#160: Getting to the Root of Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Dr. Soyona Rafatjah

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a widely-diagnosed, yet often misunderstood condition that affects approximately 60 million Americans. IBS is characterized by abdominal pain, discomfort, and changes in bowel habits, and is diagnosed when IBD or celiac disease have been ruled out. In other words, IBS is a “diagnosis of exclusion.” The range of symptoms, poorly defined pathogenesis, and functional nature of IBS make it a notoriously difficult disorder to treat. Because there is no widely recognized cause of IBS in the mainstream medical community, standard treatment is based primarily on symptom suppression and management.

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host Dhru talks to Dr. Soyona Rafatjah, a board-certified Family Medicine physician and Medical Director and Co-Founder of PrimeHealth in Denver, CO. PrimeHealth is a team of medical providers and health coaches that provides full-spectrum Functional Medicine and primary care, with an emphasis in treatment and reversal of hypothyroidism and irritable bowel syndrome.

Prior to starting PrimeHealth, she was a physician at Parsley Health in New York City, a technology-forward Functional Medicine practice where she was integral to its rapid growth. Dr. Rafatjah worked and received expert mentorship at the renowned Mount Sinai Beth Israel Center for Health and Healing, Dr. Frank Lipman’s Eleven Eleven Wellness Center, and Dr. Robert Rountree’s Boulder Wellcare.

In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Rafatjah dive deep into the topic of IBS. They discuss the difference between the conventional medicine approach versus the Functional Medicine approach when it comes to testing and treatment options for IBS. They also talk about the importance of identifying food intolerances, and the benefits of a low-FODMAP diet which can significantly reduce the severity of IBS symptoms.

In this episode, we dive into:

-Testing for IBS (9:29)

-SIBO and the real problem with having the wrong bacteria in the small intestine (17:15)

-The carnivore diet for treating IBS (23:17)

-Common foods that trigger IBS (27:42)

-The relationship between stress and IBS (38:21)

-What you can do today to improve your overall gut health (41:57)

-Where to learn more about Dr. Rafatjah (50:31)

For more on Dr. Rafatjah you can follow her on Instagram @primehealth_denver, on Facebook @primehealthdenver, and through her website https://primehealthdenver.com/.

Also mentioned in this episode:

-Gut Healing Course - primehealth.teachable.com/p/guthealth. Use code: BROKENBRAIN to receive 50% off.

-Dr. Saladino and The Carnivore Diet - https://carnivoremd.com/the-carnivore-diet-start-here/

For more on Dhru Purohit, be sure to follow him on Instagram @dhrupurohit, on Facebook @dhruxpurohit, on Twitter @dhrupurohit, and on YouTube @dhrupurohit. You can also text Dhru at (302) 200-5643 or click here https://my.community.com/dhrupurohit.

Interested in joining Dhru’s Broken Brain Podcast Facebook Community? Submit your request to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2819627591487473/.

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