Articles - Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, D.C.

How to Choose the Best Diet for Gut Health

Dr. Nikolas Hedberg Digestion September 14, 2020autoimmune paleo diet, betaine hcl, elimination diet, histamine, low FODMAP diet, paleo diet, pancreatic elastase, simple carbohydrate diet 0 Comment

In this episode of Functional Medicine Research, I interview Dr. Liz Lipski in a discussion about how to choose the best therapeutic diet for gut health. We discussed the low FODMAP diet, comprehensive elimination diet, Simple Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), GAPS diet, Paleo diet, histamine, pancreatic elastase and low HCL levels. Liz discussed why we would choose each one of these diets for an individual and what each diet entails. I use all of these diets in my practice so it was nice to have an overview of each diet from one of the top experts in gut health.

5 Quarantine Ideas to Get Healthy and Better Yourself

Dr. Nikolas Hedberg Depression/Anxiety August 31, 2020astronomy, birding, coding, cooking, Covid-19, pandemic, quarantine 2 Comments

I’d like to share with you all the things I’ve been doing since the COVID-19 pandemic started to better myself and stay as healthy as possible. I like the quote, “Whenever one door closes, another door opens.” Of course, I miss doing many of the things I normally do to have fun and interact with other people but this has been a time to take advantage of the many opportunities available. No matter what kind of health issues you’re dealing with, some of these ideas can have significant impact on your overall health.

Can COVID-19 Trigger Hashimoto’s Disease?

Dr. Nikolas Hedberg Hashimoto's Disease August 17, 2020August 14, 2020autoimmune thyroiditis, Covid-19, Epstein-Barr Virus, Hashimoto's disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, thyroid, thyroid antibodies 0 Comment

We have known since the early 1970s that infections can trigger autoimmune diseases and now we have an interesting hypothesis on the potential triggering of Hashimoto’s disease by COVID-19 infection.

A recent case study out of Singapore published in the Singapore Medical Journal entitled, “COVID-19 complicated by Hashimoto’s thyroiditis” presents an individual who developed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis after contracting COVID-19.

COVID-19 can cause a hyperinflammatory state in the body which is a potential recipe for developing autoimmune disease. The authors begin by pointing out the most current literature on COVID-19 connections to the autoimmune diseases antiphospholipid syndrome, autoimmune thrombocytopenia, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

What is the Best Diet for Your Gut Microbiome?

Dr. Nikolas Hedberg Digestion August 3, 2020August 3, 2020autoimmune paleo diet, butyrate, FODMAP, ketogenic diet, Lucy Mailing, microbiome, microbiota, plant-based diet, resistant starch, short chain fatty acids 0 Comment

It this episode of Functional Medicine Research, I interview Dr. Lucy Mailing in a discussion about the best diet for your gut microbiome. We had a fascinating discussion focused on all of the different diets out there and how they affect the gut microbiome including the ketogenic diet, plant-based diets, high-fat, low FODMAP, and the autoimmune paleo diet.

We also talked about fiber, protein, hydrogen sulfide, resistant starch, butyrate, gluten, lectins, stool testing, and whether or not you should take probiotics after taking antibiotics. I think you’ll find this conversation quite eye-opening about a number of exciting topics related to the gut micobiome.

How to Overcome Trauma with EMDR

Dr. Nikolas Hedberg Depression/Anxiety July 20, 2020July 20, 2020anxiety, depression, EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing, Martina Barnes, post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, trauma 0 Comment

In this episode of Functional Medicine Research, I speak with therapist Martina Barnes about how EMDR can help people overcome trauma. I have personally used EMDR with great success in overcoming trauma and I routinely refer for EMDR to help patients get well. One of the most important aspects of practicing functional medicine is understanding how much trauma can be connected to chronic illness. Many patients won’t get well until they address their past and how it is affecting their current health issues. All the healthy diets, supplements, exercise, sleep, exposure to nature, community etc. won’t be enough if there is underlying trauma history wearing you down.

