Is Your Med Spa Really Qualified to Heal Your Gut?
Is Your Med Spa Really Qualified to Heal Your Gut?
Gut health programs are showing up everywhere in med spas and wellness clinics right now. IV drips, probiotic blends, peptide injections, elimination diet consultations. The problem is that most of the people selling these programs have never treated a real digestive disorder in their lives.
I recently spoke to Dr. Tina Storage, a board-certified gastroenterologist, to talk about what legitimate gut care actually looks like. What she shared made me glad I asked.
When Did Gut Health Become a Menu Item?
"Patients are spending thousands of dollars on protocols that might be useless at best or harmful at worst." — Dr. Kate Dee, Med Spa Confidential podcast
I've been watching gut health explode across the wellness industry and something about it has been bothering me. Not the topic itself. The microbiome is real, the science is solid, and gut health genuinely matters. What bothers me is who's doing the diagnosing.
When a med spa hands you a symptom questionnaire and uses your answers to build a supplement protocol, that's not a diagnosis. That's a sales funnel. Real gut issues require blood tests, stool testing, sometimes imaging or a scope. A checklist is not a substitute for a clinical workup.
The Supplement Conflict You Should Know About
"A lot of them are just selling a lot of supplements because that's how they make money." — Dr. Kate Dee, Med Spa Confidential podcast
When the person recommending your gut health protocol also profits from selling it to you, that's a conflict of interest. You deserve to know that the recommendation may not be purely clinical.
Dr. Storage is actually developing her own probiotic line, and even she was clear that the supplement industry is full of unnecessary additives, unproven claims, and products that haven't been studied at meaningful doses. If a physician-formulated supplement requires that level of scrutiny, a med spa's proprietary blend deserves at least as much.
What the Science Actually Says
"Your diet really matters. Fiber is so overlooked and so key to gut health." — Dr. Tina Storage, Med Spa Confidential podcast
The most effective gut health interventions aren't expensive. Fiber variety, fermented foods, reducing processed sugar, moving your body after meals. Dr. Storage laid out a practical, evidence-based approach that most people can start without spending a dollar on supplements.
She also got into something I hadn't heard explained this clearly before. The gut-brain connection and how chronic stress can rewire your nervous system to misread normal digestion as danger.
Before Your Next Appointment
If a med spa is offering you a gut health program, something I want you to know is that not all of them are created equal. Some are genuinely helpful. Others are expensive guesswork sold by people who've never treated a digestive disorder. The difference comes down to a few very specific things you can check before you hand over your credit card.
Dr. Storage and I close out the episode with a framework that will change how you evaluate any gut health program, anywhere. It's practical, it's fast, and it will tell you almost immediately whether what's being offered is real clinical care or just a wellness upsell dressed up in lab coats.
Education is how we protect ourselves and push this industry toward something better.
Watch or listen to the full episode of Med Spa Confidential and get the exact questions every patient should ask before starting a gut health program at any med spa or wellness clinic.
Watch or Listen Now
Episode Transcript:
[00:00:00] Dr. Kate Dee: What do med spas have to do with gut health? Well walk into almost any aesthetic clinic today or wellness clinic, and you'll see gut health programs everywhere, IV drips, peptide protocols, probiotics, supplements, all promising to fix your digestion and boost your immunity. But here's my question. Who's actually qualified to tell you what's wrong with your gut?
[00:00:21] Dr. Kate Dee: And is it really backed by science? I'm Dr. Kate d and this is Med Spa Confidential. So before we dive in, let me tell you why I [00:00:30] wanted to have this conversation. I've been seeing gut health absolutely explode in the wellness world. I'm talking about full gut healing programs, supplement protocols that could cost over $300 a month.
[00:00:44] Dr. Kate Dee: Peptide injections for inflammation, IV vitamin cocktails. That claim to repair your microbiome. Many places offering stool testing and elimination diet consultations. And look, I get why you're interested and gut health is real. The [00:01:00] microbiome really matters, but here's what concerns me. I've seen programs being offered by providers who don't have any specialized training in, in gastroenterology or gut health.
[00:01:11] Dr. Kate Dee: I've read about patients being diagnosed based on symptom questionnaires alone without no actual testing, med spas and wellness centers pushing proprietary probiotic blends that aren't FDA regulated, of course, and have no published studies behind them. Patients are spending thousands of dollars on [00:01:30] protocols that might be useless at best or harmful at worst.
[00:01:33] Dr. Kate Dee: So I wanted to bring in someone who actually treats gut conditions for a living. Dr. Tina Storage is a board certified gastroenterologist. She sees patients with real digestive disorders every single day, and she knows the difference between evidence-based treatment and wellness marketing. She's going to break down exactly what works for gut health, what the science really says, and [00:02:00] what you need to know before you spend your money on any gut protocol anywhere.
[00:02:03] Dr. Kate Dee: because if a med spa or wellness center is selling you a gut health program, you need to know what questions to ask. you need to know what red flags to watch for, and you need to understand what legitimate gut care actually looks like. So you can tell the difference.
[00:02:19] Dr. Kate Dee: So at the end, I'll give you the four most important questions you need to ask at a med spa or wellness clinic before you start a gut health program. All right, let's get into it.
[00:02:28] Dr. Kate Dee: So Tina, thanks so [00:02:30] much for being here today.
[00:02:31] Tina Storage: Thank you for having me. I'm so honored to be on this podcast with you.
[00:02:35] Dr. Kate Dee: So what is the big thing that everybody's missing about gut health these days?
[00:02:41] Tina Storage: I think number one, your diet really matters. Specifically, fiber is so overlooked and so key to our gut health and we can dive into that. But I'll just say number two here as a plug, that the gut and the brain are [00:03:00] intimately connected. So you can't achieve true gut health unless you've also really worked on stress levels and and your brain health and your mental.
[00:03:09] Dr. Kate Dee: What kind of fiber do we need and how does that affect your, your gut health and, and your brain?
