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#27 Gut Health - Is it the Chicken or the Egg?
69 Plays5 months ago
The Bean Talk – Episode 27: Gut Health – Is it the Chicken or the Egg?
This week, Riannon and Jeremy tackle one of the biggest questions in holistic health: does poor gut health cause chronic issues, or is it a result of them?
They explore the gut’s role in immune function, hormones, mental health, and fertility - plus how medications, diet, stress and sleep can all impact the gut microbiome. From house party analogies to bone broth rituals, this episode is packed with practical advice on how to support your gut health naturally.
You’ll also hear about the Gut Reset Package - an all-in-one testing and support program designed to help you uncover the root cause of your symptoms and reset your health with personalised support.
Learn more about the Gut Reset Package: mungbeanhealth.com
Or DM "gut reset" to @mungbean_health on Instagram for the full info.
Connect with Riannon and Jeremy on Instagram @mungbean_health or visit mungbeanhealth.com for expert support.
Important note:
The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before starting, changing, or stopping any supplements, medications, or health protocols to ensure they are appropriate for your individual needs.
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Transcript
Introduction to Mungbean Health and Mission
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to The Bean Talk with me, Rhiannon, your fertility fairy godmother, joined by my trusted partner in life and in the mission of Mungbean Health, Jeremy. Here at Mungbean Health, we're on a mission to unlock the secrets of fertility and natural wellbeing one episode at time.
00:00:23
Speaker
Welcome back to another episode of The Bean Talk Jeremy and Rhiannon. Welcome back, guys, and thank you for listening. We are continuously trying to spread awareness and information out there, so thank you so much for listening.
Importance of Staying Active in Cold Weather
00:00:37
Speaker
Little Bean, Big Bean. ish little bean for me it's getting really cold here which is no fun so I guess one thing that I want to do I don't know it's something that I haven't really been doing but something that I want to do can we do a little bean goal which would be like staying active yeah it's definitely hard now because you finish work around five o'clock and it's dark at 5 30.
00:00:57
Speaker
Yeah, so it's trying to stay active, which is really hard when you're busy. We get it. We know how hard it can be, but it is so important for your health and so important for even um activity, specifically like resistance training has been linked to lengthening of your telomeres, which is like your longevity. It's easiest way to explain it.
00:01:17
Speaker
But hell yeah, your telomeres. Hell yeah, your telomeres. What
The Role of Gut Health in Wellness
00:01:22
Speaker
about you? What do you got going on? Just working, just in the grind, of working. You've started a little health regime, but you've fallen off a little.
00:01:30
Speaker
That's all right. I'll pick back up. Got to get back on. Bone broth in the morning. Yeah. Add some lemon in there. So nice and warming. Great for your gut. It's got all the beautiful glycine and collagen in there.
00:01:42
Speaker
You think it's going to be like not good for you, but it's it actually is good. You think it's going to be ew, gross, bone broth. It's actually nice. I enjoy it. It's like a noodle soup without the noodles. Yeah, exactly. Without the chunky bits, hey.
00:01:56
Speaker
So yes, definitely working on Jeremy's gut, which I think is important for all of us, for our immune system. 70% of our immune system approximately is in the gut. Happy hormone serotonin is produced in the gut. A lot going on in there.
00:02:09
Speaker
And you've probably heard the phrase phrases before, things like, our gut is the key to overall wellness, or the gut is the second brain.
Is Poor Gut Health a Cause or Effect?
00:02:19
Speaker
But here is the big question that we're asking or tackling today, which is, is poor gut health the chicken or the egg?
00:02:29
Speaker
Which comes first? Yeah, actually. Yeah. Which comes first? In other words, does the gut dysfunction cause health issues or do lifestyle and health conditions lead to poor gut health?
00:02:42
Speaker
Let's break it all down, shall we? So let's set the stage. Let's talk about why gut health is such a hot topic. Your gut is home to trillions of microbes in the microbiome.
00:02:59
Speaker
but The microbes are bacterias, fungies, or even viruses that can help to digest our food or produce essential nutrients or regulate the immune system and even influence your mood.
Benefits of a Balanced Gut Microbiome
00:03:15
Speaker
As I said, serotonin is just one part of that picture. Think of your gut as one huge house party. d it chi did It's a house party. It's either vibe or it's not.
