Healthy Gut, Healthy You: The Personalized Plan to Transform Your Health from the Inside Out

by Michael Ruscio

Are you experiencing depression, fatigue, thyroid imbalances, joint pain, insomnia, brain fog, inflammation or autoimmunity? Did you know your symptoms could be caused by a problem in your gut? Even if you don't have gas, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea and/or constipation you could greatly benefit from improving your health at the core, your gut.In Healthy Gut, Healthy You, clinician and researcher Dr. Michael Ruscio shows how modern lifestyle changes and the widespread use of antibiotics have made our guts more vulnerable than ever before.The good news is that almost any ailment can be healed. The key is not just managing the symptoms but treating the root cause; the gut. Restoring this crucial part of your overall health improves the performance of your whole body from the inside out - and it's easier than you think to get started.You don't have to follow crazy diets or spend a fortune to get healthy. Instead, read Healthy Gut, Healthy You to A vibrant, healthy you begins with your gut! Start healing your body today with Healthy Gut, Healthy You!

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Nutrition, Science, Reference, Food, Self Help

625 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 15, 2018

Reviews

[Phaedon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be the best book on health that I've ever read. I am truly impressed by the quality of Ruscio's work. Not only is it extremely detailed and informative, Ruscio goes to great pains to back up every assertion he makes with proper clinical data. The volume and quality of citations is staggering.

I also particularly appreciated Ruscio's efforts to give a balanced view. He's one of the only writers in any genre who I've seen citing the data that contradict his claims. He does an admirable job of explaining why he has arrived at the conclusions he shares.

Perhaps most importantly, after giving the reader a solid foundation in the relevant science, biology and nutrition (with an explanation of how to value different types of clinical data), Ruscio offers a crystal clear, systematic, sequenced approach to addressing gut issues. Frankly, this roadmap is better than anything any doctor of any type has ever given me.

If you're suffering from any kind of digestive health issue, perhaps even any type of chronic health issue, I would definitely recommend that you read this book.

[Jonathan Trotter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Next step after proper nutrition

I have tried many, many diets and nutrition plans to help with stomach and energy issues, most with little success. Dr. Ruscio’s book gave me the next steps to take without going to a doctor who doesn’t listen and doesn’t care. Some of the info can be a bit difficult at times but it is thoroughly researched, unbiased information and is extremely meaningful. Great read and great action plan!

[Jacqie Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you struggle with bloating or IBS symptoms? You absolutely have to read this book! I realized recently that my gut health is not ideal, and I've been looking for resources on how to fix it. My sister has SIBO and gave me this book to borrow and I'm so glad she did! This is the best book about gut health, it goes super in depth, informed me on a whole bunch of things I didn't know, and has an 8 step plan to heal. I'll be starting the plan May 1st and working my way to better gut health!

[Zach Waldis · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is worth saying at the outset that Ruscio is a chiropractor and practices "alternative" medicine. It's a bit depressing to not have someone who is a specialist in the digestive system telling you how to get your gut working well. He advocates for the Paleo diet and probiotics. Really you don't need to read the book.

[Bruno Azevedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book very enlightening in so many areas of health.
I definitely know more about the role of the gut in our overall wellbeing. I've also gained a set of tools that will allow making me feel better through careful listening to my body, applying some logic and depending less on doctors and unnecessary lab tests.

[Jam on toast · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and keep going back to it. It taught me so much. It did made me want to take better care of my health. I am starting gym soon and working on giving up sugar for a start.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very wide breadth, discussing things like prebiotics, probiotics, FMT and stomach acid.
The depth is a little lacking and I dislike his recommendation of somewhat broad stroke antibiotics (e.g. allicin and berberine). I wouldn't recommend those without a stool test and a patient history as they could wipe out good bacteria. That being said, all in all a good book

[D. Bojangles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive and structured

I liked the way Dr. Ruscio is research first minded but still willing to go outside of "evidence based practice" when we do not have any research available on a particular topic. Evidence guided practice? Is that a thing? Highly recommended.

[Paul Bard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book in its field.

I've read a few books on this subject. This is the best. Here's why,:

1. Evidence based. Each chapter is packed with studies.

2. Beautifully written. Accessible, kind, considered, flexible, non-pushy. Extremely well written.

3. Simple. It takes dozens of complex systems, processes, methods, and diets and synthesizes them in a simple but not simplistic way.

4. Supported. The documentation website is up and comprehensive. There's a vast range of options available on the site.

5. Solution based. It not only gives a solution but gives a simple way to verify it and test it throughout.

This is the best book in the field. Buy it and study it. It's superb.

[Jana Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so thorough, which makes it quite dense. But it is comprehensive and I like his approach. I especially like his constant reassurance that we’re all different and it’s really a matter of figuring out your own body and what works for you rather than listening to the constant barrage of differing information and opinions in the health world. Also liked that his perspective was science based but also comes from a functional medicine standpoint.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Borrowed this book from Kindle lending library. I was interested in this because as I get older, my stomach no longer likes many foods that I used to enjoy before. I did learn some things, but not as much as I wished. It was also a very repetitive book. 2.4 stars.

[Noelle]

If it turns out I don’t have to take allergy meds all of a sudden from this I’m going to die

[Fabs · Rating 2 out of 5]

TL;DR: this feels like a 700-pages-long sales pitch. The author heavily pushes herbal remedies over antibiotics - which is ok - but doesn't focus on the actual herbals to take: he conveniently pushes some "Biota-Clear1" and "BiotaClear2" pills... sold on his site. And I'm honestly quite horrified that nobody else seems to have noticed it.

Now the longer version.

I picked up this book from r/SIBO, a community where people with this gut issue can discuss and share their experiences, and the name of the book popped up often. Starting this book, I was pretty excited: I'm a fan of functional medicine, and I'm all in for an approach that tries to tie together drugs and change in lifestyle. The first chapters of the book were pretty exciting too, as the author put a lot of effort into explaining different types of studies, and stressed that clinical practice should be based on revisions and meta studies rather than animal and in vitro studies. All good.

The first issue started with diet. The author doesn't just suggest a lowFODMAP diet; he often mentions that people with gut issues should also avoid gluten. He does specify at first that not all people are sensitive to gluten, and that those that do handle gluten correctly can keep eating it, but then he goes on for the entire book stressing that gluten should be generally avoided - not sure why.

Then, a paragraph catched my eye. "My philosophy is that when science shows no consensus, I default to favoring the ancestral option. Artificial sweeteners are a modern invention, so I lean toward considering them guilty until proven innocent. On the other hand, my view of foods and lifestyle practices that have been present for the majority of our evolution is that they are innocent until proven guilty."
This is total nonsense, completely outside of a scientific approach. What makes a food "innocent" or "guilty" - and it's already pretty weird to classify food in such a dichotomic way, in my opinion - should always be research, not whether it is natural or not. This is the opposite of following the scientific method, and IMO it shows a huge bias on the author's side. This started to make me think that something was off.

My theories were confirmed when, after 500 pages or so, I reached the "Remove" step of the "Great-in-8" plan (a name that really smells like marketing...). The suggested cure for SIBO, IBD and other gut issues were a group of pills, all named "Biota-Clear"-something, sold on the author's website. If this was to be a sincere, "uninterested" guide on how to heal from gut issues, I would have honestly expected a list of the herbs that supposedly helps you heal; at that point, the author could suggest his site as an easy way to get the needed herbs. Instead, the plan is solely based on the pills sold by the author.

Adding even more smell:
* I honestly still expected to be offered a choice between herbals and antibiotics. I'm still ok with just getting herbals, but the idea that herbals are as effective as antibiotics comes from a single study from 2014 ( DOI: 10.7453/gahmj.2014.019 ), which has numerous flaws such as a relatively small sample size, or that the dose of antibiotic given was smaller than the one used clinically; and most importantly... the result is not statistically significant.
* I ended up going to the author's site to have an idea of what the suggested herbals are. I was pretty surprised to see that many of the herbals in the pills.. are supported by in vitro studies, which the author himself said to discard in his book.

All in all, there are some parts of the book that I genuinely enjoyed - such as the part on the effect of antibiotics use on small children, or the general suggestion to follow diets as better as possible, even if that's not 100% percent. It also gave me some really interesting insight on how we could work on a new approach to medicine, where we try to tackle issues in a systemic way rather than with just drugs. The whole book was also very comprehensible and readable, without too much scientific jargon and very easy even for a non-native speaker as me. However, there seems to be a bit of a conflict of interest, most noticeable through the author's choice of pushing his own pills rather than listing the names of the herbals and explaining their use.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written book on the gut. This is a very easy read and the lay out of the chapters is reminds me of a textbook, with subheadings, side notes and chapter summaries. Nice thing about this book is if there is opposing views on a subject, he will discuss the research supporting and negating both and describe when one might be appropriate vs the other.

[Maxim]

i mean this book is much better than an average german doctor but also very neurotic about controlling all of the foods - this topic was touched briefly but not completely covered in the book

upd: i felt awful after his modified diet, i guess my blood sugar dropped - bad that he is not speaking about the risks like that in the book !

upd2: but it healed my IBS woohoo

[Hal · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extensive look at how your digestive system gets out of whack and what this doctor claims will put it back in positive order. He delves deeply into many studies and tests that have been conducted in the medical community and how to interpret these findings as significant or maybe not.

