Sex With Emily - Why Gut Health is Sexy w/ Tina Anderson

Episode Date: April 12, 2024

In today’s gut-busting episode I dive deep into the tango between your belly's bacteria and your sexual wellness. And who better to guide us through this intestinal intrigue than Tina Anderson, the gut guru and CEO of Just Thrive, the brand whose mission is to reboot your microbiome. Prepare to have your life changed as Tina spills the beans on how bacteria in your gut really calls the shots, influencing everything from your mood swings to your mojo.  Buckle up, lovers and health hackers, as we explore the steamy science that'll have you rethinking your next date night dinner.  In this episode you’ll learn: What low libido, keeping the spark alive, erectile challenges, and gut issues all have in common How hormones and the gut biome each affect each other in a bi-directional system Why the 3 pleasure thieves (stress, trauma, and shame) also impact our general health and wellness Show Notes: Just Thrive (use this link to automatically get 20% off sitewide at checkout!) Get your tickets HERE for Sex with Emily LIVE! SHOP WITH EMILY! (free shipping on orders over $99) The only sex book you’ll ever need: Smart Sex: How to Boost Your Sex IQ and Own Your Pleasure Want more? Sex With Emily: Home Let’s get social: Instagram | X | Facebook | TikTok  Let’s text: Sign Up Here Want me to slide into your inbox? Sign Up Here for sex tips on the regular. See the full show notes at sexwithemily.com.

I'm not telling you guys to go out and do any one thing. I'm just trying to give you the information so you can make better choices for your overall health and wellness. You're listening to Sex with Emily. I'm Dr. Emily and I'm here to help you prioritize your pleasure and liberate the conversation around sex with your partner.

I'm Dr. Emily and I'm here to help you prioritize your pleasure and liberate the conversation around sex with your partner. I'm Dr. Emily and I'm here to help you prioritize your pleasure and liberate the conversation around sex. On today's episode you'll learn what low libido, keeping the spark alive, erectile challenges, and gut issues all have in common. Now this is a buzzy topic that is more than just a headline because here's the facts. Our gut health influences our sexual health. In this episode, you'll learn what you can do to alleviate these symptoms by making small

adjustments to your life where you'll see big results. Our guest today, Tina Anderson, has created a one-of-a-kind solution that I personally take and believe in. And I've seen the changes in myself and can't wait for you to get your cup filled with all the gut knowledge. Please rate and review Sex with Emily wherever you listen to the show. It totally helps us get the show out to more people so just do it right now. Our new articles, Six Ways to Use Cannabis for Sex, A Guide, and Six Embarrassing Sex Questions You're Afraid to Ask are up on SexWithEmily.com so don't miss those. Alright everyone, enjoy this episode.

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each affect each other in a bi-directional system. So basically, they're constantly talking and affecting each other. And then, I've heard from so many of you have been having gut issues. It turns out 89% of Americans suffer from some gut issue, whether it's bloating, indigestion, or heartburn, reflux. Oh, and get this, studies show that men who suffer from erectile dysfunction have less microbial diversity than men without it.

Don't worry, if you don't know about microbial diversity, you soon will. And some researchers are even looking into probiotics as a way of treating erectile challenges. How about that? I mean, maybe you don't need that Viagra after all. And you will also learn how a leaky gut can wreak havoc on your sex hormones.

And turns out, most of us have a leaky gut, leading to a lower libido and might impact your ability to become erect and lubricated. So yeah, it's safe to say your gut health is directly linked to your sexual health and well-being. One last little nugget. Our ability to create a romantic spark, attract a partner, develop as a sexual being or having just passionate mind blowing sex is also linked to our gut. There's so much in this world to break down and it can be so overwhelming.

So I found the perfect person and I'm thrilled to have Tina Anderson on the show to help us sort through all of this. She is the co-founder and CEO of Just Thrive. It's a groundbreaking family business that was born to help people take back control of their health. She is just a bad-ass woman who's committed to restoring people's wellness.

I am so glad you're here, Tina, because like I said, for a few years now, we're hearing all about improving our gut health. Most important thing we can do for our overall health and wellbeing. That's where I first started hearing about it. I started hearing like my gut, now I got to focus on my gut. Like, what does that even mean?

But now I see the real links to sexual health, which is why I think this conversation is so important. Tina, real quick, I think we just have to start with what is gut health. Yeah. Well, first of all, I'm so excited to be here with you, Emily. This is such an honor and I think we're going to have a lot of fun today. So gut health is basically the totality of microorganisms that are living in and on us.

So we've got bacteria, viruses, fungi living in us. Most of them are living in our gut microbiome, so in our intestinal tract, our digestive tract. And these little microorganisms we now know are literally dictating all of our overall health. This is all coming out. It came out about 12 years ago with the Human Microbiome Project that was launched by the

National Institutes of Health, told us more about the gut than we ever knew before. And what we're finding is that the gut is really like impacting every aspect of our health. I mean, we always think of like gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, acid reflux. Yes, those are all signs that we have some gut imbalance going on. What the research is telling us and what we're now starting to talk about is that our brain health, like mental health, is associated with our gut health. Skin health, like acne, eczema, diabetes, Alzheimer's, I mean, rheumatoid arthritis and acne are like stemming from the same

place. Allergies, all of these different health conditions are actually stemming from an imbalance in our gut. It's amazing we didn't know this and you remind me of when I first heard the gut is your second brain. I think that's when I first heard that a few years ago. I was like what? Yeah. It's so connected. I mean it's crazy that we haven't known this and you said that we have millions of bacteria living in our gut. Are they all bad? Some are good, right?

Oh, gosh. They're really good ones, right? So how do we know what's bad, what's good? Yeah, no, we have trillions of bacteria that are actually really beneficial. In fact, less than 1% of bacteria is actually harmful. We are so like into this antibacterial world, like with antibacterial hand soaps, antibacterial hand sanitizers, household cleaning products that have bleach, all of these things that we're trying to kill off bacteria. But really, bacteria is so beneficial. I mean, it's critical. Babies are being

born in this sterile environment and that's not a good thing. I mean, we don't want them to have like disease or, you know, like any other pathogenic bacteria, but less than 1% of bacteria is actually harmful. And that's also really hard for people to wrap their head around. We're just like trained to like get rid of bacteria. Yeah, right. So we've kind of almost, we've overdone it, right? Because now they're saying that in a way we're too healthy

and that's why kids are getting a lot sicker and there's so many other problems with hormones and other things in kids. Absolutely. Because of this, we've sort of over-corrected. We have, we've over-corrected. And we're living in this world that is so offensive to our gut health.

