gut health & microbiome

Here you’ll find articles related to gut health and the microbiome. Your gut is at the core of your health (pun intended!), and so it should come as no surprise that many of our articles touch on the topic. The term microbiome refers to all of the microbes that reside within your body, while your gut refers to your entire digestive tract — all the way from your mouth down to the other end. 

Countless tiny microbes reside in your gut, and the delicate balance of these organisms is central to your body’s ability to function properly. When the balance of bacteria in your microbiome gets thrown off, your gut health suffers, and this has a cascade of effects on your health. Your gut health plays a pivotal role in not only digestion and nutrient absorption, but also immune function, metabolism, mental health, and many other areas.

Read these articles to learn more about the ways that your gut affects your overall well-being, as well as what you can do to support a healthy gut and microbiome.

Dr. Kasey Holland on EBV Reactivation Symptoms and How EBV Triggers Autoimmune Disease

Dr. Kasey Holland on EBV Reactivation Symptoms and How EBV Triggers Autoimmune Disease

When Dr. Kasey Holland was in naturopathic medical school, she was experiencing a cluster of mysterious and sometimes debilitating symptoms, and didn’t know what they were, despite the fact that the answer was staring her right in the face (Literally! She was busy diagnosing patients with the very thing she had! ). When she eventually figured out that she had reactivated EBV, and then healed herself, she decided to make this complex virus her specialty. Read on to learn Dr. Holland’s insights on EBV reactivation symptoms, the best EBV treatment, how EBV might explain what triggers autoimmune disease, and much more.
What’s the Difference Between a Food Allergy vs Food Intolerance? Dr. Will Bulsiewicz Explains

What’s the Difference Between a Food Allergy vs Food Intolerance? Dr. Will Bulsiewicz Explains

It’s not often we have repeat interviewees here at WellBe, but sometimes a person just has too much valuable expertise to unpack in one interview. One of those people is Dr. Will Bulsiewicz (aka Dr. B). Dr B is a double board-certified physician, gut health expert, and author of Fiber Fueled and the brand new Fiber Fueled Cookbook, which he describes as “the ‘how’ of gut health.” While Dr. B’s first WellBe interview focused on the importance of fiber and dietary diversity, this one is all about the causes of food intolerance. Read on to learn the difference between a food allergy vs food intolerance, the most common food intolerances, and much more. 
How to Identify a Food Sensitivity with a Food Elimination Diet

How to Identify a Food Sensitivity with a Food Elimination Diet

As we say often here at WellBe, the things you choose to put in your mouth have a bigger impact on your health than anything else. So if you’re experiencing mysterious symptoms or chronic issues and can’t figure out why, a food sensitivity could be the culprit. Of course, we all eat a huge variety of different foods each day, so figuring out the source of your symptoms can be tricky. Enter: elimination diets. Read on to learn the benefits of a food elimination diet, best practices for how to do an elimination diet, and even a basic template for your own elimination diet plan. 
Valencia Porter, MD, MPH on How Exposure to Chemicals Affects Your Health, and What to Do About It

Valencia Porter, MD, MPH on How Exposure to Chemicals Affects Your Health, and What to Do About It

Growing up interested in science and medicine, Dr. Valencia Porter always knew she’d become a doctor. What she didn't know was that, after working for several years working as a conventional physician, she would pivot to a completely new approach. Today, the double-board certified doctor is also a functional medicine practitioner and an author with a masters in public health focusing on environmental health. She has spent years working as the lead physician and educator at The Chopra Center, and much of her work centers around the health impacts of exposure to chemicals. Read on to learn about the risks of environmental toxicity, the different types of toxins, how to remove toxins from the body, and more. 
Hannah Bronfman’s Story of Life-Changing Dental Trauma and Healing Through Natural Dentistry

Hannah Bronfman’s Story of Life-Changing Dental Trauma and Healing Through Natural Dentistry

Hannah Bronfman, content creator, author, and founder of HB Fit, had never had any dental issues growing up or in her adult life. So when she sustained an injury to her mouth, she didn’t think too much about it after she’d healed. But then a few years later, a ton of seemingly unrelated symptoms cropped up — fatigue, gut issues, infertility — and after going to a natural dentistry practice at the recommendation of her doctor, she learned that her dental trauma had actually had a way bigger impact than she’d realized. Read on to learn about how trauma can impact the oral microbiome (and how the oral microbiome can impact overall health), why holistic dental care is the only surefire way to treat the root cause of an issue, and much more.
Ally Hilfiger on How the Long-Term Effects of Lyme Disease Landed Her in the Psych Ward

Ally Hilfiger on How the Long-Term Effects of Lyme Disease Landed Her in the Psych Ward

Imagine suffering from range of ailments that totally controlled your childhood and then having a psychotic breakdown at 18 that led to institutionalization. For Ally Hilfiger, now 32, that was the reality of the bulk of her childhood. When she was 7, Ally Hilfiger was bitten by a tick, but not diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease until 19. For all those years in between, she had to deal with severe fatigue, joint pain, difficulty retaining information, fainting spells, shooting pains, migraines, and serious anxiety attacks. No one could figure out what was causing her physical and neurological complications.