For decades we were told to avoid saturated fats and use vegetable oils instead. Learn why heat stability, oxidation, and processing may be more important than cholesterol when choosing cooking oils.
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For thousands of years, traditional cultures have used ginger, cumin, coriander, fennel, and cardamom to support digestion. Discover how these herbs may help improve digestive comfort, bile flow, and overall gut health.
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Why SIBO Treatments Fail: The Missing Piece Most Practitioners Overlook Have you tried multiple SIBO treatments, only to find yourself right back where you started? Maybe you've completed a round of herbal antimicrobials. Maybe you've tried antibiotics. Maybe you've followed a strict low-FODMAP diet. Maybe you've spent months avoiding foods that once caused bloating and digestive discomfort. Yet despite all…
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How to Make Fermented Vegetables: A Simple Recipe with Powerful Gut Health Benefits By Dr. Mark Scott | Total Health Center | Virginia Beach Functional Medicine For thousands of years, people around the world have used fermented foods to preserve vegetables and improve health. Long before refrigeration existed, traditional cultures understood that fermentation could transform ordinary vegetables into powerful health-promoting…
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Bone Broth Chicken Soup: Nature's Multivitamin in a Bowl By Dr. Mark Scott, Functional Medicine Practitioner Many people think of chicken soup as comfort food. While it certainly is comforting, traditional bone broth chicken soup may also be one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat. For generations, cultures around the world simmered whole chickens, bones, cartilage, skin, and…
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If You’re Bloated Every Day, It’s Not “Normal” Bloating isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s a sign your digestive system is not functioning properly. 7 Common Root Causes of Bloating 1. SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) One of the most common causes 👉 Learn more about SIBO here: 2. Poor Digestion / Low Stomach Acid 3. Food Sensitivities 4. Gut Dysbiosis 5. Parasites…
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Do You Feel Bloated Immediately After Meals? Bloating is often caused by underlying issues like SIBO, poor digestion, or microbiome imbalance. This is a key clue. 👉 Timing matters. What Bloating After Eating Often Means 🔹 Early bloating (right after eating) Low stomach acid Enzyme deficiency 🔹 Delayed bloating (1–3 hours later) Bloating after meals can be a key…
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If You’re Bloated All the Time, This Could Be the Missing Piece SIBO is one of the most overlooked causes of chronic bloating. What Is SIBO? Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth= bacteria in the wrong place Why It Causes Bloating In SIBO, bacteria ferment carbohydrates in the small intestine, producing gas that leads to bloating and abdominal pressure. Bacteria ferment carbohydrates…
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Gallbladder Dysfunction: The Missing Link in Gut Health When most people think about gut health, they focus on the stomach, intestines, or bowel movements. But one of the most important—and most overlooked—organs in digestion is the gallbladder. In my practice at Total Health Center Virginia Beach, I see this all the time. Patients come in dealing with persistent digestive symptoms.…
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Can Collagen Improve Insulin Resistance? Most people think of collagen as a supplement for skin, hair, and joints. And while that’s true… There’s emerging research showing that collagen—when taken at the right dose—may have a much deeper impact on your health. In fact, collagen may play a role in improving insulin resistance and metabolic function. And the key number to…
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