Bloated Again? – The Shocking Truth About Digestion & Simple Fixes with Dr. Heather Finley
In this episode of Hormones, Metabolism, and You, Dr. Cassie Smith sits down with gut health expert Dr. Heather Finley to unpack the root causes behind common digestive struggles like bloating, gas, and constipation. Together, they explore how stress, mineral imbalances, and gut bacteria impact digestion — and share simple, non-restrictive strategies to support gut healing. From SIBO and leaky gut to mindful eating and mineral-rich “mocktails,” this conversation is packed with actionable, affordable tips for anyone looking to improve digestion and overall well-being.
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Guest info and links:
Dr. Heather Finley is a registered dietitian with a doctorate in clinical nutrition. She and her team help people struggling with bloating, brain fog, hormone imbalances, and GI issues find lasting relief and feel excited about food again.
After battling her own digestive and hormone issues for nearly 20 years, Heather understands firsthand how nutrition, lifestyle, and mindset influence gut health. She believes gut healing shouldn’t be restrictive, stressful, or all-consuming. Her signature approach helps individuals reduce digestive symptoms while expanding their diet.
Dr. Heather earned her doctorate in clinical nutrition from Maryland University of Integrative Health. Her expertise has been featured on Good Morning Texas, MindBodyGreen, Yahoo! Life, and VeryWell Health. She is the founder of the gutTogether® program for individuals and the gutPractitioner program for clinicians.
Blog/Transcription:
0:03 Welcome back to this week’s episode of Hormones, Metabolism, and You. I’m your host, Dr. Cassie Smith. I’m a functional
0:09 endocrinologist based out of Oklahoma City. This week, I am interviewing Dr. Heather Finley. I’m so excited about
0:16 this interview. We are talking all things gut health. So, since my book is
0:22 coming out this summer about gut health, I wanted to bring on a gut health specialist so I could answer all your
0:28 questions about gut health. In this interview, we talked about the most common GI side effects that people
0:34 struggle with. In particular, we talked about bloating and we talked about why bloating is not random and what could be
0:40 causing bloating in particularly digestion issues, acid issues with your
0:45 stomach, enzyme issues, mineral deficiencies, which was a very
0:50 interesting conversation, motility issues, and stress. We also talked about
0:56 gas, the different types of gas that you have and why you have gas and ways to
1:02 avoid gas. We then transitioned our conversation into constipation. That’s a
1:07 huge thing that people struggle with. We defined what is constipation, how often should we actually be having bowel
1:14 movements, which is at least once a day. We talked about all the causes of constipation and we talked about ways
1:21 that you can fix this without medications like Mirax or Lindses or things like that. Dr. Heather gave a lot
1:27 of tips on things that you can take to help with digestion and help with constipation. And we had this long
1:34 conversation about minerals and why they are so important and how people struggling with fatigue and having food
1:40 cravings and bloating, how minerals could actually help that and what minerals are best for this. We talked
1:46 about all sorts of testing that you can do with your gut and if you can’t find a provider or afford the testing, just
1:52 some natural remedy things that you can do at home. She actually gave a tip of
1:57 an 100% free test that you can do at home to tell if you have bloating issues. All it requires is water and
2:04 baking soda. So, have to listen to the episode for that. But, I thought it was very interesting. So, in this episode, I
2:12 interview Dr. Heather Finley. She’s a registered dietician with a doctorate in clinical nutrition. She and her team
2:18 help people struggling with bloating, brain fog, hormone imbalances, and GI issues finding lasting relief and feel
2:25 excited about food again. After battling her own digestive and hormone issues for nearly 20 years, Heather understands
2:32 firsthand how nutrition, lifestyle, and mindset influence gut health. She believes gut healing shouldn’t be
2:38 restrictive, stressful, or all-consuming. Her signature approach helps individuals reduce digestive
2:44 symptoms while expanding their diet. Dr. Heather earned her doctorate in clinical
2:50 nutrition from Maryland University of Integrative Health. Her expertise has been featured on Good Morning Texas,
2:56 MindBody Green, Yahoo Life, and Very Well. She’s the founder of the Gut
3:02 together program for individuals and the gut practitioner program for clinicians.
3:07 She also wrote a book a few years ago as well, which was a cookbook, and we’re
3:13 going to talk about that, and we’ll link all of it in the show notes. So, stay tuned for this exciting episode. Welcome
3:19 back to this week’s episode of Hormones, Metabolism, and You. Today, I am
3:24 interviewing Dr. Heather Finley. She is a doctor of nutrition, and she talks a
3:30 lot about gut health. So, if you guys don’t follow her on social media, I’m going to let her tell you how you can do
3:36 that. But I’m very intrigued by her work because she talks a lot about the symptoms that all my patients have when
3:42 we talk about gut health. And with my gut health book coming out, I wanted her to come on and talk to you guys about
3:47 all the things you messaged me about. So, we’re going to talk about bloating and we’re going to talk about gas and
3:53 we’re going to talk about minerals and constipation. So, thank you for coming
3:58 on and helping educate our listeners. Thanks for having me. So excited to be here. So, can you tell everyone just
4:04 kind of briefly, I guess, how you got into gut health, why you do what you do? Absolutely. So, like many health
4:13 providers, I got in because of my own GI issues. And to make a very long story
4:18 short, I struggled with lots of bloating and chronic constipation for probably 20
4:24 years of my life. um spent so much time cutting out foods, trying all the trendy
4:30 elimination diets, trying to figure out what was actually going to relieve my symptoms. Ended up going to school to
4:38 study nutrition, thinking that that would finally be where I could fix myself. And unfortunately, I left school
4:46 um my undergrad and felt more confused than ever. I was feeling worse than I
4:51 ever had and also felt a lot of imposttor syndrome about how could I ever help a patient. I just spent four
4:59 years in school studying nutrition. How am I ever going to help somebody else feel better if I can’t even help myself?