[00:03:14] Tina Storage: in the United States, I would say less than 20% of people, the data is around 20 to 30% of people get enough fiber in their diet. and, and that's because our diet is. Filled and, and undated with processed foods. So [00:03:30] there's sparse amount of fiber in there. And our microbiome, which are the, the trillions of not just bacteria, but fungi, viruses, other organisms, ArcHa, they live in this ecosystem and they're well balanced when they get the foods that they like and they need, and the good bacteria.
[00:03:50] Tina Storage: Thrive on fiber. That's how you increase the number of the good bacteria. And so what we've been seeing in GI [00:04:00] is that a real big shift toward dysbiosis, which is when that ecosystem we were just talking about is imbalanced. So there's more bad than good bacteria. And with dysbiosis, I mean we're seeing more than ever. Bloating, constipation, loose stools, diarrhea, urgency, incontinence, brain fog,
[00:04:22] Tina Storage: all sorts sibo, the rise of sibo, which we can talk about, which is small intestinal overgrowth.
[00:04:29] Tina Storage: We're [00:04:30] seeing all of these sort of conditions because of that imbalance and. A lot of the key to reversing that imbalance is fiber. and, you know, women need 25 to 35 grams a day. Um, men need 35 to 45 grams a day. obviously higher is better.
[00:04:49] Dr. Kate Dee: So what do the good bacteria do for you? That's good. And what do the bad bacteria do that's bad?
[00:04:56] Tina Storage: So you, you've probably heard of probiotics. [00:05:00] Probiotics are the bacteria, so they're the good bacteria you're trying to inoculate in your microbiome. So there's something also called. Postbiotics. And the reason I, I'm, I'm answering your question this way, is that those postbiotics are what your good make. So when you have bacteria in your microbiome, they're gonna make substances, most commonly known as. S CFAs are short chain fatty acids
[00:05:28] Tina Storage: that are [00:05:30] highly anti-inflammatory, not just for your gut microbiome. They strengthen the gut barrier. They prevent leaky gut
[00:05:37] Tina Storage: and leakage into your bloodstream, but also, you know, they decrease inflammation and the whole body, they also send signals to your brain. So we found that patients who who produce more short chain fatty acids actually have better brain health.
[00:05:53] Tina Storage: So that's the importance of the, the beneficial bacteria. Um, as far as the bad bacteria, well, well they, [00:06:00] um, when they proliferate, they cause leaky gut. and, you know, they're not producing those beneficial postbiotics. And what's interesting is that we tend to see, when we do microbiome analyses, we tend to see that those bad bacteria when, when they're proliferating, are not only, um, reflective of. Chronic GI issues, but also even autoimmune disease,
[00:06:23] Tina Storage: can you explain for our listeners why leaky gut is bad? because I think that's really important, and I think that's a really [00:06:30] big topic just in and of itself.
[00:07:00]
[00:07:15] Tina Storage: Absolutely. So yes, leaky gut is this umbrella term. and it ba what it is is. Your colon is one epithelial layer thick, just like one cell layer thick. If you think about that, your skin is, I don't know, [00:07:30] so many cell layers, but your, your colon is one. And so
[00:07:34] Tina Storage: the lining of it, don't worry, it's more durable than paper, but,
[00:07:38] Dr. Kate Dee: the retina is like eight layers, but Okay.
[00:07:41] Tina Storage: Well, your colon is one cell layer thick, the lining of it. And
[00:07:44] Tina Storage: so between those cells you have something called tight junctions. And tight junctions basically, are adhesive glue to that epithelial layer.
[00:07:54] Tina Storage: When you have leaky gut, those tight junctions start to open up. And when that happens [00:08:00] that the food you're ingesting, and anything you're ingesting through your gut. there's no longer a barrier to keep it out because
[00:08:06] Tina Storage: food is really the most foreign thing we can introduce in our
[00:08:09] Tina Storage: bodies. And so there's that leakiness and then bad bacteria, or we call LPS forming bacteria, release cytotoxins that basically can go through these pores and go into your bloodstream when, when they weren't really supposed to, they were supposed to be
[00:08:24] Tina Storage: blocked out, and that can cause an immune reaction and inflammation that we think is the. [00:08:30] You know, the first step in a whole host of inflammatory diseases,
[00:08:33] Dr. Kate Dee: right. So just like the skin, I think recently we talked about how the job of the skin is to keep the, keep the outside world out.
[00:08:42] Dr. Kate Dee: Okay? And when your skin breaks down, the outside world can get into your skin and you can get infections and inflammation and, and all that.
[00:08:50] Dr. Kate Dee: inside your guts is a similar kind of concept, right? You know, you're putting food through you. So that's the outside world going in. You okay? [00:09:00] And ideally, we're not having random. Bits of that that are not good for us. Get into our systems. And so what leaky gut is, is when there's a breakdown in that barrier inside your gut, right?
[00:09:13] Dr. Kate Dee: And so that can make you sick. Just the same way. If your skin is leaky, that can also make you sick. But this is kind of a big deal. 'cause this you can take in a lot of not very good for you molecules that way,
[00:09:26] Dr. Kate Dee: right? Absolutely.
[00:09:28] Dr. Kate Dee: and people think, I mean, you know, [00:09:30] this is hearkening back to, a very, very long time ago immunology class.
[00:09:33] Dr. Kate Dee: But a lot of the allergens that we develop issues with, whether it's a food allergy or even just other kinds of allergies or even, uh, just, you know, autoimmune diseases, a various kinds get into your system and, and your system gets exposed to those allergens through your gut. and so, it's very possible that you could develop an autoimmune disease because of chronic leaky gut,
[00:09:59] Tina Storage: Absolutely [00:10:00] your immune system is seeing these foreign invaders and it's remembering that, oh, this is not my body I need to attack. and so the more
[00:10:08] Tina Storage: we can keep things that aren't supposed to get in our bloodstream out, whether it's if you have eczema, you need to moisturize to really improve that skin barrier or leaky gut, the better.
