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Now that it is a new year, people are talking about resolutions again. And while this is a fun tradition, we all know how dismal the statistics are in achieving them.

Maybe most resolutions fail because they aren’t addressing the real issue in the first place.

So, this year, instead of talking about resolutions, let’s talk ruts. 

A rut is something that keeps you going in a certain direction because you've gone down that path so many times before. It gets so deep that, no matter how much you wiggle the steering, you can't seem to get out of it. The worst part? Many times, we are not even aware we’re in a rut.

A rut, to put it in functional medicine terms, is the “root cause” of why people want to make a New Year’s resolution in the first place.

While ruts come in many forms, they all keep us stuck in a spot where we really don’t want to be.

For patients, a rut might be related to their health – perhaps they're too busy to make...

Have you ever wondered about the accuracy of micronutrient testing? 

You know, the laboratory tests that evaluate a patient’s vitamin and mineral status. 

They sound incredible, but are they too good to be true? 

We investigated the accuracy of micronutrient testing and found some interesting information. 

In this article, we're going to focus on what we found on one of the more well-studied and popular micronutrients in the Functional and Nutritional Medicine industry - magnesium.

But first, let’s cover some basics.

What Are Micronutrients?

Quite simply, the word micronutrient refers to all the vitamins and minerals necessary for the human body to function properly. Everything from all the B-vitamins, vitamin C, and vitamins D, E, and K, as well as the minerals calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper, selenium, molybdenum, and even boron. Each of those is a micronutrient.  Micro means small, and nutrient is something...

SIBO, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, is a diagnosis that has gained a lot of attention and recognition in the past decade or so. Before that, few people had ever heard about it, but now all of a sudden, practitioners are testing for it and patients think they have it.

Could SIBO be the next candida, gluten sensitivity, or adrenal fatigue – everyone has it, it’s difficult to treat, and is the cause of just about everything

What Is SIBO

Simply put, SIBO is an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestines. By itself, this might be relatively insignificant, but higher amounts of bacteria, or certain types of bacteria, can contribute to significant health issues such as anemia, edema, polyneuropathy, and more. These are a result of issues with digestion and absorption of macro and micronutrients such as fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals.  

What Causes SIBO

SIBO is essentially caused by two different things – small intestine stasis, or a...

The short answer is, no. 

Unless you need it, demonstrated by proper lab testing (which most people aren’t doing)

Iron is a somewhat paradoxical trace element.  It is essential for almost every form of life, and in humans is necessary to synthesize ATP (energy) and DNA.  However, it is also highly reactive, accepts and donates electrons with ease, and can quickly cause significant damage to fats, proteins, cells, or just about anything it comes into contact with.

Because of this, iron is tightly regulated in the body to ensure it is used for the right things, while not damaging the wrong things.

So should you take iron, even in a multivitamin?

Before answering this question, consider the following:

1. Numerous studies have demonstrated a connection between iron supplementation and a worsening of gut-related pathologies, as well as pathogenic bacteria and dysbiosis.
2. Microbes love iron. It has been said that “iron is like chocolate for bacteria”. ...