Navigating the healthcare system: labs & testing

When you're strapped for time, eating well can start to feel like you only have a few options: buy a bunch of premade food, hire help, or somehow find the time to meal prep. But meal prep doesn't have to mean spending your entire Sunday cooking. In this episode of The Gut Show, I'm sharing how I break grocery shopping, prepping, and cooking into smaller, more manageable tasks, plus the things I actually make and my favorite tricks for saving time AND money. If meal prep has been feeling like one more impossible thing on your to-do list, this episode is for you.

What happens when you're constipated and feel like you've tried EVERYTHING? And at what point does surgery become an option? In this episode of The Gut Show, I'm joined by colorectal surgeon Dr. Carmen Fong to talk about chronic constipation from a surgeon's perspective. We're getting into the different types of constipation, how she decides which tests and treatments actually make sense, and what she considers when someone comes to her after medications, laxatives, and other treatments haven't worked. We also talk about colonics, defecography, and whether removing part or all of the colon can actually treat constipation.

Have you ever seen "redundant colon" on your colonoscopy report and wondered what it actually means, or whether it could explain your chronic constipation? In this episode of The Gut Show, I'm joined by Dr. Kyle Staller to unpack what a redundant colon actually is and, more importantly, whether it matters for your symptoms. We talk about what's considered a "normal" colon length, differences between men and women, and whether the extra twists and loops associated with a redundant colon are something to worry about. We also get into some of the biggest questions for people struggling with chronic constipation: Could a redundant colon be part of the reason stool just doesn't seem to move?

You may have seen Bryan Johnson talking about autoimmune gastritis (AIG), but what is it actually, and what does the research say? In this episode of The Gut Show, we're digging into autoimmune gastritis, including what happens in the stomach, symptoms, pernicious anemia, and what treatment actually looks like. We'll also take a closer look at some of the claims being shared online and separate what's backed by research from what might be getting a little ahead of the science. If Bryan Johnson's story has you wondering about AIG or questioning whether you should be worried about it, this episode will help you understand what we actually know.

Colon cancer rates are rising, especially among younger adults….but before you let that statistic stress you out, listen to this episode to learn what you actually need to know! In this episode of The Gut Show, I'm joined by Dr. Leybelis Padilla to talk about what we know about colon cancer, what may increase your risk, symptoms to pay attention to, and the different screening options available, including the misinformation surrounding them. In this episode, we cover: Introducing Dr. Leybelis Padilla [2:44] What is colon cancer? [4:00] What causes polyps? [6:19] Family history [8:13] Why are the numbers rising? [11:13] Can fiber be protective? [15:33] Signs of colon cancer [18:28] Colonoscopies and other options [26:23] Misinformation [29:17] Is colonoscopy prep harmful? [36:36] How to work with Dr. Leybelis Padilla [47:28]