[00:10:19] Dr. Kate Dee: Right. And so, so the bad bacteria are really bad because you're getting leaky gut. It could lead to a lot of different kinds of illnesses, a lot of problems. [00:10:30] And it's, and that's why it's also confusing, I think, for people. 'cause it's not one disease or one issue that we're talking about. It's like literally the health of your whole body.
[00:10:39] Dr. Kate Dee: Could be jeopardized if these bad bacteria go gangbusters, right?
[00:10:43] Tina Storage: Absolutely.
[00:10:43] Dr. Kate Dee: So, so what you're saying is you need fiber to feed the good bacteria.
[00:10:50] Tina Storage: You do.
[00:10:50] Dr. Kate Dee: So what kind of fiber do you need and, and why are people not getting enough of that? And what can we do about it?
[00:10:56] Tina Storage: the reason they're not getting enough is because there's such an overemphasis [00:11:00] on fast food and, you know, our standard culture and, um, you know, in these processed foods it's empty nutrition. You know, there, there isn't a lot of fiber that you're getting and a lot of good fiber and nutrition that you're getting to feed your gut microbiome. the types of fiber. So it's interesting that you brought that up. There are two, two main types of fiber. and I, I, I don't think it's. Important to differentiate in terms of microbiome health, but I think it's important to differentiate, to see where do I start depending on what bowel habits I have.
[00:11:29] Tina Storage: Um, [00:11:30] so there is insoluble fiber, insoluble fiber.
[00:11:34] Tina Storage: Soluble fiber is really good when you have like diarrhea, loose stools, because what it does is it solubilize. Um, so it's able to draw on a little bit of water and try to bring together, kind of form the stool more. And so we do use that. Oftentimes, we really focus on soluble fibers in people who have diarrhea, loose stools.
[00:11:57] Tina Storage: So if you do have those symptoms. Probably a [00:12:00] good place to start. Um, and then there's insoluble fiber. This is really good for our constipated patients. Uh, insoluble fiber draws even more water in and helps the bowel movements smooth through. so if you wanna know where to start, it just depends on where you are.
[00:12:15] Tina Storage: If, if you have normal bowel habits, good for you, um, you know, start, start slow
[00:12:20] Dr. Kate Dee: You probably don't see
[00:12:21] Dr. Kate Dee: very many people who have normal bowel habits, I'm guessing
[00:12:24] Tina Storage: Doesn't seem like it these days. but the, the, the
[00:12:27] Tina Storage: main point is start somewhere [00:12:30] and
[00:12:30] Tina Storage: start slow because you will not be happy if you just fiber
[00:12:34] Dr. Kate Dee: Too much in the wrong direction. What I mean, so if you do have just sort of average normal bowel habits, then do you need a mix of both of those things and, and where do you
[00:12:43] Tina Storage: ideal. Ideal. The, um, you know, for the microbiome, if you're like, I just want a healthier microbiome. I'm in the middle. I, you know, what, where do I start? variety is key for the microbiome.
[00:12:55] Tina Storage: Variety. Variety, variety. So don't just say, okay, I'm hitting my. [00:13:00] Let's say 25 grams, 30 grams a day, and I'm eating both soluble and insoluble fiber, but it's the same fiber every day. That is, you know, obviously that's gonna help someone, it's gonna grow certain beneficial bacterial species, but you wanna grow all of the variety and, and make that garden flourish. So what I do when I go to the grocery store with my kids is. I pick certain fruits and vegetables and then I, it's a game with them.
[00:13:27] Tina Storage: I tell them, okay, do you guys remember what we got and ate last [00:13:30] week? I want you guys, you can't pick the same thing. So they, then they pick different
[00:13:33] Dr. Kate Dee: can you just tell everybody, like, so what kinds of foods have fiber in them and what ones have more than others so that people get an idea of what they should put on their grocery list?
[00:13:43] Tina Storage: Lot, lots of fruits and vegetables. I can tell you what's on my grocery list. so the, you know, the berries are great. They're, they have a good store. Raspberries actually have, are a tremendous, source of fiber,
[00:13:53] Tina Storage: um, berries in general because they're a lower sugar fruit as well. So you wanna kind of focus on that. so berries [00:14:00] are blackberries, blueberries, raspberries. the best fiber if you want for constipation are, are yellow kiwis. in fact, there was a study.
[00:14:09] Tina Storage: Yes. So Yellow Huey
[00:14:11] Dr. Kate Dee: Are those the less fuzzy kind? I feel like
[00:14:14] Tina Storage: not the,
[00:14:15] Dr. Kate Dee: they're not right.
[00:14:17] Tina Storage: they're not, they're the smooth skin kind.
[00:14:19] Dr. Kate Dee: Yeah, I was on vacation with a friend recently and she just bit right into one of those peel and all, and I was like, oh, you know, [00:14:30] it's a little sour, the peel, but it's better than the green fuzzy ones. Okay. Yellow kiwi, that's going okay.
[00:14:36] Tina Storage: So what I tell my, my patients actually who are constipated is get two yellow kiwis, wash it well, and then cut it in thin slices with the skin on. So when you cut it in thin slices, you don't get that really sour bitter taste. and if you want, that on some oatmeal, which is a great fiber source as well. you know, and walnuts, right? Nuts are a great fiber source. So there you've got the fruit and the, the peel [00:15:00] actually has a lot of antioxidants and polyphenols. Um, you got the walnuts in there, good for your brain health as well. you know, you have your oatmeal, which is a, a wonderful source of soluble fiber. and then sprinkle in some chia seeds. I love chia seeds. Um, especially if you can sprout them. So that means just put them in water. You can see already that they're forming a gelatinous layer and that that's a wonderful source of fiber. So right there you have an, an oatmeal, ready to go with packed with fiber, uh, [00:15:30] lots of fruits and vegetables.