5:05 And so um started my first job working in a hospital as a clinical dietician
5:11 was working with really sick patients like oncology patients and on the renal floor and did a lot of soulsearching at
5:19 that time trying to figure out am I even in the right field what am I doing and that’s when I was introduced to more of
5:26 a functional approach to nutrition. And I had a friend who was going through some similar things, started talking to
5:33 me about some of the stuff she was doing and I started wondering why I had never learned about any of that in school. And
5:39 so started down this rabbit hole of functional nutrition and integrative
5:45 more of an integrative approach. And that’s when I really discovered that everything is connected and that a lot
5:51 of the symptoms that I was having of course, you know, might have been nutrition related, but that it was
5:57 actually a lot deeper than that. in that the chronic GI issues that I was having um which then turned into Hashimoto’s
6:04 and hypothyroidism uh were very much at the there was a lot at the root that had more to do with the
6:11 minerals in my body, how I was digesting food, my gut motility, the bacteria in
6:17 my gut, all of that. And once I actually was able to address that and develop a
6:23 lifestyle that supported that from a stress standpoint, a sleep standpoint,
6:28 blood sugar balance, all the things that you talk about, uh I was able to feel a
6:33 lot better. And so now I get to help other women struggling with the same thing do the same um and find relief
6:40 even though they’ve, you know, tried so many different things um so many elimination diets and medications and
6:46 and all the stuff. So, here we are. Yeah, I love that. So, and I also saw on
6:51 your Instagram page how now you even like eat dairy sometimes and you drink wine and all these things and you had
6:58 all these gut issues. So, yeah. So, like most providers, you have kind of a story where you didn’t feel well and you
7:05 couldn’t find the right answer. So, you kind of took things into your own hands and figured it out, which I love. So, I
7:11 want to start with I think I want to start with bloating because you did a post recently about bloating and you
7:17 were talking about how it’s not necessarily always the food that you’re eating, but maybe more paying attention to the timing because to your point,
7:24 there’s a lot of people by the time they come to me, they come to you, they’ve cut out dairy, they’ve cut out gluten, they’re still bloating and bloating, you
7:31 know, and I’m going to let you explain this, but there’s you can be bloated in the morning, you can be bloated before
7:37 you go to bed, you can be bloated after you drink water, There’s different times that you’re bloated that sometimes mean
7:42 different things, but let’s just talk about bloating in general. What’s the most common, I guess, presentation of
7:49 bloating that you get? And then tell us some of the reasons why people are bloated and things we can do to treat
7:55 that. Yeah. So there can be a lot of different causes of bloating, but I would say the
8:02 most common presentation of bloat that we see in our practice is typically the
8:07 I get progressively more bloated throughout the day and by the end of the day I feel six months pregnant even
8:12 though I’m not pregnant. Um where we even have clients that come to us that have their morning pants and their
8:19 afternoon pants because their bloating is so severe that they have to change pants at the end of the day because
8:25 they’re so uncomfortable. Um, of course we do get clients that wake up bloated and they’re like, “I never have any
8:31 relief.” Um, we get clients that say, “I get bloated an hour or two after eating.” And all of those are going to
8:37 have different causes, which I’m happy to go into if that would be helpful. Um,
8:42 but sometimes, you know, it’s very easy to think, what did I eat that made me bloated? And of course, there are foods
8:50 that are going to make you bloated. If you eat a whole plate of broccoli or a whole plate of cauliflower, I would
8:55 expect you to be bloated. Even if you drink some sparkling water, it’s not abnormal to get a little bit bloated
9:02 from that. But if you are chronically bloated every time you eat, you’re waking up bloated, you’re bloating after
9:08 a meal, you’re feeling six months pregnant by the end of the day, that typically is a much deeper issue than
9:15 food. it has a lot more to do with how your body is processing the food versus
9:20 the food itself. Um, if that makes sense. So, yeah, like I said, happy to
9:25 go into the different causes if that would be helpful.
9:35 I would say most of the time, yes. Of course, there are things like even coordination of the abdominal muscles
9:42 that can affect bloating. We see this a lot with clients that have pelvic floor
9:48 issues. Um or sometimes what our clients will say is, “Yeah, I bloat really bad
9:53 after exercise.” Uh that typically is a sign that there is some sort of
9:59 discoordination with the muscles um in their abdomen. Um can be related to pelvic floor as well. But a lot of times
10:07 it is digestive related. We need to look at things like stomach acid, pancreatic
10:12 enzymes, gut motility, bacteria in the gut. Um, and when we can actually fix
10:18 those things, the bloating gets a lot better. Yeah, I completely agree. Digestion is
10:24 huge. And, you know, I’ve kind of gotten into recently, um, you know, Iveda medicine and like body types and eating.
10:31 Um, and I’m somebody who, you know, I’m just very acidic and so I started incorporating green juice in the morning
10:38 and like trying to become more alkaline in the morning and that’s helped my digestion a ton. So I truly believe in
10:45 digestion and bitters and things like that. Can you explain to people how they would so like let’s say somebody that’s
10:51 listening is having these symptoms like they wake up and they’re wearing their pants and then they have to put on different pants later in the day. What
10:58 would you recommend as far as testing? Um, what would you recommend as far as like let’s say that they can’t find a
11:04 provider to do testing, are there things that they can do to start helping their digestion?
11:10 Absolutely. So, with bloating, I would say the top two, well, three tests that
11:16 might be helpful for you. Number one, a GI map is probably going to be your best bang for your buck as far as identifying
11:24 what’s going on. That’s going to give us a lot of information about how you’re digesting food, inflammation in your
11:30 gut, the balance of bacteria in your gut, both quote unquote good and bad.
11:35 Um, different infections, parasites, candida, fungus, all of that. So, that’s
11:41 going to be a really good use of just data to look at all the pieces of the
11:47 puzzle. Uh, we also could throw in something like an HTMA, which is a mineral test. That is really helpful.
11:54 Especially for our clients that are bloating due to chronic constipation. We
12:00 have clients that come to us that are taking 1,200 milligrams of constipation
12:06 of magnesium and they’re like, “Why am I still constipated?” And oftentimes it has to do more with the balance of
12:12 minerals versus like that they just need to take more magnesium. So, we want to look at things like potassium and boron
12:19 and sodium. And so an HTMA test can be extremely beneficial. Um the other test
12:25 that I could kind of go either way on would be a SIBO test. Uh if somebody has
12:31 SIBO or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, that’s definitely going to
12:36 cause bloating. But a lot of times with SIBO testing, it’s very hard to get an
12:41 actual accurate test because of the prep, the diet that you have to follow, the actual like execution of the test.
12:49 And at the end of the day, SIBO is not a root cause. It’s just a symptom of a bigger root cause. So, if you’re
12:56 deciding between tests, I think your money is better spent doing something like a GI map that’s going to tell you
13:02 more about your root causes versus going through all of the breath test stuff and
13:09 then wondering, well, now, okay, cool. I have SIBO. What’s actually causing it? So, those would be the three. of course,
13:16 you know, kind of in in your realm, we could throw in things like a thyroid panel to look at like is slow gut
13:21 motility causing constipation because of thyroid issues, etc. Um, but those those
13:28 would be at least a good starting place. And so the H you said HTMA.