So if we lived in a tribe in Papua New Guinea or like somewhere out in the middle of nowhere where we're eating off the land, our ancestors were getting these really important bacteria and we are taking care of our gut. There weren't all these offenders, but if anyone living in the Western world is faced with these offenders on a regular basis, so antibiotics being one of them. Antibiotics not just that we take, but antibiotics that are found in our food supply. So we know antibiotics that we take. People are now starting to know we shouldn't be taking antibiotics all the time because we know they're so disruptive to our gut. I mean, they are like this nuclear bomb going off in your gut. And we know that when you're killing off your

bad bacteria, you're also killing off the good bacteria, the your gut. And we know that like when you're killing off your bad bacteria, you're also killing off the good bacteria, the beneficial bacteria. And studies have shown that just a single course of clindamycin will actually wreak havoc on your gut for up to a two-year period. So I mean, it's taking a two-year period to like actually rebuild our gut flora. So but antibiotics, like I said, are found in our food supply and animal products, pesticides that we're faced with. Our produce is sprayed with glyphosate, which is the active ingredient in Roundup, being sprayed all over our produce and we're consuming that on a regular basis and that's destroying

our gut bacteria. Like I said, all the household cleaning products that we're using. Stress is a huge offender to our gut health, processed foods. I mean, it's just, it's this world we're living in is just really disruptive to our gut health. And that's why we're seeing people with so many chronic illnesses. They estimate that 60% of the population has one chronic condition and 40% of the population has four, has two chronic conditions. So we are dealing in this world with this chronic condition, all these chronic conditions. So we are dealing in this world with this chronic condition, all these chronic conditions,

because we have these imbalances in our gut. Oh my God. Well, okay, so here's the thing about antibiotics, because I loathe when I have to take an antibiotic, but sometimes I need to take it. So what do we do if you actually have to take an antibiotic? Yeah, so- Because we can't say never take them, right?

Or can you? Oh, of course not. No, no, no. And I mean, antibiotics save lives. And I don't discount that. But even the CDC estimates that 50% of antibiotics that are prescribed are actually not necessary. And that's partly due because physicians will just prescribe them.

But it's also due because patients will come in. And like, I'm going on a vacation, and I have sniffles. And now they want to get an antibiotic just in case. And really what people are just starting to understand or not really understanding right now is that when you take an antibiotic, it's killing off your bad bacteria, but it's also killing off your good bacteria. And now remember 80 to 90% of our immune system is found in our gut. So now the very tool in our body that we need to fight off this virus that we have is actually being compromised by the antibiotic. So I would never ever recommend being on an antibiotic if you have a viral infection.

I'm a huge fan of like letting my fever run a little bit high. Like I don't quickly try to get a fever down. And with my kids, I would never do that. I'd let them have their fever run a little bit because that's your body's way to fight off an infection. But of course there are times to take an antibiotic. I want to get into shame and gut issues. So I call these the pleasure thieves that kill us from having straight sex. It is stress, trauma, and shame. And those are the three killers

of our sex drive and I would say probably of our overall health and wellness. If we are having a lot of stress and anxiety, we know that's gonna impact our sexual health and our overall health. Trauma, you know, any kind of trauma, big T trauma, little T trauma, and shame. And so when I was thinking about gut health, it's the kind of thing where I dated a guy

who had Crohn's for many years. He actually though was like a standup comedian, and he was pretty good. He made it all about his Crohn's. So I learned a lot though about it then. But then I feel like when I've been talking about like my experience right now with sort of studying the gut, everyone's coming out of the woodwork. They've got something going on. But then they also, we get a ton of emails from listeners who are like, I'm bloated or I'm worried about it or how do I have sex, what do I do? And I think a lot of people with these gut issues are put on heavy medications, right? So, I mean, there's still-

Which are actually detrimental to your sexual health. That's what's so bad. I kept telling him that. Yeah, so many of these medications are actually wreaking havoc on your gut health and therefore impacting your sexual health. And it's crazy that the doctors are doing this. It's crazy.

So what should people be doing then? Is it, because I remember my boyfriend, he like changed his diet and he was really struggling for like 10, 12 years with it. And I think a lot of it goes back to like childhood stuff too, right? It's all emotional. I think it's emotional and it's physical,

biological, a lot of things. But like, then yeah, I know you're the shame and then there's secrecy, but what do we, like, what do you think people should do? Or like, yeah, I have IBS, I and then there's secrecy, but what do we like, what do you think people should do? Or like, yeah, I have IBS, I have Crohn's, I'm on a medication. Like, would you ever kind of gently guide them into another direction or to kind of ask some more questions? Yeah, well, I think that's kind of what we're doing right now, right? I'm like, I don't, there is a time and place for medication. I mean, I feel like pharmaceuticals are great for like emergency type situations or acute situations, but I think on a regular basis, I would always caution people

to avoid being on something for a long term and try to get to the root cause. That's what I think, if we could just train ourselves to be like, okay, maybe I need to be on a medication for a while, but why do I have? Why do I have Crohn's? Why do I have whatever it might be, like diabetes? Why do I have allergies? And kind of trying to get to the root cause of it and mostly it will be stemming in your gut. And I think when you were talking about shame, I mean, that's people who, you know, they are not in the mood because like they feel bloated. They feel like, you know, a lot of people are suffering from bloat right now. I mean, I feel like it's an epidemic. I feel like every woman I talk to is like, because their guts are inflamed and their

guts are so imbalanced. And there's all this, I mean, like I said, this world we're living in, everything we're doing is disruptive. Give me some more things that are disruptive to us. Like even certain vegetable, right? Certain things that you think are healthy too, right? Like too many. Well, see, like people always say like, oh, you know, I can't eat broccoli. Well, I would argue that we should eat broccoli. Like if you can't eat broccoli,

that means there's something going on with your gut. So other things like, I guess, that household cleaning products or personal care products, you know, the toxins that we're breathing, the air that we're breathing is so detrimental to our gut. Think about it. Like when I was a kid, which was many, many, many years ago, I knew one classmate that had a peanut allergy. I went to a huge high school from kindergarten all the way through the end of high school. One classmate. Now we know you can't go to school without a peanut-free table. You can't hardly go to a restaurant without them asking if you have any food allergies.

So we are living in this. And that's an example of having gut imbalance going on or leakiness of the gut. It wasn't going on. It was not going on. To go back to the shame thing real quick, I just want to say people are suffering from it. I just want to remind you that shame does really permeate so many parts of our sex life and just to know that clearly we all have something with our gut. And I can even tell you from my experience and then from talking to so many listeners that I thought it was just so,

I loved how he was so open about it. And he was like, this is what my problem is and this is what it is. And I just, to me, that was so, such a turn on that he knew how to handle it. And he was honest with me. He wasn't trying to hide it. It didn't impact our sex life.

So for anyone else out there, any listeners who are like, but I've got this problem and it's keeping me from my sex life, like just like everything else, I think it's so important to be in a relationship with somebody if you're in a relationship where you can say, hey, I just wanna let you know that I've got some gut things. Sometimes I might make some noises.

Sometimes things might happen, but you know, that's just how it is. I wanted to tell you ahead of time. And I'm telling you that there's something so freaking hot about just calling it and being real. Cause I wanna remind everyone that sex is messy. We make noises, things come out that we don't want to come out and like that's part of it.

