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Dr. David Rakel
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Do All Healthy Intestines Contain Bacteria? - Dr. Rakel (VIDEO)

Dr. Rakel explains if all healthy intestines contain bacteria.

Dr. Rakel:
Oh yeah, every intestine has bacteria but they are not all the same type of bacteria. Let’s put this in perspective a little bit, there are a thousand species of different bacteria in the gut and we weren’t unable to really understand which family or species of bacteria were there because they wouldn’t all grow on a petri dish. It’s just recently that we have been able to look at the genomes of these bacteria that is allowing us to really understand what that eco system looks like.

So we are just at the tip of the iceberg understanding what this eco system looks like but the research is just going to take off on helping us understand what bacteria is there and how we can influence it in a healthy way. So it’s a little over-simplified, they say okay, just take this probiotic, you know.

It’s a whole dynamic ecosystem that we need to create that is based on emotions, spiritual connection, nutrition, exercise that creates that environment for that healthy bacteria. So we can live as friends in a symbiotic relationship that facilitates health.

About Dr. Rakel, M.D.:
Dr. David Rakel, M.D., attended medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and completed a family practice residency in Greeley, Colorado. He spent the next five years in rural practice as one of two physicians staffing a 14 bed hospital in Driggs, Idaho. As medical director for Grand Targhee Ski resort in Wyoming, he developed an interest in sports medicine and received his Certificate of Added Qualification in 1999.

Dr. Rakel completed a two year fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona from 1999-2001. He joined the University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine in 2001 where he teaches and practices, and is the medical director for the University of Wisconsin Health Integrative Medicine. Dave is board certified in family medicine, holistic medicine and sports medicine. He is also certified in Interactive Guided Imagery.

Visit Dr. Rakel at The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

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