13:35 Uhhuh. So is that a blood test? Good question. So, no, it’s actually a
13:43 hair test. Uh, which seems kind of weird, like why would you test your minerals through your hair, but the HTMA
13:51 is looking at a little bit different of a lens than blood work is. So, your
13:56 blood work is showing here’s what’s going on in your blood at this moment. You know, here’s what your iron level is
14:02 right now. Here’s what your calcium level is right now. versus the hair
14:07 tissue test is looking at what do your mineral stores look like over the last
14:13 3ish months time period. And the reason that that can be really helpful is
14:18 because a lot of times our body is really good at pulling minerals into the
14:23 blood to keep those levels pretty tightly regulated. If something is off in the blood, it’s probably been off for
14:30 quite some time. we can actually predict patterns way before they ever happen in
14:36 the blood through the hair and through the tissues. And so looking at it through a hair tissue mineral analysis
14:42 will give us a lot more comprehensive view about your mineral stores kind of the whole mineral symphony being able to
14:49 look at how all the minerals are interacting with each other versus just one point in time. Um it also will help
14:57 you look at things like heavy metals etc. Um, and so it can be really
15:02 comprehensive. And I mean, obviously cutting your hair is not great, but it’s a very small amount. It’s not traumatic,
15:09 I promise. Um, and I think easier than getting a blood draw. So, um, it can be
15:14 an easy test you can do at home, obviously, have somebody help you cut your hair, um, and send it to a lab. Um,
15:22 and then one test that I want to mention that’s free that you could do if you’re
15:27 looking at, do I have stomach acid issues that are impacting my bloating or
15:33 digestion is you could do something called the baking soda test. This is not a diagnostic test, but it is something
15:40 that you can do at home. Basically, what you’ll do is you’ll put like a quarter teaspoon of baking soda in water first
15:46 thing in the morning, drink it, that solution, and see if you burp. And if
15:52 you burp within three minutes, you passed. If you burp within 3 to 5, you
15:57 like kind of passed. And if you don’t burp, which is really common, it can indicate that potentially you might have
16:04 low stomach acid. And low stomach acid is definitely one of the bigger root causes that we see for um bloating and
16:12 poor digestion. So when you say low stomach acid, do you mean it’s not as low as it’s supposed to
16:18 be? Like it’s higher than it’s supposed to be? It’s not. No. Meaning that it’s it actually is low. Yeah. So that it’s
16:24 too low. Yes. Too low. Okay. A lot of times people think that they have too much stomach acid even in
16:31 cases with like acid reflux, but the reality is that their stomach acid is actually not acidic enough. Um, your
16:39 stomach should be as acidic as battery acid. We want to be able to kill off. It’s like your first line of defense.
16:45 So, anytime we swallow bacteria or a parasite or anything, we want our
16:50 stomach acid to kill that off so that infections don’t get in our body. Um,
16:57 but a lot of people struggle with low stomach acid. That can be a big trigger for other things downstream when it
17:03 comes to digestion. Yeah. So, you got to make sure your stomach acid is acidic enough to kill
17:09 what you’re eating or digest your food. So, you said you put a quarter of a teaspoon in how much water?
17:15 Um, just like a/4 cup of water. Quarter cup of water.
17:21 Yeah. And then you just drink it and then you should burp within 3 minutes. And if you
17:26 don’t burp in three minutes, then that’s bad. If you Well, if you don’t burp
17:31 definitely within five minutes, it’s bad. But you should burp within three. Yeah.
17:37 Interesting. So then you can start looking at, okay, do I need to use something like, you mentioned bitters earlier. Do I need to
17:43 use something like digestive bidters? What’s causing my low stomach acid? Infections like H. pylori can cause low
17:50 stomach acid. Do I have mineral issues? We need sodium. We need potassium, we
17:56 need zinc, we need all of those things to make stomach acid. So then you can get really get into the weeds and
18:01 looking at how do we actually improve stomach acid um so we can improve our digestion.
18:07 So if somebody, you know, does this baking soda test at home and they don’t pass, so they don’t burp, and they don’t
18:13 really have the money to do a GI map or do this mineral test, then would your first go-to be let’s start some like
18:20 digestive bidters? would it be let’s start some electrolytes and if so what do you use like do you you use relight
18:27 how often should you take it like what would be your thoughts with that yeah digestive bidters I think can help
18:33 so many people um they are one of the most amazing tools when it comes to
18:39 digestive health um and they’re decently affordable you also can just start eating a lot more bitter foods you
18:45 mentioned green juice um but even things like just arugula like a handful full of
18:51 arugula before you eat. That bitter is going to help to stimulate digestion.
18:56 Maybe not as potent as taking a product like digestive bitters, but it’s still doing the same thing. So, bitter like
19:03 radishes, even dark chocolate is a bitter. So, getting more bitter foods just in your diet can be really helpful
19:10 for stimulating stomach acid and stimulating that entire digestive process. Um, and a great place to start.
19:17 As far as minerals are concerned, Reite is a great product. It is a bit higher in sodium and maybe not the best for
19:24 everybody. Although we do tend to see quite a bit of low sodium on hair mineral tests, but if you want something
19:30 that’s just a little bit more balanced across the board, there is a product called Adrenal Cocktail that has sodium,
19:38 potassium, and whole food vitamin C. Um, that’s a really great product. It’s not
19:44 as tasty as relight um or element or any of those. Uh obviously you can add
19:49 things to it to make it tastier, but that is a great um just overall mineral
19:55 support. Um and the reason that we like that is because of the whole food vitamin C to support adrenals and the
20:01 stress response, the potassium to help support thyroid function and stomach acid and then of course the sodium as
20:07 well. So if you’re going to drink one of these things like the adrenal cocktail or relight, is this a once a day thing? Do
20:14 you just put it in water? Are you better off to mix it with something else? like how would you take it? Everyone’s going to be a little
20:20 different, which I know that’s like the most annoying answer ever, but I would say on average doing it one to two times
20:26 a day can be really helpful. Uh we find a lot of our clients that are kind of hitting that like low energy afternoon
20:34 slump find that like doing it in the morning to help just wake up and um just
20:41 kind of get out of a dehydr dehydrated state from sleeping can be really helpful. and then doing it again in the
20:47 afternoon when you typically would want to reach for another cup of coffee or something to boost your energy in the
20:53 afternoon. A mineral mocktail, something like adrenal cocktail or a homemade
20:58 mocktail, uh could be really helpful at just supporting overall energy. Um so yeah, one to two times a day. And um you
21:06 know, if you’re trying to decide on what time of day, you could always try to do it at the time of day when you typically
21:12 feel the least amount of energy um to just give yourself a little bit of a boost.
