January 28, 2025 • 28 mins
The "poop whisperer" commit. Her name is Melissa Hall Klepacki. Her formal title is Functional Gut Health Expert. She helps women and men relieve themselves of constipation by understanding eight root causes and how to heal from them. Melissa didn't grow up dreaming of becoming a poop specialist. It was only after she was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in her 40s and after seeing 12 different doctors with no answers that her path to healing began to take shape with her discovery of comprehensive detoxification. Melissa's personal journey back to health convinced her that gut health is the cornerstone of overall wellness. Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, known as the "Father of Medicine," said, "All disease begins in the gut." Modern science is only now discovering that gut health influences everything from digestion to dis-ease to mental health. It's why helping people resolve chronic constipation is a cornerstone of Melissa's research and continuing education, which she graciously shares with us in this episode.
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(00:00):
Virgin.
(00:02):
Beauty.
Bitch.
Podcast.
Inspiring women to overcome social stereotypes and share unique life experiences without fear
of being defiantly different.
Your hosts.
Christopher and Heather.
Let's talk, shall we?
Heather and I believe that one of the strongest qualities that make Virgin Beauty
(00:26):
Bitch podcast unique is our eagerness to talk about taboo or uncomfortable topics.
It's a quality people say they appreciate.
So today we get to the bottom of uncomfortable as we welcome functional gut health expert Melissa
Hall Klepacki to Virgin Beauty Bitch.
Melissa, welcome.
(00:47):
Thank you.
You got my name right.
Good job.
Thank you so much.
It always makes me sweat.
So Melissa, your clients lovingly and I emphasize lovingly call you the Poop Whisperer.
But how did you get, how did bowel movements, toilet camping, bloating, and gas, topics that
(01:08):
most people are ashamed to discuss even when they're suffering symptoms,
how did the gut become your profession?
Well, that's a really good question Christopher because if you had told the girl who graduated
from acupuncture school back in 1996 that I would talk about poop, that I would say the word
poop, you would never have been able to convince me.
(01:29):
But it took me getting very, very sick in my forties.
I was sick with Lyme disease and co-infections complicated by parasites and mold and was
on a bunch of antibiotics which took down my gut health left me.
I feel almost as sick with gut problems as I was sick with Lyme disease.
And it wasn't until I got to the root of the gut health issues and all the damage that I
(01:53):
had done with the drugs that I had been on and was able to repair it that I was able to
continue healing.
Because if we're not moving our bowels every day and we're trying to do anything, kill anything
in our bodies, whether it's a virus, whether it's a bacteria, we're going to get sicker
because they're going to sit in our intestines and leak toxins as they sit there.
(02:16):
So I did a lot of work and I still continue to do a lot of work with chronically ill people,
a lot of people who are undiagnosed and suffering with multiple symptoms and no diagnosis.
And almost all of them don't poop.
And so I can't do anything for them.
I can't help them.
I can't eradicate anything from their body until they're what we call drainage pathways
(02:38):
are open, right?
How we get things out of our bodies which is with our breath, with our sweat, with our
urine and with our poop.
Being the biggest one.
And it's a big deal for a lot of people.
A lot of America is constipated and constipation is defined by me as not moving your bowels daily.
There needs to be a good daily bowel movement.
(02:59):
Preferably in the morning.
Every other day that counts as a little constipated.
The docs will tell you as long as you're moving your bowels three times a week.
It's not enough.
It's really not enough for optimal and ultimate health.
Is the modern medicine actually understand what is going on in there?
(03:19):
I wish.
I wish because then all the people wouldn't be calling me saying my doctor told me he doesn't
know what causes constipation and to just take Miralax, drink more water and eat more
fiber.
And that's what I was told in 2016 when I went to the gastroenterologist with tons of problems.
I was handed some medicine and said come back in a couple months.
We'll see how it goes.
How?
(03:40):
I actually asked.
How long will I be on this medicine?
And he said until you're better.
And I said, well, what's going to make it better?
And he just made a little note and walked out the door.
And that's the care a lot of people are getting, you know, because Miralax does work.
Miralax does work if you take it every day for the rest of your life.
But you are also doing tons of damage.
(04:01):
You're getting a lazy bowel.
You're dumping all of your minerals and your vitamins and your amino acids right into
the toilet.
You know, talk about wasting away.
It's just not, it's not doable.
It really isn't.
If you've ever been there, if you've ever had to do that, if you're listening to this and
you're like, oh my god, that's my life.
I do that every day.
You got to get off that roller coaster.
