Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC

01/06/2026

The Low FODMAP diet can be a helpful short-term strategy for calming digestive symptoms - but it isn’t meant to last forever. While reducing fermentable carbs may ease bloating and discomfort, staying overly restrictive long-term can reduce dietary diversity and limit gut resilience.

The most important step is reintroduction. Testing foods methodically helps identify what works for your body while supporting a more flexible, sustainable way of eating.

Have you tried a Low FODMAP diet before? Let us know in the comments.

01/05/2026

The gut–brain connection is real.

Your nervous system directly controls how well you digest food.

When stress is high, the body shifts out of “rest and digest” mode. Stomach acid and digestive enzyme output can decrease, gut motility may slow, and even foods you normally tolerate can start to cause bloating, reflux, or discomfort. This isn’t a failure of willpower - it’s physiology.

Chronic stress can make gut symptoms feel unpredictable, especially during busy or overwhelming seasons. Supporting digestion often starts beyond the plate. Improving sleep, slowing down at meals, and calming the nervous system can help digestion work more efficiently and consistently.

You don’t need perfection to see progress. Small, sustainable changes that reduce daily stressors can have a meaningful impact on gut health over time.

What stress inducer are you looking to get rid of in 2026?

01/04/2026

If you’re not sleeping well - you should read this.

Most of us lose sleep for familiar reasons: stress from work or relationships, late nights, screen time, social obligations, and even trying to “catch up” on rest on weekends. These disruptions aren’t just annoying - they create sleep debt, a kind of cumulative shortfall that your body tries (and often fails) to make up. Even a night or two of poor sleep can throw off your rhythm, and over weeks or months that debt adds up.

Sleep debt doesn’t just make you tired - it has a real impact on your gut. When you miss sleep, your body releases more stress hormones like cortisol, which increases inflammation systemically and in the gut. Inflammation can affect the gut lining and the balance of your microbiome, making digestion more sensitive and symptoms like bloating, gas, and discomfort more likely. Chronic sleep loss also shifts your microbial diversity in ways that favor inflammatory patterns, which can make gut symptoms even more persistent or severe over time.

But it’s not just one‑way. Your gut also plays a role in sleep quality. Many gut bacteria help produce neurotransmitters - like serotonin - that your body uses to make melatonin, the hormone that regulates your sleep‑wake cycle. A balanced microbiome supports these processes, whereas an imbalanced gut can reduce signals that help you fall and stay asleep.

This two‑way communication between gut and sleep is part of what’s known as the gut‑brain axis - a network of hormonal, neural, and immune signals linking your microbiome and nervous system. When one system is disrupted, it often affects the other. That’s why poor sleep can worsen digestive symptoms, and gut issues can make sleep harder.

Supporting better sleep doesn’t have to mean major changes all at once. Simple habits like establishing a consistent bedtime, reducing late‑night screen exposure, and creating a calming pre‑sleep routine can help reduce inflammation and support digestion. Because the holidays can throw routines off, and sleep debt tends to accumulate at the end of the year, making sleep a focus in your 2026 wellness goals can be one of the most impactful changes for both your gut and your overall health.

Have you noticed your digestion acting up after a bad night’s sleep? Tell us in the comments!

Send a message to learn more

01/04/2026

Your gut isn’t failing - it may just be responding to your life.

Research shows digestion is shaped by more than just what you eat. Stress levels, sleep quality, gut bacteria, and food tolerance all interact to influence how your gut feels day to day. That’s why copying someone else’s diet - even one that “worked” for them - often leads to frustration instead of relief.

Your gut’s needs can change depending on the season you’re in. During high-stress periods, digestion may benefit from simpler meals and added support. When stress is lower and sleep improves, the gut often becomes more resilient. What helps in one phase may not be necessary forever.

Therapeutic diets can be useful tools, but they aren’t meant to become lifelong rules. Sustainable gut health comes from recognizing patterns, adjusting with intention, and gradually expanding - not chasing perfection.

Ready to understand more about your gut?

If you’re noticing patterns between stress, sleep, and digestion, follow us for science-backed guidance that helps you connect the dots.

