Join Megan Wood, gut health advocate and soon-to-be medical student, as she interviews me (integrative and functional health coach, Traci Potterf, PhD). One of the most important topics we landed on is the connection between gut issues and mental-emotional health, including anxiety and depression. I’ll share about the science and my personal journey with this topic. If you or anyone you knows ever struggles with these things, please listen and share.
You will also learn about the power of pleasure, nurture and aligning with our evolutionary biology to prevent and heal most health conditions, starting with the root of our health: the gut and microbiome. Thank you, Megan, for the care, time and interest you put into having this important conversation with me.
Listen to the whole thing or skip to what interests you!
00:55 How a doctorate in medical anthropology led me to an evolutionary perspective that helped me see the limits of mainstream medical culture + how this perspectives helped me heal myself, my mom to reverse Crohn’s and rerouted my career to help others successfully heal themselves
4:54 Our microbiome and how we are as much microbial as human + the impacts of losing diversity through sterilization
9:30 My healing journey, including my accidental 50 pound weight loss (without “dieting”)
10:16 What is healing “from cell to soul”? 11:37 What is your nurture gap and why is closing it crucial for your health and happiness?
13:03 Learn about “healthy hedonism,” which involves rethinking what health truly is, including the roles of pleasure and pain as crucial for successful healing
18:52 What causes gut issues? + Why are they so common and such a growing problem (You’re not alone!)
24:52 Impacts of antibiotics and effective, safe alternatives
36:57 The gut and mental health connection (anxiety, depression and more) + the uses and limitations of psych meds vs integrative medicine and lifestyle based healing
43:20 My recent experience with parasites, toxic mold and emotional stress causing severe anxiety with depression + how I got out of it the nurture gap way
46:06 Why we need both lifestyle changes and root cause trained practitioners to put the pieces of the puzzle together so we can heal
46:15 Why we can tend to be self destructive when we are stressed (but don’t have to if we are aware)
48:50 Recommendations for how to approach addressing gut issues more generally, including mental and emotional health struggles
We welcome your questions and comments below!
Want to learn more? Check out Dr. Traci’s Love Your Guts virtual workshop here.
Click here to learn more about how Dr. Traci can empower, guide and support you.