21:17 Okay. And then going back to the um hair test really quickly, because I know many
21:23 people are thinking this, how much hair do you really have to cut? And is it like from the actual base or can you get
21:30 some from further down? Like how much are we talking here? So, it’s a teaspoon of hair. It’s not very much. Um, it
21:38 a teaspoon it will look like more when you cut it than it actually is because you do have to cut your hair as close to the scalp
21:45 as possible. Reason being is because we want the fresh hair growth because
21:50 that’s what’s going to show the most recent mineral stores. So, we always recommend having somebody help you with
21:57 this. um have a partner, spouse, friend, hairdresser, whoever cut your hair for
22:02 you. But yeah, you’ll just pull back, you know, a little piece of your hair, cut as close to the scalp, and you’re
22:08 going to keep like an inch um and then discard the rest. So, it will, especially somebody like you who has
22:14 really long hair, it will look like you’re discarding a lot of hair in the trash, and you’ll want to panic, but it
22:21 really is not that much. And you can do it from multiple sites on your head to get the most to get the amount of hair
22:27 that you need. So, it really is just tiny amounts at a time. Um, like I actually did it on my husband last
22:33 night. Um, obviously men most men have shorter hair and you can’t even tell
22:39 that I cut his hair. Um, so you would think it’d be more noticeable on a male who has short hair and you really can’t
22:45 tell at all. So, yeah, I actually did it in 2023, I think, in the back of my head, but I
22:51 was like freaking out. Um, but yeah, it it does look like a lot because when you have long hair, you’re like, “Oh my
22:56 gosh.” But okay. Yeah. When you’re throwing that in the trash, you’re like, “Oh my gosh,
23:01 this is so bad. Just don’t look.” Yeah. Just don’t look. But I do like your tip. You know, a lot of people will
23:07 tell you after lunch, they get really tired or, you know, for me it’s like I go home and eat dinner and then it’s
23:13 like I want to eat chocolate or peanut butter or something like that. And so my nutritionist um you know, she’s like,
23:20 “Have some electrolytes.” And so I’ve been doing that and it it has helped like it does help you kind of like oh
23:25 you know because some days we don’t drink as much water as we should and you know and I think people forget too like
23:31 when you exercise like I exercise every morning I get in saunas I when you sweat you don’t just sweat water you sweat
23:38 other electrolytes and so you have to replace those. So, I think those are all really good points. And so, I know you
23:43 kind of touched on digestion and acid in your stomach and the minerals, but you
23:49 also kind of talk a lot about motility and gut lining repair and like nervous
23:54 system issues with bloating. And I think that’s really important to kind of talk about the nervous system. So, I was one
24:00 of those people who was very guilty of sitting down and like scarfing down my food in between, you know, unloading the
24:07 dishwasher and typing on my computer and doing five other things. And then I actually had a nutritionist mind who sat
24:14 down and was like, “Cassie, you have to be in a parasympathetic state to digest your food. Like, you can’t be, you know,
24:20 chasing a lion.” And that made a lot of sense to me, right? So, I think that’s important to to point out to people. Can
24:26 you explain to people why there is what the connection between your nervous
24:31 system and bloating or just digestion is in general? Yeah. So, you hit the nail on the head.
24:37 Your body doesn’t know the difference between actually being chased by a tiger
24:42 or rushing through a meal because you’re stressed and you need to move on to the next thing. Stress is stress to the
24:49 body. So anytime we sit down and even if we have thoughts like this is going to make me bloated or whatever any kind of
24:57 stress response our body is automatically saying I don’t need blood flow in my gut I need blood flow in my
25:05 muscles so that I can run away from this tiger. So, if you see food as a threat
25:10 or you see this meeting that you’re about to get on as a threat or you’re watching true crime while you’re eating
25:16 and it’s stressing you out, whatever it is, it’s a stressor on the body. And so,
25:21 we want to try to relax before eating as much as possible and get into that rest
25:27 and digest state because digestion works when we’re in a rest and digest state.
25:32 So, that could be simple and easy. taking three deep breaths before you eat your meal. We always tell clients like,
25:39 “Hum happy birthday twice.” That’s going to stimulate your vag nerve. That helps with gut motility or the contraction of
25:46 your gut muscles. It’s going to get you into that rest and digest state. So, there’s a lot of different things that
25:52 you can do to aid that process. Um, and nobody’s perfect, myself included. I
25:58 definitely rush through meals still sometimes, but you’ll notice a huge difference. And it’s really easy to
26:04 glaze over those like lifestyle tips, but those can actually really really
26:11 make a big difference um when it comes to digestion. You really can’t outsupplement poor eating habits or a a
26:19 stressed lifestyle. Yeah, I think that’s really important. Okay. So then bloating. So that I would
26:24 agree that’s the main thing that people complain about and for the most part it is I wake up with a flat stomach and
26:30 then I look like I’m 6 months pregnant. And so, you know, if you are somebody who’s listening to that and that’s you,
26:36 then what I’m hearing is you need to check your lifestyle. Like, are we eating while we’re driving to work,
26:42 doing a million things, are we eating in a relaxed sympathetic state? Are we
26:47 chewing or parasympathetic state? Are we chewing our food enough? Those type of things. And then if not, we’ve given you
26:54 some simple tips, um, some ways that you can kind of help to start. Do do you
26:59 have a specific digestive bitter that you particularly like or anything that
27:04 you can find on Amazon? What are your thoughts on that? Yeah, there’s a couple that I love. Uh, Urban Moonshine is probably the most
27:10 popular brand. You can get that one on Amazon. Um, they were out of stock for the longest time. U, but they’re back in
27:17 stock now. They have a original and they also have a citrus. So, if the bitter
27:22 flavor is really hard for you, start with the citrus. The reason that bitters are bitter is because that’s how they
27:30 work. So although you can take capsules of bitters, it’s not going to have the same effect because it’s the bitterness
27:37 that actually stimulates salivation and that salivation stimulation is what
27:42 stimulates then stomach acid production and pancreatic enzyme output release,
27:48 bile flow, all of that. So, if you’re having a hard time with it, know that um
27:53 you know, it gets you get used to it. It is bitter. They’re not necessarily meant to taste good. Um but the citrus ones
28:00 are great as a starting place and you can get those on Amazon. Um another brand that I love is Earthly. Those
28:06 aren’t I don’t think on Amazon. Um but there’s a lot of the Bitter X is another
28:12 brand, Dr. Shades. It’s a little more expensive because they’re liposal bters.
