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Integrative Brain and Body

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Downers Grove, IL
Integrative Brain and Body

Integrative Brain and Body specializes in providing patients with answers to chronic health conditions The key to individualized care is proper testing!

Our goal at Integrative Brain and Body is to empowering people with knowledge to overcome chronic health concerns so they may live healthy, fulfilling lives. We respect that no two people are alike, even if they have the same condition. Because of this, we take time to get to know patients as individuals so we may deliver custom tailored care. If you do not feel “normal” your body is telling you that there is something physiologically not right! If you’ve been told your lab results are normal the root cause that is driving your condition hasn’t been addressed. To see the list of laboratory tests we offer, visit ibrainandbody.com/labs. For all the conditions we help we offer laboratory analysis, nutritional counseling, neurological rehabilitation, supplementation, chiropractic care and lifestyle modifications. Some conditions we help:
Thyroid dysfunction
Autoimmune diseases
Gut/digestive disorders
ADD/ADHD
Vertigo
For a complete list, visit http://ibrainandbody.com/who-we-help/

03/10/2026

Two of the biggest levers are improving the microbiome and strengthening the gut barrier.

Some of my favorite strategies for supporting the gut barrier include:

✔️ Avoiding gluten & alcohol
✔️ L-glutamine — a primary fuel source for the cells that line the intestinal wall
✔️ Butyrate — a short-chain fatty acid produced by beneficial microbes that helps maintain the integrity of the gut lining
✔️ Zinc carnosine — supports repair of the mucosal lining and improves barrier stability

When the gut barrier is strong, large inflammatory molecules like LPS can’t easily slip through the cracks.

And that can make a huge difference in lowering baseline inflammation throughout the body.

Follow along this month as we break down more ways to optimize the gut microbiome and gut barrier.

03/09/2026

It's another Gut Microbe Monday, so let's highlight another beneficial critter that lives in most of our GI tracts!

Akkermansia Muciniphila is a microbe associated with:
🟢Better blood sugar + insulin sensitivity�
🔥 Less fat gain and lower inflammation�
🧠More natural GLP-1 signaling (satiety and glucose support)�
🧱A stronger gut barrier (thicker mucus layer, tighter “junctions”, less leakiness)�
🧘Immune balance that can calm “over-reactive” inflammation

It also shows up in research on NAFLD, IBD, C. diff resilience, cardiovascular inflammation, healthy aging and even blood brain barrier protection! While context matters and most data is still preclinical, the news coming out about Akkermansia is quite exciting!

How to support it naturally:�
🥦 Prebiotic fibers: such as those found in chickpeas or lentils �
🍵 Polyphenols: such as those in pomegranate seeds, blueberries, and green tea!�
🥜 Fiber-rich whole foods and certain polysaccharides�
🌙 Circadian-friendly habits (melatonin signaling may matter too!)

If your gut barrier is the castle wall, Akkermansia helps keep the bricks tight. 🏰🔥

Send to someone who deals with gut and metabolism issues!

03/08/2026

Gut Microbe Monday: Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.

Why it matters:
This is one of the most common “good” microbes in a healthy colon. It helps make short chain fatty acids, especially butyrate, which is fuel for the cells lining your colon and is linked with calmer immune signaling in the gut. Lower levels are often seen in inflammatory gut patterns and in metabolic dysfunction research, so clinicians pay attention to it as a “resilience” marker. (PMID: 32534182; 30809639; 23831042)

Faecalibacterium prausnitzii also may play a very unique role in the gut-brain axis. Research out of Harvard found that this species may play a significant role in production of samE, a precursor to dopamine and seratonin, two essential neurotransmitter (brain chemical messengers) for proper brain function and mood! (PMID: 39543781)

So how do you get more of this guy in your gut?

For most people, the best strategy is to feed it, not to buy it. This microbe is extremely oxygen sensitive, so it is not commonly available as a standard probiotic.

