Dr. Ruscio Radio, DC: Health, Nutrition and Functional Healthcare

Eating healthy, sleeping well, having the right attitude, and exercising seem like obvious health habits. But what isn't so obvious are ways people can sometimes ignore their intuition and signals from their bodies, in order to follow a protocol to the letter. Weight training may be a big win, especially for women, to build confidence and strength. And it's also important to know why you're making...

It can be useful for all of us to have nutrition and fitness guidance every now and then, to pull us out of ruts and encourage greater breadth and balance in our routines. Those who have adopted a paleo-style diet may trend towards a too high fat intake and may be surprised to learn that there are situations where high carbs lead to higher performance. For those who lift weights only, adding endur...

Juan was facing an autoimmune arthritis condition, gut issues, and infertility. After trying a prescription drug that made him feel worse, he turned to healing his gut and mixed fasting with the elemental diet. In taking these steps, Juan was able to eliminate his symptoms—like joint pain, fatigue, and inflammation—and his wife became pregnant. The elemental diet is a liquid diet in which the cont...

The autoimmune paleo (or AIP) diet and community support together can benefit patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, according to a landmark study. AIP removes nightshades, eggs, nuts, seeds, ghee, and caffeine, in addition to standard paleo restrictions. The study's community support (which included online health coaching) contributed to 90-100% adherence to this diet. Interestingly, multiple par...

Some articles circulate online claiming that low-carb or ketogenic diets starve your gut bacteria and are thus unhealthy. But these diets are not bad for your gut health. The claims are misleading: while they may starve some bacterial populations, they may promote the growth of others. These diets may not work for everyone. If you feel fatigued or irritable on a low-carb or keto diet, a moderate t...

A GI functional marker test, or test of gut function, can be very useful to detect some gut conditions. It can help diagnose inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), predict pancreatic insufficiency (or need for digestive enzymes), and potentially detect leaky gut. However, patients should beware of paying attention to markers like secretory IgA, fecal lysozyme, chymotrypsin and beta-glucuronidase that a...

Leaky gut syndrome—also known as increased intestinal permeability—is a state in which the intestinal lining becomes damaged. This allows toxins, bacteria, and foreign particles to leak into the bloodstream. Robust research shows links between leaky gut (and other gut issues) and brain-based issues like cognition and mood. For example, intestinal infection was associated with later onset of anxiet...

Neuroscience research has revealed and continues to show the wide-ranging health benefits of meditation. These benefits range from lower inflammation in the body to emotional resilience to increased compassion. A small investment of time daily, just 10-20 minutes, can yield many returns on effectiveness in multiple areas of one's life. But it can sometimes be challenging for beginners to figure ou...

Medicinal cannabis has been studied and administered for health benefits like chronic pain reduction and chemotherapy-induced nausea. Compelling—while currently more limited—evidence shows that a small, controlled dose of cannabis can also improve sexual function in the four main domains: libido, arousal, orgasm, and bonding. The optimal medium to use is cannabis flower (to avoid harmful byproduct...

Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) is an inflammatory response in the body that may affect multiple systems—like digestive, respiratory, nervous, musculoskeletal, pulmonary—and is generally brought on by environmental exposure or infection. The most common trigger for CIRS is mold and mycotoxins from buildings with water damage. If you see health changes after a water leak, moving to a...

A large, 20-year study of farmers shows associations between exposure to certain pesticides and herbicides and an increased risk of hypothyroidism. Many of these chemicals are still in use. Note that the study measured occupational use, or very high exposure. Another study which measured pesticide levels in the blood—after participants ate organic versus conventional food—showed higher levels of p...

Today we will cover listener questions, including: Elemental Heal for Ulcers; Inulin Intolerance; Keto Diet and Thyroid; H. Pylori False Positives; Red Light Therapy for The Gut; Biofilms and the Elemental Diet. https://drruscio.com/?p=31375 My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook/ Looking for more? Check out https://drruscio.com/resources

In this episode Julie and I discuss diet protocols and a cascade approach that often helps practitioners and patients identify the best possible diet for healing. The protocols we discuss, like starting with a gluten/dairy/soy free diet and cascading to other diets like low histamine, low FODMAP, low salicylate diet and low oxalate diet are not limited to Autism treatment, this approach can be use...

