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

My client Addy was a diligent college student just trying to make it through her classes. Only thing was - she also was dealing with daily bloating, constipation, gas, and fatigue that no diet change or yoga could fix. What was she dealing with? Join us on the podcast to hear what Addy learned was going on in her body, and what she did to quit constipation and find energy, confidence, and freedom...

We just concluded a series of episodes on ways the gut is connected to other parts of the body: the Gut-Skin, Gut-Breath, and Gut-Sinus connections. In honor of the Gut-Sinus connection, I wanted to bring in an EXPERT in the orofacial complex: Madison Scott, RDH, Myofunctional Therapist! Myofunctional therapy is a treatment that examines how the tongue and oral muscles move and function, utilizing...

We’re going out with a bang for the finale of the Gut connection series: The Gut-Sinus connection!   Chronic sinusitis is one of the most common human diseases, affecting 1 in 7 American adults.   Over 20% of patients are unresponsive to drug therapy, and up to 40% are unresponsive to surgery!   Sinus issues are the tip of the iceberg, giving clues about what root causes can lie ben...

Today: Week TWO of our Gut Connection series! We’re exploring three different gut connections in this series: gut-skin, gut-breath, and gut-sinus. Our gut-breath connection is very anatomy based! Your trunk holds almost ALL your important organs. Within the trunk, the respiratory diaphragm is between two opposite pressure systems. This pressure balance can be thrown off balance by tissue restricti...

Today, we begin part one of our Gut Connection series! We’ll explore three different gut connections over the next weeks: skin, breath, and sinus. Our gut and skin are deeply intertwined. To heal the skin, the gut needs to be healthy. If you’re healing your gut, you may have already noticed skin improvements! If you have: Eczema Rashes, seemingly randomly Adult acne Arms/legs with red dots Bacne T...

Last week’s episode, I discussed the anatomy behind brain toxicity and ways to reduce toxins. One of the methods to reduce brain toxicity needed its own episode: MEDITATION! Meditation is the ultimate freebie for reducing brain toxicity! No tools are required and it can be done almost anywhere or anytime. Meditation assists in reducing brain toxicity by: Reducing brain static (the activity of neur...

Brain toxicity: What does it look like? Symptoms of brain toxicity: Fatigue Moodiness Memory problems Difficulty focusing (ADD/ADHD) Speech/language problems (Autism) Mood disorders (OCD, depression, etc.) Stiff, uncoordinated muscles (Demyelination. More severely: Multiple sclerosis, ALS, or other diseases) Neurodegenerative diseases (such as Dementia/Alzheimers) Do you experience any of those sy...

Does sleep elude you? Often, we are told if we improve sleep hygiene or reduce stress, our sleep will improve. This episode, I want to let you in on a secret: It’s not your lack of willpower getting in the way of better sleep. It’s your GUT! Join me to learn how to learn what your sleep patterns are telling you! Different sleep issues show us signs of dysfunction in the gut related to: Systemic in...

Do you struggle with anxiety, depression, or difficulty focusing? Have you been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD? Do you experience feelings of sadness for seemingly no reason? Are you gaining weight, or not losing it, despite working out and eating healthy? If you are, you may be being impacted by a specific pathogen in the gut called Clostridium Difficile, or for short, C. Diff. This bacterium can imp...

LOW stomach acid is the most common cause of acid reflux in clients that I work with. Yes, LOW stomach acid can create acid reflux as much (or more) than high stomach acid! Why? Low stomach acid affects food breakdown AND stomach function. Low stomach acid symptoms: Acid reflux Seeing chunks of food in stool Bloating Smelly gas Quick feelings of fullness Fatigue Weakness when working out Does this...

Why do our clients get such good results? What do we do differently? Lately, I’ve been getting these questions a LOT. After pondering the answers, I’m here today to share them with you! Some key things? We don’t use insurance, we invest TIME with our clients, and we get creative! I’ll go in depth about things we do (or don’t do) and WHY. But - this isn’t just about what we do. It’s about WHO we do...

Thus far on the podcast, I’ve talked about the physical and biochemical part of my journey - from my health downfall to uprising. What I haven’t spent much time talking about is the IMMENSE work I have done to spiritually and psychologically heal myself. Yes, I had to remove a parasite from my body and heal my leaky gut. But I believe 100% that if I ONLY had come at my healing from a physiological...

