Today, I am grateful to have here with me, Medical Director of Pedre Integrative Health and President of Dr. Pedre Wellness, Dr. Vincent Pedre. Dr. Pedre is a Board-Certified Internist and Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner in private practice in New York City since 2004. His philosophy and practices are a blend of both Western and Eastern medical traditions. He is a Clinical Instructor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, as well as certified in yoga and Medical Acupuncture. His unique combination of medicine is best described as integrative or defined by a functional, systems-based approach to well-being. With his holistic understanding of both sides of the equation, he can help each patient choose the best course of action for their ailments to provide both immediate and long-term relief. His holistic approach incorporates positive, preventative health and wellness lifestyle choices. Dr. Pedre is a sought-after speaker and writer on sustainable health, prevention, and integrative and functional medicine. His expertise and informative commentator style has taken him beyond the boundaries of his private practice to appearances on the Martha Stewart Show, where he presented a segment on “The Top Medical Screening Tests” everyone should have, and to features on Sirius XM Radio’s “Doctor Radio” show, interviews on “The Gary Null Show” on Progressive Radio Networks, and guest blogs on Ecomii and Yahoo! Green, Yahoo!’s leading wellness blog platform. He is also an activist on the issue of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas extraction and its potential impacts on public health and the environment, including water contamination and air pollution. In this episode, Dr. Pedre opens the show discussing how meditation helped him overcome his fear of needles. Dr. Pedre explains how he became so interested in the gut and what happens to our bodies during stress – stress will increase gut permeability and affect our gut microbiome. Then, Dr. Pedre describes the leaky gut and how you know if you have it. Sometimes, you won’t have any gut complaints whatsoever. Stay tuned, as Dr. Pedre reveals which foods could be triggering your leaky gut. Episode sponsors: Dr Phillips CBD Oil, Keto Fruit Chews & Topical Cream https://www.drphillipscbd.com/ketokamp Purity Coffee: https://puritycoffee.com/kk10 Use kk10 for 10% off your entire order. My Favorite Keto Snack http://www.paleovalley.com use KKA for 15% off [00:20] About Dr. Pedre Pedre came across The Relaxation Response, and it totally made sense. Dr. Pedre found that there is a way to relax his body through meditation and yoga. Pedre wanted to hack his body through a combination of breathing and guided imagery. He is not the type to shy away from his comfort zone. Despite being afraid of needles, Dr. Pedre found the strength to get his vaccines. He knew he was ready for medical school. The body has an ability to conquer fears.  [09:30] The Consequences of Stress on the Body Stress increases gut permeability and affects the gut microbiome. If you are in a fight or flight, you can’t digest well. Stress won’t let you break down protein properly. If you aren’t breaking down protein, then you won’t be happy and enjoying life. People struggle on keto because they don’t have the bile to break down the fat. Relaxing will be essential. “You have to rest to digest.” -Dr. Pedre Digestion begins in the mouth. Water with lemon in the morning will help kickstart the system. Chewing will also help with digestion. [13:50] Why Dr. Pedre Focuses on the Gut He wanted to have an impact on more than people in his practice. Pedre became a gut expert without really trying. There is an endless group of patients who didn’t know about their gut health. Change your diet and use the right supplements to fix your gut. There is an epidemic of gut disease – the gut is the foundation. If the gut can’t absorb the nutrients properly, then our bodies won’t be able to function properly. Pedre’s book comes from th