And if you're with a trusted loving partner, you won't even blink your eye when these things happen. So I just have to remind it. Cause I, I know many people are just sort of stuck in this place of suffering. They're like, well, once I hear, oh my God, or once I do this thing, then I'll feel better sexually. And I'm just saying, and then you just gotta find partners

who are open to hear your real story and be authentic and share it. Like the things that we think we cannot say, I think once we find someone that we can say it to, we'll set us free. And there is all this shame around bodily noises too. So this is on TikTok. And someone says to me like,

oh, you can't go to the bathroom in front of your partner or that's the end of your relationship or you can't talk about it or girls don't fart. There's a whole thing on TikTok right now where girls are leaving the building and like farting and they're like, boyfriends catch them. So what word, it's like the women who wake up and then they like to put makeup on.

Like, what are you talking about? It's like 2024 people. That's gotta be so frigging stressful that they're living in this, like I have to be this perfect woman who doesn't make noises and do anything. So I just want to say embrace who you are. Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more. All of it. So taking appropriate, can it help with some of that bloating and gas and embarrassment and shame? Absolutely. I mean, that's probably one of the biggest testimonials we got. I was going to say, what do you hear? I heard I'm regular. I'm still, you know, but what else?

Oh yeah, I mean the regular thing is because I did not have gut issues when I, or I didn't know I had gut issues when I started the probiotic. I know, well they revealed I think. Yes. And that's what I noticed. I'm like, oh my god, I'm so regular. Like my mom and I always talk about that like, oh my god, I feel so like cleaned out. You feel so good and like think about how much energy you have when you get rid of the toxins. Yeah, you want to get rid of it but that's hanging out all day or for two days and now it's like gone. You're like on to the next thing. Yeah, people are like I don't have any problems. I go to the bathroom every other day and it's like, oh god, that's not that's a problem.

What about the gut effect on mental health? These stats are crazy. Like 80%, 90% of our serotonin is in our gut. Yes, so 90% of our serotonin is actually produced in our gut. All these important neurotransmitters like GABA, which is our calming hormone, is produced in our gut. Dopamine is produced in our gut. You know, you can't be talking about sexual health if you're not talking about serotonin production. I mean, because if you have too low of serotonin production, you're tired, you get headaches, you know, you've got all kinds of issues when you're depressed, you're sad.

But if you have too much serotonin, that also inhibits arousal and all those types of issues. And then you see that with people who are on anti-anxiety meds like SSRIs. They have trouble with arousal because they have too much serotonin going on. So what the gut does, when you have a healthy gut microbiome, it actually is able to produce the serotonin, which 90% of it's produced in the right amounts, in a balanced amount. So it's really hard for people to wrap their head around that, that these neurotransmitters, one being serotonin, that 90% of it is produced in our gut, which is our happy hormone. It's our feel good hormone.

30 years ago now when I was having like PMS and my doctor was like, you should take an antidepressant, you should take an SSRI like Prozac. We've learned so much more about mental health since then, but we never even talked about the fact, well, what are you eating? What are you putting in your body?

Yep. Right? They do help with serotonin when you take an antidepressant, but then is it also wreaking havoc on your gut? So is it the same kind of thing? Yes. That's what they're showing.

The studies are showing that people have a lot of issues with being in the mood when they're on an SSRI and they have issues with erectile dysfunction and they have all those kinds of issues when they are on an SSRI. So have you found that people are on SSRIs have been able to effectively get off of them using like supplement, using diet, nutrition, exercise? I mean because if it's not working on your gut, it's working on your other parts of your brain. I'm just, I mean I know you're not a doctor in this area, but I'm always so, I'm always concerned about it because SSRIs wreak so much havoc on people, especially people who are so you know depressed, they don't want sex, but then they take an SSRI.

They want to have sex now, but then they can't have an orgasm. Right. What I've seen, I think psychiatrists have had their hands tied for many years because they have these SSRIs and they're not working. You know people who have been on SSRIs and they're not feeling better. There is a small population that does see some impacts positively with an SSRI, but I would argue that there are so many other things to be doing to help with mood.

And number one most important thing is to be taking care of our gut because there is something called the gut brain access and it's the communication between the gut and the brain. And like I mentioned, all these neurotransmitters are being produced in our gut, like GABA, serotonin, dopamine. And if your gut is not healthy,

these signals are being sent up to your brain, and then your brain sends signals down to your gut. And if you think that this makes no sense, just kind of think about it for a second, like when you get butterflies in your stomach, you know, it's because you're excited about something. There's this two-way communication. So I would always recommend that when somebody is suffering

from any type of mental mood issue or mental health issue that they focus on their gut, whether it's, you know, eating the right foods, eliminating processed foods, staying away from sugar and alcohol, doing all, I mean, I've got lots of things that we could do for gut health. Yeah, but what are the things, I mean, I think, I mean, the funny thing is, you know, that I've heard that, and you can tell me to meditate, eat healthy.

Yeah, right? I mean, yes. So is that what you would say? There's some main areas to take care of our gut. What would you say? Yeah, well, I would definitely say to try to avoid antibiotics as much as possible. And if you do, then I have, if you have to be on one,

I have, we could talk about that later. Really try to eat organic, and I know that's hard. And even if you do slow, just try to minimize that amount of exposure and just why I'm convinced but I always people like it's so expensive does it make a difference and it is so expensive it does make it yeah but I sympathize with people because this is expensive and I think you could go to like the frozen section and maybe just start like replacing like some organic berries and from the frozen section and then come home and then do,

you know, have that. But it's not the end of the world if you have some, if you're exposed to it, but just try to start eliminating it. But those glyphosates that are found in Roundup are so bad. So with antibiotics- The ones are not organic food, you mean? Right, right. So with antibiotics, they kill the bad bacteria and the good bacteria, like we talked about. So it's good that they kill the bad bacteria and the good bacteria like we talked about. So it's good that they kill the bad bacteria. Here's the problem with glyphosate, which is the pesticides that are found in our produce,

is they only target the beneficial bacteria in our gut. So it's actually worse than an antibiotic. So, and yet it's sprayed all over our food supply. And so I would just, I'm not saying that we, you know, we can't all afford it. And I understand that, but I think if we just try to minimize it and, and just try to eat at home, you know, like try to eat whole foods and, you know,

just eat on the perimeter of the grocery store, get your, you know, eat your meats and your vegetables and not have a lot of processed foods, those small baby steps and make a huge difference. Huge, huge difference. Just, Just to be aware of it. And there are certain things if you want to look it up, there's some foods that are better than others by organic, like if you can peel the skin, it's a little less bad. I don't know if that's up to certain. Yeah, absolutely.

Like bananas are, yeah. But like there's also things like you mentioned, meditation. I mean, people think like that's so woo-woo, like why would I meditate to help my gut? But we now know that if you're stressed out, that's impacting your gut. And I mean, think about when you're nervous about something, what do you have to do? You have to go to the bathroom. People of IBS have, they have twofold the amount of anxiety that people who don't have IBS.

