Vermont Acupuncture

Tag: Probiotics

  • The Gut is a Zen Universe – and the Vagus Nerve is the Inner Bridge

    Modern science is beginning to echo what ancient systems have long understood. At the center of this conversation is the vagus nerve—a powerful communication pathway linking the brain and the digestive system. When this connection is strong and harmonious, digestion improves, inflammation decreases, and the body shifts into a state of healing. When it is disrupted, we often see the opposite: bloating, discomfort, anxiety, and chronic imbalance.

    The Gut is a Zen universe: responsive, intelligent, and always seeking equilibrium. It likes to be in the middle.

    In Chinese medicine, the Earth element is in the middle of the 5 elements. The Spleen is an earth element organ and can be used to represent the whole digestive system. When the Spleen is out of balance, worry tends to arise. When there is worry, the Spleen will likely become unbalanced. Since ancient times, it has been known that the digestion affects the mind and the mind affects the digestion.  

    The Vagus Nerve: Your Inner Bridge

    The vagus nerve is a key component of the parasympathetic nervous system—often called the “rest and digest” system. It carries signals between the brain and the gut, influencing everything from stomach acid production to motility and even the composition of the microbiome.

    But here’s the important part: the vagus nerve functions best when the body feels safe.

    In a world that constantly pulls us into stress and urgency, many people spend most of their time in a sympathetic (“fight or flight”) state. In this mode, digestion is deprioritized. Blood flow shifts away from the gut, enzyme production decreases, and the delicate rhythm of digestion becomes disrupted.

    Returning to center—back to that Zen “middle”—is essential for restoring gut health.

    Relaxation as Medicine

    Because the vagus nerve thrives in a state of calm, relaxation is not a luxury—it’s a therapeutic necessity.

    There are many ways to gently activate and support the vagus nerve:

    • Meditation and mindful breathing help slow the heart rate and signal safety to the nervous system
    • Listening to calming music can shift brainwave patterns and reduce stress responses
    • Acupuncture works directly with the nervous system, helping to rebalance and regulate the vagal nerve. I have some favorite treatments that you may have already experienced.
    • Massage therapy encourages relaxation and improves circulation
    • Chinese herbal medicine supports internal harmony and digestive function at a deeper level

    These practices don’t just “feel good”—they create measurable changes in how the body functions.

    Simple Ways to Stimulate the Vagus Nerve

    In addition to relaxation, certain daily habits can gently stimulate the vagus nerve and support digestion:

    • Bitter flavors (like arugula, dandelion, and digestive bitters) help trigger digestive secretions. I’ve been using bitters before meals to aid digestions. Here’s my fav:
      BETTER BITTERS
    • Chewing thoroughly signals the body to prepare for digestion and reduces strain on the gut
    • Slow, mindful eating reinforces the “rest and digest” state
    • Singing or gargling (with gusto) activate muscles connected to the vagus nerve and can improve its tone

    These small, consistent actions can have a profound cumulative effect.

    I have learned some of these vagus nerve “life hacks” from Dr. Cheryl Karthaus ND, who I highly recommend. She and I have been geeking out on the results from my and my son’s Biome Fx results.

    Check out Cheryl’s website here.

    Returning to the Middle

    In both Eastern and Western perspectives, the message is clear: the gut functions best when the body is not pushed to extremes. It thrives in a state of balance, rhythm, and calm awareness.

    When we nourish the vagus nerve—through relaxation, mindful habits, and supportive therapies—we help the body return to its natural center. From this place, healing becomes not only possible, but sustainable.

    A Deeper Reset

    For patients looking to support the gut-brain connection more directly, we often recommend Microbiome Labs Gut-Brain Reset, a targeted probiotic supplement designed to nourish both digestive function and emotional balance. (See a more detailed post here.)

    This formula combines two specific strains of Bifidobacterium longum that have been studied for their ability to support the gut-brain axis—helping to ease occasional digestive discomfort while also promoting a more resilient stress response and balanced mood.

    Rather than acting as a short-term “reset,” this supplement works gently over time to support microbial balance, digestive regularity, and communication between the gut and nervous system.

    When used alongside acupuncture, mindful eating, and nervous system regulation practices, it can be a valuable tool in helping the body return to its natural center—where both digestion and calm awareness can thrive.

