In this Free and Inspired radio episode, Philip explores the connection between your gut, brain and chronic pain. “In my early years of practice, I saw many fibromyalgia patients. From my point of view, the level of debilitation is second to none. One of the critical facets I witnessed then almost fifteen years ago is the need for a multidisciplinary approach to chronic pain … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 18: Can probiotics strengthen my immunity?
“I wondered if probiotics could help strengthen my immunity?” The answer is yes, probiotics can strengthen your immunity. In this Free and Inspired radio episode, we’re getting up to date with how different probiotics might help you build your immune response. Philip also helps you learn more about how the immune system works. For instance, did you know that … [Read more...]
Article: “Can probiotics help strengthen my immune system?”
The answer is yes, probiotics can help your immune system. And in this article, we’re going to try and get up to date with the various ways that different probiotics might be able to build your immune response. Helping allergic and viral conditions such as the common cold and COVID-19 in the process. If you are a regular reader on the site, you’ll have read before … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 17: Can probiotics help your brain and mental health?
The answer is yes, probiotics can be beneficial for your brain and mental health. It's essential, though, to understand where the research is at. That's what we're going to be looking at in this Free and Inspired radio episode. Want to read the full breakdown in an e-book? Simply sign up to our newsletter for your free copy or scroll down to listen to the podcast on your … [Read more...]
Article: Leaky gut and its influence on digestive and mental health.
The term "leaky gut," its symptoms and causes, are becoming highly ambiguous to my patients and readers alike. So, in this article, I will attempt to clear up some of the confusion. I'll look at some key points to simplify things a little more and help you perhaps prioritise your understanding around its influence on digestive and mental health. Finally, I'll look at some of … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 12: Is histamine worsening your mental and IBS symptoms?
We've all been affected by histamine at one stage in our lives. Hay fever and skin rashes aside, there are more profound effects of histamine in the gut and the brain that you might not know about. It can be surprising how intrinsic it is. For instance, histamine plays critical roles in immune defence, brain activity, growth and development, fertility and … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 10: “By 3 pm, I’m ready to sleep.” Discover the 3 pm slump
Ever get an hour in after lunch and feel like it's time to sleep? Learn more about the 3 pm slump in this episode! The 3 pm slump is a common symptom for a lot of people. You just have to see the queues forming at your local coffee spot to see how many people are silently going through the same thing. We've all been there. Lunch is over, the afternoon workload is looming, … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 9: Can your fatigue be linked to your digestive system?
In this Free and Inspired radio episode, we will examine how your digestive system can worsen your fatigue. The microbiome is as unique as your fingerprint. We have a lot to learn, but we know that the proportions of the different species of bacteria in your digestion play a huge role in how you’re feeling. Especially in fatigue or your sense of mental and physical … [Read more...]
Article: Can my gut cause anxiety?
The answer is most likely yes, your gut can cause anxiety. And make it worse! Extensive studies have validated the presence of the brain-gut connection, with the bi-directional relationship between the two systems now clear and variable in its presentation. In this article, we’re going to help you understand the different ways digestion and your brain interact to either … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 6: Can digestion make my anxiety worse?
Pre-COVID-19 studies suggest that just over a third of people will experience an episode of anxiety in their life. In Hong Kong, an estimated 26 per cent of people have reported mental health deterioration since the pandemic began. Pandemic aside, for those with another illness, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the prevalence of an accompanying anxiety disorder can be … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 3: Had to take an Antibiotic? What to do next.
Probiotics, prebiotics or a combination of both? Sometimes an antibiotic prescription is unavoidable in Hong Kong. For most, it’s when you’ve got an infection that isn’t getting better. For most, there can be a reluctance to take the antibiotics prescribed, and this may be warranted. The O’Neill report released in the UK defined this predicting that by 2050 … [Read more...]
Article: Had to take antibiotics? What’s best to do next to recover?
Probiotics, prebiotics or a combination of both? It seems they can all help reduce the side effects of using antibiotics in their unique way. Probiotics can help with some acute symptoms, such as antibiotic-associated diarrhoea,[1] especially in children.[2] Prebiotics, in the form of dietary fibre, can help rejuvenate the diversity of the microbial environment.[3] Combining … [Read more...]