Dr.Lisa - Osteo

16/09/2025

🌊 Sooooo many of my patients suffer with cramps.
Even when they drink their “mandatory” 2L of water a day.
💧 So what are they doing wrong?

Water alone ≠ hydration.
To stop cramps, your muscles need electrolytes – the minerals that pull water into your cells and keep nerves + muscles firing properly.
⚡ Sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride all matter.

Patient testimonial
One of my patients messaged me:
“Big walk yesterday and Pilates today. I ALWAYS get cramps at Pilates… but this time NONE at all after using the Progurt Mineral Chloride formula.”

✨ Real-world result, not just theory.

Why did it work?
👉 Chloride supports proper stomach acid, digestion & mineral absorption.
👉 Balanced minerals = smoother muscle contraction + relaxation.
👉 Hydrated cells = less cramping, better performance.

💡 If you’re cramping despite “drinking enough water”…
It may not be a water problem – it’s a mineral balance problem.
Progurt’s Mineral Chloride helps restore that balance.
🚶‍♀️ Walk further.
💪 Train harder.
😌 Recover better.

15/09/2025

🧬 How Gut Bacteria “Talk” to Your Body
1. Through their “waste products”
      •   Good gut bugs turn food into tiny chemicals like short-chain fatty acids.
      •   These act like text messages to your cells — telling them to make energy, calm inflammation, and keep the gut lining strong.
2. By touching your gut wall
      •   Some bacteria stick to the gut lining and send “handshake signals” that tell your gut cells to tighten up the barrier and keep out bad stuff.
3. Through nerves and hormones
      •   Gut bugs make chemicals that look like brain messengers (like serotonin and GABA).
      •   These send signals through the vagus nerve (a “superhighway” from your gut to your brain), affecting mood, stress, and digestion.

🌡️ What They Influence
   •   Hormones: Gut bacteria affect appetite hormones, stress hormones, even how you use estrogen and thyroid hormones.
   •   Energy: They can boost how well your cells’ “batteries” (mitochondria) work.
   •   pH (acid–alkaline balance): Healthy bacteria make your gut slightly acidic → stopping bad bugs from taking over.
   •   Circulation & temperature: Some bacteria help open up blood vessels and improve blood flow, which supports energy and warmth.

🧩 Why Human-Specific Bacteria Matter
   •   Not all probiotics are equal.
   •   Human-specific strains (like Bifidobacteria and Akkermansia) have co-evolved with us.
   •   They “speak the same language” as our cells, making their signals stronger and more useful for our health.

✅ Takeaway for patients:
Your gut bacteria aren’t just sitting there — they’re in constant conversation with your body. They influence your hormones, energy, circulation, and even mood. Supporting the right bacteria helps your whole system stay in balance. #

12/09/2025

🔄 Why Fibre Can Worsen Constipation

1. Too Much Bulk in a Sluggish Bowel

If motility is already compromised (which is common in women with vagal tone issues, thyroid issues, or long-term stress), fiber becomes brick-like. It needs movement, minerals, and fluid to pass — but many of us are dehydrated at a cellular level, not just thirsty.

2. Fermentation & Gas

Fibers ferment — especially in the small intestine if bacteria are misplaced (SIBO). This leads to bloating, pain, foul gas, reflux, and ironically… worsened constipation.

3. Visceral-Somatic Disruption

Bulky stools increase pelvic pressure. For women with ligament laxity (common with age, childbirth, and estrogen loss), this creates rectocele formation, pelvic floor dysfunction, and worsening gut-brain signaling.

🧬 It’s Not Just the Food. It’s Your Biology.

Fitgenes DNA insights show us why:
   •   DAO gene variants → reduced histamine breakdown → fiber + fermentable foods → inflammation, water retention, bloating
   •   MTHFR & COMT → slow detox → sluggish bile → slow motility
   •   IL-4/IL-13 → heightened eosinophil activity → gut inflammation → reduced transit
   •   UCP & ADRB genes → cold extremities, sluggish metabolism → impaired bowel muscle tone

For these women, more fiber is not the answer. It’s a burden.