[00:15:31] Tina Storage: I mean vegetables, kale, any sort of lettuce variety. Charred is really great. Uh, artichoke. It's a wonderful prebiotic. We talked about probiotics and postbiotics.
[00:15:41] Dr. Kate Dee: Even if you're only eating the mushy part, still good?
[00:15:45] Tina Storage: Oh, yeah,
[00:15:46] Tina Storage: yeah, definitely. Still good. and yeah, it's a wonderful, wonderful, so, so yeah, happy shopping.
[00:15:53] Dr. Kate Dee: so what about, fiber added to your diet? So are, are any of those recommended, or is [00:16:00] it just, you know, too much a one thing that's that's too much? Or what would you recommend there?
[00:16:05] Tina Storage: A fiber supplement
[00:16:06] Tina Storage: is what you're asking. I, I think, um, in today's society, you know, we're all really busy, and I'll be honest, I even struggle to get, even though I know the data, I, I struggle to get in. Close to 35 grams a day, um, with just, you know, work and kids and school and everything. And so if you're someone that consistently has a really busy day and you're not going to [00:16:30] really hit that mark, then adding in a good. Fiber supplement is not wrong. Um, actually, I, I recommended it in a lot of my patients who are constipated or have loose stools. Again, you want some fibers are good for diarrhea of constipation, some are good for both. and it's a nice way to just ensure you're, you're hitting that number every day.
[00:16:50] Dr. Kate Dee: Is there anything else about nutrition that really affects gut health besides fiber intake?
[00:16:56] Tina Storage: Limiting, um, certain foods. I, I, [00:17:00] I, I don't like to restrict any sort of good food for you. Go, go for it. Um, I, I, not so much someone who believes in like, okay, it has to be a paleo diet or a keto diet, or. You know, a carnivore diet. but what I would say is, and we have a lot of added sugar intake, so really eliminating the refined sugars, um, that's really inflammatory for the gut. Um, processed foods, you know, if it has more than. When I say lucky eat four ingredients in that bar or in [00:17:30] that package, I, I would toss it. so sugar processed foods, number three, seed oils. I think that's coming to light more and more, you know, eating things. Previously we used to cook with wet canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, and it's in all the, in the restaurants that we eat at
[00:17:47] Tina Storage: soybean oil, you know, they're cheaper oils.
[00:17:49] Tina Storage: Um, I'd really focus on. Olive oil, avocado oil and unrefined coconut oil, ghee, you know, if
[00:17:58] Dr. Kate Dee: you can tolerate some [00:18:00] dairy. so that would be number three. and then, and, and that's as far as I would say to start with what to eliminate. is that because of just basically inflammation? I mean, all those things are things that are in an inflammatory diet. I, I've been on like an anti-inflammatory diet for many, many years now. so is that the main reason why,
[00:18:20] Tina Storage: Yeah, we found in, in, in, in some, I mean, they're not gonna be great, great studies, especially like seed oils, but the thought is that it doesn't indu s leaky gut.
[00:18:28] Tina Storage: Um, and it does feed the [00:18:30] wrong bacteria. So yes, over time, I mean, if you have, you know, one meal every couple weeks at a restaurant and they put some soybean oil in there, I'm, it's not gonna probably do too much unless, you have a sensitivity to it. But if you're doing this, you're eating out and you're doing this. Every other day, daily, every
[00:18:48] Tina Storage: three days, it adds up.
[00:18:50] Dr. Kate Dee: I had studied this many years ago when I started on this journey myself, and the seed oils have a very low, like burn point. [00:19:00] And so once that, once they reach that and you're cooking with it, then there are a lot of sort of toxic byproducts that get created during the cooking process. So they might not be as harmful.
[00:19:12] Dr. Kate Dee: Without, without using them for cooking. Whereas like avocado oil has a higher burn point, so there's way fewer of those when you cook with avocado oil. That's my kind of understanding of it.
[00:19:23] Tina Storage: Right. And, and avocado oil you could use with higher heat levels.
[00:19:27] Tina Storage: Exactly. That's what I actually use when I'm gonna put something [00:19:30] in the oven. as opposed to I'll use the olive oil, you know, if I'm gonna fry some eggs
[00:19:34] Tina Storage: or something.
[00:19:35] Dr. Kate Dee: Mm-hmm. what about like physical activity? How does that affect your gut health?
[00:19:39] Tina Storage: Oh, in so many ways. so, you know, number one, I think just going back to the gut brain, um, you know, physical activity releases endorphins and we know that it. The brain releases certain chemicals that make the gut more calm and more fortified. less of the anxiety, feeling the nervous stomach if someone's exercising regularly.
[00:19:59] Tina Storage: Number [00:20:00] two, it helps gut motility. I mean, there are, there are clear studies that if you exercise on a daily basis, your gut motility improves. So if you're struggling with bloating and constipation, that's a great way to start. There is a great study that shows that if you walk after five to 15 minutes after eating, um, we call it the fart walk, then you, then
[00:20:20] Dr. Kate Dee: How old are your kids again?
[00:20:22] Tina Storage: Yeah, four and seven. I love it. I tell them it's time to go on our fart walk. you know, it's great for gut [00:20:30] motility. it's, it's actually around the time when things are moving into your small intestines. So it's great for bloating. Um, it's great for blood sugar regulation, so if
[00:20:39] Tina Storage: you're someone that struggles with that, um, it's, it's great.
[00:20:41] Tina Storage: Then the magic window is really that five to 15 when it gets to like 30 to. 60, you're probably not getting as much of a benefit, but still a benefit on your motility.
[00:20:51] Dr. Kate Dee: five to 15 minutes after you finish eating.
[00:20:54] Tina Storage: Yes,
[00:20:55] Tina Storage: that's the sweet spot.