00:03:30
Speaker
Do you want to party there or not? Yes. But we just always want more of the fun party people there than the boring or the too drunk people there.
00:03:40
Speaker
We don't want Larry in the corner that's just like being annoying. Got his shirt off jumping on the tables, sweating everywhere. Yuck. Spilling drinks. Yeah, just wants to fight everyone. Yeah.
00:03:52
Speaker
We don't want that. We want the good ones that are just having a dance, that keep into himself, having a laugh. Yeah, that's really what we want. That's what we want life to be like, honestly.
00:04:04
Speaker
When we have a balanced gut microbiome or a good house party, so we say, We optimize our digestion, metabolism, yay, immune function, and brain health.
00:04:17
Speaker
But when things go bad, party turns out of control, 2 a.m. vibes, nothing good ah happens after 2 a.m., not speaking from experience, through poor diet, stress, infections, or even certain types of medication.
00:04:34
Speaker
It can trigger inflammation, digestive distress, even autoimmune issues and so much more. Damn, you're already too hard for too long. There's going to be problems. You got to nip that in the bud, right? You don't want to be 70 at the house party. Yeah, no.
00:04:51
Speaker
And like you do you, whatever you want to do, but it's not always a good look. Your kids might not be happy about it. So is poor gut health causing problems or is it reacting to them?
00:05:04
Speaker
That is the question on everyone's lips. In our clinic, we often see poor gut health being the chicken, which is the cause of the issues, not an actual outcome.
00:05:15
Speaker
Let's look at a few reasons why this might be happening.
Gut Health and Its Link to Diseases
00:05:19
Speaker
very commonly leaky gut and inflammation. So when the intestinal barrier is compromised, toxins and undigested food particles leak into the bloodstream, triggering what but widespread inflammation.
00:05:33
Speaker
This has been linked to autoimmune diseases, allergies, and even mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. We've also got microbiome imbalance, which is like an overgrowth of harmful bacterias or a lack of the beneficial ones, leading to digestive issues like bloating, think IBS or food intolerances.
00:05:56
Speaker
But it doesn't stop there. Research actually suggests that imbalances in gut bacteria contribute to metabolic disorders, hormonal imbalances, and even certain types of neurodegenerative degenerative diseases.
00:06:13
Speaker
So issues with your neurological system and the brain. No good can also be immune. You can also see immune dysfunction. As i was saying before, about since 70% of your immune system resides in your gut, a disrupted gut microbiome can weaken your immune defenses, making you more susceptible to infections, allergies, and chronic inflammation.
00:06:38
Speaker
What have you got to say about that? What have you got to say for yourself? I didn't. Jeremy's experienced that firsthand. I'd say, oh, when would ah would have been, when did that happen for you? with When Tate, mainly when Tate was young. Remember you kept getting sick over and over?
00:06:55
Speaker
Was it when Tate was sick? don't know. These kids, they go to daycare, they bring stuff home, you're stressed out, and yeah your immune system's compromised, you get sick, you think you're getting better, eye you get sick again.
00:07:07
Speaker
And for me, like my gut is pretty good. yeah I have a good immune system as well. Like touch wood. It's good at the moment. I don't want to say that in Murphy's law, sometimes you say it and then you get sick, but I feel like I'm pretty good with most of the sicknesses that come in the house. Some will get me like we're not immune just because we're naturopaths and because we take our herbs and everything, it doesn't mean that we're never going to get anything, but it's all about how quickly you get better and not catching everything.
00:07:34
Speaker
yeah being able to fight some off. Whereas poor germ, he went through a bit of a stage there where he just kept getting sick and then sick and picked up everything from the kids. It's just a bit of a, it's a bad rollercoaster.
00:07:46
Speaker
And now is the time to be like, really, it should have happened a couple of months ago for people to build up their immune system, but no one thinks about it. Yeah. So there's sickness in the house. For my clients, I always seed in some immune stuff as it starts to get a bit cooler.
00:07:59
Speaker
I'm taking care of you without you even knowing. And I like to make sure that I've got you guarded with immune stuff in the house anyway. But same as like with Jeremy. Jeremy won't take his supplements unless I hand them to him, which is very much a man thing I hear with a lot of my clients as well. Rarely will you go and get them yourself. It just seems to be. It's just not way. might do like the fish oil out of the fridge if I haven't seen them there, but yeah.