(04:24):
We got to figure out the root problem.
And that's what my job is.
And that's what I do with people every day.
We figure out the root cause.
We heal it.
And then people move on.
Can you go over with us what some of like the, I don't know if this is even a thing,
like the common root causes are and how to help people identify that and maybe even help
them to heal it.
(04:45):
Yes.
Now, it's very exciting for me because I wrote a very short little ebook.
It's at startpoopingbetter.com and it lists all of these.
And I'm actually getting into a larger book this summer, hoping to publish by the end of
the year about this so that people who have been told that they don't understand why
they're constipated actually can find out the reason.
(05:06):
So we start with probably the number one reason for Americans, which is lack of water, lack
of hydration.
Right?
Sometimes we're doing it right.
We're drinking lots of water, but we're still not really hydrating ourselves because that
water needs to get into the cell.
In order to get into the cell, it needs electrolytes.
I'm sure you've heard about them.
They're all over social media.
(05:27):
Everybody's got a newfangled flavor and a new color and a new way to take them.
But my biggest advice when we get some electrolytes every morning, it'll help you hold
water in your body, especially if you're one of those people that is just on the toilet
all the time, because they're trying to drink more and more water.
If it's going right through, it's not doing its job.
So we address that number one with all of my clients, making sure they're drinking enough
(05:49):
water, drinking the right kind of water.
I don't recommend
any carbonated beverages for people who are constipated because you're putting more gas
into your system.
You probably already have some backed up gas.
So it's about drinking the right water and the right amount.
That's a big one for people.
Number two is nutrition.
Another really big one.
And it really is more than just eat fiber.
Otherwise, people would be fine.
(06:11):
If you take a constipated system and you add more fiber, you are going to create a giant
problem.
Right?
Until that super highway is open and moving regularly, we really cannot introduce more fiber.
So what do we do for diet?
Lots of things.
But number one, the number one thing I do for most people.
If you're listening to this and you're constipated, take dairy out of your diet.
(06:36):
Cow dairy.
Most people do okay with sheep and goat.
But cow dairy, which is yogurt and butter and cheese and milk, really can constipate people.
I have so many people come through that say, "I don't have any problems with dairy."
And I say, "Yeah, but you can't poop.
That's your symptom right there."
(06:56):
So sure enough, they take out dairy and they do better.
But it's usually not, and let me say this all with a grain of salt.
There are eight root causes, but usually you have a few if not all of them.
So hydration, nutrition, stress and anxiety is another really big one at the top of my list
(07:17):
for us in this country.
You know, we are trying to set a rhythm so that we're moving our bowels in the morning.
That's how it's meant to be.
You get up, you move your bowels, you take a shower, and then you start filling your body
back up throughout the day.
And then the next morning you release it again and you start filling your body back up.
However, if you set your alarm for 630, jump out of bed, turn on the shower, brush your
(07:43):
teeth real quick.
Shower, shave, put on some makeup, blow dry your hair, put on your clothes, feed your dogs,
grab your cup of coffee and run out the door by 6:55.
There was no time to poop.
We're not giving ourselves ample morning routines that really do the job to allow us to wake
(08:05):
up in a parasympathetic, relaxed state and get the job done.
So we talk a lot about mindfulness, we talk a lot about morning routines, slowing things
down, which of course starts with going to bed earlier, right?
If we want to have a really good morning routine, we've got to get a good night's sleep.
And I talk a lot about sleep, even though it's not a root cause of constipation.
(08:29):
If we have the best intentions and we set out our water picture and we have this great,
fiber-rich, beautiful breakfast there for us, and we wake up and we're not rested and
we're feeling miserable.
That other stuff is out the door.
It's really hard to go for it when you're exhausted.
So stress and anxiety is another big one.
(08:49):
Kind of along the lines with that with this Americans and our busy, busy ways and
our poor diets and the excess alcohol is liver fatigue.
Once we start getting a fatty liver or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the bile isn't flowing
properly and that really impacts digestion.
So we take a good look at if someone comes in with blood work, we'll look at liver enzymes,
(09:10):
we'll talk about liver function and how they're doing, what their alcohol intake and diet
looks like around that.
There are beautiful herbs that can help to repair and stimulate the liver that we can
also use in the beginning stages of remedying constipation.
Let's see, that was four.
Mold and parasites is a big one for a lot of people.
(09:31):
Mold is a big deal.
So if you are living in a house that smells moldy, if you are concerned you have mold, I suggest
you go into your bathroom right now and you lift up that back, you know, whether that back
plate on your toilet, take a look in there.
