EP 43 | Head Case: Ways Traumatic Brain and Spinal Injuries Dictate Our Digestive Health with Kayle Sandberg-Lewis

Have you ever connected the dots between an accident and your IBS? I would have never thought a minor brain or spinal injury would have a lasting impact on your gut health, but after today’s conversation, I see how any disruption to the brain stem can interrupt the messages that funnel down to our digestive system.

My guest, Kayla Sandberg-Lewis, offers a non-drug, non-invasive approach to maximizing brain function in her practice, Hive Mind Medicine, in Portland, OR. Kayle incorporates general biofeedback into her stress management practice and is board certified as a provider of neurofeedback.

She is a firm believer that traumatic brain injury (TBI) is not an isolated event, but the beginning of a disease process. Even if you’ve never played football or had a horrible accident, there are plenty of less stereotypical, every day occurrences of brain injury that you may have never considered. If you ever fell off the monkey bars, headed a soccer ball, tripped and landed on your tailbone, got rear-ended in a car or thrown off a horse—even if you didn’t have traditional symptoms of concussion—these incidents may have had a lasting effect on your digestive system.

Give this episode a listen, as it might bring a big aha moment or give you a missing piece of your SIBO puzzle.

A quick taste of what we’ll cover:

• How the gut-brain axis works through the vagus nerve
• Parasympathetic versus sympathetic nervous system and why brain injury effects our ability to switch seamlessly
• Why TBI is a silent epidemic
• The downstream symptoms that might crop up after an accident
• The connection between head and spinal injuries and SIBO
• LENS Neurofeedback and other systems for retraining your brain and digestive system
• Supplements and lifestyle changes you can use every day to keep your brain strong
• The concept of Leaky Brain
• Why diaphragmatic breathing doesn’t work for some people with structural injuries
• And so much more...

Resources, mentions and notes:

• The SIBO Made Simple Book – Available to Pre-Order! Find out more about early bonuses here
• Sign up for my Low FODMAP Cooking Classes (11/18 is Holiday Sides!)
• Kayle Sandberg-Lewis’s website
• Spoon theory
• Ochs Labs practitioner rolodex
• Fish oil for brain health
• Join the SIBO Made Simple Facebook Community Page
• Subscribe to the newsletter (and receive a free low FODMAP cookbook)

This episode is brought to you by SIBO Made Simple – THE BOOK! Part patient guide and part cookbook (complete with over 90 low FODMAP recipes), this is your trusty road map to become your own intestinal detective, gut problem solver, and critter-free kitchen crusader. Those who pre-order their copy will be able to do my Gut Heal Bootcamp for FREE. To find out more details about the pre-order bonuses and to submit your receipt, click here.

This episode is also brought to you by Higher Dose, whose sauna blanket is my new self-care obsession. The blanket has all the benefits of a normal infrared sauna—the detoxification, the increase in blood flow and circulation, and the lowering of cortisol levels—but in a much more compact package that you use every day at home. I’ve been using it 2x a week and have noticed a huge improvement in my mood, sleep, skin, and general inflammation. My face and body feel less bloated and puffy, and my pants are even fitting better. For more information and a special discount visit higherdose.com and use code SIBO100 for $100 off. Wishing you all a very sweet and sweaty holiday season!

We are also brought to you by Epicured, a low FODMAP meal delivery service that understands that food is medicine. Each menu is created by Michelin star chefs and honed by doctors and dieticians at mount sinaii to restore digestive health for those with IBS, SIBO, Celiac and IBD. Everything they serve is 100 percent low FODMAP and gluten-free, with no cooking required! My favorite part about their dishes is the healthy spin on takeout gems like shrimp laksa and PAD THAI! Their version ...