00:08:23
Speaker
Whereas it's fine. It's just part of the picture and I get it for the kids as well. So I just do Jeremy and mine to get that. It's fine. Exactly. I just, it's part of my job as a wife, wifely duties, which is fine. But I feel like sometimes if I miss it, because I don't know, I just been like, missed it. Or I was like, I was going to take that early this morning. And I didn't.
00:08:41
Speaker
then you there's no chance for you. So I've got to be strict. I'm the backbone. Backbones. Backbone to the family. But yes, getting back on on track, putting this all into perspective, healing the gut is going to be the first step to resolving many health issues because we want that healthy gut to be doing its thing.
00:09:04
Speaker
But of course, no one person or health concern is always the same. We are all so bloody different. And this is why you want to go to a good practitioner because they have to look at you as a person, not just go, Hey, I'm giving everyone this.
00:09:20
Speaker
You try this. It's like, no, this sounds like it's going to be perfect for you. But then the next person that comes in, it's like, no, I'm using a different home. Oh, but my girlfriend said she took that. Well, you are different than your girlfriend.
00:09:31
Speaker
Or my friend took this and people do it with Vitex all the time or Chase Street. And it is so bad because it can actually make your hormonal condition so much worse. anyway Yeah, because they're friends having great results. Yeah. i think They're going to have great results. Yeah. But they don't need that. Exactly. They need something completely different. Exactly. Like I'll have people come to me like, I just haven't fallen pregnant yet, but my cycle's perfect. Like 28 days, on the dot, periods five days, like comfortable, good, no pain, anything.
00:09:56
Speaker
And then they'll be like, my friend took Vitex and I want to take it. It's like, well, no, let's not do that. Because then if they start, sometimes they'll come, they'll be like, i started taking Vitex and now my cycle's longer or shorter. And it's like, why?
00:10:09
Speaker
trying to positive things so you want to be taking the right herbs anyway going to a proper practitioner is always going to be key there especially in the fertility space because it is so complex yeah and the gut obviously plays a ah huge role in that as well so really making each sure that we're looking at the person in front of us so let's look outside of that And look at the influences that can make your gut the egg.
Improving Gut Health Through Lifestyle
00:10:35
Speaker
So being impacted by our environment, it could be by our diet or medications. So diet and lifestyle would be first and foremost, things like processed foods, high sugar intake,
00:10:49
Speaker
drinking a lot of alcohol, chronic stress, can all negatively impact the gut bacteria over time. It's not necessarily the gut dysfunction that comes first, but rather poor habits that cause the gut imbalances. Okay.
00:11:06
Speaker
We get it. We're busy. We know what it's like. It's easier just to sometimes order Uber Eats. But if you're picking Uber Eats, pick something good on there. Something healthier. Always trying to get healthy one. You're rolled. Love.
00:11:17
Speaker
Vietnamese ah is so good. Yeah. Always opting for as much as you can. And say you would like get something. If you've got stuff to make a salad at home, make a side salad at home and have with your takeaway. Get some extra antioxidants and greens in there.
00:11:31
Speaker
And make sure you're limiting it to maybe like once a week, like on a Friday morning. that's when you'll do it so for us like we have swimming on a friday morning so i love going to the cafe okay love a little cheeky cafe moment we get takeaway but i love their toasties they have delicious toasties it's not every day of the week it's once a week and i'm like yep worked hard this week deserve a little trito now if my gut was compromised and i was struggling then maybe i'd be having something else but they got so many good toasties
00:12:03
Speaker
They're margarita toasty. They're mushroom toasty. Shout out Albies. Shout out Albies. Albies at the entrance, New South Wales. Good time. They've just started Marches there. Matcha, matcha. I never know how to say it.
00:12:18
Speaker
Matcha, matcha. Whatever. Anyway, love
Impact of Medications on Gut Bacteria
00:12:22
Speaker
them there. Medications also can absolutely throw out your gut. Obviously antibiotics because it's killing the good with the bad.
00:12:30
Speaker
Great that we're killing the bad, but we are also killing the good. So if we don't need them, cool. Use them when we really need them. I think antibiotics are absolutely fantastic. They're just overused. So for someone who has something that's They cannot get better.
