Battling Pathogens and Building Immunity Begins In Your Gut

… Robynne Chutkan, M.D., joins the show to talk about a topic that’s foundational to biohacking—resilience. More specifically, resilience that starts in the gut. You’ll learn:

• how your microbiome continually evolves and why that matters to the state of your gut and body functions.
• how to strengthen the antiviral defenses located in your gut.
• why your body’s own ability “to resist, heal, and recover from viruses is vastly superior” to pharmaceuticals.
• what to do before taking antibiotics to protect your gut, as well as what you can do to rehab your microbiome after antibiotic use.

“Being on the winning team when battling viruses isn’t because of good luck, or coincidence, or variations in viral virulence,” Dr. Chutkan explains in her newest book, “The Anti-Viral Gut: Tackling Pathogens from the Inside Out.” “It’s due to differences in us, the hosts, and our defenses, and those differences are what determine your outcome. Put another way: it’s less about the potency of the pathogen and more about the health of the host.”

Dr. Chutkan is a Yale- and Columbia-educated integrative gastroenterologist who’s been advancing knowledge and education about gut health for decades. Nearly 20 years ago she founded the Digestive Center for Wellness to help people get to the root issue of their digestive issues and improve their gut health. She incorporates microbial optimization, nutritional therapy, mind-body techniques, and lifestyle changes while following the latest scientific research.

To combat pathogens and build resilience, pay attention to your gut microbiome and work to improve the health, diversity and richness of it, she advises.