Dr. Ruscio Radio: Health, Nutrition And Functional Medicine

For optimal healing, a patient needs their symptoms, not their lab test results, to be treated. In this episode, I offer dietary and lifestyle solutions for people looking to improve their gut microbiome and overcome digestive and non-digestive symptoms caused by small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and gut dysbiosis.  Listen in to hear the answers to these specific questions:  What test do you recommend for gut dysbiosis, even if you've already been tested for SIBO and it was negative? I have SIBO-related symptoms. Can I do treatments without getting tested for SIBO?  What are your thoughts on using the Food Marble for monitoring the efficacy of SIBO treatment and food intolerances?  I have had chronic SIBO for 10 years which was not diagnosed until approximately 4 years ago. I feel like I have to stay on antimicrobials indefinitely. I react to most foods when I add them in, therefore my diet is extremely limited. Why am I so reactive to food?  I understand that Dr. Ruscio likes to try the triple pr

From the start, Oura—a Finnish health technology company—has capitalized on the latest technological advances, designing the Oura Ring that helps people measure, understand, and improve their sleep habits.  Now, Shyamal Patel—Head of Science at Oura—speaks about how this wearable technology now has the ability to predict periods, track fitness performance, detect sleep breathing disturbances, and measure heart rate throughout the day and during workouts. https://www.drruscio.com/new-oura-ring-features-to-track-sleep-quality-hormones-and-more My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources

Developed by Harvard psychiatrist and researcher, Dr. Chris Palmer, the brain energy theory of mental illness highlights the connection between mental health and metabolism. Its basis is that mental disorders are actually metabolic disorders of the brain. This new understanding opens the door to new, safer treatments for depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. Hear how Dr. Palmer has put his theory into action for his psychiatric patients and what dietary and lifestyle changes you can make to improve your mood, energy, and quality of life. https://www.drruscio.com/brain-energy-a-model-for-improving-mental-health  My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources

We all want to maintain the sharpest brain possible, especially as we age. And now, new research is showing that probiotics may be able to play a role in doing so. A new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's disease looked at the relationship between probiotics, cognitive function, and brain atrophy. While I dive deep into the study’s outcomes, I also speak on why multi-strain probiotics are preferred and how else probiotics benefit gut, brain, immune, and liver health. Listen in to learn more about the power of probiotics. https://www.drruscio.com/probiotics-prevent-brain-atrophy-and-improve-cognition  My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook  If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com  Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources 

When Reid–a father to two children and sports enthusiast–continued to get injuries and feel fatigued, he decided to make dietary and lifestyle changes to improve his own health and inspire his kids to adopt similar habits. By transitioning to eating a whole-foods anti-inflammatory diet alone, his energy, chronic pain, and mood improved. His 1 and 3-year-old eventually caught onto the craze of these healthier foods, which caused noticeable positive changes in their temper, sleep, and energy. In the episode, he speaks about what foods he and his kids now eat and how (to his own surprise) ice baths played a major role in his healing. https://www.drruscio.com/the-power-of-diet-resolving-chronic-pain-and-helping-kids-thrive My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources

Dive deep into the data to hear how polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), heavy metal toxicity, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), antibiotic-assisted diarrhea, Parkinson’s disease, and other health conditions respond to multi-strain and soil-based probiotics. https://www.drruscio.com/probiotics-for-brain-health-kids-respiratory-infections  My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook  If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com  Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources 

While gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, constipation, abdominal pain, and diarrhea can certainly indicate a gut imbalance, they aren’t the only signs to look out for. Hear the four surprising symptoms that might indicate an unhealthy gut and what to do about it. https://www.drruscio.com/4-hidden-warning-signs-of-gut-issues-to-address  My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook  If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com  Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources 

When it comes to recovering from mold exposure, Dr. Joe Mather–the Medical Director at the Ruscio Institute for Functional Medicine–can speak from both personal and clinical experiences. Personally, his healing journey with mold was non-linear, with ups and downs that ultimately taught him how to push past limiting beliefs and find what works best. Clinically, he helps patients at our clinic overcome mold toxicity and its associated symptoms of brain fog, chronic fatigue, GI issues, and more.  Both experiences have given him unique insights into mold testing and treatment. In the episode, he expands on his story, and we share how protein, exercise, and thiamine and B-vitamin supplementation have particularly helped patients with mold toxicity, SIBO, and other conditions. https://www.drruscio.com/improving-mold-by-optimizing-protein-and-exercise  My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook  If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com  Lo

Like many patients coming into our clinic, Shereen was used to working with functional medicine practitioners who ordered many expensive lab tests immediately to determine her treatment. But the continuous testing didn’t provide symptom relief, prompting her to look to our clinic for additional assistance.  When she began working with Dr. Ruscio, she was surprised to find his recommendations for healing weren’t based on lab markers; they were instead based on her symptoms. Shereen implemented dietary and lifestyle changes recommended by Dr. Ruscio and ultimately found her gut health, workouts, female hormone imbalances, and food reactions improving.  Listen in to hear how her health journey began and what got her feeling better. https://drruscio.com/how-to-improve-gut-health-without-expensive-lab-tests  My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook  If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com  Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.