If it smells funky, black, you have a mold problem because mold grows where water is
dormant in water sits and that's a great place for water to sit.
(09:54):
The best one to check is the toilet you use the least.
However, if you've got a problem there, you've got a problem in your air.
I mean, if you've got a problem in there and your air, you've got a problem in your
body and mold loves to shut down everything for us.
It shuts down your immune system, it shuts down.
You mentally, a minute really does a number on your bowels and same with parasites, you
know, parasites that are living in your digestive tract reminder, don't just live in the
(10:19):
hollow tube of your intestine.
That's why when you go for a colonoscopy, like I did, and when I asked, did you see any worms?
And he just shook his head and laughed at me.
However, few months after my colonoscopy, I passed a tapeworm.
I don't know.
Yeah, so they don't live in the tube, they live in your tissues, but they also do affect,
(10:43):
they do also affect your constipation, your bowel movements.
Low mineral content is another one.
I really work hard with people to replace minerals.
You know, there was a campaign in this country for a very long time, one a day, take your vitamins,
everybody needs a vitamin.
And in fact, we were probably doing a pretty decent job at getting our vitamins if we had
(11:05):
a well-rounded diet, but what we were missing all along has been the minerals.
Our soil isn't what it used to be, our vegetables don't contain the same content.
It's a very hard for us and we are burning up minerals, especially magnesium.
And magnesium and bowels, you know, magnesium, there's many forms, but it can help to, to
(11:25):
relax tissues, which can help with bowel movements.
Magnesium citrate in particular helps to pool water into the bowels and can help with bowel
movements.
If you're one of those people that has hard, dry stools and you feel like you're drinking
a ton of water, maybe it's because you don't have enough minerals on board and you're not
holding onto that water.
Like we talked about with electrolytes, it goes a little bit further than that.
(11:46):
So we really look at minerals.
And then another place that I really looked at seems so basic, but when people come in on
four and five medications, which most Americans over the age of 50 are on a few meds, a lot
of those meds are slowing bowels down.
And just they never were counseled about it.
So we just go over any meds that people were on and then they go back to their doctors
(12:09):
and they say, "I'm on XYZ.
I need something else because I believe it's constipating me."
Sometimes that can help to make a big difference too.
So that, so that and in that cell, those are the really the root causes and it's just about
exploring all of those and coming up with new routines, right, some new diet strategies,
making sure you're getting your water movement comes into play as well for not moving our bodies.
(12:34):
A lot of us are sitting at tasks all day and if we're not moving our bodies, we're not
moving our bows.
So a simple 10 minute walk after a meal does so much for your blood sugar, but also for
your bowles and your digestion.
Thank you so much.
Honestly, that is so helpful and I think that it just creates such a bigger picture of
(12:55):
all of these elements that we can think about to improve our gut health, which is such a
hot topic.
I would say for the last, you know, three years it's really been skyrocketing and just how
important it is for overall health and how it can affect your brain and how all these
other cells function in your body. So it really is the root cause or the common denominator
(13:18):
for so many other issues.
I would love to hear your thoughts because I know another element that people hear about
a lot lately is around fungi and like tinctures with different types of fungi.
Have you dove into that in your in your research and your practice?
So two things, fungi, when you say fungi, I automatically think mold.
(13:39):
Right.
You mean like mushrooms, medicinal mushrooms like racially in lion's mane.
I don't work with too many because I really, I really am highlighting working with constipation
and there really isn't a role for those, especially because without knowing specific lab
work and I want to talk about that for a second, but this, you don't know if someone already
has a fungal problem and so you don't want to add fungus to an already fungal situation.
(14:03):
Somebody could have sebo, somebody could have candida.
I do run a lot of labs for my clients. There's a lab that I prefer out there called the GI
map test. You can run it in the privacy of your own home.
It's a simple stool test. FedEx delivers it and FedEx comes and picks it up and that's
it.
And it gives you so many digestive health markers.
(14:25):
It tells me how you're processing gluten, talks about your immune system, talks about your
levels of inflammation.
You no longer will have to guess at what probiotics you need because it gives you a list
of the hallmarked probiotics that are supposed to be in our guts and the levels of them.
I can tell a lot about people's diet by looking at the phyla, the bacterial phyla in their
(14:45):
guts.
And then the whole host of the bad things that we do not want there, it picks all of those
up.
And so from those we get to make a protocol to eradicate them once people start pooping
better and we can start killing things in their body, then we can rebalance their microbiome.
