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We've known for a long time that our guts – particularly the intestines – are packed full of bacteria. These bacteria live in symbiosis with us, helping break down and digest food, forming vessels to help ferry vitamins throughout our systems, and more. In symbiotic exchange, we allow them to live. It's only in the last few years that we've really dug into the study of the gut microbiome, trying to trace its larger effects throughout the body. The commoditization of this knowledge has led to the proliferation of probiotics as foods and supplements, but it's still very much an...

In the absence of any other knowledge on the subject, it sounds like "functional medicine" is a good thing. After all, you want your medicine to work, right? You want it to function, rather than not function. Though, when you think about it, isn't that what all medicine does, except placebos? And even then, the placebo effect means even the placebo can help. So what even is "functional medicine", and is it a real thing?  The History of Functional Medicine The term "functional medicine" is relatively new, at least as far as health treatments go. It was invented back in...

When you've decided to go through a detox, cleanse, purge, or other sort of holistic bodily reset, you're gearing up for what will probably be an unpleasant time. You may be feeling uncomfortable, ill, or restless in your daily life leading up to the cleanse, operating under the assumption that the detox will make you feel better when all is said and done. That's true, probably, though it depends on the specific cleanse program you use, how well you stick with it, and whether or not you make lifestyle changes to avoid ending up right back where you started. The...

It's no surprise that one of our most popular discussion topics is the humble fat burner. Supplements aimed at helping the average person lose weight more effectively? How could you say no? We've discussed numerous aspects of these supplements before. Want to know how long they take to kick in? How about how long you can safely use them before you should take a break? You can also read our analysis of the pros and cons of using fat burners in the first place. Today we're going to tackle a slightly different side to the topic. You've decided you want...