Joining me on the podcast today is Raina LaGrand, LMSW, MPH, CYT. Raina is a somatic therapist, coach, and educator living in Ypsilanti, MI. ⁠⁠Her perspective on somatics includes responding to the ways trauma & oppression shape our experiences and capacity to thrive. She believes individual and societal transformation is made possible when we center bodies, pleasure, relationships, and culture in...

We’ve been discussing when and how to find a GOOD health practitioner. So, how do you find a GOOD chiropractor? Joining me on the podcast today to answer this question are two good chiropractors and great storytellers, Dr. Zach Simpkins and Dr. Tygue Arvidson! At their clinic, Foundation Chiropractic, they start from the feet and work their way up - spines don’t exist in a vacuum, they are part of...

I’d like to share something special with you: a LIVE recording of a three month follow up call with one of my clients! My client, Dessie, kindly allowed me to record her call to share her progress with YOU! Starting this process, her top three complaints were upper abdominal pain, joint pain, and fatigue. (Plus a slew of other symptoms that improved, as well!) She saw a 70% improvement in three we...

Today, we’re talking about MONEY MINDSET! This topic can be awkward to discuss, but is deeply intertwined with our health. If you feel repelled or your head is swimming at the thought of thinking about money - HOLD tight! This conversation is a gentle and loving one - we even have talking points and homework to take home! Be sure to also tune in to last week’s episode (linked below). Finding the r...

Let’s dive into two crucial steps on the path to healing: How to know it’s time for help. How to CHOOSE help! Shame, discouragement, a self-blaming mindset, and many other patterns can arise when we don’t get to the root cause of a health problem. Not to mention the information overload searching for answers brings about! When you want a solution that works you need an expert - there are some thin...

Today, I invite you to learn about a tool I created for my clients! I WISH I had this for myself in 2015 when I started my journey. When I first started my health journey, I didn't know how I had gotten to where I was or where to go from there. I didn’t know what path to take! I spent years floundering and feeling confused overall about where I was in the healing journey. This training breaks down...

Your doctor shares your lab results with the news that they are… NORMAL! You don’t FEEL normal, so what does that mean ? These “Normal” lab results were compared to a lab’s reference range. The problem with this reference range? The average is comprised of ALL the people a specific lab has ever sampled. The range is NOT filtered for if these people were healthy or feeling good. Today, let’s dive i...

Raise your hand if… You have fears surrounding food. Diet and exercise are a source of frustration. You struggle with body-image. The scale in your bathroom is a source of stress. You fear the scale, so you don’t have one! Your struggles are also health-related. Having a dysbiotic gut microbiome or unbalanced hormones make bodies MORE prone to weight problems. It has nothing to do with willpower,...

Have you ever gotten a colonoscopy? Have you ever gotten an endoscopy? If you have ever been diagnosed with or have gone to your doctor for any GI problem, it is very likely that you have been asked to get one of these procedures with a specialist. Today’s episode is a conversation with Certified Gastroenterology Nurse Joey Miller! Joey spends all day looking at colonoscopies but is NOT your avera...

Today, join me for a conversation with Brenda Aufderhar RN, LCSW, CST-D! Brenda’s journey started as a mom trying to find help for her cerebral palsy child! Brenda found Craniosacral Therapy and wanted to learn how the treatment was helping her son. A lifelong learner, Brenda attended courses for CST and went on to get her master’s degree in social work! This led to integrating talk therapy with C...

Today, I'd like to share a personal story about my recent pregnancy and miscarriage. This story encapsulates the ENTIRE reason I started the Better Belly Podcast.  People don’t often hear REAL health stories. This aspect of health is somehow taboo! In reality, these stories happen every day, all the time. Maybe this isn’t a story that directly relates to you. If that is the case, I would encourage...

Are your hormonal cycles short? Does PMS or your period take you out every month, causing you to dread the arrival of your period? Or do you not get a period at all? Do you get migraines/headaches around your period or ovulation? Are your energy levels the WORST around your period? Are your mood swings off the charts? If you answered YES to any of those questions, tune in to hear from Sophie Sheph...

Do you suffer from allergies ? Do you frequently take over the counter antihistamines ? Do you have symptoms that don’t feel ‘connected’ ? Symptoms such as: rashes, clogged sinuses, diarrhea, constipation, chest tightness, insomnia, restless legs, anxiety, swelling, body heat, hives, migraines or headaches, GERD, or irregular periods. Have you ever thought, “This doesn’t apply to me! I poop, A LOT...