Stop Guessing, Start Testing: A Deep Dive Into the GI-MAP

Most people have normalized bloating, brain fog, skin issues, and low energy — not realizing these are signs the gut is struggling. In this solo episode, we take a deep dive into the GI-MAP test, why gut health is the foundation of everything from your hormones to your mood, and what healing actually looks like step by step.

This is the episode for you if you've been eating well, doing "all the right things," and still not feeling like yourself.

We also share a personal look at running the GI-MAP — including a surprising H. pylori diagnosis, parasite findings, and elevated immune markers — and what the first two weeks of a targeted protocol have already started to shift.

In this episode we cover:

• What the GI-MAP test actually measures — and why it's so different from a standard stool test
• The signs your gut is thriving vs. quietly struggling (hint: it's not always digestive symptoms)
• Why gut health is connected to your immune system, hormones, skin, mood, and sleep
• What dysbiosis is and why random protocols and over-the-counter cleanses can make things worse
• Sarah's personal GI-MAP story — what led her to run the test, what came back, and how it finally connected the dots
• The gut-sleep connection and why you can't fully fix one without addressing the other
• Early results two weeks into a targeted healing protocol

About the 4-Month Energy Reset

The 4-Month Energy Reset has been updated and streamlined. It starts with the GI-MAP because healing can't be personalized without knowing your terrain first. Every nutrition recommendation, supplement protocol, and nervous system support strategy is built directly around your data — not a cookie-cutter plan.

The three goals: Balance. Resilience. Function.

If you're ready to stop guessing and start working with your body, the link to learn more and book a discovery call is below:

BOOK A FREE DISCOVERY CALL 

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ENERGY RESET 

Get in touch with us!

Sarah:
Instagram: @simply.well.nourished
Website: www.simplywellnourished.co

Melissa:
Instagram: @rootedrocker
Website: www.rootedwellness.care

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Discover The Energized Life with Sarah Dalton and Melissa Rocker—your go-to podcast for practical nutrition tips, sustainable wellness habits, and daily energy boosts that help you thrive.

Disclaimer:

This podcast is for educational purposes only. We are not medical doctors, and this content is not medical advice. Always consult your qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, lifestyle, supplements, or medical treatment.

© 2025 Sarah Dalton and Melissa Rocker

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:19

All right. So we're talking, I was about to say we're talking poop today. But we basically are, I kind of want to start off that way because like we're we're talking about the GI map specifically and getting into all the nuts and bolts. And then within that, sharing my story around and I mean pieces of my story and also my recent test that I did, the GI map, and just so many things that I learned from it and this energy around what we are doing, Melissa, with the energy reset. It's just, it's getting really exciting.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

It's amazing. It's amazing. And we have so many full circle moments as practitioners. You know, I've been doing this a little while, and I'm like, for a while, I was like, oh, is GI map testing necessary? And then I tried to really strip it down and just do hair tissue mineral analysis. And then I was like, there were these people that weren't getting well. And the common denominator was always their gut. So I was like, okay, we gotta hone back in on the gut. And after running yours, I was like, so glad we did.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

I mean, it's it's incredible. Again, we'll get into kind of what came up on my test, but I do think it's worth mentioning. I think the thing for me, uh I obviously like I'm a nutrition practitioner myself. And that doesn't mean I don't have like any right symptoms or health things going on. There's always this, like, I want to say, kind of figuring things out and up realigning habits too, and kind of figuring out what's going on at a deeper level. So that's what I get really, really excited about because for me, it's the GI map specifically is validation and it's empowerment because then there's a clear blueprint, a clear map of okay, this is what's going on with your body, with your gut. And then what we do, right? We take that and we say, okay, let's put together this very personalized plan that is tailored to you specifically. So I'm getting ahead of myself because I get so excited. But basically, if we kind of backing it up a little bit, what is the GI map? We're saying GI map a lot. So it basically stands for gastrointestinal microbial assay plus assay. Assaying. Assay. So it's a DNA-based stool test that gives you basically it's a snapshot of your microbiome. So I feel like at this point, again, we're we're in the world and we we talk about all the things, but I think a lot of people are at least familiar with the importance when we say gut health, right? The importance of the microbiome. They're familiar with probably probiotics and different things like that. Obviously, fibers coming, getting a little bit more of a starring role when it comes to nutrition. So I think a lot of people have maybe like a foundational level of gut health, but that's what we just want to take it a level deeper of like how incredibly important this really is.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

Yes, and more even more importantly, why we decided to incorporate this into our process with the energy reset. Because again, this was one of those tests that we were like, oh, do we really need it? But basically, when you can get this data along with a really detailed intake form, the information is so valuable.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