What tends to help is increasing prebiotic fibers that reach the colon, especially fructooligosaccharides and resistant starch. That can look like oats, beans or lentils, slightly green bananas, cooked then cooled potatoes or rice, onions, garlic, asparagus, and apples. Start low and go slow if you bloat easily. (PMID: 3525213) 🥬

In general, a diet high in diverse fibers is associated with greater amounts of faecalibacterium prausnitzii. Specifically, psyllium husk may be able to increase this microbe (PMID: 35930916). 🦠

Send this to someone who is always trying to work on their gut health!

03/07/2026

Centenarians have a different microbiome.
Not just more diversity...a different function.

One of the most consistent findings?

Higher levels of Bifidobacterium, a genus that:
– Produces anti-inflammatory metabolites
– Supports the gut barrier
– Regulates immune aging

We start life rich in it.
We lose it over time.

Maybe aging isn’t just the passage of years, but a change in biological processes over time...and maybe the loss of key microbes can accelerate or slow down that biological aging

03/06/2026

Most people think they are “just not a morning person,” but Dr. Matt has seen that mornings can be trained.

In this reel, he shares the single habit that helped shift him from a groggy slow starter into someone who wakes up with more drive and clarity: moving his body as soon as possible after waking. ☀️

The idea is simple. Early movement can help create a healthy morning cortisol rise, which often supports energy and focus for the day. Over time, consistency matters. When the brain learns a repeated pattern, neuroplasticity helps make that pattern feel more automatic, not forced. 🧠

(General education, not medical advice.)

If you want help building a personalized plan for energy, focus, and resilience, book a discovery visit, link in bio.

03/05/2026

If we had to pick one microbe most strongly associated with metabolic health, it would be Akkermansia.

Not because it’s trendy...but because of what it does mechanistically:

🧱 strengthens the gut barrier
🔥 reduces endotoxemia
🩸 improves insulin signaling
🍽️ regulates satiety hormones

Low levels are something we consistently see in:
⚠️ insulin resistance
📦 visceral adiposity
🌡️ chronic inflammation
🍔 ultra-processed diets

Rebuilding the mucus environment is the most important thing for cultivating abundant Akkermansia in the gut.

03/04/2026

Did you know that your gut microbiome can impact your thyroid? 🦠📉 A fascinating study found that low levels of a gut microbe called Akkermansia muciniphila are linked to hypothyroidism, with a 16% higher risk for those with reduced levels.

This microbe plays a key role in keeping your immune system balanced and supporting your thyroid’s ability to function properly.

Want to boost Akkermansia? Focus on eating polyphenol-rich foods like pomegranates, berries, and even green tea. 🍇🍵 Small dietary changes can help you cultivate a healthier gut and support your thyroid naturally!

The gut-thyroid connection is just one example of how powerful your microbiome is for your overall health.

03/03/2026

Most people walk into our office already taking a probiotic, drinking greens, and loading up on fiber… and they’re frustrated because their gut still isn’t better.

What we’ve learned from working with hundreds of patients is this:

Your gut microbiome is an ecosystem that has to be rebuilt in the right order.

Just like a garden, there’s a sequence that changes everything:

⛏️ W**d
🌱 Seed
💧 Feed

And for many patients, this is the moment it finally clicks.
-----
⛏️ W**D

Before we add anything in, we have to change the environment.

If there’s bacterial overgrowth, yeast, or opportunistic microbes, they will continue to dominate no matter how many probiotics or how much fiber you take.

In our clinic, this is where we use targeted herbs and botanicals to actively reduce those overgrowths while also:
• Supporting stomach acid and bile
• Calming gut irritation
• Rebalancing the terrain

Because until the excessive, inflammatory microbes are brought down, the good bacteria don’t have a place to live.
-----
🌱 SEED

Now the gut is ready.

This is where we introduce the right organisms for that person —
not random probiotics, but targeted support that helps rebuild diversity and resilience.
-----
💧FEED

Only after that do we recommend fibers, resistant starches, and polyphenol-rich foods.

Because now those nutrients are feeding beneficial microbes…
instead of fueling the imbalance that was there before.
-----
When we follow this order in practice, this is when patients start telling us:

✔ “My bloating is finally gone”
✔ “I have energy after I eat”
✔ “My mood is more stable”
✔ “My skin is clearer”
✔ “I can tolerate more foods again”

It’s about the right strategy, in the right sequence, for the right person.