🌊 The Real Solution Is About Flow, Not Bulk.

✅ Restore hydration at a mineral level
✅ Support bile flow and gut motility
✅ Lower gut inflammation and histamine
✅ Reduce pressure, not add to it
✅ Align digestion with light, movement, and breath

That’s what this series will unpack. Gentle, precise, and bio-individual solutions to get you unblocked — without the bran, beans, or bloating.

💬 Tell Me…

Have you been told to “just eat more fiber”? How did it work for you?

👇 Share your story in the comments, or forward this to a friend who’s still waiting on that miracle poop.

12/09/2025

1. Direct Effects of Sunlight on Microbes
   •   Skin microbiome: UV and infrared light shift pH, moisture, and immune signaling.
   •   Photoreceptors: Some bacteria sense light through proteins like cryptochromes or rhodopsins.

2. Indirect Effects via the Host
   •   Vitamin D: Triggers antimicrobial peptides that shape microbiome balance.
   •   Nitric oxide: UV/IR release improves blood flow and mucosal health.
   •   Melatonin: Darkness sets gut motility and microbial rhythms.
   •   Temperature: Sun warmth/cold modulate motility, mucus, and bile acids.

3. Circadian Entrainment of Microbes
   •   Gut bacteria run on day/night “shifts.”
   •   Natural light syncs them with feeding/fasting cycles.
   •   Disrupted light cycles → microbial imbalance linked to obesity, autoimmunity, IBS, mood issues.

4. Sunlight as a Missing Input

Our ancestors lived with constant light-dark cycles. Indoor living deprives both mitochondria and microbes of these cues.

5. Practical Ways to “Feed” Your Microbiome Sunlight
   •   Morning light → circadian reset.
   •   Midday sun → vitamin D + nitric oxide.
   •   Bare skin (belly/chest) → IR penetrates deeper.
   •   Evening darkness/red light → supports microbial night shift.

07/09/2025

What about people who are lucky to have normal genetics around mitochondrial health?

⚡ Best Health Hacks for “Normal” Coupled Mitochondria
1. Balance is their superpower → they tolerate a range of diets (low-carb, moderate carb, fasting, etc.).
2. Cold exposure → highly effective for fat-burning & resilience (contrast showers, ice baths, winter swims).
3. Exercise variety → both endurance (zone 2) and HIIT give big mitochondrial benefits.
4. Sunlight → powerful but less critical. Think: accelerates recovery, optimizes hormones, and boosts mood.
5. Hormetic stressors (fasting, breathwork, heat/cold cycling) → their mitochondria adapt well without tipping into burnout.

✨ Big picture:
   •   People with normal UCPs are like the “generalists” of mitochondrial function.
   •   They thrive on balanced inputs → sun, exercise, cold, fasting.
   •   Unlike me (photon-dependent), they can miss a few days of sun or training without energy collapsing, but they excel when they layer these inputs consistently.

Interested in YOUR unique genetics?
I can help.

07/09/2025

Genetics & Sunlight

🌞 Did you know your DNA decides how much you need the sun?
For some of us, sunlight isn’t just “nice to have” — it’s fuel.

🧬 Certain genes (like UCP & COMT) decide how your mitochondria — your little energy batteries — work.
   •   Some people waste energy as heat (great in the cold ❄️).
   •   Others (like me 🙋‍♀️) run super-efficient… but need more sunlight to stop our energy system getting “smoky” (oxidative stress).

💡 Translation:
If your genes say you’re sun-dependent → light literally powers up your mitochondria, clears stress, and resets your body’s energy chemistry.

🌍 The Fun Takeaway

☀️ Morning sun = free daily recharge
🔥 Firelight / sauna / sunset = stress clean-up
❄️ Cold dips? Fun, but not everyone’s superpower

👉 Your genes tell you if light is just a bonus or if it’s your #1 fuel source!

05/09/2025

Get 15% off
Use code DRLISASPRING

02/09/2025

Muscle aches, pain & cramps? 🤕💥
👉 One big cause = electrolyte imbalance
👉 Another = nutrients not reaching your cells

Why?
To get nutrients & minerals into your muscles:
1️⃣ They must be absorbed from your gut 🥦🍖
2️⃣ Then transported into your cells 🚚➡️🔋

If your gut lining is clogged with 💩 “caked on the walls” → poor absorption happens.