It's so valuable. And honestly, what it helps me to kind of put some of the piece, puzzle pieces together is I feel like we are hearing this a lot, a lot, a lot, is and we see this a lot in our practice, right? That it's all the tests are coming back, quote unquote, normal, right? And all so your blood work technically could come back normal. There could be a lot of different things that you're going, you know, even like getting colonoscopies and doing different things. This GI map is very unique in what it is giving you a full picture of. And I think this is where, again, often it's that missing piece because there's these symptoms that the women that and also they're hard. The symptoms I can't, I think we can go into that. Like it's not always obvious, like, oh yeah, my digestion's fine. But right, like if you're not, there's bloating, there's constipation, right? There's all the quote unquote normal gut symptoms that we attribute, but then there's so much more.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

Oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely. And you're talking about when you're talking about your gut, you're talking about all nutrient assimilation happening there. Like if the gut is not healed and sealed and, you know, has the right microbial diversity in it. I mean, that really is like kind of a make or break situation. And we've heard about this for years. And there's so much that goes into gut healing, which is another reason why one person should take glycine for gut healing, let's say, and another person should not. And there's an order of operations there too, which we're really cognizant of when we're thinking about the gut. We're going top down, right? We are thinking about not just small intestine. We're thinking about from the mouth to the anus. Exactly. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 5:51

And there's, and you think about it, like how that process is so intricate, like you said. And so there's so many, I mean, really, like it's kind of like there's one way to look at it, there's so many ways and at different levels that it can go wrong, right? Go awry. So, okay, before we get in, I want to get into specifically like again, literally gut health is the root of basically whole health, right? There's so much to it. But before, so I'm again, this whole episode, I'm probably just gonna get ahead of myself because I'm so passionate about it, because I've also recently experienced it. But what it's measuring, what the GI map, what we're looking at, that's again different from a lot of the other tests. So pathogens, right? H. pylori, normal, good bacteria, also the opportunistic bacteria, right? Fungi, yeast, parasites, worms, digestive markers, intestinal health markers. So, like we're talking about, so like how are you digesting your food? Different markers that we can see. Okay, are you low in stomach acid, different things like that, antibiotic resistant genes? Anything else you want to add, Melissa?

SPEAKER_00 7:10

Like, there's so much that we can it's literally there, it's dense, but um, it's comprehensive. And the devil really is in the details here because, and in interpretation, because somebody might jump the gun and be like, oh, let's just knock out these parasites first before addressing, you know, stomach acid levels or just other burdens on the body. So this is all this test really is so helpful, but it's like anything, the test is only as good as the interpretation. And so, Sarah, you know, you and I have made sure that we understand how to use this test effectively without just going and trying to quote unquote treat a worm or put you through some extensive parasite cleanse that might not serve you right now. And also parasites hide. And so sometimes on these tests, parasites might not even show up, you know, but we are, but we know you have them.

SPEAKER_01 8:16

Right. There's other things we can look at to see, okay, there's an infection or there's something, right? There's an ogre overghost. So it's we're looking for that balance, right? It's never no bad bacteria, right? We're not looking for perfection, it's that balance in the gut, which is just beautiful how we're made, like balance, a homeostasis is what we're going for. But I think that's a really important point because I've heard like just friends in my my friends talking about, oh, I'm gonna go do this cleanse, or I'm gonna take this parasite like or candida like this protocol without really understanding or or knowing what's actually going on in your body. That can be really dangerous, honestly. That can exacerbate exact that's a hard way.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

Exacerbate. Yeah. I mean, it absolutely can, Sarah. And like it frustrated me for years when I first got into this world, this work, because I was a person, I was going through this one particular course, which I am not going to name, and uh, we did a GI map on me as part of the course, just so I could be my own guinea pig. And oh, you have fungus and you have yeast and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You have a parasite. Let's put you through this parasite cleanse. Well, that did not work for me. It made me feel so horrible to do a parasite cleanse. So this is, you know, the practitioner that was kind of overseeing this and helping me learn didn't take into account other things in my intake form that really indicated that I was not ready. I was not ready to jump into this kind of protocol. So it's so important that we take all of those things in consideration. But yeah, a whole picture, right?

SPEAKER_01 10:06

The lifestyle, the season of life. Like you said, like there's so much. So I think that that is something just to be very aware of and cautious with. And that's, I mean, that's truly why having a practitioner, having a guide, it just takes the guesswork out, right? We are trained in this, like, so going through it, yeah, I think that's just really, really important. So again, I think this is really cool to kind of highlight some of the very specific things. Again, we're all kind of learning more and more. We're all learning more and more about the gut and gut health and all of that as research is coming out, but we know for sure, right? 70% of the immune system is in the gut, which is was a big one for me, right? That's a huge part of my story. Is I was one of my symptoms was getting sick all the time. Just literally almost at the by the end, it was almost every week. I had like a low grade fever and feeling like I was getting a cold. Like it was just sucky, right? It was just like just feeling overall crappy, not sleeping, you know. So the immune system specifically, there are markers that can tell you like the immune system, either it's working really hard, it's not, you know, different things about specifically how that's there's that secretory IGA marker that's really helpful for showing us like if the immune system is, you know, functioning properly in the gut.

