Dr. Maya Shetreat was first inspired to go into the field of psychoneuroimmunology (the study of how the mind affects our health and resistance to disease) by a documentary — but it wasn’t until she had a firsthand health scare with her own son that no doctors had answers for but ultimately was caused by a food he regularly ate, that she made it her mission to educate people about the gut-brain-immune system connection. Today, the pediatric neurologist i.e. brain doctor for kids, and author of the book The Dirt Curehelps treat children by looking at food and the microbiome, rather than writing a prescription.
From ADHD to OCD to seizure disorders to autism, Dr. Maya troubleshoots with diet and gut health to heal children without medication, or if temporary medication is needed, she works to get them off as soon as possible. Listen to learn about her son’s amazing recovery, how our obsession with being “sterile” has made us less healthy, why touching a subway pole won’t give you the good kind of bacteria you want, exactly how clean your fruits and vegetables should ideally be, and why nature and dirt is so profoundly important to strong gut health, immunity and brain health.