And so we know that there is a gut-brain connection. So maybe meditation isn't your thing, but maybe you like to walk in nature or you like breath work, exactly, whatever it might be, but really trying to calm yourself down, even if it's making huge lifestyle changes. I mean, because we have to start taking care of our mental health and our mood in order to, you know, bring our health to our gut. Yeah, I'm like, if not now when? It's kind of like we have so much information out showing that everything that we're doing is just working against us being healthy. So if you can find your form of mindfulness,

like for me, I meditate for years, but I like breath work. I like turning on a nap for three minutes, I just breathe. Like, you know, and you're moving, just making sure you move your body. Now I wanna talk real quick about leaky gut, because that's one thing that I just, my image of a leaky gut is like, there's shit coming out of it, maybe it's shit,

or just stuff coming out of it all the time, and it's leaky, like, I think that's a confusing term. But I know that leaky gut is important to understand about like inflammation and all that. It's really important to understand. Could you explain how we know? I feel like everyone's got a leaky gut now. Yes, so we have the, no, they do.

Leaky gut's everywhere. They estimate that 80% of the population has a leaky gut, and don't know it, they have no symptoms, but it's like this drippy% of the population has a leaky gut and don't know it. They have no symptoms, but it's like this drippy faucet when you have a leaky gut because you have no allergies, let's say. And then all of a sudden you get an allergy and you're like, I don't know where this came from. Well, it's been happening for years.

So what a leaky gut is, it's actually just like what it sounds like. You have this intestinal cell wall, and that's a barrier. It's your intestinal barrier that protects your bloodstream from all these toxins seeping into your bloodstream. We don't want food particles to be seeping into our bloodstream. We don't want LPS. LPS stands for lipopolysaccharide.

These are toxins that are normally found in our gut that are not really problematic, but when they seep into our bloodstream, they create inflammation and they wreak havoc on our overall health. And so that inflammatory response that our body, like, so when you have, let's say we have kale, we're eating kale, we're eating spinach, all these really healthy, we're eating organic spinach and organic blueberries. We've done all the right things, but if your gut is leaky, food particles can actually seep into your bloodstream.

As healthy as organic spinach is, it's not healthy when it's in your bloodstream. So when you have a leaky gut, LPS toxins could seep into your bloodstream and your body starts having this immune response. And now this is where we have chronic low-grade inflammation. And we know that chronic low-grade inflammation is the cause and the root cause of every disease out there. I mean, from heart disease to cancer to diabetes to Alzheimer's, dementia, I mean, you name it,

90% of non-communicable diseases are actually associated with a leakiness of the gut. Okay, so is there an easy way to tell if you have a leaky gut? 80% of the population has a leaky gut and we just should assume that we do. But I mean, if you have allergies, if you have any autoimmune issues, if you have diarrhea, constipation, all of those that you know, you... Crohn's and stuff like that?

Oh, yes, absolutely. That is what it is. But I mean, even if you don't, so we did a double blind human clinical trial on leaky gut. This is the first of its kind double blind human clinical trial on leaky gut. This is the first of its kind double blind human clinical trial. In that study, the University of North Texas took 100 college students. 55% of them had a leaky gut and didn't know it. These are healthy college students. They had no diseases. They weren't on any medication. Nothing was wrong with them. And 55% of these 20 year olds had a leaky gut and didn't know it. So that's why they're estimating

that 80 to 90% of the adult population has a leaky gut and doesn't know it. How do you test for it? You know what? There are no commercial tests really available. They're only done in a research setting. The way the University of North Texas tested for it is they measured the LPS toxins, how many went into the bloodstream after they had a meal. So when you eat and you have leakiness in your gut, you could measure the LPS toxins seeping into the bloodstream after they had a meal. So when you eat and you have leakiness of your gut, you could measure the LPS toxins seeping into your bloodstream. How does gut inflammation or imbalance

contribute to libido issues? Yes, well, inflammation is one. So yeah, okay. Inflammation is a huge one. Can you just kind of explain it, why that's the problem, how we're all so frigging inflamed all of a sudden? Right, right, well, because we have a leaky gut,

that's why we're inflamed. Inflammation is a protective mechanism of our body. Inflammation is a good thing when we need it, when we sprain an ankle or whatever, we have an injury, it's a protective mechanism. But when you have chronic inflammation, so our body is having this inflammatory response when we have leaky gut. When that food particle goes into your bloodstream, our body has an inflammatory response to protect us. But when you have that chronic inflammation, this is where disease begins. It begins from inflammation. Okay, so is there a way to tell if we're inflamed? You know, I think there are people could definitely, you know, they feel it in their body, you know, they get puffy and different things like that. But I mean, I think some people have it intuitively

to know that they're inflamed. And I think you could tell it from blood work. I mean, there's certain blood work, like C-reactive protein or homocysteine will give you measures of your inflammation by doing certain blood work, I could tell you too. Okay, so really it's the underlying cause of so many things. So even like libido, you might not feel as in the mood as aroused as turn on

because of the food you're eating, a leaky gut, like you just don't have the same hormones aren't firing. You're just not able to get your brain on board or your body on board with sex because of this inflammation that's probably coming from the environment and the food you eat and maybe antibiotics. Yes, yes. And that is definitely one cause of libido issues. The other is the lack of

serotonin. And we know that serotonin directly impacts your libido. And it just makes so much sense because if we're stressed out or we're depressed, you're not in the mood. So it's like all of these factors, but our serotonin is directly impacting our libido. And remember, our serotonin is being produced in our gut. It is truly- And this is like imperative. We have to all get on top of this. This is why like the alarm bells are going off.

But what I love is that you're so passionate and you love helping people and you've done the science, you've done the research and your company that you developed, Just Thrive, was really all based on this. Your mission is to share science and better information that helps other people move forward and to basically empower everyone all over the world to take care of their health, live their best lives. So what first inspired you to do this? Did you always have this passion

or was there like something that happened? Usually like something was our catalyst in your life. They were like, holy shit, we need to get this out there. Yes, yes. We were in the pharmaceutical industry. So my husband and I were in the pharmaceutical industry. And I thought it was great. I thought we're delivering life-saving medications to people. This is awesome.

And it was wonderful. And then after being in the industry for a while, we started to see a lot of the abuses, the overprescribing of medications. Really, the thing that bothered me the most was just that doctors and pharma, they are only looking at treating symptoms. There's never a discussion about prevention of health or maintaining your health. My husband was seeing a naturopathic physician,

and they both had been talking about wanting to get into more of the natural health space. And one day, he called him up and said, oh my God, you and Tina need to come to my office right now because I just got the opportunity to license these incredible strains out of London University. And so that was where Just Thrive was born. It was literally- These strains. Yes, these really unique strains of probiotics.

So for many years, there have been these conventional probiotics on the market that are made up of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium. We were able to license these really unique strains through London University from Dr. Simon Cutting, like world-renowned probiotic expert and researcher. And they are called spore-based probiotics. And they are very different type of probiotic strain.

And we were disruptors when we came to the market. It was a really uphill battle, but I would never look back. It was the most gratifying career journey I've ever been on. I mean, and just empowering people. That is one of the core values of our company is empowering people.