SPEAKER_00 11:37

And then there's also things that we can tell, like beta-glucaronidase, which is that enzyme that helps that can be elevated when there's like inflammation or things in the gut. So I'll often see when somebody says, Oh, I was diagnosed SIBO, they'll have very high beta-glucaronidase. That enzyme is really high, which is also going to affect your hormones, by the way. So this is another reason why we start with the gut before doing hormone testing. I'm so glad you said that.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

I feel like that's a huge, a huge point to just drive home because again, like hormones are the messengers, right? That's kind of there's that top-down, like they're responding to what's going on in the body, right?

SPEAKER_00 12:17

Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_01 12:18

So yeah. The other thing I feel like is really, really cool, and I just want to highlight is the gut brain connection. And so basically our gut kind of has its own, it's like it's a second brain, right? The enteric nervous system. So the neurons that are produced produces in the gut 90 to 95% of serotonin in the gut, right? Which is is so crazy to think about. So if you just, I mean, just at that base level and the serotonin, right, that feel-good neurotransmitter, that also is the precursor for melatonin, which obviously impacts your sleep and your circadian rhythm and all. So again, I can't say it enough. We are wonderfully and beautifully made. And when it's all working together and balanced, not perfectly, not, you know, but when it's kind of in that harmony as it's supposed to, then everything's kind of working. Then we're sleeping, right? Then we have all of these amazing results. We're feeling good, we have our energy. But again, when there's things going on in the gut that's kind of blocking the ability to produce that serotonin to really like activate the nervous or um the immune system, all of that. And the nervous system. And the nervous system, right? Say so the gut getting back to the gut brain, right? It's that the nervous system, that vagus nerve. So it's sending messages, the gut sending messages up to the brain, the brain sending messages to the gut. So it's it's all connected. And I think, I mean, that's a really I guess to just really again continue to drive on like the importance and the incredibleness of gut health, right?

SPEAKER_00 13:54

Yeah, yeah. Um you know, the gut lining truly is kind of like your skin. Like if you were to imagine your skin, you know, like look at your skin, right? And it keeps the bad things out. And when when we get a cut or whatever, it will let bacteria in. Like that same thing can happen to your gut lining. It is a skin. It's it can become really permeable if we are constantly feeding it inflammatory foods. Um and then, you know, talk speaking of skin issues, when we have gut issues, inflammation, excess toxins that are leaking through a leaky gut, we will often see that in the skin, eczema, psoriasis, acne, et cetera. So again, this is where, you know, clients come in, they're like, I've tried all of these creams and this steroid cream for my skin and blah, blah, blah. But once you address the gut, it's like, oh, wow, that naturally kind of clears up. So when we say root, getting to the root, that's what we're, this is what we're talking about, right?

SPEAKER_01 15:06

Like literally, like, and again, it's not always it, it's never a one size fits all, right? Everybody's gut test is like GI Map's gonna come back with unique things going on. And that's why, again, circling back always to that interpretation and then the plan moving from there is so important and the order of operations as well.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

Yeah. And another thing I just want to bring up really quick, just in full disclosure and honesty, is that every test has its pitfalls too, right? So the GI map has it uses PCR testing, like you had mentioned, but it's essentially like throwing a fishing pole into the ocean. So if you took one GI map today and another GI map tomorrow, we may get slightly different results because the microbial diversity is so different. But this is where the interpretation matters. This is why just looking at test results is not the answer. Yes, this is an extremely valuable test, but it's context, always context. And I think that is where we shine as practitioners, Sarah, because we're looking at the whole person. We're looking at the history, we're looking on did you just go to vacation in Mexico, you know, or whatever. You know, it's like we're looking at context always. And I just have to throw that out there because, like I said, these tests are so valuable. We can get a lot of great information from a lot of different tests, but they all kind of have their pitfalls.

SPEAKER_01 16:37

Yep. I love that. I think that's so important. And I also wanted to say, too, I think when we were talking about like this, is this was a big aha moment. I think even as I was going through my nutritional therapy training of, and it's it makes common sense, but I think it's worth like just reiterating that you could literally be eating the healthiest diet out there and not be absorbing those nutrients properly. So not getting those benefits. I mean, just full stop there. Like that is where I think we see a lot of women coming to us saying, I eat so healthy, I'm eating all the protein they're telling me to. I'm eating so much fiber, like I'm doing, I'm walking, I'm doing that's where we say, like you literally feel like you are, and you you are doing all the right things. You're doing the things you know to do, right, for your health. And this is where we then you feel stuck, you feel frustrated, you start to feel like it's a you problem. Like, what am I doing? Questioning that. So honestly, this is where I feel like this is, I'm getting the chills because this is so, this is the validation, this is the empowerment piece of like, wow, often we will, when that's the case, we're gonna find some things going on in the gut that are preventing that nutrients from being absorbed, right?

