at the multitude of bone broth healing testimonials out there, and…
Zucchini, also called courgette in some parts of the world, is believed to have been first cultivated up to 10,000 years ago. Originally grown in parts of South America, at the time it was primarily grown for its beneficial seeds since the wild variety didn’t have much flesh and tasted very bitter. In fact, ancient…