I mean, I just, they need to be the CEOs of their own health. After a quick break, we'll be back with more with Tina from Just Thrive. Hey, it's Emily. I know you know me from my podcast, Sex with Emily, which I've been doing now for almost 20 years. But listen, it's time for something different.

I have an announcement to make. I'm breaking out of the studio and coming to a live theater audience. I'll be in Phoenix, April 18th at the Desert Ridge Improv. I'm gonna get into all of your sex questions because come on, I know you have sex questions, relationship questions like, how do I get my partner to try something new? How do I experience role play?

How do I use a toy? How do I really use these dating apps? We're gonna laugh, we're gonna learn, we're gonna play games. There's gonna be so many giveaways. Because listen, let's make sex fun again. Who doesn't want to improve their sex life with some new friends in the audience? So whether you're single or in a relationship or somewhere in between,

this event is for you. It's gonna be evening where your curiosity is celebrated, your questions are answered, and while laughter, that's on the soundtrack. So mark your calendars. Phoenix April 18th, Desert Ridge Improv. Just trust me, you won't want to miss this night and I can't wait to see you there. Bring your friends, bring your partner. We're gonna put links to purchase the tickets in the show notes. You can also go to SexWithEmily.com slash live. That's SexWithEmily.com slash live. That's sexwithemily.com slash live.

Are you in? Can't wait to see you. Well, I think it's so interesting. You said that your husband went to a functional medicine doctor, which I think functional medicine is certainly an area of interest for many people. It's not always accessible, unfortunately, but what I love about it and what I think that you're doing is that you're focusing way more on the

prevention than the treatment. So our medical system is all about like curing a disease or treating something that's already happened, but you're about like creating the lifestyle, preventing it so we don't get sick. So we can have longevity in our life. Right. It's hard because people don't have sick. So we can have longevity in our life. It's hard because people don't have access to naturopathic physicians and functional medicine doctors. You pay cash. I mean, I pay cash for my doctor's appointment

every time I go and not everybody could do that. And that's why I think I'm so passionate about like we do blogs on our website, we do so much research, we hire some of the best researchers out there to like get the information so that people could empower themselves. And it's just really important. And whatever, listening to podcasts like yours and just understanding how health impacts so much of our life and you need to take control of it. Yeah, we do. I love that. It's like become the CEO of your own medical health. I always say become like the CEO of your own sex life. You

guys got to figure it out because it's so different, it's so bio individual. Like we're just giving in on this show. I try to give people like, I'm not prescriptive. I'm not telling you guys to go out and do any one thing. I'm just trying to give you the information so you can make better choices for your overall health and wellness.

I'm always talking about on the show, like one of my pillars of sexual health and sex IQ that I wrote about was the five pillars of sexual health, of sex IQ. And the first one is embodiment. How in your body are you when you wanna be sexual? Are you thinking about what you're feeling? Are you feeling your partner's hands on your body?

Or are you in your head thinking about the laundry? Are the kids listening? Am I fantasizing about my ex? All those are okay and they're natural. In body-man as a practice, I work on it. I see a somatic therapist. I meditate every day. I try. That's to be in touch with my body. So when we first met, you sent me some of these the probiotics because I've just been like so curious about it when I heard like it can help with erectile dysfunction and it can help you with your mood and all the things. So I started taking them a month ago.

And at first I was like, oh, I don't know, I can't tell. It's fine. And then I realized about not that soon and maybe less than a week that I was a lot more regular and I didn't realize, this is me not being embodied, that I wasn't that regular. I didn't realize that it was more of a struggle, but now I wake up, I go.

I go to bed and I go. I feel so, it's so freeing. It's so easy. And I don't even have to think about it. And so that's been my experience with probiotics, but I'm wondering, in your experience, I know that there's so many other things with probiotics, so I'm wondering if you could tell us why,

why is everyone recommending them? Tell me about Just Thrive and stuff in your probiotics, which I know are special because so many different things with probiotics. So I'm wondering if you could tell us like why is everyone recommending them? Tell me about Just Thrive and stuff in your probiotics, which I know are special because of the spores. Probiotics are the friendly bacteria. And we want them to, in order to be defined as a probiotic, it's a live microorganism that confers a benefit onto the host, which is the body. And we need them to be alive when they're in the intestines. And so the biggest thing is that we need a probiotic that arrives alive in the intestine. So we work

with a type of probiotics that's called spores, like you mentioned. And the biggest difference is they have this endospore shell around themselves. And that shell allows them to survive the stomach acid and get into the intestines alive. And so the biggest problem with the overwhelming majority of probiotics on the market is that they die in the stomach acid. So the stomach acid is meant to be the gastric barrier. It's very acidic. If our fingers touch the acid in our stomach,

it would burn our fingers. So it's, and it's there to protect us. It gets all the things from our food that we don't want. But for probiotic, we do want our probiotics to survive because in order to just be defined as a probiotic, it needs to arrive alive in the intestines. And so that's the difference between the spores and the conventional probiotics that you find, you know, pretty much everywhere. They don't arrive alive. I bought the ones that you had to put in the refrigerator and I was like, I'll never remember to take them because they're in

the refrigerator. Yeah, that's actually one of the biggest myths I always talk about. Yeah. Is that if a probiotic- They don't have to be in the refrigerator. No, no. Why do they tell you that? Well, to be a live microorganism, they thought, oh, well, they need to be alive in the refrigerator. And so they're alive. Let's say they were alive. Let's just make it.

Let's pretend like they made it from the manufacturing facility on the truck to the grocery store and they were live microorganism. When you took them home and you put them in your mouth, your body temperature is 98.6, right? Well, they can't even withstand the room temperature of the store shelf, which is much cooler than your body temperature of 98.6. So the majority of those probiotics would die just from the temperature of your body. But much less when they start making their way to the intestines, they would hit the stomach and all that acidic environment in the stomach would kill off

the probiotic. And then you're basically getting dead bacteria. Now there's an argument to be made that even dead bacteria will make give you some symptomatic relief, but it's not making a true change in the gut. It's not going in there and fixing what's going on in the gut. And the spores, those are the strains that we work with. And these are the same type of strains our ancestors got from the environment. They would eat roots and tubers off the land.

They would get the bacteria. It was teeming with this good bacteria. They have this endospore shell around itself. And this is not because we've engineered them. This is a natural way to get these spores. And you swallow them. They have that shell around themselves while they get through that gastric system. And when they hit your intestines, they recognize your intestines as its home.

And then they take the shell off. And that's when they go into their live vegetative cell state. And then they stay there for about 21 to 28 days where they're working from the small intestine all the way down to the distal colon. So it's really, it's like, I get so excited about it because it's like, this is why they work. Can you picture it now, like going into my cell? Now like I'm just taking it,

but now I can picture it going down there, opening up, fertilizing my bacteria, like being in my gut. Like that sounds like I can actually feel it now. I'm having a very embodied experience about taking the probiotic right now. Yeah, and like you said that about fertilizer, it's so funny because I love to use that analogy. When you envision a garden that's been stepped on and trampled on and there's weeds growing all over that garden, you kind of compare that to your gut, your intestines.