SPEAKER_00 17:58

Totally, totally. I mean, just your stress levels alone. It's like you could be eating the best diet in the world, but if your stress is out of this world, then it's like, yeah, that's that's gonna impact your gut. And going back to the immune system, how much of the immune system is kind of housed in the gut. We have had the couple of cases where we have women come in who are kind of resistant to wanting to change their diet up front. But I want to explain just briefly why it's so important that we do that. Because I think we've made it clear in this podcast that we are all about food freedom and intuitive eating eventually, like kind of leading up to that. But when you have this immune system that is very fired up or it's not working, it's the flip side where it's like really muted and it's not responding anymore. It is so important that we really dial in nutrition for that first few months to help calm the immune system. This is not just about like, oh, we're trying to help you release weight or whatever, which should happen once we calm that inflammation and calm the immune system. But that's kind of why we have to take that approach of like, hey, maybe we do have to go gluten dairy, definitely processed sugar free for a few months. And this isn't a forever thing, but this is to calm things down and kind of heal and seal, right? So just wanted to kind of layer in that a little bit about kind of our approach to that, to like what we do when we get those tests back. And last thing that I want to say regarding that is that I also think what kind of sets us apart is that we also are focusing at the cellular level. So those enterocytes that line the gut, like we're really focused on healing those as well. So your whole body is made up of cells. You're made up of 37 trillion cells. So sometimes nutrition, nutritional like inputs alone aren't going to heal the body. Like you really have to focus on all of the foundational things that we always talk about that feed and heal the cells themselves.

SPEAKER_01 20:09

Absolutely. It all comes together. And I definitely I want to get into that when we go over, which we I'm like again, we could talk about the literally just the tests and the benefits and gut health forever. But I definitely want to share, right, my recent experience and kind of what we've been doing. Before we do that, I definitely I want to touch on food sensitivities because I think this is gonna be, this is a big one, right? People listening probably either they're curious if they have them, they've gotten tested, right? Like there's somewhere in there, but we can from the different markers in the GI map, we can see again different things, different things that are pointing us in this direction, like gluten, different things like that. And I think it's so this is the thing for me. And then I want to hear your thoughts on food sensitivities because I just think it's so amazing. Again, like you said, our approach, it's always like, what can we add in? Like, what can we add in versus what can we take out? That's the mindset, and there's all there's going to be a time and a place for removing things, like you said. There's both. And that's where I think it's not black and white, it's not one or the other. And so, like being comfortable with that gray space, and also when you do gut healing, right, often those food sensitivities can improve, right? So it's not this like life sentence.

SPEAKER_00 21:30

I think that is so, so encouraging 100%. And this is that's so encouraging because this is actually I used to run a lot of MRT tests, which is a blood test, and um it is helpful, but I found that it kind of created food fear when I ran those tests. So, yes, we get rid of the most inflammatory, immune, you know, stimulating kind of foods up front for a short time that most people are reactive to when they have a compromised gut. But the rest of it is intuitive. You know your body. You know when you eat X, it doesn't make you feel well right now. Can we reintroduce it later? Absolutely. Let's work on the gut. And I bet you can kind of thing. You know, it's like, so yeah, I mean, there's a ton of markers on this test for why you would maybe be responding to foods poorly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:32

Well, I love that. And I know, like, again, kind of weaving in our approach, it's always through that lens of the grace and understanding, like, and simplicity and so and ease with functionality. Because when we have that specific desire, right, to heal the gut, we have a very clear path. So it's mixing all of those things. And honestly, I think we can kind of get into my recent experience because that that was a big, that was a big piece of it for me because I had, you know, really again years ago when I was experiencing all those symptoms when we worked together, right? There were so many things that came up. I did a GI map back in the day, and parasites did come up and different things. And we did approach it at that point a little bit different too, right? I mean, we're always learning and evolving.

SPEAKER_00 23:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:29

Yeah. And and so, and like you said, a similar, like there were, I did, that's the thing. My body did eventually, I came, I found a rhythm and we figured that out.

SPEAKER_00 23:40

And so, really, when we layered in the mineral balancing for you, that's kind of when it kind of like, it was like, oh, okay, now I'm feeling like I have the energy back. But yeah, I mean, that was one of those perfect examples of like then, yes, you had parasites present, but we probably definitely actually should have done some things at that time to nourish the adrenals, kind of build you up a little bit before throwing you into the fire with the, so to speak.