As a pelvic floor physical therapist, Dr. Jandra Mueller digs deeper into the root cause of chronic pelvic pain. For some women, it’s explained by endometriosis—an inflammatory condition where endometrial-like tissue lives outside of the uterus. Other symptoms of endometriosis go beyond the pelvic floor, causing painful periods, gut health issues, infertility, and more. While getting a diagnosis for endometriosis is often complex, Dr. Mueller simplifies what women can do to determine if it is driving their symptoms.  https://www.drruscio.com/endometriosis-causes-abdominal-pain-bloating-constipation  My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook  If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com  Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources 

Exciting clinical research on probiotics continues to emerge. In this podcast episode, I review studies that examine the effectiveness of probiotics for improving cognition, female hormones, diarrhea, body fat reduction, and more. I also provide critical information about how to pick a high-quality probiotic and treat symptoms, not just lab values.  https://www.drruscio.com/probiotics-for-brain-health-gut-health-hormone-balance  My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook  If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com  Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources 

For a patient of our clinic’s own Dr. Hannah Hamlin, she received two diagnoses from previous practitioners: colitis and hypothyroidism. While the colitis was evident from endoscopic imaging, her hypothyroidism was questionable, especially with her thyroid lab results being in the normal range. Dr. Hamlin followed our clinic’s approach of looking at her symptoms, medical history, previous response to treatment, and lab values to determine the right course of treatment.   In the episode, she shares how her patient’s symptoms of diarrhea, fecal incontinence, orthostatic hypertension, anxiety, PMS, and more dramatically decreased when implementing dietary and lifestyle changes necessary to healing the mind and body. Tune in to hear the patient’s full story and how to establish a healthy mindset for a healthy you. https://www.drruscio.com/colitis-hypothyroid-case-study-importance-of-mindset  My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook  If you're in need of clinical support, p

Diana Rodgers—dietitian, author, and filmmaker—speaks internationally about the intersection of optimal human nutrition, regenerative agriculture, and food justice. In this episode, her expertise in and passion for sustainability comes out as she discusses why it's important to shift away from the anti-meat narrative and instead toward improving our food systems, ecosystem, and health. Listen in to hear why producing and eating meat may do more good than harm. https://www.drruscio.com/is-meat-bad-for-the-environment  My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook  If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com

Jandra Mueller–pelvic health physical therapist at The Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center–is back on the podcast to discuss the surprising connections between pelvic floor health and gut health. This time, she weighs in on the three-step protocol I’ve developed to improve abdominal distension and how posture, breathwork, and emotions all tie into healing the gut and feeling better. Listen in to learn more.  https://www.drruscio.com/abdominal-distention-dr-ruscio-new-protocol My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources

Questions are in from podcast listeners. Listen in to hear my responses to the following thyroid health questions:  How important is it to look at all the values in a complete thyroid panel and not only TSH? Is 4.5 too high for TSH? Would you be alarmed if the TSH number was the only number that was high, and no other negative symptoms were experienced? Would you recommend someone with subclinical hypothyroidism use meds? What if your TPO antibodies and the rest of your thyroid tests are normal, but your Thyroglobulin Antibodies are through the roof? If someone has SIBO and Hashimoto's but seems to tolerate gluten well, do they absolutely need to avoid gluten? How could improving my gut health improve my thyroid function? Can SIBO lower T3 and sex hormones? https://www.drruscio.com/tsh-thyroid-antibodies-gluten-common-questions My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook  If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com Looking for more? C

Dr. Kien Vuu—famously known as Doctor V—is a passionate health and human optimization champion and best-selling author of Thrive State: Your Blueprint for Optimal Health, Longevity, and Peak Performance. He shares how you can get your brain off autopilot mode and thrive physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. Tune in to hear how to push past negative beliefs, overcome challenges, and unlock your true potential. https://www.drruscio.com/gamechanging-strategies-optimal-health-and-longevity  My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources

Poor sleep can happen for many reasons. Maybe it’s due to a new supplement, high-stress levels, or not eating or drinking enough throughout the day. When I experienced a week of insomnia, I pinpointed the cause fairly quickly: my air purifier stopped working. Air purifiers can help lighten allergen load, filter harmful chemicals, and remove mold spores from the air. Tune in to hear how fixing my air purifier and ensuring my house had good air quality got me back to sleeping through the night.  https://www.drruscio.com/i-had-insomnia-and-fixed-it-with-this  My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook  If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com  Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources 

How does using T3 affect your heart health? How can you spot the truth behind a catchy, clickbait headline? What’s new in probiotics research? Don’t miss out on the many discussion points in this episode, all of which can help you interpret true clinical findings and use the information to better your health. Tune in now. https://drruscio.com/thyroid-hormone-harm-news-on-probiotics My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources 

Eric Hinman–endurance athlete (5x Ironman)–knows a thing or two about training and recovering from workouts in a healthy way. In this episode, he shares what did (and didn’t) help him achieve his fitness goals and how he eventually found a routine that fueled his body and mind. Listen in to hear the power of sauna therapy, cold exposure, strength training, and daily movement for reaching peak athletic performance and optimizing health. https://www.drruscio.com/from-saunas-to-deadlifts-how-to-boost-fitness-performance  My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook  If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com  Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources 

Earlier this year, Dr. Stasha Gominak–neurologist and creator of RightSleep®–was on Dr. Ruscio Radio, sharing her research findings that showed a connection between vitamin intake, gut health, and sleep. Now, she’s back on the podcast to elaborate more on the surprising link between gut health and sleep health. That’s right: your gut microbiome plays a bigger role in a good night’s sleep (or two) than you may think. Listen in to learn how you can optimize your gut health and get back to sleeping well. https://drruscio.com/the-surprising-link-between-gut-and-sleep-health/ My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook If you're in need of clinical support, please visit https://ruscioinstitute.com Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources