You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong (And It’s Affecting Your Brain) with Dr. Trischa Pasricha | E213

In this eye-opening episode of The Empowering Neurologist Podcast, host Dr. David Perlmutter sits down with Dr. Tricia Pasricha, a gastroenterologist and author of the new book *You've Been Pooping All Wrong*, to dismantle long-standing myths about bowel movements and explore the profound gut-brain connection. Dr. Pasricha challenges the pervasive belief that one bowel movement per day is the gold standard, emphasizing that bowel habits vary widely and that going after every meal or even every third day can be perfectly normal. She highlights the critical importance of recognizing changes in bowel habits as potential red flags for early-onset colorectal cancer, especially in younger populations where rates are rising rapidly. The conversation delves into the science of intestinal permeability—commonly known as 'leaky gut'—and how stress, poor diet, alcohol, and medications can compromise the gut barrier, leading to systemic inflammation linked to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other degenerative diseases. Dr. Pasricha advocates for a holistic approach to gut health, focusing on lifestyle changes like reducing processed foods, managing stress, and improving sleep, rather than relying solely on supplements. She also discusses the limitations of current diagnostic tools and the potential—but still experimental—role of fecal microbiota transplants in treating conditions like Parkinson’s, while emphasizing that prebiotics and whole foods are more reliably beneficial. The episode concludes with a powerful call to treat the gut with the same respect as the brain, underscoring that gut health is not separate from brain health but deeply integrated with it.