[00:20:56] Tina Storage: That's the sweet spot. But, but just because it's been 20, [00:21:00] don't not go for the walk. You should get, still get steps. They'll still help with motility, um, and moving things along. But I always tell my patients, if you want your gut to move, you have to move. so it it, it's great for, for that aspect.
[00:21:11] Tina Storage: and, and definitely I see a difference between the gut brain connection. Um, one other thing that I, I just thought of that's be greatly beneficial for your gut health is eating fermented foods. Um, before I forget, and again, these fermented foods have the probiotics in them. if you have at least a [00:21:30] tablespoon of fermented foods per day, we find that those people have much healthier microbiomes.
[00:21:36] Tina Storage: Um, so, you know, I, I just go to the refrigerated section and get. Fermented cabbage. There's fermented carrots, there's pickles, there's fermented green beans. Kimchi so you can just to go to, to that refrigerated section at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's or wherever and get that. and if, if it's just in salt and water, even better than if it's in vinegar, theoretically the vinegar kills the bacteria.
[00:21:59] Tina Storage: Theoretically. I [00:22:00] don't have great evidence on that. 'cause there are societies, you know, that have always, put their ferment into. To products and vinegar are doing great. but yes, a tablespoon a day, it, um, is that would really, really, really, help the gut microbiome.
[00:22:15] Dr. Kate Dee: and are there drinkable, fermented things like isn't kombucha and stuff like that popular for that reason?
[00:22:22] Tina Storage: Yeah. Uh, you know, Keefer, kombucha, uh, you know, the only thing I'd say is obviously if you have a dairy sensitivity, keefer is gonna be a little bit [00:22:30] tough. you could get some fermentation through, um, certain yogurts if you do have a dairy sensitivity. Sometimes it might just be cow's dairy, uh, sheep and goat, or a little bit less inflammatory and a little easier to digest.
[00:22:41] Tina Storage: Um, so reach for that sheep's yogurt or the sheep. Feta or the Pecorino instead of the Parmesan. and then as far as kombucha, yeah, it's theoretically great, great for you. Just be careful of all the added sugar. That's in kind of more of the commercial
[00:22:54] Tina Storage: processes. I would try to opt for ones that don't have a ton of added sugar.
[00:22:59] Tina Storage: There will be [00:23:00] some sugar in the natural fermentation process. And, and that's fine, but not, not the ones that have, oh, let's make it really taste good and, and put all these
[00:23:07] Tina Storage: sugars in your body now.
[00:23:09] Dr. Kate Dee: For that yogurt. It's interesting you mention that. It's, I think it's much easier to find goat yogurt now than sheep yogurt, although I really like sheep yogurt. But Trader Joe's for sure has it.
[00:23:20] Tina Storage: The he or the goat.
[00:23:21] Dr. Kate Dee: yeah. Yeah, yeah. and I like that too. 'cause there there's not extra sugar in it either.
[00:23:27] Dr. Kate Dee: The
[00:23:27] Tina Storage: Absolutely. [00:23:30] You know, we have a, um, my, my kids call it special yogurt. And if you like your yogurt a little sweetened, what you could do is just take a very rip banana, mash it, mash it, mash it. You'll get the sugars from the banana, and then mix the yogurt in. Add a scoop of nut butter, great fiber, put some blueberries on top.
[00:23:48] Tina Storage: Great polyphenols. Um, you know, sprinkle some chia seeds and, and there you go.
[00:23:53] Dr. Kate Dee: That, that sounds awesome. let's go back to stress since, we're both doctors, we, we know how, how [00:24:00] stress works. I, remember one of my classmates in medical school, used to like right before all exams, he would literally have diarrhea. He literally would miss class because.
[00:24:10] Dr. Kate Dee: He was so stressed out, he would have diarrhea. So I like how does that work? And, and what can people do to, to change their, brain, gut, interaction?
[00:24:20] Tina Storage: I will tell you that I think almost 50% of my practice are gut brain disorders
[00:24:27] Tina Storage: these days. So that class B, having [00:24:30] that reaction, the nervous stomach, you know, that is very, very common. so if you're listening to this and you feel like you're alone or embarrassed or gonna be stigmatized or not, um, it's.
[00:24:42] Tina Storage: It's a very normal occurrence, and it just means that your, your gut brain access got a little dysregulated and it can be reregulated. it's not all in your head. Um, you're not, it's not normal and, you know, forget about it. It, it's something that, you know, if it affects your quality of life, you, you should seek, um, some help.
[00:24:59] Tina Storage: So what [00:25:00] happens? Um, the, the gut and the brain are connected via vagus nerve. A of times, I think in our society we're very sympathetically activated with that means that it's, you know, the fight or flight response. So we have constant stress coming in, whether it's through school or work or media.
[00:25:16] Tina Storage: Um, and we're constantly in this hypervigilant state,
[00:25:19] Tina Storage: which has traditionally been very protective for us. but it's just leaves you like, ugh. Like, you're just constantly waiting for the next thing to, to be sprung upon you and, and you [00:25:30] wanna be ready for it. Unfortunately, you know, although it can be protective in many things, like, you know, if your friend probably studied a little bit more 'cause he was so anxious, maybe, it, so it does benefit us in some way.
[00:25:42] Tina Storage: Too much of it really does wreck our gut. and
[00:25:45] Tina Storage: so,
[00:25:46] Dr. Kate Dee: think he was busy doing a MD JD too, so that
[00:25:49] Tina Storage: oh wow.
[00:25:50] Dr. Kate Dee: stressful.
[00:25:51] Tina Storage: Wow. That is very stressful. Yes, I remember I had a couple of those in my class too. so what, what happens when, when the nervous system is [00:26:00] very sympathetically activated is that you develop something called visceral hypersensitivity. What that means is. Things that are normal. For example, the gut motility increasing a little bit when in times of stress or you know, your, your food moving from your stomach into your small intestine, which these are just normal parts of digestion, right?
