Articles - Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, D.C.

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.

Human herpesvirus 6 and Hashimoto’s Disease

Dr. Nikolas Hedberg Hashimoto's Disease April 27, 2020April 27, 2020autoimmune disease, autoimmune thyroid, Hashimoto's disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, HHV-6, Human herpesvirus 6, hypothyroidism, infection connection 0 Comment

Human herpesvirus 6 or HHV-6, is a herpes virus just like Epstein-Barr Virus, Cytomegalovirus, Chicken pox (varicella zoster), HHV-7, HHV-8 and Herpes simplex 1 and 2. There are two types of this virus including HHV-6A and HHV-6B. 100% of human beings get infected with HHV-6B by the age of three which results in fever, diarrhea and a rash called roseola. In rare cases it can cause seizures and encephalitis. There are many infection connections to autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s disease and in this article I’ll cover the connection between HHV-6 and Hashimoto’s disease.

Covid-19 Immune Strategies

Dr. Nikolas Hedberg Functional Medicine Research April 14, 2020Coronavirus, Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2 0 Comment

In this episode of Functional Medicine Research, I interview Dr. Joe Mather and Dr. Jeffrey Moss about Covid-19 immune strategies. We had a great discussion about the immunology of Covid-19, diet, lifestyle, supplements, as well as Dr. Mather’s first-hand clinical experience with Covid-19.

The Best Digestive Enzyme Supplements

Dr. Nikolas Hedberg Digestion March 23, 2020betaine hcl, digestive enzymes, dysbiosis, H. pylori, hydrochloric acid, hypochlorhydria, pancreatin, SIBO 3 Comments

There are many digestive enzyme supplements out there but which ones are the best and what is the best way to use them? In this article, I’ll be covering my 3 favorite digestive enzyme supplements and the way I use them in my practice. I’ll also dispel some of the myths and misconceptions about digestive enzyme supplements.

Digestive enzymes are an important part of my practice because most of my patients have gut issues that are connected to their thyroid and autoimmune problems. I have found them to be a vital part of my gut healing protocols. Let’s jump in and cover the details of each product I recommend.

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