Result =
🚫 Muscles starved of minerals
🚫 Cramping, tightness, pain
🚫 Fatigue & sluggish recovery

The Solution 🌟
✨ Support digestion at the stomach & upper GIT with Progurt pH Sachets
✨ Rehydrate & restore mineral balance with Progurt Mineral Chloride

✅ Better digestion → better absorption
✅ Better hydration → fewer cramps
✅ Happy gut + balanced electrolytes = strong, pain-free muscles 💪🌊

01/09/2025

31/08/2025

This is the formula I recommend for strengthening bones 🦴 and supporting immunity 🦠when patients have low serum VitD usually coupled with a genetic variation in their Vit D receptor genes. 🧬

Most people miss the last piece of the puzzle.

Optimizing digestion.
Optimal digestion with assimilation of those nutrients and minerals is KEY to building bones and supporting immunity.

Needless to say bone building exercise such as strength training and jumping is key.
Lastly.

You can’t beat good ole “GETTING OUT IN THE SUNSHINE” as prime driver for Vit D production.
DM me for detailed instructions on doseage and timing.

28/08/2025

Coffee can be of benefit for those with gut issues.
Knowing your genetic capacity to clear caffeine can also help you make and informed decision as to whether you do or do not consume coffee
I’ll keep having my one cup a day.

☕🧬 Coffee & Gut Health: The Surprising Science

For individuals addressing IBS, SIBO, reflux, gas, bloating, or abdominal pain, coffee can be both a welcome ritual and a potential digestive wildcard.

Because the key isn’t just whether coffee is caffeinated, acidic, or decaf, it’s how coffee interacts with your gut environment that matters most.

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🔍 Coffee and Whole-Body Health

Moderate coffee consumption (3–4 cups per day) has been linked to a range of health benefits, including: 1,2,3,4,5

- Reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, and liver disease

- Protection against certain cancers (breast, colorectal, endometrial)

- Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects

- Improved metabolic and cognitive function


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☕ Coffee and Gut Health

Coffee promotes digestive health through several mechanisms: 6,7

- Digestive secretions: It enhances the production of gastric acid, bile, and pancreatic enzymes, supporting digestion and potentially speeding up intestinal transit.

- Bowel motility: Coffee can stimulate the colon, occasionally leading to the urge to have a bowel movement shortly after drinking it.

- Gallstone prevention: Regular coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of developing gallstones.


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🦠 Impact on Gut Microbiota

Emerging research highlights coffee’s positive influence on the gut microbiome: 8,9,10,11,12,13

- Microbial diversity: Moderate coffee intake is associated with greater overall gut microbial diversity, including an increase in beneficial strains like Bifidobacterium.

- Bacterial balance: Coffee has been linked to higher levels of health-supporting bacteria such as Bacteroides and Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus, along with a reduction in potentially harmful Enterobacteria.

- Prebiotic effects: The polyphenols and fibers (not listed on nutrition facts label, but documented in studies) found in coffee and its by-products may act as prebiotics, feeding beneficial gut bacteria and supporting microbiome balance. Although these effects sound beneficial, they may be the very reason coffee triggers your symptoms.

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⚠️ What About Reflux?

A couple of studies suggested coffee can lower the pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES).14,15 This may increase reflux symptoms for sensitive individuals.

But here’s what the broader science (and my clients) shows: 16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23

- Most studies show no consistent link between coffee and GERD in the general population

- Individual tolerance varies widely

- Decaf or dewaxed coffee may be easier on the gut for some

If you love coffee but are dealing with reflux or bloating, there’s no need to give it up entirely. You just need the right strategy.


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🧠 Why the Fast Tract Diet Helps

Reflux (either acid or silent, LPR), IBS, and SIBO often stem from excess fermentation in the gut. When bacteria ferment unabsorbed carbs, gas is produced, raising pressure, driving reflux, and fueling dysbiosis.

