In this episode of the Medicinal Herbs podcast, host Daina Parent, ND, talks with naturopath and medical herbalist Berris Burgoyne about the gut microbiome, dysbiosis, and the role of nutrition and herbs in supporting gut health.

Join Annette Schippel, DC, as she talks about how hormones affect digestion as well as the microbiome in our bodies. Annette takes us through the entire process, starting with digestion, and provides practical herbs and other tips to help you or your patients’ gut health.

Food fuels the body, for better or worse. Some dietary choices are healthier, providing phytonutrients, lean protein, and fiber, while others offer very little nutritional value, such as highly processed, refined foods. When food is broken down during digestion and absorption, the smaller nutrient components are absorbed and utilized throughout the body, or excreted. Proteins are broken down into amino acids, fats are degraded to free fatty acids and monoglycerides while carbohydrates are reduced to simple sugars. Dietary fiber from carbohydrates, on the other hand, cannot be broken down. Instead, fiber is fermented by bacteria found in the gut microbiome, which produces short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the

Of the five basic tastes – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami – bitter is probably the least appealing to most people.1 In fact, manufacturers have gone to great lengths to remove bitter compounds from foods to make them more palatable.2 But this has resulted in food items that are missing important compounds that can positively impact health, especially digestive health.

Digestion is an essential process; it allows the body to obtain nutrients from food. It involves the mouth, stomach, and intestines; however, other organs support digestion including the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and gut microbiome.

Acupuncture therapy involves the use of thin, smooth needles that are inserted into specific locations, called acupoints, to help treat diseases. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), when qi, an inner energy of human beings that is vital to health, is imbalanced, illness and disease occur.1 The theory of acupuncture suggests that the flow of Qi can be rebalanced by activating acupoints, thus allowing more harmoniously flow throughout the body.1,2 Acupuncture provides a different approach from modern, Western medicine for treating many ailments because it has unique effects depending on the condition, helping to return the body to homeostasis

Probiotics are live microorganisms that provide a health benefit to the host when they are consumed in adequate amounts.­1 The word comes from the Greek term “pro bios” which means “for life.”2 These microorganisms add to the gut microbiome, potentially increasing the populations of beneficial gut residents that already reside there. Probiotics work by interacting with the anatomical, physical, and microbiological barriers of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.3 Some of the proven benefits of probiotics include supporting healthy immune function and inflammation, reducing the risk of diseases including GI and allergic diseases, improving metabolic health, and acting as an antioxidant.1,3,4 Probiotics support the development and maintenance of a healthy microbiome through various mechanisms including:1-5