And these probiotic strains actually go into that garden. They get there 100% alive. They attach to the dirt or the intestinal cell wall. And then they have the ability to get rid of the weeds in the garden or the bad bacteria in your gut and then they have the ability to take those plants that have been stepped on and trampled on and have them come back to life. So they are they're going in and making they're like the gardener of the gut. They go in there and they're literally like taking to getting rid of the pathogenic bacteria, helping

get rid of the pathogenic bacteria, help bring our good bacteria back to life. Okay. Can everyone take probiotics? Are they suitable for everybody? Like do you the pathogenic bacteria, helping get rid of the pathogenic bacteria, help bring our good bacteria back to life. Okay. Can everyone take probiotics? Are they suitable for everybody? Do you think? Yeah. So with the spore-based probiotic, I can't imagine anybody that would not be able to

take it. I think it's, I mean, it's hard to find anybody that would not benefit from it because, like I said, we're being assaulted. Our gut is being assaulted on a daily basis, and yet it's dictating virtually all of our health. I mean, if you go to Google and you say like gut health and brain health, gut health and skin health, gun health and rheumatoid arthritis, gut health and sexual health, I mean, there is going to be a study on it because your gut is responsible with everything that you're

talking about when you talk about your health. And well, the reason why it is new information and this is, it's not a fad though. I mean, this is like, I mean, we are at the like- It's not like kale. It's not like the kale of medical diagnosis or anything. No, no, not at all. And we're like at the tip of the iceberg. I mean, there is more and more research. I think there's going to be a time where people are on several different probiotics.

I mean, because we know how instrumental they are in healing. I mean, we have our main probiotic, our spore-based probiotic that is foundational and we could go into all why that's so foundational, but we work with another probiotic strain called bifidol longum 1714 that's actually shown to bring down cortisol levels and that's our Just Calm product because we know that our cortisol, we're all like have way too much cortisol right now because we're all stressed out and we're always in that fight or flight response. So there I could see a day where we're taking five, 10 different types of probiotic strains

because we know how it's impacting our health, our guts are impacting our health. I tried that one as well because here's why I was also very interested in getting to know you because this is a part of a journey that I have a graveyard of supplements. I might show them to you in my kitchen and I've seen different doctors that were like you have to take magnesium and then you have to take fish oil and then you have to take B or D but it was always a probiotic. Those were the consistent ones and then I got overwhelming taking them every day. I don't want to take them every day but then it just sounds like the main thing that everyone agreed on was that probiotic, which again, up until recently, I would only take them if I took antibiotics. So this is just like kind of blowing my mind that it

is so linked to so much of our overall and our sexual health. Yeah. And when you're talking about these different vitamins that we're taking. So when our gut is inflamed, it's not absorbing nutrients. So here where all these people are taking, everyone takes a multivitamin without even thinking about it. Or they take vitamin D. Everyone knows we need to be taking vitamin D, and we need to be taking vitamin C, especially after the pandemic. Everybody's taking all these vitamins,

which I'm so happy about. But there's no point in taking them if our gut is not absorbing them and if our gut is inflamed. So that's why it's foundational to be taking care of your gut and being on a high quality probiotic because you're not absorbing the nutrients if your gut is inflamed or imbalanced at all. And that's what I think I want to just stress to people is that you take all these supplements and they're great and eat healthy, but we need to make sure that we first and foremost take care of our gut. So if my gut is inflamed, I'm taking all these antibiotics

and put my guts inflamed, they won't be able to absorb the nutrients. So it's just a waste. A waste of time, waste of money. If our gut is inflamed. Right, but you told me most people's guts are inflamed. And we have no way of knowing if it's inflamed, right? And most of us have leaky gut, right.

But it's our gut's job to assimilate these nutrients. And that's really important for people to understand. Ah, God, it's a lot. But no, no there's good it's good news. You know what the good news is? It is good news. It is. It makes it easier now. We could heal our guts. I mean we can heal our gut. That's the beautiful part. What have you heard from people like about their sexual health? Because we know that it's related to libido erectile dysfunction. I've heard from several urologists now that like tell their patients to take probiotics, as I mentioned earlier.

What have you seen from that? What have you heard from people? I have actually a girlfriend who said, oh my God, your product saved my marriage because she had no energy. I mean, it's like we, she literally was like always tired, didn't have the energy. And so it just, when you start going

to the bathroom regularly, when you get rid of those toxins on a regular basis, I mean, it's your gut dictating all of that and your hormones are metabolized in your gut. So we need to know that when we have people who have estrogen dominance, for example, we need, it's our gut that's detoxing over production of certain hormones. I don't even know where to start because it's like mood and what kind of mood you're in is affecting, your gut is affecting that.

So the hormone, by taking that, but also, yeah, our hormones are regulated. This will also help with our production of our hormones. Right, if I would take the probiotic first. People would want to maybe avoid HRT until the time that they maybe need it, you know, but I would say that you could prolong that time in your life by, your gut is regulating your hormones.

So that's why we need to be taking care of our gut. Well how do we know if it's a hormone issue or a gut issue? In what respect? Well like let's say my libido or I have night sweats or I have erectile dysfunction or if I'm going through perimenopause because it sounds like there's not conclusive tests right now and you can't really tell through blood work and then you heard said that every lot of people have leaky guts so like how do we know what to do because I'm always like I'm a huge fan of HRT if you need it,

hormonal replacement therapy especially if you're a perimenopause, menopause as you get older but then we know that now that some kids are being born with like really low testosterone, two men, young boys, so I just feel like how do we piece this all apart like how do we know which is which? Well, any hormone expert that you talk to will tell you, you start with your gut. I mean, every single one that I follow and that I, you know, different doctors that I've spoken to are always like, you need to focus on your gut health.

I mean, even you could be on HRT and it may help, you know, certain like things like vaginal dryness or like hot flashes, but you need to be taking care of your gut simultaneously because it's still where your hormones are being regulated. So it's probably a combination of things. You could be on spores all you want, but I mean, once you hit menopause, you're not gonna be able to produce estrogen

and progesterone. Which foods should we eat for healthier gut and which ones should we avoid just to start there? That's an awesome question, because I mean, there's so much we could do that's free with our gut. And one of the big things is eating a diverse group of foods. So we live in this world where it's like I'm keto, I'm paleo, I'm vegan, you know, they

have all, everyone's got these restrictive eating diets right now. And you go to the grocery store, find a different vegetable you haven't eaten before and like try that and really mix up a lot of your vegetables or even meat products and just try to eat a diverse group of foods and that is going to contribute to diversity. We know that when we have a diverse microbiome, we have health and when we have health, we have better sexual health. And so it's really important that we're eating a diverse group of foods and, you know, staying

away from processed foods, staying away from foods like sugar, alcohol, all those things. I mean, gluten is unfortunately a huge offender to leaky gut. People will say, I don't have any gluten intolerances, which I'm one of those people, I don't have any gluten intolerances. But we actually all have a gluten intolerance because-

I know, I've learned this, ugh! Yeah, it attacks our gut lining. So we wanna avoid certain foods that are, you know, we wanna avoid certain foods, foods that are loaded with antibiotics. We wanna avoid processed foods that have all those chemicals in there. But there are a lot of, those things will help also. Okay, and what can we eat?