SPEAKER_01 24:08

Yeah, prepare, prepare my body, right? To exactly, literally, like is what we do and what what I am currently doing. So I recently did a GI map because I was starting to feel it was interesting again, speaking to like that deep connection with my body and how, you know, that's really what we also foster throughout the entire program. We the whole point is make you are the expert in you. So helping you to connect dots to this is what I'm feeling, right? I didn't sleep well, just yeah, always coming back to that. And so I think that's really what I was starting to just, I feel like slip a little bit back into like, oh, like I'm seeing not, I'm getting sick a little bit more often. Like my sleep is a little bit worse. Like there's just these nights where it's like, so I started wearing an aura ring, and I can very clearly tell, even if I got, I was in bed for a certain amount and I got, you know, the eight hours, it wasn't quality sleep. There wasn't the deep sleep. It was very, there were things like that. Um, my digestion was a little bit off. I was definitely, which is was different for me, right? Like that wasn't usually an issue. And I so different things started popping up. So I was like, okay, I'm gonna do a GI map. I'm really curious to see what's going on. And so drum rolls. I mean, there were a few things that came back that were like, oh wow, okay, we got some work to do. Number one, we got some work to do. And like I said, more than anything, and I think this is the encouragement piece too of like, once you know, of course you can't unknow, but it's also not like, oh now, I don't know. It's not a sentence, it's not like this is horrible to me. And the the mindset I would love to encourage is just like this is data like that I can use to feel better. Like that's such a gift. And so what did we find? We found H. pylori, which you want to explain what that is.

SPEAKER_00 26:20

It's it's a bacteria that about 50% of the population has, but are asymptomatic, which I would say that you were asymptomatic, but your your H. pylori was quite high, you know? And so, you know, I not to throw your husband in there, but he also had H. pylori. And I was like, you see this a lot of times in partners because they'll kind of pass the H. pylori back and forth. So even though before we had addressed the H. pylori, it's likely that you got it again from him after, you know, clearing it. So um anyway, most people are asymptomatic, but it does lower stomach acid significantly for a lot of people. And so this is because the it's a natural defense mechanism for the body to lower stomach acid, because when stomach acid increases, it drives those little bugs deeper into the gut lining. Yeah. So, you know, that's it, it has a downstream impact on everything else. Right.

SPEAKER_01 27:22

And and and that is why the interpretation is so important. It's like we're like, oh, okay, so that makes sense because what also came up was another parasite, right? So there could be a few things going on because I only took that first GI map, and then this is my second one, like three years later, right? Four, I don't even, I lose track of time. But I also went through last year when I had the surgery for my forehead, I went through rounds of antibiotics, right? And so that's a big one, right? Antibiotics and just different, I mean, again, there's so many different things.

SPEAKER_00 27:58

Like antibiotics were necessary in that situation, but they absolutely compromise the gut.

SPEAKER_01 28:04

Like it makes sense, right? So I wasn't, I also wasn't shocked. I was like, I knew going through that, you know, you do your best, like with the probiotics, like you do your best after taking the antibiotics, and there's still, you know, there's still work to be done. So again, there was there's a specific parasite that showed up. And then the big one for me was the immune markers again, right? That the specific ones that we really, um, the secretory IgA really kind of sh, again, that helped me. That was validating, like, okay, that because again, comparing to my husband's test, like he had those immune markers were normal, like in the normal range, right? And that's the other thing with the GI map. There's a range, it's not just good, bad, right? Like it's very much a range, and then there's like a functional range we're looking at, all of that. But yeah, my immune markers showed up like, okay, there's some work to be done here. And all of those things together were kind of painted the picture of, well, that makes sense. Like I also do feel like I will say, so those were my kind of results and what we saw with the test.

SPEAKER_00 29:15

And then you had, you correct me if I'm wrong. I don't have it pulled up right here, but didn't you have pretty low commensal bacteria, which is the good bacteria? Yes. And then you have that, I forget which strain, but you also had a couple commensal strains that were high, which again, the balance piece in the gut. When we have even that good commensal bacteria really high, that can cause issues too. So we're not just looking at opportunistic, what can we kill, kill, kill? It's what can we balance? What can we it's like lowest effective dose to see what the body and the immune system can do on its own. That's important because I can't tell you how many other people I've seen, including myself, go through a gut protocol and feel absolutely terrible during and after. Because it was just too much. It was too much killing. It was like, yeah. I think we're hopefully steering away from that. And the, you know, as practitioners as a whole, I think I'm seeing more people be like, this isn't working. Because it's not.

SPEAKER_01 30:20

Yeah. And it's it, and I think that's so, again, that's so encouraging to know for me from my perspective. It does, it just makes logical sense too, because I'm thinking, okay, there's it's just and I think about like the microbiome, honestly, like it's so cheesy, but literally like a garden. Like it is literally your garden. It is. And so, but what and when you think about it, I don't garden. Let's let's just keep it real. It's not like I have a garden outside. It's not my thing, but I do feel like it's helpful for me to think about my gut and my gut health and in that way of like when I'm adding in again, some of the things I'm doing, I'll go over some of those specific, but when I'm adding in these new habits like oil pulling, right? Loving that, by the way. Good. I love it. Oh my gosh, it's so cute. It's yeah. We'll go, I'll circle back, but adding in the have apple cider vinegar, bone broth, right? In addition to the foundational things that I really was already doing, the sunlight uh in the morning, the the water with the salt and the lemon in the morning. It's it just feels like it's no longer a to-do list. Like, let me check this off. And I'm grudging through. I'm like, I am, and it's again, this this is why I'm so passionate about it, because I'm literally doing it right now and I'm so excited to help women through this process uh because I know how powerful it is. I feel the changes like just energetically in my body. I've been doing it now for like two weeks, the kind of the plan that we set out. And so much of that, right, is just implementing these habits that are really supporting and nourishing my garden, my gut garden.

