Rational Wellness Podcast

Galectin-3, Modified Citrus Pectin, and Therapeutic Apheresis: Emerging Applications in Sepsis, Cancer, and Chronic Inflammation
 
Dr. Ben Weitz introduces the Rational Wellness Podcast and interviews returning guest Dr. Isaac Eliaz about galectin-3 as an upstream driver of inflammation and fibrosis implicated in chronic degenerative disease, autoimmunity, cancer progression, and acute sepsis. Eliaz explains modified citrus pectin (PectaSol) as a researched galectin-3 inhibitor, discusses dosing ranges, and describes its clinical relevance across inflammation, cardiovascular risk, microbiome effects, and cancer (including prostate cancer trials). The conversation focuses on therapeutic apheresis and plasma exchange, contrasting nonselective plasma exchange with selective approaches such as LDL apheresis and Eliaz's developing Xgal-3 filter designed to remove circulating galectin-3. He cites porcine sepsis data, an FDA breakthrough designation, upcoming sepsis trials, and potential to enhance cancer immunotherapy, while warning about hype, safety, training, and misuse in integrative settings.
00:00 Show Introduction
00:59 Meet Dr Isaac Eliaz
02:47 What Is Galectin 3
09:25 Galectin 3 And Sepsis
11:45 Modified Citrus Pectin Basics
17:11 MCP Dosing Guide
20:43 MCP Gut And Cancer Research
25:33 Why Galectin 3 Is Overlooked
26:49 Apheresis Filter Breakthrough
28:57 Will Galectin 3 Return
29:49 Sepsis Immune Overdrive
30:39 Galectin-3 Cancer Shield
31:13 MCP Prostate Trial Wins
33:33 Boosting Immunotherapy Response
35:32 Therapeutic Apheresis Explained
36:48 Plasma Exchange Hype Risks
39:12 Safer Protocols And Expertise
47:02 Personal Longevity And LDL
49:53 Selective Vs Plasma Outcomes
52:59 Future Trials And Wrap Up

IBS and SIBO Breath Testing with FoodMarble: Real-Time Hydrogen and Methane Monitoring


Dr. Ben Weitz introduces the Rational Wellness Podcast episode on IBS and SIBO with guests Angus Short, PhD (CEO/co-founder) and Claire Short, PhD (chief clinical officer) of FoodMarble, creators of the handheld AIRE breath analyzer that measures hydrogen and methane in real time to track fermentation patterns at home. Inspired by Angus's wife's unresolved IBS symptoms and restrictive dieting, the device evolved from early prototypes into a validated product, including published research with Johns Hopkins showing equivalence to a leading mail-in breath test kit. They discuss following North American Consensus SIBO protocols (prep diet, fasting, lactulose or glucose, readings every 15 minutes for two hours with customizable options), additional at-home FODMAP intolerance tests, symptom/diet/stool tracking, and personalization. They note ongoing development of hydrogen sulfide measurement, factors affecting readings, and how monitoring can guide diet, supplements, and treatment choices.


00:00 Podcast Intro


00:59 IBS SIBO Episode Setup


02:29 Why FoodMarble Started


06:54 Early Prototypes to Product


07:46 Clinical Validation Studies


10:06 How to Run SIBO Tests


12:34 FODMAP Intolerance Testing


16:11 Stool Microbiome Links


20:17 Building a Healthier Microbiome


24:30 Daily Tracking and H2S Sensor


27:00 Diet Variability Matters


27:39 Tracking Meals and Symptoms


28:56 Personalization Factors in Data


29:39 Meal Timing and Liquids


30:48 GLP-1s and Gut Transit


31:56 Patient Engagement and App Modes


33:38 Avoidance and Food Reintroduction


34:32 Lactose Myths and Hidden FODMAPs


36:09 How FODMAPs Really Work


39:20 Food Database and Alternatives


40:16 Enzymes and Supplement Testing


41:54 Breath Sampling Technique


44:28 Calibration and Device Longevity


48:18 Breath Testing Misconceptions


49:59 SIBO Treatments and Research


54:51 Wrap Up and Where to Buy


Claire Shortt, PhD and Aonghus Shortt, PhD are the creators of the Food Marble, the handheld SIBO breath analyzer that measures hydrogen and methane in real time to track fermentation patterns at home. To learn more, go to FoodMarble.com and use the code WEITZ15 to get 15% off.


Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111.

Environmental Toxins, Wildfire Smoke, and Practical Detox Strategies with Dr. Joe Pizzorno
 
Dr. Ben Weitz hosts the Rational Wellness Podcast and interviews Dr. Joe Pizzorno on latest research about environmental toxins, emphasizing wildfire smoke risks, PM2.5 penetration, rapid body and brain distribution, and links to neurological, respiratory, and cardiovascular disease. Pizzorno argues toxins are a primary, solvable driver of chronic illness and that oxidized cholesterol reflects toxic exposure more than cholesterol itself. Practical protections include running high-MERV (≥12, ideally 16) HVAC filtration 24/7, avoiding incense, and supporting detox with glutathione (liposomal or via NAC), increased and diverse fiber to reduce toxin reabsorption, and saunas to sweat profusely (except PFAS "forever chemicals," which don't excrete via sweat). They discuss mercury release from forest fires, microplastics and gut binding, arsenic reduction from rice cooking, water filtration (carbon block, RO for arsenic), endocrine disruptors like bisphenols, and toxin assessment using GGTP, ALT, eGFR, and urinary 8-OHdG rather than challenge tests.
 
01:02 Meet Dr Joe Pizzorno
02:24 Wildfires and Toxic Exposure
05:21 PM2.5 and Systemic Damage
07:24 Cholesterol Oxidation and Toxins
09:35 Home Air Filtration Tips
11:25 Mercury From Forest Fires
13:15 Glutathione and NAC Basics
14:41 Binders and Fiber Strategy
17:26 Persistent vs Nonpersistent Toxins
19:21 Saunas and Forever Chemicals
21:47 Microplastics and Gut Binding
24:13 Post Fire Cleanup Safety
25:21 Arsenic in Water Rice Chicken
27:54 Whole House Water Filters
29:08 Chlorine Fluoride Tradeoffs
31:08 Plastic Bottles and Bisphenols
31:54 Endocrine Disruptors Explained
33:58 Phytoestrogens vs Xenoestrogens
35:49 Safer Drinkware and Cookware
36:37 Testing Toxins Smarter
39:49 Biomarkers GGTP ALT eGFR
44:37 Detox Nutrition and Glutathione
46:54 Toxins and Autoimmune Disease
48:22 Cure Versus Suppression
53:44 Final Thoughts and Outro
 
Dr. Joe Pizzorno is one of the founders of the modern naturopathic medicine and also the Functional Medicine movement, founding president of Bastyr University, editor of the Textbook of Natural Medicine, and one of the world's leading authorities on environmental toxins and chronic disease. He's the author of at least 14 outstanding books, including The Toxin Solution and a textbook on toxins that he cowrote with Walter Crinion, Clinical Environmental Medicine and he continues to publish groundbreaking research on the role of environmental toxicants in human health.

Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111.

View the Show Notes For This Episode
Newest Developments in SIBO Treatments with Dr. Mark Pimentel | Rational Wellness Podcast 476
 