Dr. Ruscio introduces his 8 step program to rebalance what goes on in the gut and getting it to function better for those who just don't feel right. There are many processes and experimentations to deal with and I would think only the very serious folks who want a change and a hope to be healthier would take this on as it seems quite consuming. But if it makes for improvement then probably worth the effort.

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be clear, the 4 stars are for the research, the studies, the ability to actually say multiple times within the book "We don't know." It's pretty gutsy to be able to say that in permanent print.

Not for the multiple times he directs you to his own site to buy the plan.

[Beth Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched, well written.
I'd love to talk with him about his journey into functional medicine.

[Kristie J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. This book gave a good overview of the various ways you can heal your gut, including changing your diet to reduce the allergens you consume and using probiotics, herbal antimicrobials, and a variety of other supplements. The diets the author suggests that are low in allergens include the paleo diet (broadest), autoimmune paleo diet (stricter), or low FODMAP diet (strictest). There is not much detailed information about these diets in the book. It seems that the author assumes you have heard of them before. I think to give these diets a try, the reader will have to read a separate book about them to really understand them. I first learned about the autoimmune paleo diet from a nutritionist who was very helpful in teaching me about the diet and encouraging me on how to survive on it.

For most of the book, the author methodically goes through his protocol for gut healing, reviewing scientific literature in a logical fashion to debunk common myths and support the steps in his protocol. There is some good information here about how to have a healthy lifestyle focused on scientific studies and not just internet hype.

At the end of the book, the author presents his Great-in-8 plan, an 8-step plan that starts with changes that will likely make the biggest impact on your health (diet) and proceeds logically through other steps to eradicate SIBO and other gut ailments, and then onto rebalancing, weaning off the supplements, and maintaining a healthy gut in the future. I liked the logical way the author summarized scientific literature in a way that was easy to read and understand. I didn't quite like the way he referred to the gut microbiota as "gut bugs," but I guess that makes it easy to say. I also liked the way he does not recommend a plethora of tests that may or may not yield useful information. Sometimes it's just as easy to try a treatment, such as probiotics, and see if you improve and a test may not be necessary. His Great-in-8 plan includes lots of supplements he sells on his website. I was a bit taken aback at the quantity of the supplements at each stage, but I'm not used to taking supplements, so maybe that's why. I'm considering trying Step 2 in his plan and seeing how it goes. (I'm already doing step 1, the autoimmune paleo diet).

[Toby Brennen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Healthy Gut, Healthy You” by Dr. Michael Ruscio is exactly what it’s subtitle claims - a ‘personalized plan to transform your health from the inside out’. This is not a diet plan. In a sense, it’s not a lifestyle recommendation. Dr. Ruscio’s book provides an outline for a methodology for improving your health. The book is a frame-work for how to ‘figure out what works for you’. Face it! Most of us know intuitively that there isn’t one fixed answer on how to improve our overall health, as most diets and eating plans, workout schemas and exercise plans imply. Whether geographic genetics, or environmental disruptors, everyone is impacted differently, though there are some very common factors. Understanding these factors enables you to make better, more informed choices.

“Healthy Gut, Healthy You” is very well organized with each chapter presented in a consistent format. In addition, information is supported by references (tons) to relevant studies, organized from most relevant to least relevant. Focused primarily on gut health, there is an abundance of evidence linking various conditions to your gut condition. When Dr. Ruscio provides a prescriptive recommendation for a condition and a possible solution; he typically identifies products he offers as alternatives to other available solutions.

At minimum, the book provides a disciplined approach to solving health issues. On the positive side, much of the approach has the potential to be a life changer. (4/5)

[Presto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Michael Ruscio's book, Healthy Gut, Healthy You, is a comprehensive and informative guide to gut health. However, it is not without its flaws.

The book is well-written and well-researched. Ruscio covers a wide range of topics, including the microbiome, the immune system, and the role of the gut in overall health. He also provides a number of practical tips for improving gut health.

However, the book can be a bit overwhelming for the layperson. Ruscio uses a lot of technical jargon, and he often gets bogged down in the details. This can make it difficult to follow his arguments and apply his advice.

Overall, Healthy Gut, Healthy You is a valuable resource for anyone who is interested in learning more about gut health. However, it is not a casual read. If you are not familiar with the basics of gut health, you may want to start with a more introductory book.

Here are some of the pros and cons of the book:

Pros:

-Comprehensive and informative
-Well-written and well-researched
-Provides a number of practical tips for improving gut health

Cons:

-Can be overwhelming for the layperson
-Uses a lot of technical jargon
-Often gets bogged down in the details

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about gut health. However, I would also recommend that you start with a more introductory book if you are not familiar with the basics of gut health.