00:12:44
Speaker
And it's like a life-threatening infection. Antibiotics, get them into your veins because you are going to need them. Probiotics. No, no, no. Antibiotics if you need them.
00:12:57
Speaker
Like for someone who has a life-threatening. Oh, yeah. Take your antibiotics, finish them, and then... Don't be scared if it's like a... Obviously, like ah a life-threatening or something really bad where you're going lose like a finger or something. Yeah, take your antibiotics.
00:13:07
Speaker
But if you are just cold with a cold, don't opt for the antibiotics. Like you do you, but also there's other options out there, right? And if you are doing your antibiotics and you've used them heaps in the past, it's okay. Let's just restore and let's get some good probiotics in there.
00:13:22
Speaker
Something that I've been doing since I first started in the health industry is recommending, and I can remember someone coming in and asking me about this when I was like 15, asking about, do I do my antibiotics with probiotics?
00:13:37
Speaker
And for me, I've always said, yes, just time them separately because you're still going to get some of the goodness in. And even if it's only for a couple of hours, The good guys are still going to be in there. It's definitely not a waste of money.
00:13:49
Speaker
But before, everyone was like, no, they don't do it. You do it afterwards. And then now the research has caught up and they're saying, do antibiotics with your probiotics, probiotics with antibiotics. I'm ahead of the game. I know, fully ahead of it. 15, I was like, take those probiotics. Because you want the good ones in there Yeah, and even if it's only in there for a couple of hours, it's still a couple of hours if you've got doing all its functions yeah with the good guys in there.
00:14:12
Speaker
Anyway, I never understood that, but thankfully... Science has caught up, which is great. Other drugs are our non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, commonly used to manage pain and inflammation, associated with things like arthritis and other musculoskeletal disorders.
00:14:32
Speaker
ah They're actually quite widely used, so you want to be mindful if you're on any of those. This even goes down to like our normal iberophen in the house and then all goes up to like different types of really strong. Pain killers. Pain killers. Yeah.
00:14:49
Speaker
Aspirin as well, which can sometimes be commonly in the household. Not everyone has it in there, but we do see it, especially in the older generation. feel like it was very common back then. And even some types of hormonal birth control.
00:15:03
Speaker
It can all alter gut bacteria and lead to long-term digestive issues. In this case, gut health declines due to the external influences rather than being the original problem.
00:15:16
Speaker
So we're taking the medications that are affecting the gut rather than it being the gut itself.
Stress, Sleep, and Gut Health
00:15:22
Speaker
Also sleep and stress. Stress and sleep deprivation. i laugh because this is Jeremy Neal.
00:15:29
Speaker
Yeah, we were chatting about it the other day, like since having babies, obviously sleep isn't the same. Jeremy has never been a good sleeper, but when the stars align, I feel like you sleep better. But obviously if there's kids there that are waking you up and crying and stuff, like you don't have much choice, do you? So anyway, it's just a phase.
00:15:46
Speaker
But chronic stress alters the brain-gut axis, leading to increased inflammation and digestive problems. If stress and lifestyle factors aren't addressed, gut healing may be an uphill battle.
00:15:59
Speaker
But that's okay. We're on that battle. We are on that horse. I feel it. I can feel that. Underlying health conditions can also affect it. Things like hypothyroidism, diabetes, and PCOS can all impact digestion and gut function. Excuse me. So poor gut health could actually be a symptom rather than the cause.
00:16:21
Speaker
So which comes first, poor gut health or poor overall health? The answer is...
00:16:29
Speaker
Both. yeah Gut health and systemic health exist in a constant feedback loop. So one or the other. but Yeah, exactly. a disrupted gut can contribute to inflammation and chronic disease.
00:16:46
Speaker
chronic disease, stress and poor diet can further disrupt the gut. The cycle repeats unless you intervene at multiple points, not just by addressing the gut.
00:16:58
Speaker
but also by improving diet, stress management, and overall lifestyle. If gut health and overall health are so deeply entwined, how do we actually heal and break this cycle?
Actionable Steps for Better Gut Health
00:17:13
Speaker
Here are some actionable steps that you can really do at home. So one would be diet because it's in our control and we're eating a lot. We have the option of thriving or affecting.