SPEAKER_00 32:08

Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, I'm actually glad you brought up the oil pooling thing because, again, that's just another way that we truly are looking at the entire digestive system. We're not just looking at the stomach, we're not just looking at the intestines, we're not just, we're looking at it truly from this top-down approach. Like your oral microbiome is going to reflect the status of your gut microbiome and vice versa, you know? So yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. And it it does become joyful when you start feeling better. The, you know, the flip, the other side of that is like, you know, those first four, five, six days when you're starting a new protocol like this, there is a lot of resistance. And it it can bring up a lot of feelings for people, which I know this is kind of going off on a tangent, but I just want to be real that I mean, if you don't mind me saying, like, even your first five days of your protocol, you were like, Ugh, you know, you were like, ugh, I hate this right now. And it was just the change and the um, even like, you know, even when we create protocols for ourselves, there is that human side of us that's like, is this working? Right. Like, is this even doing anything? Exactly. I know, yeah. For you, you knew it was doing something because you were like, I've got a headache from hell and I'm gonna lay in bed today. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:38

Yeah, I think those, I mean, there's so much to that. So, and just to put anyone listening at ease of like that truly is our process, first of all, with the energy reset, is that we get that GI map, right? And the functional blood work. And then we together, Melissa and I, look at everything, your detailed health intake, which tells us your season of like, your history, all of the things. And we put it all together into a very personalized plan. So, what I've been doing these last two weeks and my plan moving forward to to work on the H. pylori, the parasites, my immune markers, that's gonna look different from what your blueprint and your plan is gonna look like, right? And ultimately, but and I guess just to reiterate that, but I love that reminder too. I do think, because I am so, I mean, freedom is one of our core values. And when it comes to food, I mean, this is a whole other episode. We have kind of, we definitely not kind of, we've covered this in other episodes, but there is an emotional component, right? Of course, that, and I think that's a beautiful, amazing thing that honestly I think it's part of how we were designed to find joy in the food, right? And whole foods that were just designed to nourish us. And I feel like often, I will say that was part of what was kind of happening too. It's like I see for myself some of my nutrition habits, right? A little bit more sugar here, a little bit more process, like relying on it, which again is not wrong or bad, but I can see when those habits are slipping a little bit. And so there's, I truly believe there's a time and a place then to kind of dial it in. And again, one of those times is when you're on a specific protocol, when and if it calls for that. And knowing that, just trusting that process and having that clarity of like, I am doing this for a very specific reason. I think that's the other thing with diets, right? And elimination diets, like randomly, that like, oh, well, I've heard this is bad. So I'm just gonna randomly cut it out. But maybe you don't need to.

SPEAKER_00 35:54

Like, you don't need to, maybe. No, gosh, yeah. I mean, there there's you've heard it with everything. Eggs, fiends, like fiends are bad, eggs are bad. No, it's we we have lots of conversations about this, but yeah, I um I love that. I love that perspective. And like, I mean, I obviously share that with you.

SPEAKER_01 36:14

Well, and that's where all honestly also having like first of all, two practitioners and having that we also include those one-on-one coaching calls, where that's those are the conversations. Like, honestly, that's what I love to talk with women about is like working through those roadblocks, getting over those even again, like whatever fears, whatever roadblocks when it comes to actually implementing the protocol and the plan that is designed for you. That's the other piece of what we do. And we're working with you, it's the accountability. And I think often that's also such a missing piece because somebody, because I mean, but it's also the safety.

SPEAKER_00 36:54

Like, yes, we're keeping our process is set up to make gut healing as safe and effective as possible. Because a lot of these, you can get parasite cleansing herbs everywhere now. I think you can probably get them at Walgreens. You know, it's like, and I see so many people blindly doing these parasite cleanses. And there's a couple of reasons why this is problematic, a lot of reasons, actually. But first, usually people aren't addressing drainage and detox pathways, which is where we start. Second, you know, when you're killing something, when you're taking antimicrobial herbs, like I know people who take oregano oil every single day. And I'm like, boy, that is a very potent antimicrobial, you know, and it is not benign in your gut. So, you know, people will take these antimicrobial herbs and they think they're doing something good. But, you know, if you're not being really intentional about, let's say, um, addressing strep in the gut, okay, if you're not being super intentional about that, you're you're kind of making that strep issue worse because these gut bugs, they want to survive, they want to live and thrive in you. So they create biofilms. And when you have those biofilms, they don't let like those antimicrobial herbs even touch them. So that's another thing. When we talk about the process, we're thinking through okay, drainage detox pathways, increasing stomach acid, you know, um, we're thinking about breaking down biofilms, but then comes killing if we need it. Right. So like I just I want to take people through that this really is a strategic process and to be done safely to make sure you're not killing a parasite and then releasing all of its heavy metals and fungus and mold back into your system, we have to do it right.