[Martine Setsaas · Rating 3 out of 5]

learned a lot about our gut, that I will also take into practice, so thank you for that!
However, I was extremely dissapointed that he recommends the paleo diet. Like lets heal our guts and humans, but fuck up our planet so that we dont have a place to live. We can't have 8 billion human carnivores, eating eggs, chicken and beef 3 times a day as his meal plan recommends. There is simply not enough space on the planet. And why the hell would you recommend that much suffering? Do you have no compassion in your soul dr. Ruscio?? Further have you read non of the science clearly showing such a high meat intake leads to cardiovascular diseases and colon-cancer? Does not matter if your cow is free-range and organic, it's not healthy and not sustainable.
Sad.sad.sad.
Will not listen to his podcast anymore either.

I would rather recommend to find a book about gut health that brings into the importance of sustainability as well.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want information, this book has it.
If you want a readable book that doesn't bounce around the same topic throughout multiple chapters, begs you multiple times to put the book down and log into the author's site, or one that doesn't dance around the point, this book isn't for you.

I don't know if the editing team at Girl Friday Productions had no idea how to handle a book like this or if Dr. Ruscio has no clue how to write a book that people actually want to read in one sitting; either way, trying to slog through this book is beyond terrible.

I read Lifespan by Dr. David Sinclair (50 pages longer) three times with no issues, but I want to gouge my eyes out trying to read this monstrosity. I'm only giving it three stars because the information provided is worth that, but the writing and editing is utter crap.

[Tal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the least dogmatic book about health I've ever read. Dr. Ruscio teaches the read how to treat studies about health, and how to look at these studies from a bird's eye view. This helped me as a reader to truly have a clear picture of how I can build a good environment in my guy for microbiome. I feel a lot more knowledgeable after reaching the book and I know how to looks at "Study found that ..." sort of newsarticles with a critical eye. At the end of the book Dr. Ruscio gives an 8-step program to clean and rebuild your gut 'ecosystem' from the ground up. I didn't doo the program because it's quite a lot of effort to implement it. Although it did make a lot of sense to me, and I'm keeping the book for when I will want to implement the program.

[Kim Slack · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author says there is an "ideal" gut biome community for each of us, but apparently the only clear way of knowing what that is, is by the absence of some symptoms.

Clearly, not enough is known about this science to make good diagnostic recommendations, but that doesn't stop some from making some interesting (and perhaps extreme) dietary recommendations. More science is needed on ways to know healthy gut bacteria communities and how unhealthy communities can be restored.

As much as I'd like to get better, trying a bunch of different dietary recommendations without a diagnosis is folly. Placebo anyone? Scientifically shown to work!

[Lisa in AZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is useful as an introduction to the vast biome that lives within our digestive system, and is invaluable aid for learning how to fine tune the bacterial balance in our small intestines in order to optimize so many facets of our health. I began reading with an interest in choosing an appropriate probiotic to improve my blood pressure and regularity, and learned that maintaining gut health is central to abating troublesome symptoms of mental health as well, including brain fog and poor memory.

[Cari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reviews science literature and breaks it down to everyday English. The health of your gut really influences your overall health. While the author does sell supplements, he doesn't suggest that *everyone* will benefit from everything on his medicine shelf. He acknowledges that we are all unique in our dietary needs and gives guidelines to follow to help find your most healthy self. There are some "duh" moments and some "ah ha!" moments in the book. I recommend it for anyone looking to change their lifestyle starting with the food they eat.

[Anke Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I have ever read on gut health with a step by step action plan to not only heal your gut but to move away from restrictive eating once your gut is healed.

Easy to understand, science & researched based information with home made (or local store options) for the supplements which is refreshing as it is not a just cover to push supplements onto readers.

Highly recommend if gut health is something that you are interested in or if you are having trouble with your gut/digestion or have underlying undiagnosed issues (usually goes away once the gut is healthy).

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confession: I'm getting tired of reading books about diet/gut health/Celiac disease/gluten-free eating.

They're not bad books. I've found valuable information in all of them, and I really do appreciate Dr. Ruscio's common-sense, figure-out-what-works-for-you-because-everyone's-gut-is-different approach. But it's still a lot.

Definitely adding this one to the list of books I need to own so I can revisit it, but I think I'm going to take a break from health-related books for the rest of this month.

[Rachel Chung · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing for anyone who's interested in the science of how our gut works! It's so detailed and extensive. It explains the science of fixing autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis to celiacs disease to explaining what causes asthma and food intolerances.

The science behind preventative methods as well as what to do once you experience certain symptoms is so holistic. I feel like this book has condensed a lot of the research I've been doing over the past 5 months on the gut. It's customised to varying levels of gut sensitivity too.