The Microbiome: Our Internal Pharmacy with Martha Carlin
by Kevin Danielson January 24, 2025
Dr. Brandon Crawford and microbiome researcher Martha Carlin explore the intricate connections between gut health, the environment, and overall wellness. They discuss how the food we consume influences our microbiome, the impact of glyphosate on nutrient absorption, and the role of the microbiome in brain health. Martha shares her personal journey into microbiome research, highlighting the importance of critical thinking in healthcare. The conversation also touches on the significance of viruses, the vagus nerve, and the influence of light on microbiome health.
When most people think about circadian rhythm, they think about sleep. But your circadian rhythm is much more than a sleep-wake cycle. It is a master biological timing system that influences nearly every aspect of health, including metabolism, immune function, hormone production, digestion, detoxification, and even how your gut microbes behave.
Let’s be completely honest: When was the last time you actually looked inside the bowl before you flushed? If your immediate reaction is to cringey-laugh and say, "Ugh, never," you are throwing away the single most valuable health report your body produces daily.
A chronic diagnosis is almost always delivered as a final sentence, completely devoid of hope. In the conventional medical model, patients are given a label—whether it’s Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, or chronic fatigue—and told, “There is no cure. This is progressive. Take this pill.”
The path to vibrant health is rarely a straight line. Often, it takes a deeply personal disruption to force us to look at the human body through a completely different lens. For Martha Carlin, a former corporate auditor and turnaround expert, that disruption came in 2002 when her healthy 44-year-old husband, John, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.