00:17:27
Speaker
What do they say? One Every meal is leading you closer to disease or health or good health, which is a bit of an eye-opening, confronting statement.
00:17:38
Speaker
Eating whole fiber rich foods, focusing on prebiotics and probiotic foods like fermented vegetables, yum, yogurts, fiber rich veggies, they all nourish gut bacteria.
00:17:53
Speaker
Reduce processed foods and sugars. Even though we crave these all the time, these foods, the body wants the sugars and the processed stuff, and it's easy, but you need to minimise this. Ultra processed food, artificial sweeteners, and excess sugars, which can disrupt the microbiome. Absolutely.
00:18:12
Speaker
Also managing stress levels, incorporate mindfulness, deep breathing, or even gut-directed hypnotherapy to calm the gut-brain axis. Honestly, what I say to a lot of my clients is just get yourself outside and stare at a tree.
00:18:27
Speaker
Outside, shoes off, feet in the grass, stare at a tree. You can usually find a tree, even if it's on your lunch break. Maybe you can't take your shoes off on your lunch break. It's okay. Just stare at the tree. Take a couple of deep breaths. Breathe in breathe out. Let's do a deep breath now. Ready?
00:18:45
Speaker
One more.
00:18:50
Speaker
Honestly, you don't get a enough of a deep breath in and it's not until you take a deep breath that you realize. What am I stressing about? And I am breathing as good as I should. Supporting digestion naturally.
00:19:00
Speaker
Consider digestive enzymes, bone broth or herbal teas that suit the gut lining. Absolutely. Camomile. It's a good one for the gut. Yes. Dandelion. Dandelion, yep.
00:19:11
Speaker
Good for digestion and liver support as well. Licorice. Did say ginger? No. Ginger. Yeah, and licorice is great as well, and that tastes so good. Love that. Getting quality sleep.
00:19:24
Speaker
Prioritize restorative sleep as it directly influences gut bacteria and digestion. Again, if you've got kids, might not be as easy and that is okay. It is a season.
00:19:35
Speaker
But just trying to focus on sleep. Like on the weekends, I usually try and let Jeremy sleep in because he goes goes to bed later. He's at night out. Whereas like i fall asleep earlier, so I usually help by waking up earlier. yeah Check for root causes.
00:19:52
Speaker
Work with a health professional to identify underlying conditions, food sensitivities or infections that may be impacting your gut health. Hello, we'd love to help you. We are health professionals that support the gut all the time. And we do our own gut microbiome testing, which is so in depth and amazing.
00:20:09
Speaker
And also we look at the chicken and the egg.
00:20:13
Speaker
We've actually created as well our gut reset package. The gut reset package is the perfect introduction into your naturopathic journey. And that is because it contains your initial consultation plus two other consultations, your gut microbiome testing, which is going to tell us about worms, parasites, bacterias, pathogens, viruses, the beneficial bacteria, and so much more, like pages and pages of what's going on your gut. So diverse.
00:20:42
Speaker
Your initial supplement bundle as well. And then we also send you out a guide as well, give you a guide. And it's one-on-one working with our expert practitioners, one-on-one. So you're talking to them. It's not a group or anything like that. You are talking with the practitioner and they're prescribing
Mungbean Health Services and Contact Information
00:20:58
Speaker
according to you. It's not a one shoe fits all approach. We're very big on our individualized medicine at Mungbean Health.
00:21:03
Speaker
If you would like to know more, have I missed anything? Yeah. If you want to know more about that, you can absolutely us on Instagram. gut reset just dm us and we will be able to send you back a link to the all of the information like a whole website page on it or you can visit our website at www.mungbeanhealth.com and you can find the link there and all the information and getting contacted us that way yep we're also on tiktok mungbean underscore health m-u-n-g b-e-a-n underscore health And yeah, we we'd love to investigate your gut, create a protocol for you that'll go far beyond you healing your gut. We'll be able to support fertility, hormones, energy, sleep, immune, whatever that looks like.
00:21:44
Speaker
It's all linked. It's all linked and we can't wait to help. Yeah, thanks for tuning in. See ya. Bye. Bye.
00:21:57
Speaker
And that's a wrap on today's dose of wellness. I'm Rhiannon, your fertility fairy godmother. Thank you for joining us. Stay connected with us on Instagram at mungbin underscore health.