What are the things, like, also eating, what about eating like sauerkraut and like fermented foods? So I'm a huge- That helps too, right? Yes, sauerkraut, fermented foods are really, really nutrient dense. They're really great for your gut. They are not a replacement for a probiotic because just like those probiotics out there that arrive a lot or they arrive dead, fermented foods are super beneficial, but the probiotics

in them will actually die in the stomach acid. But that doesn't mean that all of the ferment and all of the nutrients that come with fermented foods, they are really important for your gut health. So I would never say, oh, don't eat fermented foods. You don't have to eat them. I eat them all the time and I think they're hugely beneficial. They're just not a replacement for a probiotic. Okay. Because I used to love kombucha. I drank it every day, but then someone was like, it has a lot of sugar in it. And then I was like, oh no. That is one of the big... People eat yogurt all the time and they're like every day, but then someone's like, it has a lot of sugar in it. And then I was like, oh no. Well, that is one of the big,

like people will eat yogurt all the time and they're like, oh, I ate yogurt, so good for my gut. Well, the effects of the sugar are negating all of the benefits of the yogurt. So let's say we take a probiotic, because I'm committed now, I'm like, this is what I haven't done this before, this is what I wanna do.

But does that mean that everything else is fixed or just a great place to start by taking a probiotic? Well, it's one place to start. It's a very powerful tool in your toolbox. Like we said, you know, eating better and cleaner, you know, just taking baby steps. I don't expect people to like make huge shifts just taking baby steps. Also, like finding some type of mindful practice, doing things that will calm you down, even if it's major lifestyle changes, but you have got to be taking care of your gut. And then of course, the spore-based probiotic, it just works so powerfully and it's been so much fun to see what people are feeling.

And like I said, in the pharmaceutical world, side effects are like suicidal thoughts or bloody stools, all these horrible things. And it's like with our product, so many people come to it because they have gas or bloating or constipation or they just want to be healthy. They just want to take it like they take a multivitamin. And then they all of a sudden say, oh my gosh, I have more energy or I have better weight management. I mean, we see this all the time because our gut bacteria is determining how you metabolize your food. And if you're one of those people that like could look at a cupcake and gain 10 pounds or one of those people that could eat a cupcake and not gain 10 pounds. So it's like you people see better weight management, they see better mood, better sleep. That's a huge response we get from a lot

of customers is just getting better sleep because when your gut is calm, it's like the magic starts to happen. And that's why I always tell people like people will like maybe start it and they'll be like, oh, I'm going to be on it. And it's not like an over the counter that where you're gonna feel it right away. Some people do, some people will feel it immediately, but I always say like, stay on it for 90 days. And then you start to see the magic happen. That's when you start to notice the energy.

That's when you start to notice all of these other really exciting things happen. So we hear a lot about UTIs. There's all these, first of all, some women have repeated urinary tract infections or yeast infections. Then as women head into perimenopause, menopause, they even have even more UTIs. And it says like there's a lot of reasons for it, but I'm wondering what you think about probiotics, our sexual health, yeast infections,

millions of women suffer from these infections. Like, what do you think about taking something for that? Yeah, well, it's our gut microbiome that's dictating our vaginal microbiome. It really is. And so we need to be taking care of our gut to take care of our vaginal microbiome. We also know that yeast and candida

is like a natural part of our gut flora. It's when you have that overgrowth of yeast where you start to see the problems. And that's what's exciting about the spores is that they actually, I always say like elbow out the overgrowth of the yeast or the candida that's going on. And the problem is when people are getting these yeast infections or UTIs, what's the first thing that they do, especially with UTIs, they go on an antibiotic. That's the thing. They go on an antibiotic and I'm like, oh, this is not, I don't want to do that anymore.

No, you don't want to do that. So I think taking care of your gut flora is super important. We actually have a UT product that it's called UT123 that is really, really great for, it's a fast acting. But I really, I cannot stress enough that we need to be taking care of our gut when we're talking about vaginal health, UTIs when we're talking about yeast infections, BV, all of that stuff. Okay, we have some questions here that I would love you to help me answer. We got some from Instagram and we've got some from our listeners. Let's just whip out the Instagram. Does a healthier gut increase your chance of orgasm? Well, absolutely, because if you think about it, you know, what helps you get in your organism? It's basically being in the right mood and feeling

good and it's your serotonin. Yeah. And so it's our serotonin and that's being produced in our gut. So, absolutely. So, someone else wants to know how does it affect? It's the same mechanism of the serotonin production and also the lack of inflammation. When you start getting rid of that inflammatory response, when your gut is healthy and you don't have that inflammatory response, that's really going to help your libido as well. We know that inflammation is affecting testosterone levels. It's like we have got to be taking care of our testosterone and so much of that is caused by leakiness of the gut. What supplements do you recommend for a healthy gut? I feel passionately

about our Just Thrive Spore-Based Probiotic. That is foundational. I mean, before you do any other supplements or anything else that we carry, I would focus on the probiotic, the Spore-Based Probiotic, because it is literally going in there and being that gardener of the gut and helping that balance. Your gut is an ecosystem. It's not that we want to get rid of all the bad bacteria. We just want a healthy, a balanced. A balanced, right.

And we want the good bacteria to outweigh the bad bacteria. And that's what's so cool about the spores is their ability to do that. And we talked earlier about antibiotics. This is a really important point. So you are right that most of the time they tell people get off of your probiotic when you're on an antibiotic. It is different with the spores.

Here's why. The spores have the ability, you know how they have that spore around themselves that they're able to survive the gastric system? Well, they are also able, that spore shell allows them to survive the presence of an antibiotic. So it is, they will work at the that SporeShell allows them to survive the presence of an antibiotic. So, it is, they will work at the same time as with a antibiotic. So, I would highly recommend that if you're taking an antibiotic that you take a Spore based probiotic like Just Thrive because it has the ability to survive the presence of

an antibiotic. Is that really what all you have to do, not all you have to do, but like change your diet and all that, but by taking one of these, you're on the road to recovery? You're on a really, really powerful road to recovery. I mean, you are like going in there and it's not a quick fix. You know, anything that's worthwhile and long-term is not a quick fix. But like I said, we- I know, everyone wants a quick fix. I know, but you will see the magic start to happen. I mean, when you start, because it's like all these other things start happening when you start to heal your gut. It's really exciting. I know that's why I'm so glad you were

like so the right person because I was like that's the one area I just had it. I mean I'm healthy, I do all the things but I need to understand this because I see how imperative it is for overall health but also to help prevent diseases later in life. Yes exactly. So it's really important. Okay so this is a listener question. Hello Dr. Emily I'm a 50-something woman of Ova owner and I love listening to your show. I'm recently divorced and your show is a great source of insight as I'm navigating new relationships. For my whole life every time I receive oral I end up with a UTI. Different partners, I have good hygiene and I follow the best practices like urinating after sex. And still every single time it's a huge

bummer to what should be a hot, sexy, pleasurable experience. It's difficult for me to get excited about knowing the aftermath I'll have to deal with. Is there anything I can do so I don't end up with a UTI?" So there's a lot of different theories about this. Like recurrent UTIs, they say maybe caused by the reinfection of the same pathogen. It could be something in your DNA. It could be genetic. It could be a lack of estrogen. If you're in perimenopause or menopause, make the lining of your urinary tract more susceptible to harmful bacteria as there's less good bacteria to fight off an infection. I've like tons of research on this. Like it's really not known why some people get them more than others, except for the few things that I just mentioned.

