The impact the gut has on the entire body should not be underestimated, but unfortunately in conventional medicine it often is. We are shuttling pounds and pounds of food into this tube we have called the digestive system several times a day and we don’t give it a second thought—it’s pretty crazy when you think about it. The gut is responsible for our ability to turn food into fuel; to absorb and even create certain nutrients; to rid the body of harmful toxins on a daily basis. We rely on it to do so much for us.  It’s also one of my favorite topics as a Functional Medicine doctor—poop, the microbiome, the gut-immune and gut-brain connections—there are so many angles we need to look at with gut health and they can tell us an amazing amount of information about the rest of the body. That’s why I’m so excited for this week’s episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, where I sit down with my friend and colleague Dr. Todd LePine to take a deeper look at digestive health and the fascinating collection of life forms we carry around inside and on us, called the microbiome.  This episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy is brought to you by Joovv and Thrive Market. Recently I shared with you that I’m really excited to be working out with a trainer. And while I’m loving these new workouts, I am not always loving feeling sore the next day. That’s why I’m so excited about a new tool I found that helps me recover faster, it’s a red light therapy device called Joovv. Red light therapy is a super gentle non-invasive treatment where a device with medical-grade LEDs delivers concentrated light to your skin and cells. It helps your body produce more cellular energy and reduce oxidative stress, which helps tired and damaged muscle tissue repair and regenerate faster. To check out the Joovv products for yourself head over to joovv.com/farmacy. Once you’re there, you’ll see a special bonus the Joovv team is giving away to my listeners. Use the code FARMACY at checkout. Make sure to also check out Joovv's website for some special holiday deals while supplies last! Thrive Market has made it so easy for me to stay healthy, even with my intense travel schedule. Not only does Thrive offer 25 to 50% off all of my favorite brands, but they also give back. For every membership purchased, they give a membership to a family in need, and they make it easy to find the right membership for you and your family. You can choose from 1-month, 3-month, or 12-month plans. And right now, Thrive is offering all Doctor's Farmacy listeners a great deal, you’ll get up to $20 in shopping credit when you sign up, to spend on all your own favorite natural food, body, and household items. And any time you spend more than $49 you’ll get free carbon-neutral shipping. All you have to do is head over to thrivemarket.com/Hyman. Here are more of the details from our interview:  The patient who first lead Dr. LePine to observe the gut-brain connection (6:01) Why the gut microbiome is so central to overall health and what to eat to best feed your gut (11:15) Fatty liver and the disruption of the gut microbiome (18:14) The gut-immune system connection and treating autoimmune disease (24:46) Functional Medicine vs conventional medicine (29:18) Why skin issues require you to treat the gut (33:32) Your mitochondria are actually ancient bacteria, how Dr. LePine tests mitochondrial health, and how fasting can benefit your health (37:39) Treating and preventing Parkinson’s disease (48:25) How toxins affect the body and why clean water, food, and air is so important to detoxifying  (53:00) How Dr. LePine stopped and reversed Alzheimer’s disease in a recent patient (1:02:46) Learn more about working with Dr. Todd LePine at The UltraWellness Center at https://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/team-member/todd-r-lepine-md/.