Today we have a very special guest – Dr. Heather Zwickey. Dr. Zwickey is a researcher, teacher, and mentor who earned a PhD in immunology and microbiology from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center with a focus on infectious disease and vaccine development. She then went on and completed a postdoctoral fellowship and taught at the School of Medicine at Yale University where she focused on immunotherapy for cancer at NUNM. Dr. Zwickey then launched the Helfgott Research Institute and also established the school of graduate studies, developing masters’ programs in nutrition, research, and global health. Dr. Zwickey currently leads an NHS funded clinical research training program, teaches at many universities, and speaks at conferences around the world. She is passionate about the microbiome, and in particular the gut/brain axis, neuroinflammation, and psychoneuroimmunology, aiming to spread the word on how the immune system, nervous system, and our endocrine system interact.

Today we discuss:

• What the microbiome is and its necessity for a healthy life
• What are prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics
• What is the gut/skin axis and the gut/brain axis
• The importance of the vaginal microbiome
• What are some of the things we may be doing that harm the microbiome
• What are some of the things we can do to support our microbiome
• How antibiotics and other medications/supplements affect the health of the microbes beyond what you have been told

Where to find Dr. Heather Zwickey:

Website: https://www.heatherzwickey.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hzwickey/

Just a quick disclaimer that this podcast is meant for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or be a substitute for medical advice from your practitioner.

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Interesting articles for more information

The Vaginal Microbiome: V. Therapeutic Modalities of Vaginal Microbiome Engineering and Research Challenges: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8719494/

Towards a deeper understanding of the vaginal microbiota: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-022-01083-2

The Female Vaginal Microbiome in Health and Bacterial Vaginosis: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2021.631972/full