What happens in the gut doesn’t stay there. It can quietly ignite inflammation, disrupt immune balance, impair cognition, and set off chronic conditions that leave practitioners chasing symptoms instead of causes.

In this episode, Tracy Harrison delivers a call to action for practitioners to look beyond surface-level symptoms and trace chronic dysfunction back to the digestive system. She breaks down the often-missed connections between low stomach acid, impaired enzyme activity, compromised bile flow, and damaged intestinal lining, and how each of these can block nutrient absorption, trigger systemic inflammation, and create a breeding ground for disease. From medication-induced gut damage to the misunderstood role of histamine overload, Tracy illustrates how even everyday interventions like NSAIDs and antibiotics can have far-reaching consequences for the brain, hormones, immune system, and more.

Through vivid metaphors and practitioner-tested insights, Tracy exposes the pitfalls of removing “problem” body parts without resolving the upstream dysfunctions that caused them. She urges practitioners to shift from managing symptoms to restoring core physiological balance, using functional medicine to address root causes and rebuild long-term resilience. This episode challenges conventional thinking and invites a deeper, more strategic approach to healing, one that begins in the gut and ripples outward into every system of the body.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 The Gut as the Root of Systemic Disease

01:42 Why “You Are What You Eat” Is Misleading

04:46 How Low Stomach Acid and Enzyme Deficiency Fuel Disease

07:09 Bile Flow, Estrogen, and Gallbladder Dysfunction

11:48 NSAIDs, Ibuprofen, and the Hidden Cost to Gut Health

14:05 Histamine Overload and the Brush Border Breakdown

18:30 Leaky Gut and Immune System Overexposure

23:15 Lipopolysaccharides and the Gut-Brain Axis

28:03 How Medications Disrupt Gut Integrity

32:50 The Rise of Food Sensitivities and Systemic Inflammation

38:28 Oral Health as the Starting Point of Gut Dysfunction

43:08 The Critical Role of Bile in Digestion and Immune Defense

47:45 Don’t Treat the Victim, Address the Root Cause

Links

Take SAFM’s 10 CME course - the Essential Gut Deep Dive: https://schoolafm.com/gut-course

Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips

Learn more about SAFM’s practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program

Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel

Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

More exercise. Extra supplements. Cleaner eating. Sometimes the advice we rely on most can quietly work against the people we’re trying to help.

In this episode, Tracy Harrison discusses why functional medicine demands more than just protocols and good intentions. She shares real clinical scenarios where common strategies like high-intensity workouts or high-dose vitamin D can actually worsen symptoms when underlying issues like adrenal fatigue or oxidative stress are at play.

Tracy also challenges how we interpret lab markers. Is a high HDL level always a good sign? What do low liver enzymes really tell us? She connects the dots between nutrient status, metabolic patterns, and the subtle red flags that can get lost in standard lab reviews.

This episode moves through supplements, lab work, diet trends, and minerals with one constant thread: context matters. This is a practical, case-based reminder to pause, ask better questions, and treat the person, not the lab result or the trend.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 When “Healthy” Advice Makes Patients Worse

01:04 The Hidden Risks of Over-Exercising

10:10 Vitamin D, Magnesium, and Supplement Missteps

14:08 How to Read Lab Markers with More Precision

24:00 Metabolic Dysfunction Beyond Blood Sugar

29:02 Green Smoothies, Oxalates, and Gut Health

36:26 Recognizing Histamine Intolerance in Your Patients

41:06 Why More Iron Isn’t Always the Answer

45:34 Understanding Magnesium Forms and Deficiency

Links

Take SAFM’s 10 CME course - the Essential Gut Deep Dive: https://schoolafm.com/gut-course

Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips

Learn more about SAFM’s practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program

Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel

Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Flow might not be something you measure on a lab panel, but when it’s blocked, your patients feel it.

Tracy Harrison unpacks seven places where flow gets disrupted in the body, often in ways that go unnoticed in clinical care. What happens when oxygen doesn’t circulate well because of poor posture or undiagnosed sleep apnea? Could chronic symptoms trace back to something as basic as hydration, or a lymphatic system that isn’t moving waste effectively? Tracy walks through the quiet impact of circadian misalignment, synthetic hormone use, and even tight clothing that impairs detox and digestion. And she makes the case for taking joy seriously, not as a bonus, but as a core element of physiological health. Could mindset, laughter, and forgiveness be just as important as nutrition and supplements?

This episode is a reminder to look beyond protocols and ask what might be getting in the way of the body’s natural flow and its capacity to heal.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Flow in Health

01:14 The Importance of Oxygenation

03:42 Subclinical Anemia and Oxygen Flow

04:47 Hydration: The Overlooked Blockage

06:46 The Role of Lymph in Circulation

08:55 Circadian Rhythms and Health

10:35 Hormonal Flow in Women’s Health

18:08 Physical Blockages and Detoxification

21:34 The Flow of Joy and Emotional Health

25:35 Embracing Flow for Vitality

Links

Take SAFM's 10 CME course - the Essential Gut Deep Dive: https://schoolafm.com/gut-course

Get weekly Clinical Tips in your inbox: https://schoolafm.com/clinical-tips

Learn more about SAFM’s practitioner training: https://schoolafm.com/our-program

Subscribe to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@safmchannel

Access daily quick tips on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AppliedFunctionalMedicine/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm