Healing your damaged gut is a journey full of trial and error, and lots of HARD work. I know that right now you are probably experiencing countless overlapping symptoms, and there are countless healing modalities and approaches out there, all competing for your attention. And they all seem to work so differently for different people. Not to mention the complete minefield presented by forums, Facebook groups  and random online success stories.

Australia’s first SIBO Summit was held in chilly Melbourne on 8th October 2016. I had the absolute pleasure of attending and rubbing shoulders (well, almost!) with Dr Alison Siebecker, my favourite SIBO guru from the USA, Dr Nirala Jacobi, Naturopath and creator of SIBOTest, and Dr Jason Hawrelak, our very own Aussie probiotics advisor. As an added bonus to my recent 3-part SIBO blog series, here are my top 20 takeaways from the day that I hope can help you with your healing journey.

I talk about gut health a LOT... So you might be wondering just how healthy yours is. Especially because it has such a big impact on almost every aspect of our overall health, including our immune system, allergies and sensitivities, autoimmunity and even our weight. And while we can do proper functional lab tests to identify conditions like SIBO, Leaky Gut, dysbiosis and infections like parasites, candida and bad bacteria, there are a few DIY Gut Health Tests you can do at home to get an idea of the state of your gut health and see if there are clues about whether you need proper testing.

I don’t eat dairy. I don’t hate dairy either. It just doesn’t agree with me. But that wasn’t always the case. Six years ago I was drinking milk for breakfast, eating yoghurt for a morning snack and munching my way through multiple serves of cheese every day. But, I was also chronically constipated, had horrible skin and a constantly running nose.

A Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) sucks. They are uncomfortable, painful and make it hard to keep up with everyday life. BUT, they are beatable and the good news is you can successfully get rid of a UTI without the gut-destroying antibiotics I once thought were my only option. And, I am going to share with you my approach to UTI treatment without antibiotics that actually works. It's an all natural protocol that I use with myself and my clients with great results.

The term ‘Adrenal Fatigue’ might have been thrown around a lot lately but that doesn’t mean the actual condition isn’t very real and very debilitating. While IBS-type symptoms let you know that your digestive system isn’t happy, the symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue make you feel like you are falling off a cliff. You are tired, completely worn out and can’t retain your usual energy levels, no matter what you do. Through my own journey, and those of my clients, with both Adrenal Fatigue and IBS, I’ve learnt a lot about the often overlooked connection between these two misunderstood conditions.

Have you ever followed a healing diet like Paleo, SCD, GAPS or low-FODMAP to control your IBS symptoms? You might have felt great for a while, and then found that your gut symptoms came creeping back. And you felt like a complete failure because these diets are supposed to control IBS, right!?! What if I told you that no matter how perfectly you stick to that diet it isn’t going to work on its own if a hidden gut infection is the root cause of your IBS.