    The gut, like a Zen garden, does not need force—it needs attention, rhythm, and balance. When we learn to meet it in the middle, it responds with clarity, resilience, and ease.

  • Gut-Brain Reset by Microbiome Labs

    In both modern research and Traditional Chinese Medicine, the connection between digestion and emotional health is well recognized. In TCM, the Spleen and Stomach play a central role not only in digestion, but also in supporting mental clarity and emotional balance.

    Microbiome Labs’ Gut-Brain Reset (formerly Zenbiome Dual) is a targeted probiotic designed to support both digestive comfort and mood regulation through the gut-brain axis. This dual approach reflects how closely the gut and nervous system communicate.

    The formula features two researched strains—Bifidobacterium longum 1714 and 35624—chosen for their ability to support gastrointestinal function while also promoting a balanced stress response.

    Clinically, this may help support:

    • Digestive comfort and regularity
    • Healthy gut-brain communication
    • Mood self-regulation

    From a TCM perspective, this kind of support can be useful in patterns such as Spleen Qi deficiency or Liver overacting on the Spleen, where both digestion and emotional balance are affected.

  • Keystone species are key to gut health

    Last summer we posted a couple articles about the microbiome and Biome Rx, a stool test offered by Microbiome Labs. Stool tests can be useful for evaluating the state of our individual gut microbiome, and the Biome Rx stool test specifically analyzes:

    • Keystone species
    • Dysbiosis ratios and pathogens
    • Bile salts (bile acids)

    Keystone Species

    A Keystone species is a species that exerts a large, stabilizing influence throughout an ecological community, despite its relatively small numerical abundance.

    In the context of the microbiome, keystone species are those that play a crucial role in maintaining the balance and health of the gut ecosystem. These key microbes help regulate microbial diversity, support gut barrier function, and contribute to important metabolic processes, which are essential for overall health. When out of balance, important digestive functions are compromised and inflammatory conditions result.

    Dysbiosis Ratios

    A diverse microbiome is a healthy microbiome and includes bacteria, protists, and fungi. Many things can negatively impact the diversity of our microbiome, the most common being antibiotic usage, poor diet (especially those high in ultra-processed foods and low in fruits and vegetables), lack of sleep, high stress levels, and a sedentary lifestyle.

    Dysbiosis ratios refer to the balance of different types of microorganisms in the gut microbiome. An imbalance, indicated by a higher ratio of harmful bacteria (pathogens) to beneficial ones, can lead to various health issues, including digestive problems and inflammation, the root of a whole host of chronic illnesses.

    Bile Salts

    Measuring bile salts (acids) is essential for assessing gut microbiome function, diagnosing digestive disorders, and evaluating metabolic health. They act as crucial signaling molecules that regulate metabolism, control gut microbial composition, and influence gut motility, with high levels often indicating diarrhea and low levels indicating constipation.

    In our next article, we’ll talk about leaky gut and its connection to the microbiome and our health, and my personal experience with Biome Fx.

    If you are interested in some research about this topic, you can check out these two articles:

  • Microbiome 101

    We’ve been hearing a lot in the media about the microbiome, but what is it and why is it so important?

    The microbiome is the general term for all of the microscopic organisms: bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeasts, etc; that live in and on the human body. Most often when people are talking about the microbiome, they’re referring to the organisms that live in the gut, but we have different microbiomes on the skin, in the mouth, in the lungs, and in the urogenital tract. The gut microbiome is, however, the most densely populated and best studied.

    Why it matters: For years there was a trend to think that all microbes were bad, and to be truly healthy we needed our bodies to be as clean as possible. This is when all of the antibacterial hand soaps, gels, and cleaning products became popular. But as we got cleaner, we saw a rise in illnesses such as allergies, asthma, and autoimmune conditions. The Hygiene Hypothesis suggests that our exposure to microbes early in life is important to the proper development of the immune system and research has shown that the more diverse our microbiome, the healthier we are!

    In addition to helping us build a healthy immune system, a diverse and thriving microbiome helps to digest foods that our bodies can’t break down and turn them into nutrients, especially B vitamins and vitamin K, and short-chain fatty acids. (We’ll write about those in the future.) They protect us from harmful microbes by acting as a sort of internal police force. And they play an important role in mood and brain function (also referred to as the gut-brain axis). An imbalance in the gut microbiome can be linked to issues such as obesity, autoimmune diseases, allergies, and mental health conditions.

