THE BETTER BELLY PODCAST - Natural Constipation Remedies, Acid Reflux, Hormones, Gut Health, Functional Medicine

Sometimes, the hardest part of chronic illness is the disappointments of a health journey gone wrong.  In today's episode, I use my recent story of labor and delivery of my first child to discuss how to deal with disappointment in your health journey when it doesn't look how you thought it would.  Spoiler alert: my labor and delivery did NOT go how I expected it would ever go. But using these 5 st...

Chronic fatigue is a commonly felt symptom for anyone struggling with any chronic illness - let alone gut health problems.  Adrenal fatigue, within the category of chronic fatigue, is fatigue that is sourced in the adrenal glands. Historically, chronic fatigue and adrenal fatigue can be very frustrating for those with it because, as is often true with any chronic illness, it’s unclear either what...

Today's episode is recorded in honor of the fact that, of the 25 to 45 million people in the US diagnosed with IBS, there is very little conversation out there on how IBS can be put into remission.  There is, instead, a resignation at most, or frustration at the least, that IBS is a permanent situation.  Due to everything from doctors saying IBS is permanent to the years of struggle people undergo...

Have you ever experienced the problem in your health of doing something that gets you results short term, but within a year later, your symptoms have returned? Have you ever wondered what happens to clients at other office after they finish working with their health practitioners? Have you ever wanted to hear from someone else their story of investing in their health - and knowing - was it worth i...

When clients first start working with me, I regularly hear this question: Do I really need supplements? It’s a reasonable question.  The supplement industry in the US alone is valued at $151.9 billion, as of 2021. As with all things that yield great money - and can cost great money - the big question is - does it have to be this way?  Add on top of that the very common experience of taking supplem...

Have you ever started a healthy habit, kept it for a season, and then dropped off doing it? Have you ever kept a habit for the amount of time it’s supposed to take to establish a habit - then stopped doing it still? Have you ever been frustrated with your ability to keep a habit for some time, but then you feel like you always end up back-sliding on it later? If so, you are not unlike both me and...

This month, we’ve been going through a series on fascia and how this un-talked about connective tissue in the body can MASSIVELY impact gut health.  Fascia is the key structure I work with in my clinic using craniosacral therapy and visceral manipulation, and it’s the other-half of the work we do at Better Belly Therapies alongside functional lab testing and our Foundations Program.  And on today’...

Do you dread taking pills - knowing that they are ALWAYS uncomfortable to swallow? Do you have to take pills with yogurt, in food, applesauce, or with excessive water or juice to get it to go down? Or - Do you avoid eating certain foods such as carrots or chips, knowing they always - or often - get stuck in your throat or chest? If so, you are like one in 25 people who will report symptoms of diff...

On today’s episode, we are continuing a conversation we’ve had on this podcast multiple times, but with a totally new perspective: Acid Reflux. According to a National Gastrointestinal Survey in 2015 with over 70,000 participants, 30% of these participants experience acid reflux on a weekly basis. And within that group, another 35% of participants experience acid reflux even WITH taking PPI’s - a...

Have you ever wondered: Why abdominal pain makes you want to hunch over? Why you can restrict food and avoid food sensitivities and STILL get bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, and acid reflux? Have you ever jammed your fist into your belly, feeling there was something wrong deep inside - you just didn’t know what? If so - today’s episode is for you! On today’s episode, we are getting into a...

On today’s first Ask Allison episode, we will be discussing a question I received on the gut-allergy connection and how childhood allergies are connected to the gut and beyond. By the end of today’s episode, you’ll understand a little bit more about how you can help environmental allergies to things such as pollen actually REDUCE - without needing to use pharmaceuticals - by looking into your gut...

Do you have a colic-y baby? Does it seem that, no matter how many lactation or sleep consultants you talk to, that your baby just CANNOT sleep or eat without crying, discomfort, and struggle? Does your baby or child snore, have emotional regulation problems, or seem to ALWAYS be cranky? If you said YES to any of these, your child or infant may have a tongue or lip tie, and likely has restrictions...

If you have ever been pregnant, or heard a pregnant woman talk about what it’s like to be pregnant, you may realize that pregnancy is one, big IBS trap.  What do I mean by this? Of the top symptoms that comes with IBS - bloating, constipation, and acid reflux - all of these symptoms are things that women talk about who are pregnant - whether or not they had IBS before getting pregnant. So for a wo...