SPEAKER_01 39:01

No, I think I mean, especially these days, right? Because you could like it's so accessible, like you said. I think that's such a great reminder. Um, so as we're kind of wrapping up, uh, I did want to just share, I think even after some of like even after just these two weeks specifically, I'm already I'm definitely releasing inflammation, like on the scale, yes, but also just in overall. Like you you're more energetic. You're more energetic, like the energy is crazy because it's not like off the wall, like ah, some days actually. Some days I am like I can do all the things.

SPEAKER_00 39:40

Well you have been like texting me so much, and I've got this idea. It's like your brain is totally back online. Well, it's not that you were offline, it just feels like I can truly feel the life force, yeah, from you. And that's that's how I feel. Oh, that's interesting.

SPEAKER_01 39:56

Yeah, I'm waking up early, just like whoop, yeah, I'm up. And and honestly, I will say too, it's that it's that consistent. Like sometimes, okay, yes, three o'clock when I'm picking up the kids, there's a little bit of that, like, oh, like, okay, gotta do the next thing. But it's not this like steep crash where I'm like, I need caffeine, sugar, or an app. Like, it's like, okay, I got this. Like, let me just recalibrate. Like, say, so it's definitely the energy and then the the sleep. So, like I said, it's it's still in my digestion, everything's still recalibrated, right? Like it's not like uh two weeks and I'm good to go. It's very much a full process, and I'm so looking forward to retesting in a couple months because I'm just so dialed in and I can't wait. So we'll definitely like give an update as well. Um, but the sleep, so it was getting, you know, again, I mean, sometimes if you kind of know that that score, I mean, it's basically out of a hundred, so it's dipping down sometimes into the 70s to like 80s, mid-80s. And now I'm like seeing 90, mid-90, like not every night, but it's definitely like it's popping in there. And I'm like, all right, like this thing's we're moving and grooving. Again, it just it really does feel like my body's coming online. I feel like my body's like, okay, giving it the inputs that it needs. And our body is so, so smart. Like it's gonna work with us when we give it the input.

SPEAKER_00 41:27

Yes. And we should also say, like, when our clients are going through things, we are not like, oh, just push through it. Like, just push through it. Unless we know that it's gonna be okay. Like, unless it's like, okay, we know that day three, four is probably not gonna be super fun. But kind of coming out of that day five, six, it's like so worth that slump, in my opinion, of wanting to lay in bed for maybe days three, four to have that energy and come back online fully with new vitality on the other side, you know? And it's just like I want to just paint the picture of being real, real about the healing process. And we have seen absolutely amazing things with this process that we're doing. And sleep score is one of the first things I see. Like this, I'm thinking of a client right now that we just did this with. And she day two, she was like, My sleep score is in the 90s, it's not been like that for years, you know? And I was like, wait, we're on the right.

SPEAKER_01 42:36

It's so validating to see that, to see a number. We all love to see that number.

SPEAKER_00 42:42

It is validating. But yeah, did you wanna? I know you mentioned oil pulling. Did you want to go over that?

SPEAKER_01 42:48

Oh, yeah. Okay. So, and and again, when the different things I will say too, like the dip, like I said, apple cider vinegar, bone broth, and these are just like specific to me. These are the things that I'm, you know, they're generally like gut healing, different things. But again, when we if you if you're interested to learn more, we'll kind of tell you where you can go to learn more. We can hop on a discovery call. Um, because even those habits, right, are so bioindividual.

SPEAKER_00 43:18

Yes, exactly. And I just even as you were saying apple cider vinegar, I was like, yep, I can think of a handful of circumstances where you shouldn't take apple cider vinegar, you know. So that's that nuance. That's what we're trained for. But yeah, I know you you had just started oil pooling for the for the first time. I think we were like wiz noting or something.

SPEAKER_01 43:37

No, literally, I had known about it, but it was one of those things kind of like back in the day when you told me to do a coffee anema, and I was like, it's not the same, but it's it's that same vibe of like I knew it was a thing, but I was like, It's necessary. Yeah, kind of is it necessary? And also like it feels like I don't know, yeah, one more step of like ah um also just the unknown. I think that was the thing for me. It was like, I don't know what to do, how to do it. I talked to Melissa and I was like, because I saw you post on Instagram, by the way. If you're not following Melissa on Instagram, you definitely need to go do that because it's so good. I mean, truly, but the oil pulling in the morning, and I was like, okay, tell. Tell me what you do, how to do it, all the things. And it literally, it's just so simple. What I've been doing is I got the coconut oil, like the small little coconut oil. And first thing in the morning, I just layered it in where we talk about habit stacking, create those new rhythms. What am I already doing? I was already scraping my tongue every morning. Like that, I have to do that before I like go downstairs. So I just added that in. I started putting a little bit in my mouth and I'm swishing it around while I'm going to the bathroom, making my bed, you know, all of those things. And then only like five minutes too. Yeah. Just kind of swishing it around. And it's like, I so and then spit it into the trash, not me. Yep. And I swear I can, and then I scrape. I get so much more on the scraper, first of all. Like, because it's all kind of bringing, and I I my mouth feels cleaner, first of all. It just feels cleaner. And then, like we said before, kind of bringing in that piece. It feels very aligned with the gut healing, like the north to south. Like this is some, this is a very simple, easy habit I can implement that can help me in my goal of healing my gut right now.