    Now that we know what the microbiome is and what it does, how to we help it to be healthy? There are several things that influence our microbiome development and ongoing health. We inherit our microbes from our mother when we are born, so it’s important to make sure that babies born via C-section get this exposure. Antibiotics should be avoided except when truly necessary because these can indiscriminately kill the bacteria in our bodies, creating imbalance. To strengthen and diversify our microbiome, it’s important to eat a variety of plant foods and avoid excessive amounts of processed foods. Environment and lifestyle also affect our microbiome as stress and pollutants can negatively impact our critters.

    When our microbiome has been depleted because of these factors, good ways to help build them back up is to eat lots of fermented foods like kimchee, lacto-fermented pickles, and yogurt, increase our intake of plant foods including veggies, fruits, herbs and spices, and, if necessary, take probiotics and prebiotics. We are now carrying two probiotic products from Microbiome Labs: HU58 and MegaSporeBiotic. Ask us which one is right for you!

  • September Supplement Sale

    FAE41808-7B41-47D2-AD38-C7F5B7687FF5_1_105_cTomorrow until September 14, I’m offering 20% off on all supplements in my Fullscript dispensary. You will have access to the whole catalog, and you can check out my Favorites.

    Fullscript ships fast, stocks professional-grade trusted products, and ensures your supplements are safe and effective. Make sure you sign up for your free account to shop the sale!

    Sign up for Fullscript here.

    Last fall I wrote all about supplements that are great to have on hand during the fall and winter. Check out Cold Season Medicine Cabinet. Many of these supplements I mention are available through Fullscript but the Chinese herbs are limited – for most herbs you can contact me. You can check out my Favorites – including Cold Season Medicine Cabinet – which has multiple versions of many of the supplements, such as vitamin C, D, zinc, NAC, and Quercetin. You’ll even see Cinnamon Twig formula there! With 20% off, now is a great time to stock up on your immune boosting supplements.

    You can check out my other Favorites, such as Gut Health, where you will see my favorite high quality spore-based probiotic – Microbiome Lab’s MegaSporeBiotic (which includes 5 strains including HU28) – and also HU28 (which only contains 1). For most people who want a probiotic, MegaSporeBiotic is a good place to start, but for people with more serious gut issues, starting with HU28 is recommended.

    I offer 10% off of the whole Fullscript catalog for all of my patients everyday, but for the next two days during the September Supplement Sale, September 13-14, everything is 20% off.

     

  • MegaCidin Throat Spray

     

    MegacidinImage1

    MegaCidin is a combination of potent herbs and immune-boosting probiotic spores that can support your inner defenses in as little as 30 minutes! Plus, MegaCidin comes in a convenient spray bottle that you can keep with you in the car, at school, at work, or while traveling.

    How does it work?

    Just spray MegaCidin 1-3 times in your mouth towards the back of your throat 2-3 times per day, in order to activate your oral immune system.

    The mucosal tissue inside of the mouth is rich with immune cells that can alert the rest of the immune system to invasion.

    Supporting your oral immunity with MegaCidin is like enhancing your inner surveillance team so that your immune system can better identify and respond to foreign invaders.

  • Introducing MegaSporeBiotic

    MegaSporeImmuneSupportMegaSporeBiotic is a 100% spore-based, broad-spectrum probiotic clinically shown to maintain healthy gut barrier function.  It has been shown to clinically reduce leaky gut by 60%.

    This unique all-spore formula effectively RECONDITIONS the gut by promoting microbial diversity and maintaining key health-promoting, commensal gut bacteria. MegaSporeBiotic boasts a 5-year shelf-life, does not require refrigeration, and maintains efficacy during antibiotic therapy.

    MegaSporeBiotic contains Bacillus spores, which are naturally designed to survive digestion. The reason for their inherent survivability comes from their bi-phasic life cycle.

    This means that the Bacillus spores can transition interchangeably from their dormant form to their active form, depending on the environment. In its dormant spore form, Bacillus will surround itself with an endospore, which is a tough, natural outer shell that protects it from light, heat, pressure, acid, lack of oxygen, and other environmental factors. This key feature is what allows MegaSporeBiotic to survive easily through digestion without the need for enteric-coated capsules or refrigeration.