Does pregnancy seem like an impossible goal for you? Have you been struggling with fertility, trying method after method to get pregnant - and nothing seems to work? Do you ever feel like you don’t know if you can have hope to get pregnant? Or, do you wonder if you’ll have to rely on an external method, such as donor eggs, to get pregnant? Infertility, unfortunately, is becoming more and more comm...

Have you had bloating and sleep problems for the last decade? Has it seemed like nothing you do has worked? Are you afraid to make changes to your health - because it's hard, and because...what if it doesn't work? If so, you are like my client Julie. Julie is full-time entrepreneur and working mom in Canada who can do EVERYTHING right in her business - but has not been able to figure out her healt...

If you have IBS, you have experience with it NOT being a straight-forward diagnosis to get rid of.   Or bury.   Or heal. You have probably tried everything recommended by doctors, nutritionists, and blog posts online.    --> The Low FODMAP diet. Colonoscopies. Endoscopies. Gluten free. Dairy free. More fiber. More water. Less stress.  You name it - you've done it. But have you done THIS therapy? Y...

According to research done by UCLA, up to 60% of patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) also have Fibromyalgia, and up to 70% of patients with Fibromyalgia have IBS.  Having struggled with IBS myself, I remember in my worst years wondering if I ALSO had Fibromyalgia.  Brain fog. Fatigue. Chronic pain. Stiffness. Depression. I had it all. Over my years working with clients with IBS or other g...

Have you ever felt like your illness or condition was “too hard” for a health practitioner to handle? Does your diagnosis ever feel like a life sentence? Haunting you everywhere you go, yet invisible to those around you? Have you ever wished you just DIDN’T have the disease, illness, or even the body you had? If so, you are like many of our clients we have worked with. And I understand, I’ve been...

Do you have an IBS diagnosis? If so, you may know that it’s not a particularly specific diagnosis. It could be diarrhea, constipation, OR both. Plus the wide array of symptoms from bloating to anxiety, and beyond. IBS is, by nature, a catch-all diagnosis. You can find that IN the name - Irritable Bowel Syndrome. A syndrome, in the medical world, refers to a disease state with a recognizable patter...

Over the past two years, we’ve had over 50 women apply to work with us at Better Belly Therapies to do our signature gut healing program - the Foundations Program. Part of the process of working with us is filling out our Qualifying Call Application - a series of questions that gathers all the necessary data for me and my team to decide if we can help the woman who is applying to work with us. On...

Have you struggled with Gut issues for a decade - or more? Have you gone to multiple doctors, even GI specialists, and never gotten an answer? Or maybe the answer was simply a diagnosis of IBS? Have you felt like there was more going on in your body, yet couldn’t figure it out with the doctor’s help? Did you have other problems like sleep issues, weight gain, and fatigue? Have you tried everything...

“How long?” It’s a valuable question; relevant to anyone starting a journey. Knowing the length of a journey prepares us for the road ahead, psychologically and practically. It’s SO important, we’ve already released a podcast episode on the hero’s journey and how it relates to health! In health, especially in gut health, asking how long tends to get you a shoulder shrug. An evasive answer. Sometim...

People are more willing to talk about politics, religion, or sex - than we are willing to talk about money. Did you grow up in a household where it was impolite to talk about money? Do you feel shame about how much money you have, or don’t have, or wished you had? Have you noticed that, no matter how much money you make, you still feel anxiety around money? Have you ever felt shame or guilt about...

According to the Center for Disease Control in America, Fibromyalgia currently affects about 4 million US adults, or about 2% of the American population. Of these cases, 75-90% of those diagnosed with Fibromyalgia are women. Fibromyalgia is a pain disorder with unknown causes and origins, and for anyone diagnosed with it in the US, most solutions for fibromyalgia are focused on mediating pain - no...

I'm so excited to announce Blood Lab Bootcamp is open for enrollment this week, for one week only from January 5th to 12th! Are you uncertain Blood Lab Bootcamp is right for you? If so, this episode is for you! Whether your objections to this course are fueled by fear, finances, uncertainty, or even disbelief, this episode covers it! In health, testing requires an investment of time and money. How...