Mental health professionals are severely underutilized yet they should be the first line of therapy for the majority of patients with chronic illness. Unfortunately, they usually end up being the last. This interview should help shed some light on the benefits of EMDR and how it can help you heal and get well for lasting health and well-being.

Is Genetic Testing Helpful or Harmful?

Dr. Nikolas Hedberg Functional Medicine Research July 6, 2020June 30, 2020ACTN3, COMT, CREB1, FTO, gene testing, genetic testing, GST, MTHFR, SNPs, Tommy Wood, VDR 0 Comment

In this episode of Functional Medicine Research, I interview Dr. Tommy Wood on the question of whether commercial genetic testing for SNPs is helpful or harmful. This is a topic I have wanted to cover in detail for a long time so when I read Dr. Wood’s paper and listened to him speak, I knew his expertise would be invaluable to this conversation. It is important that practitioners and patients know the truth about the current state of genetic testing and whether or not it is scientifically valid or invalid.

Dr. Wood has done the necessary research to outline all of the reasons why genetic testing is not a valuable tool in practice and he presents compelling data that it can be more harmful than helpful. As stated in the interview, this is an area that I have never bought into because the science simply doesn’t support genetic testing or interventions to address SNPs in clincial practice. I think you’ll find this interiew invaluable to your understanding of genetic testing.

If you have any published papers to refute any of this information, myself and Dr. Wood would love to read these papers.

The 5 Best Adrenal Adaptogens for Fatigue and Stress

Dr. Nikolas Hedberg Fatigue June 22, 2020adrenal adaptogens, adrenal fatigue, Ashwagandha, cordyceps, eleuthero, licorice, panax ginseng, rhodiola rosea 2 Comments

Adrenal adaptogens are one of the most commonly prescribed supplements by functional medicine practitioners due to the impact of chronic stress on the majority of sick patients. Stress breaks your body down in every way imaginable so mitigating the negative effects of stress is priority number one in most patients.

I’ve been using adrenal adaptogens in my practice for over 15 years now and I’d like to share my favorite adrenal adaptogens that may help you feel better. Adrenal adaptogens can cause negative reactions in some patients so do not take any of these without proper evaluation from a healthcare practitioner to avoid side effects.

Leaky Gut and Hashimoto’s Disease

Dr. Nikolas Hedberg Hashimoto's Disease June 8, 2020autoimmune thyroiditis, Hashimoto's disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, increased intestinal permeability, lactulose mannitol, leaky gut, thyroid, zonulin 0 Comment

There have never been any studies on leaky gut and Hashimoto’s disease but now we have a new study on this connection. Leaky gut was something rejected by conventional medicine despite the fact that papers on leaky gut date back to the 1970s. For many years functional medicine practitioners have been testing for it and treating it which has helped many patients overcome their chronic illnesses. There are currently over 500 published scientific papers on leaky gut so there is no doubt it exists.

Hashimoto’s Disease Improves by Eradicating Blastocystis Hominis

Dr. Nikolas Hedberg Hashimoto's Disease May 26, 2020May 27, 2020autoimmune thyroiditis, blastocystis hominis, Hashimoto's disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, leaky gut, parasites, thyroid antibodies 0 Comment

There is a new exciting paper on the connection between eradicating the intestinal parasite Blasctocystis hominis and improving Hashimoto’s disease. I previously reported this infection connection in a case study which revealed an individual with Hashimoto’s disease getting better after eradicating Blastocystis hominis. Case studies aren’t the strongest scientific proof of a particular therapy but now we have an excellent paper with three research groups including a much-needed control group.

How to Overcome Anxiety and IBS with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Dr. Nikolas Hedberg Depression/Anxiety, Digestion May 11, 2020anxiety, CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy, IBS, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, Samantha Osborne 0 Comment

I was very excited to interview therapist Samantha Osborne in a discussion about anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), insomnia and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). I had been wanting to interview someone for a long time on CBT because it is so effective for conditions like anxiety, insomnia, and IBS. We discussed why we develop the thoughts that we do as well as beliefs and emotions and the many triggers of these conditions. We also covered some excellent CBT strategies to overcoming these conditions that you can do on your own.

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