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About Norm Robillard

Norm Robillard received his Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst studying Bacillus anthracis and other Bacillus species. His post-doctoral training at Tufts University focused on antibiotic resistance and gene transfer between the gut microbes Bacteroides fragilis and E. coli. During his career in pharma / biotech, Dr. Robillard studied the genetics of antibiotic resistance, septic shock, viral illnesses and antimicrobial and antibody-based therapies prior to founding the Digestive Health Institute. Dr. Robillard is the creator of the Fast Tract Diet, author of the Fast Tract Digestion book series and publisher of the Fast Tract Diet mobile app. He was the first to propose excess intestinal fermentation as the underlying cause of acid reflux and explained the connection between intragastric pressure from gas-producing bacteria in our intestines, nutritional malabsorption and the symptoms of acid reflux. His latest book series, Fast Tract Digestion provides a safe and effective dietary tool and behavioral strategy as an alternative to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), H2 blockers, IBS drugs or antibiotics for heartburn, acid reflux, GERD, laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPR), IBS and other SIBO related conditions.

What are the risks of Ibuprofen vs. naproxen ?

I've always used ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) in the past, but I'm reconsidering this based on the recent finding. High doses of naproxen (Aleve) are not associated with increased cardiovascular risk (good news), while other non-steroidal antiflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including ibuprofen and diclofenac caused an average of three extra major vascular events each year for every [...]

By |2016-11-05T04:26:04-04:00February 10th, 2014|Pain relievers|0 Comments

Crohn’s disease, Cause, Symptoms and Diets

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that affects approximately 600,000 people in the US.[i],[ii] People who have Crohn’s suffer from a serious inflammation or irritation of their digestive tract which can lead to sores or ulcers forming. Crohn’s can attack anywhere along the entire digestive tract, but most commonly affects the end of the [...]

By |2018-03-19T09:45:58-04:00December 4th, 2013|Crohns Disease, Diet and Digestive Health|8 Comments

New study suggests a specific type of gut microbe may cause rheumatoid arthritis

Could one lowly bacterium, Prevotella copri, train the immune system to produce the type of human immune cell (Th17) responsible for inflammation and bone damage in arthritis? According to a new study, also reported on in Wired, the answer could be yes. Based on some provocative early studies in mice, a team lead by Dan [...]

Will Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Work for Crohn’s Disease?

Note: If you haven't read it, you may be interested in this comprehensive article on Crohn's Disease and Diet. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) involves the replacement of the entire population of dysfunctional gut bacteria (gut microbiome) with healthy bacteria from healthy donor stool. The technique has been incredibly successful (90-98%) and safe for treating C [...]

FODMAP Approach vs. Fast Tract Diet – Q & A

I recently received some interesting and direct questions from T-J on the differences between the Fast Tract Diet and the FODMAP approach. Here are the questions and answers. You might also be interested in my article on SIBO Diets. 2018 Update Mike Sweeney, RD (Registered Dietitian) in UK did an evaluation on the Fast Tract [...]

Bacteria-eating viruses kill C diff – An alternative to antibiotics?

Thanks to Bruce Miller, who posts on this site, for bringing this article, "Discovery of virus that 'eats' bacteria that causes C.diff could spell the end for hospital superbug", to my attention. Let's take a look at this research. Could treatment with viruses really "spell the end" for C. diff? Dr. Martha Clokie, at Leicester’s [...]

By |2016-11-05T04:26:33-04:00October 18th, 2013|Diet and Digestive Health|3 Comments

Why So Many People Take PPIs?

In Dr. Mike Eades' latest blog, GERD Treatment: Nutrition vs Drugs, he highlights a video presentation by a Dr. Johnson, an academic gastroenterologist from a medical school in Virginia who advises other doctors to ignore the risks of PPIs. Mike and I have been on the same page on both the risks of PPIs and the [...]

How do you know your food is safe?

Looking at the label is the first thing many people do to assess food safety. Most foods carry labels such as “sell by”, “use by”, or “best before”.  Many people believe that food is not safe if consumed past these dates. A recent Time Magazine article by Alexandra Sifferlin cites a report from the Natural [...]

By |2016-11-05T04:26:40-04:00October 8th, 2013|Diet and Digestive Health, Food safety|0 Comments

C diff Infection Linked to Heartburn Drugs

The FDA has warned for some time that the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for heartburn increases the risk of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea. Now, a new review of 33 separate studies shows that prescription strength versions of the less potent heartburn drugs called H2 antagonists such as Pepcid, Tagamet, Zantac, and Axid, carry the [...]

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