Hey Guys! Welcome back to Waist Away! Evan Brand is a Podcast Host, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner and Nutritional Therapist. He is passionate about healing the chronic fatigue, obesity, and depression epidemics after solving his own IBS and depression issues. He uses at-home lab testing and customized supplement programs to find and fix the root cause of a wide range of health symptoms. His Evan Brand Podcast has over 7 million downloads and counting. He is the author of Stress Solutions, REM Rehab and The Everything Guide to Nootropics. He offers free 15-minute functional medicine phone consultations to discuss your health symptoms and goals at his site EvanBrand.com. Video Version: https://youtu.be/9VOxEX0SAEo Evan's Website: https://www.evanbrand.com/   Listener Questions: Q1 - 15:47 Q: I am trying to figure out what is wrong with me (WHO ISN’T? 😊), because I feel like I haven’t been well in several months but can’t determine that cause. I thought it could be a candida issue, but I had a stool test done it looked completely normal. Should I rule out candida all together, or is there another way I could test this? -Pam in Houston Q2 - 18:44 Q: One of my friends (who is a health NUT) recently had her feces sampled to check her gut microbiome. This is something that I never heard of and just sounded a little extreme. I’ve heard a lot about Gut Health lately, my Instagram feed has tons of people selling products to increase my gut health. When I was growing up, my Grandma always told me to eat yogurt for a healthy stomach, but I don’t prefer dairy products and try to limit my carbs. What are some other things I could be doing/drinking/taking/eating to encourage a healthy gut, without going too overboard like my friend? * Alyssa in Chesapeake  Q3 - 23:06 Q: I have had stomach issues for A LONG time and my Doctor recently diagnosed me with IBS. He gave me a prescription to use as needed, but I really want to take a more natural approach. What are some natural ways I can treat this, and what are some foods I should avoid and foods I should focus on eating? I know that stress is something that really plays a part in this, so I would also love any pointers you have in managing that. * Courtney in Virginia Beach Q4 - 26:21 Q: I have gone pretty much chemical free, except for my perfume, Marc Jacobs Daisy is my signature scent, everyone knows me by it! My hippy friends harass me saying that it doesn’t do me good to cut out the chemicals around me if I am still using this perfume. Is that true, is my perfume this harmful? I can’t find a great alternative, I have tried mixing some different essential oils and it’s not the same. * Beth in Georgia Q5 - 30:11 Q: I have been struggling a lot with depression lately. I’ve been talking to a counselor and it helps some, but I am still trying to figure out the root cause because I really don’t have anything going horribly wrong in my life to make me this upset. I feel like I am walking around in a fog. I am tired all the time, and you can even see it on my skin and on my face. I started reading different things online and came upon a blog that recommended a Liver Cleanse. I have never been a heavy drinker, so I am not sure that liver issues are what I am struggling with, but a lot of what I was reading about liver cleanses seemed to apply to me. Is this something you recommend? If so, what is the best protocol for a liver cleanse? -Tiffany in Merrimack Q6 - 36:41 Q: I suffer from Psoriasis, and I love that you taught me how to improve it with intermittent fasting. I’ve also noticed that certain foods make it worse, especially gluten and dairy. I do my best to limit these foods, and when I do, my psoriasis is so much better! But I still can’t get it to go away completely. I know that you deal with Psoriasis as well, but you haven’t talked about it as much on the podcast lately. Have you had any recent breakthroughs or found anything that is really helping you? I’d love to