[00:26:22] Tina Storage: Each, some of your gut bacteria making some hydrogen or methane gas. It's interpreted as pain or [00:26:30] urgency or a need to go to the bathroom. The brain interprets it as danger, danger, so it fires when it's not supposed to fire. Um, and so you get this hypersensitive response to normal digestive and once the brain has recognized that as danger, the circuit continues. And then this person is like, okay, anytime I go out or get in a car or go out with friends, I'm gonna have to have diarrhea. 'cause
[00:26:56] Tina Storage: it's just, that circuit has been strengthened over [00:27:00] time.
[00:27:00] Tina Storage: And so what needs to happen is we need to break that circuit. And that's what we do a lot of times in, in the clinic and the GI clinic is, you know, we obviously rule out. Other pathology. But once we've rolled everything else out, we realized this is more of a gut brain connection. and we need to kind of calm those nerves down and teach them you can fire when you need to fire. 'cause obviously that's protective,
[00:27:23] Tina Storage: Right.
[00:27:23] Tina Storage: If you're having something serious going on like appendicitis, but don't fire when everything is [00:27:30] normal. And that's what we're reteaching those nerves
[00:27:33] Tina Storage: and, and. do that.
[00:27:34] Tina Storage: A few ways. you know, the first step is obviously awareness. and I think in and of itself that's very validating and freeing because these patients have gone to multiple physicians and have been dismissed, and have been told nothing's wrong with you and you know, just your endoscopy or colonoscopy were normal.
[00:27:54] Tina Storage: Your CAT scan was normal. Like, just live with this, and they go home feeling hopeless.
[00:27:58] Tina Storage: So I think just [00:28:00] validating first that concern in that, you know, no, this is not normal. We can't measure. Gut brain
[00:28:05] Tina Storage: disorders, right,
[00:28:06] Tina Storage: There's no test. You can be like, yes, you, you have this. It's, it's really a clinical diagnosis. And so validation is the first step. The second step, you know, we go one of three ways. but the mainstays are gut hypnotherapy now. Um, I don't know how
[00:28:22] Tina Storage: many, we have GI psychologists now,
[00:28:24] Tina Storage: so they're specifically Yeah. Psychologists trained in GI gastro. [00:28:30] Intestinal diseases and I think there's only like a hundred of them in the country.
[00:28:33] Tina Storage: So obviously not everywhere is gonna have that resource. But if there is a GI psychologist, we refer to them for gut hypnotherapy and there's gi cognitive behavioral therapy.
[00:28:45] Dr. Kate Dee: Okay.
[00:28:45] Tina Storage: if that's not available to them, there, there are a couple apps, one mainly that I use, that will deliver the gut hypnotherapy through the app.
[00:28:54] Tina Storage: Patients do it five outta seven days of the week for six weeks. There's about usually a 30 to [00:29:00] 40% response at the end of six weeks. And if they maintain to six months, we can see upwards of a 90% response where a patient really has their life back.
[00:29:11] Tina Storage: Um,
[00:29:11] Dr. Kate Dee: so interesting. I mean, is this more than just diarrhea? I mean, can, is it just like stomach pains
[00:29:17] Dr. Kate Dee: and,
[00:29:17] Tina Storage: abdominal pain, constipation, any sort of symptom that that can't be explained. Through, you know, endoscopy, colonoscopy, imaging studies, blood tests, [00:29:30] um, that is very much associated through patient history with certain stressful responses. You know, when I, every time I go out with friends, or every time I get in the car and I'm sitting in traffic or before I have a big test, And so gut hypnotherapy is one way, which is really great, and I really do advocate for it. We have really good data on it,
[00:29:48] Tina Storage: you know, good good, good data. the other thing we use in GI clinic now is, we actually use antidepressants, but, but not, not for depression. [00:30:00] We do not use them at the same doses as a psychiatrist would. , we, we use tricyclic antidepressants. Um, psychiatrists used to use them, I think at
[00:30:09] Tina Storage: doses of.
[00:30:10] Tina Storage: those have been out for a long time now, ever since Prozac hit the market. But, but
[00:30:15] Dr. Kate Dee: they work well for gut issues. That's interesting.
[00:30:18] Tina Storage: incredibly well. We use doses. We start at doses of 10 milligrams. I think psychiatrists use 150 to 300 milligrams. So
[00:30:25] Tina Storage: tiny doses to really help cut that circuit. We just need to cut it. And [00:30:30] sometimes patients need both. or, you know, usually if you do both, it's like almost it's synergistic, you know, they, it, you tend to do better.
[00:30:37] Tina Storage: But, I usually have patients on it for about six to 12 months. and hopefully with the gut hypnotherapy to have something that can maintain them once we come off and just breaking that connection, that circuitry. Helps them get back into rhythm. so it's fascinating. I've seen countless people who, who I, I had a, a follow up the other day on Thursday, and it was a, you know, 60, [00:31:00] 70-year-old female who stopped going out with friends. Like she just stayed at home because she was having
[00:31:04] Tina Storage: so much incontinence and diarrhea when she'd go out and when we put her on both. and I see her all the time, every, you know, four months now and she's like, I'm going on this, she's going to Vancouver, she's going out to
[00:31:16] Tina Storage: dinner every other night. So it's fascinating how, how well it works.
[00:31:22] Dr. Kate Dee: that's so interesting. I mean, I, you know, so it is though. It's important though, right, to have a workup and make sure you don't have anything wrong. [00:31:30] So you really do need the test first to make sure. There's nothing else going on, right?
[00:31:35] Tina Storage: 100%
[00:31:36] Dr. Kate Dee: you really need to see a specialist first to make sure that you're not just blowing off something that's really medical and, and,
[00:31:45] Tina Storage: I mean, at the minimum blood tests, and we have a stool test now called a calprotectin, which, is a great measure of inflammation in the colon.