28:18 Um but typically our recommendation is the moonshine ones because they’re easy to get and um a bit more affordable.
28:24 Okay. So then let’s move on to gas. So let’s talk about gas. You know a lot of
28:30 people have issues with gas. Is this the same as bloating or are there actual foods that cause gas more likely to
28:38 cause gas? So it can be. So sometimes people are gassy because a lot of times when you’re
28:43 bloated it is gas buildup in your stomach. There’s different types of gas. You can have methane gas. You can have
28:50 hydrogen gas. You can have hydrogen sulfide gas. Uh hydrogen sulfide gas is
28:55 what a lot of people will kind of call the like rotten egg smelling gas. Um but
29:00 you can be really you can be gassy from what you ate. It is normal to be gassy after you eat a bunch of beans or eat a
29:08 bunch of broccoli or cauliflower. Uh there’s of course enzymes and things that you can take to improve that, but
29:15 that is just kind of a natural response to some of those foods. Um but sometimes
29:20 the gas is a bit more a bit deeper than just what you’re eating. It can be different imbalances in bacteria in your
29:28 gut. If you have a lot of methane producing bacteria, that’s going to produce gas and make you pretty
29:34 uncomfortable. Um, you know, if there’s no way for that gas to get out, it’s going to lead to more distension and
29:42 more bloating. Um, sometimes you can be gassy because you’re swallowing too much
29:47 air. Maybe you’re eating too fast, drinking really fast through straws. That can cause gas buildup. Uh, so
29:54 sometimes the fix is really simple and sometimes, you know, it’s a bit more involved related to how you’re digesting
30:01 food or um the bacteria in your gut. So if you are somebody who eats a lot of
30:07 broccoli or Brussels sprouts and you do get gassy, should that gas be does it
30:12 smell like you said I think eggs or it’s just you have gas? It might smell a little bit but it
30:17 shouldn’t be foul like it shouldn’t be like where you have to leave the room. It is normal to pass gas. Um I can’t
30:24 remember what the a number is. It’s like actually more than you would think like the amount of times the average person
30:30 passes gas every day. Um, so it shouldn’t it shouldn’t clear the room um
30:36 at all. So then if somebody is having issues with a lot of gas, what are is there a test that they should do or what are
30:42 some things that they should do to kind of help with that? And how do they know is it how do they know if it’s how
30:48 they’re eating versus what they’re eating? The first thing that I would really rule out with gas is making sure that you’re
30:54 not constipated. Um, if you’re really constipated and you have trapped gas,
30:59 it’s going to be smellier. um and it’s going to be more painful because you’re
31:04 going to be distended and it’s going to feel like you have a bunch of gas that you can’t get out. So, I would make sure
31:10 that you’re not constipated and fix that. Um and then as far as how to rule out what it is, um you know, if you’re
31:17 if you’re gassy constantly, then it’s likely not just what you’re eating. Um whereas like if you’re gassy
31:26 sometimes it’s probably more related to something that you ate or the environment in which you ate or just
31:33 something that was a little off. But if it’s a consistent thing every single time you’re eating or most times that
31:39 you’re eating, then I would say it’s time to look at perhaps what else is
31:44 going on. Um, it could even just be pancreatic enzyme related, like perhaps
31:50 you don’t have enough enzymes to help break down your food. Um, especially like carbohydrates and fats. Um, and so
31:58 that could be that could be a piece of the puzzle. Yeah. So, I would say then if you’re
32:03 somebody who’s struggling with gas, again, look at your lifestyle, right? Like how fast are you eating your food?
32:10 Are you drinking out of straws a lot? To your point, is it happening a lot? And then I see this a lot. I don’t know
32:16 about you, but I see a ton of people who have had their gallbladders removed and no one’s talked to them about, you know,
32:22 any sort of ox bile or any sort of gallbladder support for fat digestion.
32:28 And then, you know, they’re eating sometimes not the best meals and having
32:33 severe diarrhea, but then they also have a lot of gas issues. And I’m like, well, that makes sense because you’re eating
32:38 something your body can’t digest, right? Which is fat. So, that’s something, you
32:43 know, that’s pretty easy to take care of. So, if you’re listening to this and you don’t have a gallbladder and you do
32:49 struggle with diarrhea or a lot of gas, that’s something I tell people um is I get them on a good, you know, um we have
32:56 one called the dissolver, but something with some ox bile in it that will help you at least digest the fat that you’re
33:03 eating. And to your point, pancreatic enzymes, I think, are very helpful as well. Yeah, it’s really common. We see that
33:08 too where clients have gotten their gallbladders out and they’ve been told,
33:13 “Nope, you don’t need to change anything about your diet or anything.” And then years later they’re like, “Why do I have
33:19 SIBO? Why do I have all this G?” You know, it’s like the the snowball effect
33:25 of not being advised correctly. That’s really sad. And so, yes, the gallbladder
33:31 is a is a huge piece. And bile is kind of the MV MVP of digestion um when it
33:38 comes down to the fact that it’s antimicrobial, helps break down fats, and so yes, that can be a huge missing
33:45 piece. I completely agree. You need your gallbladder, people, if you can keep it. It’s very important.
33:50 Keep it. Don’t let them take it. Correct. Same thing with your thyroid. Um okay. So then that’s a great segue
33:57 into constipation, which is something I wanted to ask you about as well. Um, so
34:02 let’s start with how many times a day should people have a bowel movement? I would say one to three times is ideal.
34:10 One is not better than three. Three is not better than one. The biggest question that you want to ask yourself
34:15 is, are you completely emptying your bowels? So you might be able to efficiently empty your bowels one time a
34:22 day. You go to the bathroom, you feel relieved, there’s nothing left. Great.