Sometimes, looking at difficult health issues holistically and asking good questions can uncover surprising paths to wellness. Jason Prall of the Human Longevity Project docu-series focused his career on lifestyle medicine after working to help many patients with complex issues. In additional to health practices like exercise and sun exposure, he has also seen powerful healing effects from psyched...

The cost of care, especially in the realm of functional medicine, can be an unknown for a suffering layperson. It may feel to weary patients like their only option is to sign away many thousands of dollars. Julie's story shows that this does not need to be the case. After her general practitioner was not able to treat her myriad symptoms—including brain fog, fatigue, female hormone issues, bloatin...

Our society provides more stimulus and entertainment than ever before, from streaming video to mobile devices. Parents are often discouraged from letting their children wander off or attempt things unsupervised. And most people think of boredom as a negative feeling to be avoided. But could there be a value to boredom? Dr. Mark Hawkins, a high school counselor, thinks so. Cultivating a practice of...

If you are still experiencing symptoms of hypothyroidism despite taking a thyroid hormone, a recent study shows promise. The study showed that two-thirds of women with the above condition, who brought their ferritin levels (or functional iron in their blood) above 100, saw their persistent symptoms relieved. Consider testing your ferritin and supplementing it before adding on another medication. I...

Stoic philosophy is an ancient life philosophy, originating in Rome and Greece, that may help you face challenges more effectively and with greater tranquility. One technique involves briefly visualizing the loss of someone or something precious, restoring gratitude for and awareness of that element of life. Another method is to review and analyze the surfacing of negative emotion to hopefully pre...

The influence of social relationships on health and happiness is a popular topic of research. A healthy marital relationship can yield numerous benefits, including better sleep and greater longevity. But marital stress can be detrimental to couples' immune systems. Stress in a relationship (or even loss) can be buffered by other friendships, by gratitude, by time apart, and by setting realistic ex...

Today we will cover listener questions, including: Magnesium while fasting; Is the elemental diet and fasting okay if you are underweight?; Probiotics; Is the inulin in the probiotic okay?; Noticing white tongue while on the elemental diet; Dosing for NAC; and more. https://drruscio.com/?p=30674 My book Healthy Gut, Healthy You is available at https://drruscio.com/getgutbook/ Looking for more? Che...

Three main types of symptoms typically occur in mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS): allergic, inflammatory, and growth abnormality symptoms, which can affect different organs in the body. Lyme disease, Bartonella, and other tick-borne (and insect/animal-transmitted) illnesses can influence, trigger, or mimic the symptoms of MCAS. It's important to consider that these conditions may or may not ov...

Neural pathways that form the brain to gut connections can be damaged as a result of a concussion or other traumatic injury. For some patients whose symptoms don't fully resolve with gut therapies, new treatments that stimulate neural pathways may be helpful. Functional neurology is an area of clinical practice that opens a window onto brain-based problems and provides some novel therapies. Today...

Often people try a few store-bought, random probiotics to help their gut, thinking they are all the same. Then they conclude that either they don't work, or that they don't tolerate them. Unfortunately, this can miss some of the most widely-studied effective classes of probiotics: a lactobacillus-bifidobacterium blend, S. boulardii, and soil-based probiotics. Phyllis, a patient, tried the random a...

Bloating may be largely ignored by most doctors, but this uncomfortable symptom is common and deserves more attention. Dr. Peter Whorwell, a specialist clinician and researcher, shares his insights into bloating and reveals some surprising facts. Why do only half of the patients with bloating pain show signs of abdominal swelling? What is a bloatometer? How is bloating with constipation different...

Sometimes a trauma, whether physical or emotional, can push your limbic system into a "stuck" state of fight or flight. This can lead to a host of issues, from chemical hypersensitivities or fibromyalgia to IBS or survival-related emotional states. To restore your limbic system balance, one approach comes in the form of a neural retraining program. This system targets negative triggers through con...