Episode 46: [Interview] Modern Pediatric Gut Health with Elisa Song

In this podcast episode, Sinclair Kennally brings on Elisa Song, an expert in pediatric gut health, who discusses the importance of gut health for children and explores the challenges posed by modern factors. She emphasizes the impact of environmental toxins and processed foods on children's gut health and highlights the role of probiotics in promoting a healthy gut. 

Elisa provides valuable insights on specific probiotic strains and their benefits for children's digestive health. The podcast also addresses the significance of dietary choices, emphasizing the benefits of a nutrient-dense diet and the avoidance of allergens and inflammatory foods. Elisa explores the concept of personalized nutrition for children, tailoring dietary recommendations to individual needs. 

Furthermore, she highlights the connection between gut health, immune function, and neurological well-being, discussing the role of the gut-brain axis. Elisa's evidence-based and integrative approach to pediatric gut health, combining traditional medical knowledge with complementary therapies, offers valuable guidance for parents and healthcare professionals seeking to enhance children's gut health in the modern world.

Highlights

• The gold standard for anxiety in teenagers it's been shown to improve heart rate variability. There is a series of self-help books from my friend who's an amazing child psychologist, Don Hener.
• That's coherence, right? That's the state of optimal heart rate variability. Belly breathing is really important to learn how to do well because, by the time we're an adult, we breathe through our shoulders and not through our diaphragm.
•  So when we optimize vagus nerve functioning, the signs of vagus nerve function, point to optimal health. And one of the ways we can measure vagus nerve functioning is through something called heart rate variability, which many of you guys may be familiar with.
• There are particular probiotic strains that have been shown specifically to improve optimal neurotransmitter levels and help with depression, and anxiety manage stress, and reduce cortisol. So we definitely wanna get in our psychobiotic if we're having these concerns while fixing the rest of the gut. And of course, omega-three and quercetin is a really great healing nutrient for your gut too.

Timestamps 

• [00:03:00] Exploring the Gut-Brain Connection in Children: Implications for Brain Development
• [00:06:00] The Importance of Brain Development in Toddlers and Beyond
• [00:28:00] The Impact of Stress, Antibiotics, and Mode of Delivery on the Gut Microbiome of Babies
• [00:30:00] The Impact of Prenatal Factors on Gut Health and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes
• [00:43:00] The Five Rs of Psychobiotics: Strengthening the Vagus Nerve to Reduce Anxiety and Stress