34:28 For other people, it might take a little bit longer. It might take three times. Um, that can sometimes signify
34:35 potentially a motility issue, but sometimes that’s just how people’s bowels work. I wouldn’t necessarily make
34:41 an issue of it if it’s not causing problems. U, but you at least need to be clearing your bowels once a day. Um,
34:48 ideally, anybody who tells you you don’t have to go to the bathroom every day, I think that that is so incorrect. Um, you
34:54 know, you eat every day, you should go to the bathroom every day. I completely agree. So, at least once a
35:01 day. You heard it from her as well. Um, so then tell me if you are somebody who
35:09 doesn’t go to the bathroom once a day. And you know, I have patients who say, “I go once a week.” And I’m like, “Oh my
35:15 god, so bad.” And let’s assume that you’ve seen somebody like me and your thyroid’s working and you know, you
35:22 don’t have a hormonal issue that’s causing this. Then where do you go with people that struggle with severe
35:28 constipation? Like do you go mineral route? Do you go food allergy route? Do
35:34 you go hydration? Like what are you thinking with these people? So the first step usually is minerals
35:40 with really severe constipation at least for our clients because most of the time they come to us and they’ve tried a lot
35:47 of things. They’ve tried high doses of magnesium. They’ve tried Mirax. They’ve tried lenses.
35:54 all the things. Insert medication or supplement here. They’ve tried it. And
35:59 so, like I was saying earlier, especially if it’s the person that’s tried 1,200 milligrams of magnesium
36:07 citrate and they’re like, I was still pooping rabbit pebbles. I definitely want to look at, okay, number one, are
36:13 you drinking enough water? Are you getting like 80 to 100 ounces of water? And then if they are, are you getting
36:20 enough fiber in your diet? um you know that can be a big piece. Of course,
36:25 tolerance to fiber comes into play there if they can actually break it down and tolerate it. But if those two things are
36:32 really ruled out, then we want to look at minerals and see what’s going on.
36:37 Some of the common patterns that we will see on mineral testing is huge magnesium losses, meaning someone’s body is just
36:45 using a ton of magnesium um and not getting enough. We’ll see low potassium.
36:50 Potassium is really helpful for the contraction of gut muscles. Your gut is
36:55 a muscle just like any other muscle in your body. So, if it can’t contract, then it’s going to lead to constipation.
37:02 We also will see low sodium. So, that’s where you get like the really peily hard stool. Um, I often describe your cells
37:10 as like we want them to be plump grapes, not shriveled up raisins. So, we need
37:16 things like sodium to help hydrate our cells. So, you could be drinking tons of
37:22 water, but if you’re just peeing it out and you’re not absorbing it, then that can definitely lead to constipation. And
37:28 then the last thing that we often see is calcium shells or calcium levels that are way too high in the tissue uh
37:35 contributing to constipation. And so, we want to do what we can to make sure that
37:40 calcium is where it needs to be in the bones and in the teeth. not in the
37:46 tissues. Um, preventing I kind of describe a calcium shell like it’s the
37:52 time of year right now, you know those Cadbury eggs that are like the hard candy coating and then they have the
37:57 chocolate on the inside. If there’s a a shell of calcium around your cell, it
38:03 prevents all the other minerals from getting in. So things like sodium and magnesium. So we don’t want high levels
38:10 of calcium in the tissues preventing the other minerals from getting in. And we
38:15 want to mobilize that calcium elsewhere because that calcium can lead to really really severe constipation even things
38:22 like anxiety etc. Stiffness joint pain. Why would somebody have calcium around
38:28 their cells? That can happen for a lot of reasons. Oftentimes it’s mineral driven. Um we’ll
38:35 see issues with like vitamin K. We need more vitamin E. Other things that mobilize the calcium. Um, stress can
38:44 cause that. There’s many different processes, but minerals are like a
38:49 symphony. So, they’re all going to sound weird if something’s off. Um, and that
38:55 calcium can easily get in the wrong place. Um, sometimes it can just be from
39:01 supplementing too much. You know, everybody thinks, “Oh, I want to prevent osteoporosis. I’m going to take a
39:06 calcium pill.” Um, and not everybody needs that. Okay, perfect. So then as
39:14 far as the the constipation, so have you seen people who have severe constipation
39:19 that have tried milk of magnesium and you know lin zest and magnesium and
39:25 everything under the sun who have added minerals and have you know worked with
39:31 you and been able to have normal bowel movements without taking medication. Oh yeah, all the time. Yeah, it’s pretty
39:38 incredible. Minerals are very underrated when it comes to metabolism, energy,
39:46 constipation, etc. The thing that I love the most about minerals is when you can
39:51 get minerals on board, typically you can get somebody feeling better really quickly. Um, because it’s like all of a
39:58 sudden their cells, it like turns the lights back on. Um, it’s like the spark
40:04 plugs of all the energy systems in the body. So yeah, I mean it can be a huge
40:09 game changer. Obviously for other for some there’s other pieces involved, but
40:14 really getting minerals on board is going to help somebody to respond better to a gut protocol anyways. So we
40:22 typically start there. Okay. And then so we’ve got the
40:28 constipation hopefully fixed and addressed. Um, tell
40:33 me about SIBO and leaky gut briefly. So,
40:38 this is kind of what’s floating around, right? Like people talk about SIBO, they talk about leaky gut. Um, what is your
40:44 like can you explain what SIBO is and then how you recommend treating it
40:50 because there’s a lot of different uh differing opinions I guess on that. I’ll say
40:55 there’s lots of differing opinions, that’s for sure. So SIBO is small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. So in
41:03 case this is potentially new information, we have trillions of bacteria in our gut and on our body.
41:11 A lot of those bacteria are housed in the large intestine or the colon. Uh a
41:17 tiny amount are in the small intestine. It’s not completely sterile, but what happens is sometimes bacteria get where
41:25 they’re not supposed to be in the small intestine and they overgrow and they produce gases like I was talking about
41:32 earlier. So either hydrogen methane or hydrogen sulfide and can cause a lot of
41:37 symptoms. Where I see people go wrong oftentimes with SIBO is that they just
41:42 treat the SIBO. They think, well, I have SIBO. I’m going to take Flagil. I’m gonna take Zyaxin or whatever and then
41:50 I’m going to be better. And the sad part is that a lot of times people do feel better
41:56 short for a short term and then two weeks later their symptoms are back and they go back to their GI doctor. They
42:03 say, “Well, I felt good on the antibiotics and now my symptoms are back.” So then they just put them back
42:08 on the antibiotics and then it just becomes this really vicious cycle of antibiotics feel better, symptoms come
42:14 back and it repeats. So SIBO is really just a sign that there’s something else
42:19 going on in the body. And that’s really what we want to explore. Is there a motility issue? Is there a digestion
42:25 issue? Is there a stress and nervous system piece? Are there mineral issues?