Dr. Mark Pimentel on SIBO/IBS: 3-Gas Breath Testing, Hydrogen Sulfide, Methane, Diet & Emerging Treatments
Dr. Ben Weitz welcomes Dr. Mark Pimentel to discuss new research on IBS and overgrowth syndromes, including hydrogen SIBO, intestinal methanogen overgrowth (IMO), and intestinal sulfide overproduction (hydrogen sulfide). Pimentel explains that hydrogen on breath tests is a marker for bacteria like E. coli and Klebsiella and that slowed motility enables overgrowth; he also distinguishes bloating vs abdominal distension and critiques Rome criteria for excluding bloating. They review Trio-Smart three-gas breath testing, lactulose vs glucose, timing and cutoffs (methane ≥10 ppm; hydrogen sulfide >2), and evidence that elevated hydrogen sulfide correlates with severe diarrhea and gut cellular dysfunction. They cover GLP-1 effects on motility, FoodMarble pros/cons, low fermentation diet, elemental diet (MBIOTA), probiotics, new therapies (rifaximin + timed-release NAC; methane enzyme inhibitor), and a Cedars-Sinai IBS-D trial recruiting in Los Angeles.
00:00 Show Intro and Mission
01:00 Meet Dr Mark Pimentel
03:12 Is Hydrogen Always Bad
05:11 Bloating vs Distension
08:40 Where SIBO Bugs Come From
10:30 Why Slow Transit Drives Overgrowth
12:50 Three Gas Breath Testing
16:21 Breath Test Critiques Answered
20:09 Cutoffs for Positive Tests
23:27 Hydrogen Sulfide Gut Damage
24:57 GLP1 Drugs and SIBO
27:37 Methane Weight Gain Explained
29:17 FoodMarble Pros and Cons
30:42 Low Fermentation Diet Debate
32:27 White Bread Misconceptions
33:25 Rifaximin Plus NAC Trial
35:10 New Methane Blocking Drug
36:26 Methane Treatment Challenges
38:00 Methanogens Balance And Phages
40:05 Palatable Elemental Diet
41:22 Next Gen Anaerobic Probiotics
44:23 IBS Versus IBD Relationship
46:31 Hydrogen Sulfide Options
47:40 Mast Cells Mold And Motility
49:18 Vagus Nerve Confusion
51:30 Future Of Overgrowth Syndromes
52:42 Trial Signup And Wrap Up
53:26 Podcast Outro And Clinic Info
 
Dr. Mark Pimentel is one of the world's leading authorities on the gut microbiome and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO. He serves as Executive Director of the Medically Associated Science and Technology Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and has dedicated more than two decades to unraveling the complex relationship between the gut microbiome and disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome.
Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111.

View the Show Notes For This Episode
Dr. David Perlmutter on Microglia, Metabolism, and a New Paradigm for Neurodegenerative Disease


Dr. Ben Weitz introduces the Rational Wellness Podcast and interviews neurologist and author Dr. David Perlmutter about his upcoming book, Brain Defenders, describing a neuroscience shift from neuron-centered thinking to the brain's immune cells (glia/microglia) as key drivers of neurodegeneration. Perlmutter argues microglial polarization (supportive M2 vs destructive M1) is upstream of protein accumulations like beta-amyloid, alpha-synuclein, and phosphorylated tau, and is strongly influenced by lifestyle-driven metabolic health (blood sugar, insulin resistance, lipids, blood pressure), systemic inflammation, gut dysbiosis, and blood–brain barrier integrity. They discuss prevention, multimodal treatment approaches (e.g., Bredesen and Ornish/Tanzi), mitochondrial dysfunction, exercise, supplements (olive oil polyphenols, vitamin D, CoQ10, urolithin A, spermidine, dihydromyricetin, rosmarinic acid), and emerging drug strategies including TREM2 targeting and GLP-1 agonists, noting benefits and risks.


00:00 Show Intro


01:02 Meet David Perlmutter


03:04 Microglia Paradigm Shift


05:21 Beyond Amyloid Drugs


09:08 Multimodal Reversal Evidence


13:34 Neurons vs Microglia Basics


16:46 Gut Inflammation Link


19:24 Blood Brain Barrier Aging


21:22 Mitochondria Microglia Switch


25:52 Why Diseases Differ Epigenetics


29:54 Tau Is Downstream Too


31:40 Brain Defender Diet Metabolism


35:14 GLP1s For Parkinsons


42:57 Diet Types CGM Keto Fiber


48:46 Supplements For Microglia


52:04 Rapamycin NAD Hype Check


54:34 Wrap Up Preorder Book


55:03 Podcast Outro


Dr. David Perlmutter, board-certified neurologist, six-time New York Times bestselling author, with some of his most popular books being Brain Grain, Brain Maker and Drop Acid and his new book, Brain Defenders.  His website is DrPerlmutter.com.


Dr. Ben Weitz is available for Functional Nutrition consultations specializing in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders like IBS/SIBO and Reflux and also Cardiometabolic Risk Factors like elevated lipids, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure. Dr. Weitz has also successfully helped many patients with managing their weight and improving their athletic performance, as well as sports chiropractic work by calling his Santa Monica office 310-395-3111.