[00:31:53] Tina Storage: we at the minimum doing some blood and stool testing and, you know, even some imaging and an endoscopy [00:32:00] colonoscopy if your symptoms warrant, because at the same time as we're seeing an uptick. Dysbiosis gut brain disorders. We're also seeing an uptick in colon cancer in younger and younger patients, which, you know, I've personally witnessed and have diagnosed. So, yes, do not,
[00:32:16] Tina Storage: you know, yeah, go see a doctor
[00:32:18] Tina Storage: if you're having any new symptoms or concerning symptoms.
[00:32:21] Dr. Kate Dee: So, shifting gears for just a second, can you, tell me a little bit about your, new gut health brand and what you're working on [00:32:30] there? 'cause I think that's really interesting.
[00:32:32] Tina Storage: Yeah, so we've talked about kind of a lot of things that are detrimental to your microbiome, um, whether that's processed food, added sugars, seed oils. One thing, that has raised awareness most recently is microplastics. So microplastics are. These plastics that you're, you're not really seeing, but if you, this is my glass water bottle by the way, but in, in a lot of
[00:32:58] Tina Storage: plastic. Oh, [00:33:00] cheers. So in the standard water bottle that you may drink on a hot day, it's the plastic, you know, water bottle. and there are microplastics, leaching into the water and you're ingesting that. And again, it's going into your gut. And, your gut, especially if there's a little bit of leakiness, which in a lot of guts there is, those
[00:33:20] Tina Storage: microplastics can get absorbed, um, into the bloodstream.
[00:33:23] Tina Storage: And we've actually seen it in studies now, mouth studies. We have seen microplastics now [00:33:30] deposited in the brain, the liver, the kidneys. and most recently we found microplastics in cancer tumor cells that we've taken out, like tumor masses.
[00:33:40] Dr. Kate Dee: does it matter what kind of plastic or does it do they all,
[00:33:44] Dr. Kate Dee: each You know, all plastics, just because they're, they're foreign particles that really provide no nutrition and positive, you know, support to our gut. It, it's really all, a lot, all of them. But there are specific ones that are harder to break down. Um, and have more of, a [00:34:00] little bit of a detrimental effect.
[00:34:01] Tina Storage: So what, what they've done in the lab is that they've taken these probiotics, like lactobacillus, um, is one of them. Bifidobacterium is another, that pro that create this. Biofilm. So we were talking about what do these good bacteria create? They do create a biofilm and, and that's, actually really important for leaky gut as well. And that biofilm tends to, absorb, plastic so that less of it is getting absorbed into your system. So we thought this was fascinating because. [00:34:30] People need more probiotics and beneficial bacteria in their gut microbiome. We've been seeing a dropout of a lot of beneficial bacteria in the modern day microbiome compared to, you know, 200 years ago. Um, and probiotics have such little detrimental effect if you take them.
[00:34:46] Tina Storage: So why not take something that's beneficial with such little downside and see if it can work against this issue? 'cause we have also clear data that microplastics cause. Squeaky gut inflammation and dysbiosis and get deposited in many [00:35:00] organs and can lead to an immune response and even cancer.
[00:35:03] Tina Storage: Um, so
[00:35:04] Dr. Kate Dee: in the oceans too? Like aren't the fish getting, especially the big fish that eat all the other fish, don't they concentrate kind of like
[00:35:12] Tina Storage: yeah. Exactly. Absolutely. and so we, we thought that this would be great. We did a lot of research on this, um, and thought that there is no supplement that that one can take on a daily basis for microplastic clearance. And, and here's one [00:35:30] that has no detrimental effect and a lot of possible benefit. Why don't we create this for overall gut health and microplastic, absorption. Um, so we're, we're working on that now. there, we're using the strains that have been used in studies, we're adding in a prebiotic there so it can, you know, those, those probiotics can, can prebiotics. I didn't mention this, but they're foods that good bacterial strains, probiotics take in. So that they can flourish even more.
[00:35:56] Tina Storage: So your fiber is a prebiotic, Kiwis is a [00:36:00] prebiotic, artichoke, asparagus. so, uh, we're combining those strains with a prebiotic and, and hopefully that's something that, you know, people and in the meantime can take every day to decrease their microplastic burden.
[00:36:14] Dr. Kate Dee: that sounds great. Is that, is that on the market yet or are you still just researching it?
[00:36:18] Tina Storage: Not yet. No. We're actually, um, formulating it as we speak,
[00:36:22] Tina Storage: and we're hoping for it to be on the market in March or April of 2026.
[00:36:27] Dr. Kate Dee: Oh, amazing. And what, what's that? What's [00:36:30] your company called?
[00:36:31] Tina Storage: So the brand will be called Two Doctors, um, myself and, um, one of my colleagues, Dr. James Debe, and he's an mdphd, um, are formulating it ourselves with the help of a pharmacist. so it's completely physician formulated and, and studied. And so we're working out the details because. You know, we can talk about supplements now too, but my, my gripe with, uh, supplements is that there are so many additives and preservatives that I don't want in my body, even though [00:37:00] there's some benefit to the supplement.
[00:37:01] Tina Storage: I mean, these supplements have added sugars and natural flavors and citric acid and,
[00:37:06] Tina Storage: you know, so many things I can't, pronounce. So the hard part has been coming up with this wonderful supplement. without any of those additives, just a clean something where if you take it every day, there's nothing in it, but what you really need. Um, so that's why it's taken a little bit more time, but hopefully March, um, and April. And in the meantime, my [00:37:30] colleague and I, Dr. James Ian, have created a newsletter because they're. A free newsletter, um, that we send out weekly, because there are so many gut health myths and I think it's not talked about enough.
[00:37:43] Tina Storage: So we pick a topic weekly, and send that out to people's email, just if they wanna learn about anything Gut health.
[00:37:48] Dr. Kate Dee: Okay. Well, so can you tell our audience how to reach you and we'll, we'll obviously have links to everything in the show notes, including the newsletter or how to sign up. [00:38:00] Um, but how can people reach you?