42:31 Are there thyroid issues? And usually it’s more than one thing because it all goes together. But with with SIBO or
42:38 anything else, you want to identify really what’s the actual root cause so that you can actually fix it. Um and
42:45 then where leaky gut comes in with that is the lining of the intestines is one
42:51 cell thick. Um the like technical term for that is intestinal permeability. But
42:57 essentially what happens is things get in that shouldn’t and it causes the immune system to be overreactive
43:05 which is where things like food sensitivities etc. can come in. And so the way that we treat the gut is of
43:12 course we want to address the intestinal permeability and glue the gut lining back together. Things like
43:18 amunoglobulins and spore-based probiotics, glutamine, etc. Those things
43:24 can all be really helpful. But again, the question is why do you have this?
43:29 Like what’s what’s driving this and addressing that so that you can fully
43:34 kind of wrap it in a bow and prevent it from coming back. I agree. And a lot of times when you have SIBO, you know, that is going to
43:41 lead to leaky gut and leaky gut can lead to SIBO and vice versa. And so I
43:46 completely agree. I think it’s, you know, I tell my patients this a lot, like when you come to somebody and you
43:52 have gut symptoms and or you have hormone issues. I truly believe that you can’t fix hormone issues appropriately,
43:57 correctly, and long term without addressing somebody’s gut. That’s a different topic. But um
44:05 you know, people say to me all the time, “Well, I don’t want to do a GI map. They’re expensive. Can you just give me
44:10 a protocol?” And it’s like, you really can’t because I don’t know what’s wrong with you, right? Like I I mean, you
44:17 can’t treat them for everything, but you really need to know like, are you digesting well? Do you have, you know, a
44:23 lot of bad bacteria? Do you have leaky gut? How is your secrettory IGA? Do you have parasites? You know, is it a
44:30 stomach acid issue? Is it an H pylori issue? Is it a candida issue? And so it’s just, you know, that it’s really
44:36 hard to do that. Um, it would be like kind of going to your doctor and saying, “I don’t feel good. Just treat me.” And
44:43 not letting your doctor take any blood work, right? I mean, it’s it’s kind of the same thing. So, I completely agree
44:49 with with all of that. It’s just it’s difficult to do without knowing everything that’s going on. Do you agree
44:57 with the statement that sometimes um you know when you have leaky gut or
45:03 you have SIBO or you have a lot of issues going on with your GI tract that it is beneficial to remove foods that
45:10 are more inflammatory. Not saying that you have to take them away forever, but at least remove them while you’re
45:16 healing your gut and then slowly add them back. I think it really depends. So on the GI
45:22 map, we’re going to see if somebody is reacting to gluten. And that can be a good just marker to look at. And then we
45:30 really have to look at the other pieces. I mean, oftentimes I tell our clients, I’m like, the stress about food is going
45:36 to be worse than the food itself. So, if we if we tell somebody like you have to
45:43 go on this super restrictive diet and they’re just chronically stressed about what they’re going to eat and you know
45:50 exactly what they can’t have and all these things and it causes more stress, then maybe it’s not worth it. So, we
45:56 like to approach it from an addition standpoint. So instead of just giving a list of like you can’t eat all of these
46:02 foods, what I want to look at is what can we add to your diet that’s going to help nourish your microbiome. So maybe
46:10 we need more polyphenols or we need more different types of fiber. We need more
46:16 protein, whatever. We need more mineral richch foods. And so when we add it
46:22 takes a lot of the stress away of like here’s what I can’t eat and instead
46:28 here’s what I get to have to nourish my body. So, um, so yeah, there of course
46:35 are instances where people are reacting to certain foods and it might just be helpful from a symptom standpoint, but I
46:42 don’t think that it needs to be this like laundry list of foods to cut out, especially if it’s going to cause tons
46:49 of stress. Okay, perfect. And then you mentioned something earlier about fiber and you said if you can tolerate fiber, it’s
46:56 really important. So, if somebody can’t tolerate fiber, if every time they eat broccoli or Brussels sprouts or anything
47:02 with fiber, they have a lot of issues, then what is your solution or what
47:07 should we be addressing in that situation? There can be a couple things. Sometimes we hear the phrase, the healthier I eat,
47:13 the worse I feel. And if that’s the case, typically that has more to do with
47:19 the balance of bacteria in your gut. So, if you’ve been really restricted for long periods of time, then higher fiber
47:27 foods are probably not going to make you feel very good because fiber is primarily broken down by your gut
47:34 bacteria. So, we as humans cannot break down fiber. And so, if you have too few
47:42 gut bacteria or the good gut bacteria, then it’s going to make fiber more challenging. So there’s many different
47:48 ways that you can approach that, but probably the easiest way is to just go slow. So instead of going from zero to
47:56 100 and like zero to like eating chia pudding for breakfast, I would slowly
48:02 like add a tiny bit of chia seeds on top of your avocado toast or on top of your yogurt or something and slowly working
48:09 your way up. You also want to look at the form. So raw salads probably not going to be your best option, but like
48:16 really soft, well-cooked vegetables, beans, etc. are going to be great. We
48:22 also like using things like sprouted beans or sprouted nuts. Uh those can
48:28 make the breakdown and digestion a lot easier. So sometimes it’s just changing the form or the amount um and then
48:35 slowly working up from there. Okay, I think that we touched on most of
48:40 the stuff that I wanted to ask you. Tell everyone before we go to our three
48:46 questions at the end, like where they can find you, you know, all about about
48:52 you so that they know how to follow you and find you if they want. Awesome. Well, um, probably the easiest
48:58 place to find me is on Instagram. It’s just Dr. Heather Finley. Uh, if you’re intrigued by mineral mocktails, you can
49:05 DM me the word minerals and I’ll send you the guide that has all the recipes and things to get started. If you need a
49:12 little afternoon pickme up or morning pickme up, I have them sectioned by like digestive health, thyroid health, sleep,
49:20 etc. So, you can pick which mocktail would be good for the circumstance that you have. Um, but yeah, Instagram is a
49:26 great place to connect. I’d love to hear from you and hear what stuck out. Okay. So, I like that minerals and then you
49:33 can get your mocktail. So, I might have to get that list from you. That’s awesome. So, I and you know, I
49:40 appreciate what you do. I think it’s so powerful. Gut health is that thing I think in medicine that’s really
49:46 overlooked. How we eat and how we sleep. Um, you know, everyone’s talking about nutrition from a food standpoint and
49:53 they’re talking about, you know, exercise, but I think we really miss in traditional medicine how important sleep
49:59 is and how important actual digestion and and your gut health is. And so, you know, the fact that you educate people
50:05 and try to help people. I love that. It’s a difficult job, too. You know, I tell my patients, and I’m sure you know,
50:11 when you start doing gut protocols, it’s they usually don’t like you the first month. Like, it’s not a pleasant thing.
