Ancient Stress Response vs Modern Life

Who wins in the contest between our neanderthal stress-response system and the demands and joys of our modern lives? Spoiler alert — neither. It’s a zero sum game.

10 Reasons Fermented Foods are Not Just Hype

You might have heard about fermented foods. But there are so many crazy food fads going around these days — lemon juice detox, anyone? So how do you know this isn’t another one. Here are 10 reasons why fermented foods are not just hype.

5 facts about probiotics and prebiotics

This week I attended a 5-hour workshop on the microbiome with about 40 other clinicians, researchers and thought-leaders. Expertise ranged from diet, Crohn’s disease, IBS, sleep, chronic fatigue and even water quality (this field is broad!). I’ve listed 5 of…

Gut Microbes & Your Health 101

Everything you wanted to know but didn’t know how to ask…

So…what is the gut microbiome anyway?

The gut microbiome is the combined genetic material of a community of microorganisms that live in…

A poster I presented at the Frontiers of Science 2016 — Microbiome

Last week I attended an incredibly inspiring meeting of Australian early and mid-career researchers working in the microbiome field, an initiative of the Australian Academy of Sciences. Many of the studies presented…

Gut feeling: how your microbiota affects your mood, sleep and stress levels

Our gut does more than help us digest food; the bacteria that call our intestines home have been implicated in everything from our mental health and sleep, to weight gain and cravings for certain…

So…this microbiome thing?

You’ve probably heard about it…everywhere. Masquerading under topics and terms like ‘gut health’, ‘gut flora’, ’gut bacteria’, ‘good bacteria’, ‘forgotten organ’, ‘probiotic’ and ‘gut-brain axis’. The microbiome is the DNA associated with the community of microorganisms that live in…