[00:38:02] Tina Storage: so you can reach me on my Instagram at doctor Dr. So not doctor, not don't spell out doctor, but at Dr. Tina TINA storage, like a storage company at Dr. Tina Storage. and then for our newsletter, if you wanna sign up and just get, gut health topics emailed to you weekly, you can go to doctor versus. D-O-C-T-O-R-V-E-R-S-U s.com. And each topic, we, we talk [00:38:30] about some, you know, it's versus 'cause it's doctor versus colon cancer and we talk about colon cancer or doctor versus microplastics. and we take on a topic and, and we're more than willing if people had feedback or topics they wanna hear about, we'll go ahead and write on that.
[00:38:42] Dr. Kate Dee: Oh, that's so cool. Yeah, I mean, I think that, um, I had a friend who asked me like, well, how, how does gut health relate to the med spa aesthetics industry? And, and it totally does. There are so many clinics offering this kind of. Thing. And it's so [00:39:00] varied of whether they make any sense or not. And some of them do.
[00:39:02] Dr. Kate Dee: And then a lot of them are just selling a lot of supplements because that's how they make money. So I just feel like understanding this stuff is so helpful so that you can know what to do for your own body. and then when you really do need a specialist, like someone like you, then we, we know where to turn.
[00:39:19] Dr. Kate Dee: We don't just go to the, you know, rando down the street. So that's why I really like to talk to people like you.
[00:39:25] Tina Storage: Thank you. I know it's really overwhelming, I think in the current. You [00:39:30] know, day and age with all these supplements now
[00:39:32] Tina Storage: coming out and you're like, what do I take? Like what for my gut, what, what do I do? and so I, I think what's nice is that if you see someone well versed in that, um, or someone hopefully you trust, is that they can really pare that down for you and, and gut healing and. Has become a lot more individualized than it used to be. You know, we used to just give the same regimen to every single person. Now that we're able to really do stool testing to look at someone's microbiome, we're able to see, [00:40:00] okay, there's an imbalance here. They have too many of this bad bacteria too, too little of this good bacteria, and we're able to target it in a more individualized fashion. so that, you know, people aren't just buying, buying supplements blindly.
[00:40:12] Dr. Kate Dee: And I know I had run, so you know, your, your pre and probiotic combo is not out yet. I have been taking a prebiotic now for like a good year, at least probably a couple years now. That's called just better. I'm just gonna plug it 'cause I like it. [00:40:30] Um, and it is, and you taught me this, so it's a, it's pure, there's no additives in it.
[00:40:34] Dr. Kate Dee: It's just, you know, um, what did I say? Corn fiber,
[00:40:39] Tina Storage: Mm-hmm.
[00:40:39] Dr. Kate Dee: I don't know why, but I just feel like. It, it makes everything sort of regular all the time. It's not like, I mean, I don't know. So hopefully it's feeding all the good bacteria in there and, um, I'm not, you know,
[00:40:53] Tina Storage: I you know,
[00:40:54] Dr. Kate Dee: think it's important when I travel.
[00:40:55] Dr. Kate Dee: I don't know why, but in my brain it's like I have to bring it when I travel. [00:41:00] so, 'cause you know, your diet gets really messed up when you travel.
[00:41:03] Tina Storage: Oh, yes. So I always say what's funny is that my, um, constipated people always do worse when they travel. For some reason I, with the brain, gut and stress, a lot of times for people, the motility slows down. Um, for some people can speed
[00:41:17] Dr. Kate Dee: airplanes not good for that.
[00:41:19] Tina Storage: yeah,
[00:41:20] Tina Storage: exactly. Um, but I always say, yes, take it. Your gut habits will change when you travel
[00:41:26] Tina Storage: completely. So you're doing the right thing. Your hunch is correct.
[00:41:29] Dr. Kate Dee: right. Well, [00:41:30] I, I will look for your stuff when it comes out. Or maybe you gotta, maybe we'll have you back on when you're ready to
[00:41:34] Tina Storage: I love to come back. This was so much fun.
[00:41:38] Tina Storage: Thank you so much for your time and you know, it was wonderful having a conversation with you Yeah. I look
[00:41:43] Tina Storage: forward
[00:41:43] Dr. Kate Dee: so appreciate your, your being, willing to come on the podcast and talk about this stuff. So yeah, let's, let's, let's put something on the books for early next year and, and thank you so much for taking a time on a Saturday for this.
[00:41:57] Tina Storage: Absolutely. It was my pleasure. Thank you.
[00:41:59] Dr. Kate Dee: [00:42:00] So that was Dr. Tina Storage, breaking down the real science of gut health. Now, here's what I want you to take away from this. Everything Dr. Storage just explained. That's what evidence-based gut health looks like. It's not expensive, it's not complicated. It, most of it doesn't require any supplements at all, but if you walk into a med spa or wellness space offering gut health programs.
[00:42:23] Dr. Kate Dee: Ask these questions. Who's diagnosing you? Is it someone with actual GI training or [00:42:30] someone who took a weekend certification course? What testing are they doing? Real gut issues require a real workup, blood tests, stool tests, sometimes imaging or scopes. A symptom questionnaire is not a diagnosis. What is the evidence behind their protocol?
[00:42:46] Dr. Kate Dee: If they can't show you published research, if they're selling proprietary blends, if they promise results in 30 days, be skeptical. And finally, are they making money off supplements they're selling you? Because that's [00:43:00] a conflict of interest. If that's their end game, they're just trying to get you to buy something you probably don't need. Are in the show notes and if you've had experience with these gut health programs, I wanna hear about them. I'm Dr. Kate d. Thanks for listening.
[00:43:14] Dr. Kate Dee: If you found this helpful, do me a favor and share it with a friend who's considering any aesthetic treatments. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one and drop a comment telling me your biggest takeaway. I actually read them all. Let's keep each other safe and elevate the standards in the MedSpa [00:43:30] industry.