SPEAKER_00 45:33

Yes, 100%. 100%. And you know, people in the all or in the Western medicine or or maybe traditional dental dentistry space will be like, no, there's no merit to that. There are more and more studies coming out all the time about the benefits of oil pulling on your entire microbiome. Yeah. So yeah. And it's so easy. Yes, it's five minutes. Yeah. It's five minutes. And like you said, if nothing else, it's like it just makes your mouth feel better. It does. It does like it. If nothing else, you know, it's like my mouth feels great after I'm done. But it is doing something. So, and especially if you've got that immune component, and especially if you've struggled with like strep infections as a kid or even in your adult life, like oil pulling is where it's at as a practical step.

SPEAKER_01 46:26

Yeah, definitely go try that and let us know how it goes. I do think that's something we can recommend to all, right? Like that's yeah, like pretty safe.

SPEAKER_00 46:34

Just make sure your oils are good. Like you want to do, like if you do, I think it's um sesame, sunflower, and coconut oil are like the main ones. But you want to make sure they're like cold pressed and organic. And you just need a little bit each day.

SPEAKER_01 46:52

So it's like it lasts. Okay, so let's wrap it up. I feel like this has been honestly so fun and such. Oh, before I did want to touch on, okay, because this is a question, is like, how does how does the test work? Like, how do you get the sample?

SPEAKER_00 47:07

You want to poop in a taco, uh, what is it called? I was like, you know those nacho cups or nacho like a whatever, like that you can get out of a ballgame. You're gonna you're gonna poop in one of those, okay? Then you're gonna take a little, a little scooper and put it in a liquid thing tube and shake it up, and it's disgusting, but it's great.

SPEAKER_01 47:26

And then you mail it and you're done and you get incredible feedback. To me, it's one of the easier tests. Like it's not, I mean, there's a lot like you go anywhere, right? Do it at your home. It's very simple. And again, when we do it with our clients, we have a very clear like instructions, all of that.

SPEAKER_00 47:46

It's just just streamlined, super easy. Prep for it is not hard, is what I think we were trying to say. Like some of these functional tests and just tests in general, there's a lot of like weird prep you have to do for them. The GI map is not really like that.

SPEAKER_01 48:01

So we're all about simplicity, ease, and efficiency. So, anyway, I just wanted to touch on that. Okay, let's officially kind of wrap it up. This has been so fun. So, like we've been mentioning, we have our four-month energy reset program, which ultimately, again, you get the functional blood work, the GI map, with which just in and of themselves are such an incredible value. But then you get two practitioners to interpret and then create your personal blueprint and protocol from those testing, like we mentioned also from all of the detailed questions and interviews that we also do to bring it all together. And so you have a very specific plan. And then we do one-on-one coaching sessions throughout the four-month, you know, kind of the four-month container that will help you to implement that. We will provide this is the cool thing I love about coaching, is that everybody's gonna need a little bit, well, I mean, different support. And maybe you need more specific meal plans, maybe you need more recipe ideas, maybe you need like we can do all of those things. We can we work it out, we we figure it out how to help you implement your specific blueprint.

SPEAKER_00 49:21

So yeah, yeah, 100% and understand your body better. Like this is all, that's what that like at the very end of the day. That is what this is all about. Is when you become autonomous and you really understand how your body's working, why things are happening the way they are, that is so empowering. And that is at least a third of the energy reset is like that's gives you energy. That gives you energy back. Mental clarity is energy, you know?

SPEAKER_01 49:52

Well, I think that's what so many people, but specifically the women coming to us, they're frustrated, stuck, confused, and just overwhelmed with information. And I know a million things to do, but I don't know what to do. Like, literally, like that's that's the crazy thing. And it's also that that per like we get stopped in our tracks because there's so many things we could do, right? So it's that clarity and that freedom to just then go live your life and you walk away with a very, like you said, understanding, a clear, and then really a toolbox because our goal, right, is to send you off with all of the things you need to be able to then sustain this and come back to the foundations, know what works for your body and not necessarily need somebody, need us for the rest of time, right? We want to help you to then be empowered to go and do the thing and feel amazing. So, oh my gosh, this was so, so fun! Such a great episode. Thanks, Melissa. Thank you.