The Fast Tract Diet addresses this root cause by helping you select foods based on their Fermentation Potential (FP), a science-based system for reducing symptoms for relief and recovery.


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📚 Essential Reading because the Fast Tract Diet is a system

To truly understand how the Fast Tract Diet works and apply it with confidence for real results, these books are your essential guide.

- Fast Tract Digestion: Heartburn – A root-cause approach for reflux, GERD, and silent reflux (LPR), also addressing underlying gut dysbiosis.

- Fast Tract Digestion: IBS – A non-antibiotic, science-based solution for IBS, SIBO, and IMO rooted in controlling fermentation and restoring gut balance.

👉 If you reside outside the U.S., please visit Amazon in your country to find these titles.


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📲 Fast Tract Diet Support

The Fast Tract Diet app puts the science into action with practical tools to help you manage symptoms day by day, including:

- A curated list of low-FP foods, including coffee and alternatives

- FP values for over a thousand foods

- Tools to track diet and symptoms in real time

- A dashboard that gives you a clear view of your progress

- The ability to add your unique foods and recipes, complete with FP calculations

- Space to log daily notes in the Tracker

👉 Get the app now: https://www.fasttractdiet.com/


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🔬 Personalized Gut Health Strategies

If you’re ready to take control of reflux, IBS, SIBO, and other forms of gut dysbiosis and want a personalized plan built on the following 4 pillars, schedule your pre-consult appointment today.


- Root Cause Analysis – Identify and address the underlying factors driving your unique condition

- Dietary Modulation – Align your diet with your digestive capability to optimize nutrient absorption

- Targeted Supplementation – Use root cause analysis to remove unnecessary products and add proven, science-based supplements for relief and recovery

- Behavioral & Lifestyle Strategies – Adopt practical daily habits and evidence-based lifestyle changes that support long-term digestive health and overall well-being


👉 Book a pre-consult appointment here: https://calendly.com/drnorm/pre-consult-appointment-20-minutes

For international clients, please email rhea@digestivehealthinstitute.org

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References:

1. Coffee consumption and health: umbrella review of meta-analyses of multiple health outcomes
2. Coffee, Caffeine, and Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review
3. Coffee for Cardioprotection and Longevity
4. Coffee consumption, health benefits and side effects: a narrative review and update for dietitians and nutritionists
5. Health Benefits of Coffee Consumption for Cancer and Other Diseases and Mechanisms of Action
6. Effects of Coffee on the Gastro-Intestinal Tract: A Narrative Review and Literature Update
7. The impact of consumed coffee on the digestive system - review of the latest research
8. Effects of Coffee on Gut Microbiota and Bowel Functions in Health and Diseases: A Literature Review
9. Long-Term Coffee Consumption is Associated with F***l Microbial Composition in Humans
10. Impact of coffee consumption on the gut microbiota: a human volunteer study
11. Coffee consumption is associated with intestinal Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus abundance and prevalence across multiple cohorts
12. Coffee by-products: An underexplored source of prebiotic ingredients
13. Health Effects of Coffee: Mechanism Unraveled?
14. Inhibitory effect of coffee on lower esophageal sphincter pressure
15. Effect of caffeine on lower esophageal sphincter pressure in Thai healthy volunteers
16. Association between coffee intake and gastroesophageal reflux disease: a meta-analysis
17. No Association of Coffee Consumption with Gastric Ulcer, Duodenal Ulcer, Reflux Esophagitis, and Non-Erosive Reflux Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study of 8,013 Healthy Subjects in Japan
18. The role of tea and coffee in the development of gastroesophageal reflux disease
19. Lifestyle related risk factors in the aetiology of gastro-oesophageal reflux
20. Effect of coffee on gastro-oesophageal reflux in patients with reflux disease and healthy controls
21. Effect of Dewaxed Coffee on Gastroesophageal Symptoms in Patients with GERD: A Randomized Pilot Study
22. The effect of decaffeination of coffee on gastro-oesophageal reflux in patients with reflux disease
23. Effect of decaffeination of coffee or tea on gastro-oesophageal reflux