01/02/2026

Intermittent fasting isn’t where most people should start.

Food quality comes first. 🥦⏱️

Intermittent fasting (IF) often gets framed as a shortcut for better health - but timing alone doesn’t work well if the foundation isn’t there.

That’s where a Paleo-style approach can help.

By prioritizing whole, minimally processed foods, Paleo-style eating may support more stable blood sugar, better appetite regulation, and lower inflammatory load. For many people, that makes fasting easier, not harder.

When food quality improves first, narrowing the eating window becomes less stressful on the body - not because of willpower, but because hunger, energy swings, and cravings tend to feel more manageable.

That said, intermittent fasting isn’t for everyone.

It may not be appropriate during pregnancy, with certain hormone conditions, severe illness, or for anyone with a history of disordered eating. Context always matters.

The bigger takeaway?

It’s not just when you eat - it’s what you’re eating, and how your body responds.

Swipe through the carousel to see how Paleo + intermittent fasting can work together - and when they shouldn’t.

👇 Comment PALEO to get our Paleo Essential Food List

Save this for later if you’re rethinking your approach to fasting.

01/01/2026

Screen time isn’t the problem. How we use it is. 📱

For years, “screen time” has been treated like one big bucket - more hours = worse outcomes.

But newer research suggests it’s not that simple.

A large re-analysis of adolescent data found that when researchers stopped lumping all screen use together - and instead looked specifically at social media, and at girls and boys separately - a very different pattern emerged.

Social media use showed a more consistent association with poorer mental health in girls, while the associations for boys were smaller and less consistent.

That doesn’t mean social media is inherently harmful.

And it doesn’t prove causation.

What it does highlight is this:

➡️ Context matters.

➡️ Type of use matters.

➡️ Who is using these platforms matters.

Scrolling, comparing, chasing social feedback, losing sleep, replacing real-world connection - these patterns don’t affect everyone equally, and they’re not captured when we reduce everything to “hours per day.”

This research challenges the idea that the solution is simply “less screen time.”

Instead, it points toward better questions:

• What are people doing online?

• How is it shaping their attention, sleep, and relationships?

• And what is it replacing in daily life?

Swipe through the carousel to see what this study actually found - and why the screen time conversation needs more nuance.

💬 I’m curious: when you think about your own screen use, is it the amount... or the way you use it that matters more?

Save this if you want a more thoughtful take on digital health.

01/01/2026

Alot of people feel better when they remove gluten -

but that doesn’t always mean gluten itself is the problem.

There’s a large subset of people who experience “gluten reactivity” where the issue isn’t gluten’s inflammatory or antigenic effects…

👉 It’s the FODMAP content.

Why this matters:

FODMAP reactivity is often temporary.

True gluten intolerance is far less common than people think.

When someone follows a low-FODMAP diet:

• Fermentable carbohydrates are reduced

• Bacterial overgrowths are starved

• Gas production decreases

• Symptoms like bloating, pain, constipation, and diarrhea improve

Research shows low-FODMAP approaches can:

✔️ Reduce gas levels

✔️ Improve SIBO-related symptoms

✔️ Allow successful food reintroduction later

This is the key takeaway:

✨ Feeling better off gluten ≠ permanent gluten intolerance

✨ It often reflects microbiome imbalance, not food toxicity

If you’ve gone off gluten and felt better - that experience is valid.

But the improvement may be coming from reduced FODMAP intake, not a need to avoid gluten forever.

With the right gut support, many people can:

• Rebalance the microbiota

• Calm fermentation

• Reintroduce gluten-containing foods

• Eat with less restriction and more flexibility

The goal isn’t lifelong avoidance.

The goal is restoring tolerance.

👇 Comment LOW for your LOW-FODMAP Guide.

12/31/2025

January is when a lot of people start spiraling.

After the holidays we often see:

• More stress

• More inflammation

• Worsening constipation or reflux

• Foods suddenly feeling “reactive”

• Bloating, discomfort, and IBS flares

And the reflex is usually:

➡️ Cut more foods

➡️ Order more tests

➡️ Assume something is “wrong” with digestion

But here’s what the research actually shows:

Higher stress → increased immune activation → increased food reactivity.

