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The Importance of Gut Health

by Dr. Ruscio

I learned the importance of gut health when I was in my early 20’s. I led an active life as an athlete but I became tired, depressed, and my digestion was off. I couldn’t sleep at night. My hair was thinning and I had no libido. I needed multiple naps to get through the day and experienced brain fog.

I visited a few doctors to find some answers and, disappointingly, all my lab tests came back “normal”. I was told there was nothing wrong with me, but I knew otherwise.

After much frustration, I eventually found an enlightened doctor who figured out that a gut infection was at the root of all my problems. Through functional medicine, I was able to heal my gut, re-balance my hormones, and get my health back.

I hear this exact story in my own practice every single day and I know that getting well doesn’t need to be so complicated and frustrating.

Improving your gut health improves much more than just your digestion. Research backs this up. For example, more than 500 clinical research trials show probiotics can improve many different health conditions.

Read: Gut-Brain Axis

 

 

Is Low Vitamin D Risking Your Health?

Hey, It’s Dr. Martin Here…

I’ve got some results of a new vitamin D and thyroid study to share with you, but before we dive in… Let me tell you about the “rule of thumb” I have about blood levels of vitamin D. Remember, this is MY rule of thumb, and it is based on my 45+ years of clinical experience and like all rules of thumb — there are exceptions.

I consider vitamin D blood levels an excellent biomarker of overall health.

In my experience when a person has low blood levels of vitamin D, they’re generally not healthy. They have something going on. They’re usually tired, or can’t sleep, or have brain fog and they usually have metabolic syndrome or hormonal problems.

My point is all the factors that lead to someone not being healthy also contribute to (or are caused by) low vitamin D.

On the flipside when a person has OPTIMIZED blood levels of vitamin D they usually have better metabolic health, have better energy, and their brains are sharper.

So, when I evaluate my blood work, one of the first things I look at is my blood vitamin D levels. With that being said my rule of thumb for blood levels of vitamin D is more accurate for low than optimized. Here’s what I mean by that:

I would consider myself “unhealthy” if my vitamin D levels were really low but I wouldn’t automatically consider myself “healthy” if my levels were optimized.

There’s too much research showing the critical impact vitamin D has on EVERY SYSTEM in our body to dismiss low vitamin D levels. If my vitamin D levels are low, then too many things in my body are suffering and something is going to “break”.

For example, look at the immune system. You can’t even properly activate your natural killer cells (the Navy Seals of your immune system) without enough vitamin D. And, speaking of your immune system I recently wrote about a new paper published in The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology titled…

"The impact of vitamin D on cancer: A mini Review"

In the paper, the researchers said: "Vitamin D deficiency is linked to the development and progression of a number of cancer types."

And "The majority of evidence suggests that low circulating vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of cancers."

That's one reason why I want optimized levels of Vitamin D.

The same paper talked about how Vitamin D has anti-cancer effects on the following:

• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Melanoma
• Glioblastoma
• Colon Cancer
• Breast Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Bladder Cancer
• Ovarian Cancer
• Multiple Myeloma
• Osteosarcoma
• Head and Neck Cancer

Also if your blood levels of vitamin D are chronically low then, your brain can be at serious risk.

A study published this past year in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed a link between vitamin D deficiency and dementia.

The study looked at data and brain scans from more than 300,000 people and concluded there's a … "Causal effect of vitamin D deficiency on dementia.”

Another study found low levels of Vitamin D were associated with THREE times faster rate of cognitive decline than those with adequate levels."

These are just a few reasons why I consider blood levels of vitamin D a critical biomarker especially if your blood levels of vitamin D are low.

Now, about that new vitamin D study. Researchers found that people with subclinical hypothyroidism have significant decreases in blood vitamin D levels and higher triglyceride-glucose index increasing their risk of cardiovascular disease.

Here’s why that is significant and impacts a lot of people reading this newsletter:

First, did you know your sensitivity to thyroid hormone is directly related to your triglycerides and HDL? (The more sensitive you are to a hormone, the better).

This means that if your triglycerides are high, you’re less sensitive to thyroid hormones, and you’re more likely to experience sluggish thyroid symptoms. There are millions of people with subclinical hypothyroidism because they have high triglycerides. This is one way to have sluggish thyroid symptoms and still have normal thyroid blood tests.

The same is true with HDL. If your HDL is low, then you’re less sensitive to thyroid hormones as well.

Sadly, many people with poor metabolic health have HIGH TRIGLYCERIDES and they have LOW HDL. It’s no wonder why they also have sluggish thyroid symptoms.

What’s interesting with this new study is it shows that not only do people have higher triglycerides with subclinical hypothyroidism they also have low vitamin D levels. Again, vitamin D has a major impact on your thyroid and it is hard to have a normal functioning thyroid if your vitamin D levels are low.

Bottom line make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D

P.S. As I mentioned before, I consider my blood levels of 60-80 ng/ml or 150-250 nmol to be in optimal range.

What foods have what vitamins?

Vitamin D Supplements?

 

 

COMING SOON. Nutritional Breakthrough for Special Needs Children.

 

 

Heard of the gut-skin connection? Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC

Did you know that the health of your skin might be directly influenced by the state of your gut? It’s true, and it's becoming increasingly clear that the state of your gut microbiome doesn't just affect your digestive health but your skin health too.

Curious how your gut health might be affecting your skin? Here are just a few common skin conditions and their link to the gut:
• Acne
• Rosacea
• Atopic dermatitis (eczema)
• Psoriasis
• Seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff

Now, let's dive deeper into understanding this connection:

A balanced gut microbiome can lead to clearer, healthier skin by reducing systemic inflammation. When healthy, your gut combats the inflammation by producing metabolites like butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid, which lowers inflammation and protects the gut barrier, leading to better skin health.

Achieving an optimal balance involves:
• Eating a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods
• Probiotics

But the benefits of a healthy gut extend beyond clear skin. For example, probiotics, both oral and topical, have been shown to improve skin health, offering anti-aging benefits, enhancing moisture retention, and strengthening skin barrier integrity.

Read also: Gut-Brain Axis