That’s when the ecosystem starts working for you instead of against you. 🌿

02/28/2026

There are many breathing techniques that can calm the nervous system. However, research suggests that one specific breathing rhythm may be particularly effective for supporting heart rate variability and autonomic regulation. 🧠

This post walks through what that breathing pattern is, why it matters for nervous system health, and how to practice it in a simple, realistic way. Most people focus on breathing deeper, but pacing and rhythm appear to be far more important. (PMID: 35623448).
Scroll through the carousel to learn more. 📝

Send to a friend who is dealing with a high amount of stress and can use a little bit of nervous system love 💙

*Not medical advice, General education only.

02/27/2026

🧬 Most people think of HRV as a stress or fitness tracker. But a growing body of research points to something deeper…

What if the resilience of your nervous system could influence how your body handles disease — including cancer?

A systematic review of 19 studies found that higher heart rate variability (HRV) was consistently associated with:
✅ Slower cancer progression
✅ Better coping capacity
✅ Improved overall prognosis

Why? Because HRV reflects how well your autonomic nervous system adapts to stress. And that adaptability affects everything from immune signaling to inflammation to repair.

This doesn’t mean HRV is a treatment.
But it is a window into how the body manages internal and external pressure.

And the more we understand that window, the more we can train it — using things like breathwork, sleep optimization, and nervous system retraining.

02/26/2026

Feeling lightheaded when you stand up, like you might black out? A racing heart from something as simple as walking up stairs or randomly while laying in bed at night? Fatigue that does not match your effort, plus brain fog that makes it hard to focus? Digestive issues that come and go, heat intolerance, poor sleep, and days where your body feels “revved up” for no clear reason?

When those symptoms cluster together, one possibility is something called dysautonomia.

Dysautonomia is an umbrella term for when the body’s automatic control systems are not regulating properly, especially the systems that keep heart rate and blood pressure stable with posture changes, and help coordinate digestion, temperature control, and recovery.

How we can measure it:
📝 Heart Rate Variability or HRV is one useful metric because it gives a window into how well your body shifts between stress and recovery. Consistently lower HRV can suggest reduced recovery capacity, but it is not a diagnosis by itself. We pair it with other measures like resting heart rate trends and position-change vitals (heart rate and blood pressure lying down, then standing).

How we approach it:
🕵We start by identifying patterns and drivers, then build stability without overwhelming the system.
Such as:
🛌 Sleep consistency
💧Hydration
🍽️Optimizing digestion, nutrients, and fueling
🫁Structured breathing or Biofeedback
🧠Exercising parts of the brain that regulate the autonomic nervous system 🚶‍♂️Graded Physical exercise to rebuild tolerance.

If these symptoms sound familiar, and you want a clear plan for what to track and what to do first, book a complimentary discovery call through the link in bio to see if we’re a good fit.

02/25/2026

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is often talked about in the context of stress or athletic recovery…
But what if it could predict cancer outcomes?

📚 A systematic review of 19 studies found this:

➡️ Higher HRV is associated with better prognosis and slower progression in cancer patients.
➡️ Patients with more flexible nervous systems — those who can shift out of fight-or-flight — tend to have better coping capacity, lower inflammation, and greater physiological resilience.

In short: The state of your nervous system matters in how your body handles cancer.

🧠 Why? Because HRV reflects the balance between your parasympathetic and sympathetic systems. And that balance controls inflammation, immune readiness, sleep quality, and even tissue repair.

This doesn't mean HRV treats cancer…
But it tells us that how your nervous system responds to chronic stress may influence how your body responds to disease.

HRV is slowly becoming a vital sign of resilience — physical, emotional, and even cellular.

➡️ If you’re not measuring it, you're missing a critical piece of the puzzle.

Source: Kloter et al., Frontiers in Physiology (2018)
PMID: 30356757

Address

2777 Finley Road Suite 5
Downers Grove, IL
60515

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 1pm
	2pm - 6:30pm
Wednesday	2pm - 6:30pm
Thursday	10am - 1pm
	2pm - 6:30pm
Friday	10am - 1pm

Telephone

+16309687891

Website

https://ibrainandbody.com/

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