Stress shifts the immune system toward a more pro-inflammatory state, which can amplify gut sensitivity — even when nothing new is “wrong” with the food itself.

In a 2023 randomized controlled trial, people with IBS received either:

• Standard IBS advice (what you’d typically hear from a GP or GI), OR

• A daily stress-reduction intervention (yoga + meditation)

The result?

👉 The yoga and meditation group had reduced stress and improved IBS symptoms

👉 No dietary changes were required

This matters because it shows:

✨ Nervous system regulation can directly improve gut symptoms

✨ Food reactivity isn’t always a food problem

✨ You can “stop the spiral” without becoming more restrictive

This doesn’t mean diet doesn’t matter — it means stress is a powerful upstream driver.

Simple interventions like:

• Walking in nature

• Yoga or gentle movement

• Meditation or breathwork

• CBT-based gut apps

can lower stress, calm immune reactivity, and reduce symptoms — especially in January when the system is already taxed.

Before cutting 10 more foods, ask:

“What am I doing to regulate my nervous system?”

That’s often the missing piece.

12/30/2025

Thinking about intermittent fasting (IF) but finding it hard to stick with - low energy, cravings, or digestive issues?

Here’s what often gets overlooked 👇
Food quality matters before fasting.

A Paleo-style approach focuses on whole, nutrient-dense foods and may help:
• Support blood sugar balance
• Reduce hunger and cravings
• Improve gut health and digestion

Intermittent fasting (IF) works by shortening the eating window and has been linked to metabolic benefits - but it’s not a one-size-fits-all strategy.

When paired together, Paleo-style eating + IF can feel more sustainable because stable nutrition helps regulate appetite, energy, and metabolic signals.

⚠️ Important note: Intermittent fasting isn’t appropriate for everyone - especially during pregnancy, serious illness, certain hormone conditions, or for those with a history of disordered eating. Personalization matters.

👉 Want a simple starting point?
Comment PALEO and we’ll send you our essential Paleo food list to support gut and metabolic health.

We’re also sharing science-backed gut and nutrition insights on Threads - feel free to follow along there as well.

12/30/2025

12/28/2025

Conversations around gut health are evolving - and one topic that keeps coming up among clinicians is the importance of targeting gut biofilms.

Not all gut microbes float freely. Many exist within biofilms, which help them survive, communicate, and resist treatment. Emerging research shows that when biofilms are addressed alongside antimicrobial therapy, there may be greater reductions in hydrogen and methane levels, markers commonly associated with SIBO and intestinal methanogen overgrowth (IMO).

This aligns with what many of us are observing clinically: progress often improves when the environment protecting microbes is addressed - not just the microbes themselves.

We’ll be sharing more on this soon.

📄 A new published article is coming out that dives deeper into gut biofilms, treatment strategy, and what this means for clinical practice.

Save this if you’re interested in where gut care is heading.

12/26/2025

Holiday constipation is more common than people realize - and it’s usually temporary.

Travel, dehydration, irregular meals, stress, and less movement can all slow gut motility during the holidays. And while constipation is uncomfortable on its own, it can also impact detox pathways, microbial balance, and overall gut function if it lingers.

That’s why quick relief strategies can be helpful in the short term, especially when symptoms pop up unexpectedly:

• Magnesium citrate (300–1,000 mg/day)

• Milk of magnesia / magnesium hydroxide (2–4 tbsp/day)

• Coffee (1–2 cups — yes, it counts ☕️)

• Senna (15–30 mg, 1–2x/day)

• Aloe (50–200 mg/day)

• Other options may include vitamin C or triphala

👉 These tools can support motility temporarily, but the real goal is identifying and addressing the driver - so constipation doesn’t follow you into January.

🎧 We break this down in much more detail in our full podcast episode, where we cover when to use these tools, who should be cautious, and how to transition from quick relief to long-term gut support.

And keep an eye out 👀 - we’ll also be sharing more content soon on the additional benefits of coffee beyond bowel regularity.

Save this for later & share with someone navigating holiday gut changes.