Your digestive system may be making you fat. It's hard to believe - but very true!

Today, I'm going to explain the bugs in your digestive tract, why they upset your gut's immune system, and how they just might be behind those extra pounds.

I have observed this phenomenon...

There might be something wrong with your inner tube, and it could be making you sick and fat.

You may not even realize you have a problem ... but if you have health concerns of any kind or you are overweight, your inner tube could be the root cause.

Of...

Last week, I explained how preventing heart disease has very little to do with simply lowering cholesterol with statin drugs. Our current thinking about how to treat and prevent heart disease is at best misguided, and at worst harmful. We believe we are treating the causes of heart disease...

We have all been led to believe that cholesterol is bad and that lowering it is good. Because of extensive pharmaceutical marketing to both doctors and patients we think that using statin drugs is proven to work to lower the risk of heart attacks and death.

But on what...

The incidence of autoimmune disease has tripled in the last few decades. 24 million Americans are now affected. In fact, it affects more women than heart disease and breast cancer combined.

But autoimmune disease isn't just one condition ...

You're probably familiar with the most common autoimmune...

"Autism is caused by poor mothering." That was the belief of the medical community until the late 1960s.

"Autism is a genetic brain disorder." That is what most people -- and most of the medical community -- believe today.

I'm here to tell you that neither one of these...

Could something as simple as a quick and easy blood test save your life?

Absolutely.

It is called a C-reactive protein test, and it measures the degree of HIDDEN inflammation in your body.

Finding out whether or not you are suffering from hidden inflammation is critical, because almost

Breaking news!

Some newly discovered compounds have just been found to turn off all of the genes that cause diabetes.

Are these compounds found in a pill bottle? No!

Instead, you'll find them on your dinner plate -- in rye bread and pasta.

(As I recently wrote in one...

Bending the Health Care Cost Curve: Lessons from an Iowa Chicken Farmer

What can we learn about how to transform health care and "bend the cost curve" from a man raised on an Iowa chicken farm, with a Ph.D. in mathematics and physics who helped change our perspective of "made...

The health care debate has been hijacked by fears about cost and how we will pay for universal coverage. Will it cost $1.6 trillion or $900 billion over 10 years? This is beside the point. Every other industrialized nation spends far less (about half) and creates much better health for...

Diabetes is not reversible and controlling your blood sugar with drugs or insulin will protect you from organ damage and death.

That is what the medical profession would have you believe, but medication and insulin can actually increase your risk getting a heart attack or dying.

The diabetes...

Last week, I told you about low thyroid function and how it affects more than 30 million women and 15 million men.

So why are we seeing such an epidemic of thyroid problems?

Well, chronic thyroid problems can be caused by many factors ...

What Causes Hypothyroidism?

Are you one of the 30 million women and 15 million men who have a chronic medical problem that is both under-diagnosed and under-treated?

Are you suffering from vague symptoms that you think are normal parts of life, such as fatigue, feeling sluggish in the morning, and

Are your hormones out of balance?

Does your life feel like a song played badly out of tune?

If so, the problem may have to do with imbalances in your hormones, which are wreaking havoc on your body and mind.

There is one hormone in particular I am going...

Should we buy food with health claims on the label?

These days, we are seeing more and more health claims that go beyond the usual. These include "trans fat-free," "gluten-free," "heart healthy," and foods spiked with vitamins, such as my new favorite: sodas with vitamins and minerals.

We see whole-grain...

"Patients are deluded into thinking that their health can somehow be mysteriously harmed by something in their diet."

This is a quote from an article published in 1971 in American Family Physician.

That's not all.

The major textbook of dermatology for acne published in 1975 claimed that parents and doctors...

Confused about what "good nutrition" is?

You shouldn't be -- we know what works and what doesn't.

In a moment, I will share 5 simple tips to help you optimize your nutrition and achieve vibrant health, but first let me clear up a few misconceptions.

Despite the "conflicting" scientific studies...

"I didn't know how bad I was feeling until I started feeling better."

That is what my patients tell me every day. They go from being ill or just okay to experiencing UltraWellness.

Most people don't know how poorly they feel until they feel better. In fact, most of us...

The Chinese word for crisis is comprised of two separate words, "danger" and "opportunity" -- and this describes the exact situation we face with the healthcare crisis in our country.

As a nation we are at the precipice of change for our healthcare system.

But if we make the wrong...

Want to know the real truth about healthcare in this country?

Even if President Obama and Congress get everything else right in healthcare reform, it won't matter...that is, unless we address the underlying causes of illness that drive both skyrocketing healthcare costs and the proliferation of chronic disease.