I think that sucks to hear. I'm sorry that that happened. I'm sorry that that is like your life, Amy, because you know there are those things that say like go to the bathroom after sex, make sure you're clean, don't wear tight underwear. But there's just some people, I guess, who have one of these challenges. But what would you say about this? Is there anything, have you heard about people who have taken some of your probiotics, but they continue to get it?

Or what have you heard about UTIs? Yeah, I would always encourage somebody that has recurrent UTIs to take care of their gut. And so of course, the best way to do that by taking the spore-based probiotic. But then also we do have a urinary tract health product. That is, we call it, it's fast-acting, and it actually attaches to the E. coli.

Because E. coli is the main bacteria that causes, is like the root cause of urinary tract issues. And so we have a product that actually attaches to the E. coli and is more fast-acting. So in that case, I would say if you're prone to them, just to start taking it on a regular basis, and we've seen a lot of success with that. So you're saying that she could start taking this

on a daily basis and she might see that all these other doctors' theories about genetics and all these genetic subtypes could just be that her gut hasn't been healthy, maybe that's also genetic, but if she takes something every day preventative, she might not have to. Yeah, so you remember, like I was, the gut microbiome is dictating the vaginal microbiome.

So we wanna be first and foremost taking care of our gut. But then we have this urinary tract product that actually will help support our urinary tract for those times. And we know that we would take it for about, like, or the studies on it are like for six months, they were on some of these ingredients and they saw market improvement. Okay. I feel like I want to send her some. Oh yeah. Can we send her some? I would love to.

I feel like she's been suffering her whole life. Oh my gosh. I would love to. 50 something woman. Yeah. Let's send her some. I would love to. Okay. We're going to send you some, 50 something woman. Yeah. Let's send her some. I would love to. Okay, we're gonna send you some, Amy, and we want, we hope this can help you because I want her to be having great sex.

I want her to get both. But the probiotic and the UT123. Okay, we're gonna send you some, okay? Yes. Because we want you to have sex without the worry. Yes, absolutely. I know. I mean, that creates a whole new worry.

Well, that's the thing. Yeah. If we're worried about all this stuff, then we can't, this is the stress about sex that we can't get into our bodies. Okay, so here's another one. Dear Emily, I'm a young man in his early thirties and due to my gut issues,

I have a lot of anxiety around receiving anal. How can I best prepare to be clean and manage my stress and anxiety about butt stuff? All the best, Alex in Arizona. Well, first I can tell you what I always say about butt stuff is that there's a lot of people who are worried about like, how do I know I'm not gonna like, you know, have an explosion all over the place?

So I think that we all know, we can all recognize our bowels. Like we know when it's full and when we can empty it, I hope. We also know when certain foods might trigger it. So like, I'm not gonna go out for a big meal, let's say the night before or the day of, if I'm gonna have anal sex.

So I feel like first that's sort of a knowing ourselves thing like know which food are your triggers, is it meat, is it dairy, is it fried foods, avoid all of those things. Because then he starts having gut issues but also like be with a trusting partner. You wanna make sure that you go slow, that you're warmed up, that you use a lot of lube.

Like all those things are really, really important. But again, when I just hear him saying gut issues in the past I wouldn't really have known, but when he says that now, it sounds like he's got a gut issues and then it can also be explosive, literally, because he doesn't know how to handle it. So I think it is knowing the food you're eating,

knowing your triggers, but what else, is there anything here that you would add to that? Well, I think it would be the same thing about taking care of our gut, because when you become regular, I mean, that's what's so exciting when you start to that? Well, I think it would be the same thing about taking care of our gut, because when you become regular, I mean, that's what's so exciting when you start to heal your gut, is that you start to become regular.

So there won't be any surprises, there are very few surprises. You'll know when you're going to the bathroom, for the most part, you become so regular. And so that could be a solution. And his anxiety around it is also not helping his gut issues. Well, absolutely, yes.

Like, come on, you guys, it's all related. If we're worried, it's in our gut. Where would you feel anxiety? Yeah, exactly. And then that, your gut is sending those signals to the brain through the vagus nerve. It's all a vicious cycle. It's all related. It really is.

That's why the breathing and the relation and seeing that it's all related and if you could do anything you can to calm yourself before any sexual activity before a date, taking a few deep breaths, moving your breath or your body. Well, you're doing incredible work. That's why I was so excited to talk to you. I think this is really going to impact so many people's lives, but their overall health and wellness

and their sexual health. I can't wait to see what happens. Thank you for being here, Tina. Come just thrive. Thanks for having me. I'm so excited. This has been so fun. I'm gonna ask you the five quickie questions

we ask all of our guests. No overthinking, just the first thing that comes to your mind. Okay. You ready? Your biggest turn on. My husband's smile and like how much he loves me. Biggest turn off. Negativity.

What makes good sex? Connection. Something you would tell your younger self about sex and relationships. That is really healthy for you. What's the number one thing you wish everyone knew about sex? That your gut is also dictating your sexual health. I want everyone to know that too. Thank you so much. Okay, so Tina, where can everyone find you and all the great work you're doing? Oh, the best place is at our website at JustThriveHealth.com and I think we actually have a coupon code

for your listeners, which is Sex With Emily, for 20% off the 90 day. So, you know, I'm so passionate about the 90 day, staying on it. And so we have that 20% off. I usually only do like 15% off, but I'm like, we're gonna do 20 for the 90 day because we really encourage people

to stay on it for the 90 days. Okay, I'm in it. I'm like a month in, but I want everyone to, if you can can try this out and I want to know because I want to do my own research like is it impacting your your life your sexual health like all the things we've talked about so thank you that's very generous. You bet thank you so much it's been fun. Thank you for being here this is fun. That's it for today's episode. See you on Tuesday! Thanks for listening to Sex with Emily. Be sure to like, subscribe, and give us a review

wherever you listen to the podcast and share this with a friend or partner. You can find me on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at Sex with Emily. Oh, I've been told I give really good email, so sign up at SexWithEmily.com. And while you're there, check out my free guides and articles for more ways to prioritize your pleasure. If you'd like to ask me about your sex life, dating or relationships call my hotline 559-TALK-SEX. That's 559-825-5739 or go to Sexwithemily.com slash ask Emily. Was it good for you? Email me, feedback at sexwithemily.com.