50:18 Um, and so sometimes it it’s just it takes a lot of handholding, but it’s a very important job. So, make sure that
50:24 you guys go and check out Dr. Heather on Instagram. She puts a lot of really cool stuff up. So, what is these are the
50:32 questions I ask everyone, so don’t overthink it. But, what is one food that you think is the most beneficial and
50:38 why? You only get to pick one. Yep.
50:49 I was going to say like a polyphenol food. Let’s go with like kiwis. Kiwis are super beneficial because they are
50:57 great for constipation. Regarding our conversation earlier, they’re also
51:02 really high in polyphenols, which help feed your gut bacteria. So, we’re going to go with that. I’m sure I’ll think
51:07 about something after this that I wish I would have said, but kiwis. And do they help with digestion, too?
51:15 Yeah, that’s what I Okay, two kiwis a day if you have
51:21 constipation. What is one thing that anyone can do that will improve their
51:26 health that’s completely free? Get your eyes in the sun first thing in the morning. Um, and that will help to
51:32 regulate your circadian rhythm. It will help with your sleep. It will help with your digestion. That that sunshine tells
51:39 your brain it’s time to be awake. It will help your gut motility. It’ll help your hormones, your thyroid, everything.
51:45 Go outside. Go outside. And the last question, this is a harder one, but what is one thing
51:50 you wish you would have known about your health 25 years ago that you would have
51:55 done differently? Oh man, so many things, but probably the thing that I always come back to the
52:00 most is how much stress impacts digestion and overall health. I spent so
52:08 many years overtraining, undereing, and doing all the quote unquote right
52:13 things, but not addressing grief and stress and all the other things that
52:20 were affecting my health. And it wasn’t until that that things shifted. I completely completely agree. You know,
52:25 in medicine, any provider that’s listening to this, and not even provider, any mom that’s listening to
52:30 this, like just the world has become such a stressful place. And I have this conversation with most women that I see
52:36 that have gut health issues is like you have no idea how much stress is actually impacting your gut. I can show you when
52:42 you do a GI map, but like when you’re stressed, your body can just cannot digest the food that you’re giving it.
52:47 So you’re asking your body to do all these things, right? Like run your car 100 miles an hour and yet you’re giving
52:54 it zero nutrition because although you think you’re giving it nutrition, you’re stressed and so it’s not able to
52:59 actually get any of that nutrition out of what you’re eating. And so it’s just a really big mess. And I think after co,
53:06 you know, unfortunately people have been a lot more stressed and it’s just almost like expected now. I think like that’s
53:13 just everyone has this baseline level of stress that they walk around with and it’s really unfortunate. Yeah, it is. It’s super unfortunate and
53:21 it’s it is the hardest thing for most people to actually face, but it is the thing that moves the needle the most.
53:28 Well, Dr. Heather, thank you so much for coming on our podcast today. I enjoyed
53:33 our conversation. Thank you for what you do and for all your time. Thanks so much and congrats on the book
53:38 and yeah, this was a great conversation and um yeah, I had a blast. I hope you guys found this episode
53:45 enjoyable and full of educational benefit. I had a really enjoyable time
53:51 interviewing Dr. Heather. I think that she gave very good tips for people that
53:57 are very doable and not necessarily costly prohibitive. I think that she’s
54:02 full of great information and knowledge. And I really like how she talks about, just like I do, how things like stress
54:09 and just lifestyle modifications of eating slower, breathing, humming before you eat,
54:16 things like that can truly change your health in a very drastic way. So, if you
54:22 found this episode beneficial, if you know somebody who is struggling with any of the things we talked about with
54:27 bloating, with gas, with abdominal pain and abdominal discomfort, with constipation like most women, please
54:35 send them this episode. Show them that you care. Show them that you want to help educate them by letting them listen
54:40 to this episode. Also, make sure that you’re following us wherever you get your podcasts. We drop a new podcast
54:46 every week. Please leave us a review if you found this information to be helpful. That’s how I know that I’m
54:52 doing a good job. That’s how I know I need to keep making this podcast. And that’s how, you know, we learn what you
54:59 guys want to learn about. Make sure that you’re following us on social media. Let me know what topics you want me to talk
55:06 about, who you want me to interview. And lastly, please don’t forget that Modern Endocrine has a license in 39 states
55:12 now. So, if you want to become a patient, if you’re struggling with gut issues, hormone issues, thyroid issues,
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55:41 We are working on getting licenses in those other 11 states though. Make sure that you tune in next Sunday for our
55:48 next episode. Please have a wonderful week and thank you for wanting to be more educated about your health.
55:55 The information presented, including any materials discussed, referenced or linked within this podcast are for
56:01 general educational purposes only, not the practice of medicine. No doctor
56:07 patient relationship is formed from you listening to this podcast or utilizing any of the information provided. I am a
56:13 doctor, but I am not talking to you as your doctor. The information provided is not intended to diagnose or treat health
56:20 problems or take the place of the professional medical care provided by your doctor. If you are experiencing any
56:28 health problems, including problems you believe have been touched upon in any respect within this podcast, you should
56:34 consult your doctor about the problems without delay. You may ask your doctor whether he or she believes the
56:40 information I have provided would be helpful to you, but you should still consult your doctor immediately and
56:46 follow his or her medical advice as your treating physician. I’m just here to provide you basic knowledge about the
56:52 issues we discuss so you are more aware of them and can better discuss them with your doctor. That’s why we call it back
56:59 to the basics. Join me on the next episode as we continue our journey.
57:05 [Music]
Disclaimer:
The information presented including any materials discussed, referenced, or linked within this podcast are for general educational purposes only, not the practice of medicine.
No doctor-patient relationship is formed from you listening to this podcast or utilizing any of the information provided.
I am a doctor, but I am not talking to you as your doctor. The information provided is not intended to diagnose or treat health problems or take the place of the professional medical care provided by your doctor.
If you are experiencing any health problems, including problems you believe have been touched upon in any respect within this podcast, you should consult your doctor about the problems without delay. You may ask your doctor whether he or she believes the information I have provided would be helpful to you, but you should still consult your doctor immediately and follow his or her medical advice as your treating physician.
I’m just here to provide you with basic knowledge about the issues we discuss so you are more aware of them and can better discuss them with your doctor.
That’s why we call it Back to the Basics. Join me on the next episode as we continue our journey.