So the first part is really understanding the root causes and for a lot of people one of
(15:09):
the root causes is what we call dysbiosis, which is, and a lot of times it's because I'm seeing
more and more, it's because people have really weak digestive capacity.
They don't have strong enough acid in their stomach so their food's not breaking down properly.
So it's slowing down when it, once it hits their intestines, not properly digested and
it's still trying to digest as it goes through their intestines.
(15:32):
It's leaving them with SIBO, small intestine bacterial overgrowth, depending on what kind
of organisms made it to the small intestine.
But definitely, right, causing constipation when you don't have the acid to break your
food down.
That's a big problem.
So I'm seeing more and more with clients just very weak digestive capacity.
(15:54):
There was a quote that is several hundred years old by Greek physician, Hippocrates.
All health begins in the gut?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
So many years ago to have known that.
And I think we are like what you said research is coming fast and furiously about the gut.
(16:17):
There are new, I have a whole host of books that I'm pouring through and research every
day and I listen to webinars and they're talking about amazing things like looking at the gut
microbiome of heart disease patients.
They all have similarities.
What about a microbiome transplant, right?
We know fecal transplants are really effective for people who have something called Z-Diff,
(16:39):
which is a really toxic bacteria.
You can actually transplant the stool from a healthy person done in a hospital setting,
of course, into somebody who's sick and reverse their symptoms.
Now imagine if you could replace someone's microbiome who's ailing with something hearty and strong
and bring them back to life with that.
(16:59):
That's future medicine and that's not that far off.
There was a Netflix documentary actually about that recently and one of the people featured
in that was actually doing the feces trade with her brother.
It was not in a medical facility that this was being done.
(17:21):
However, she did see differences.
I believe her brother had acne.
She didn't, but after starting to use his feces as medicine, she developed.
It was that powerful.
The research is coming pretty furiously.
They're always discovering new strains.
(17:42):
I mean, I had a gut test in 2016, which was nine years ago, night and day.
I have so much more information for my clients today.
In 2016, it helped me immensely.
But what we do now is just much more powerful.
I actually created a website called digestivediscovery.com.
(18:02):
You can go there and order your own test.
You don't need an expensive doctor's appointment.
You can take a look at what's happening in your own gut.
You can get a breakdown of your own probiotics.
You can take a look at whether or not you're sensitive to gluten.
I have so many people who say, "I don't have any problems with gluten."
Their numbers are off the chart.
Their information is sky high.
People don't want to change their diet.
(18:23):
On my intake form for every single client, it's like, "How willing are you to exercise?"
People are like, "Yes."
It's like, "Meditate or do some mindfulness.
Okay.
Change your diet."
Oh.
It is.
It is.
It is.
But you know that we are just not just because you're not eating the right foods.
You haven't been for so long that your microbiome has changed.
(18:47):
Yeah.
I think we have a very ignorant understanding of the stomach.
It's like a furnace.
We throw things down there, it burns it up, and on we go.
We don't really understand how much impact it has on all of it.
Well, I think we don't understand the impact that food has.
We don't understand food as medicine yet in this society.
We don't.
It always goes back to what you're putting in your system.
(19:08):
If you drove a Lamborghini, would you put cheap gas in it?
Well, wouldn't.
You just wouldn't.
Right?
And then the same thing, I love car analogies because people don't understand cars.
But I know this about my car.
When the red light comes on, I take it to the shop.
Right?
What if your red light came on and you put a little piece of duct tape over it and just
(19:32):
kept driving?
That's what we do.
Our body throws us signals all the time and we're like, yeah, but, oh, I had a headache,
but I'm okay today.
Oh, that stomach pain was really, really bad.
But it's gone now.
We just ignore it.
Those are symptoms.
Those are little knocks on the door before you get your diagnosis.
(19:53):
Or we go through the doctor and he puts a little tape over it.
Often, right?
With a band-aid, with a medication that just takes the pain away.
Yeah.
You're right.
Yes.
For you, right?
We didn't want to get into a big pharma.
However, what chances, I mean, it takes a specialist like you, who with an open mind, what
(20:15):
chances do people have going to the regular process of doctors have of actually coming up with
solutions to these issues?
I don't have a great answer for you on that one.
You know, we've given away our power and we look to doctors with our hands out for the medication.
(20:38):
We go in.
The commercial tells you, ask your doctor.
Ask your doctor for this great pink pill that will make everything go away.
They trained us.
That's TV programming, right?
And so that's what we do.
We don't go to the doctor and say, I have had a string of headaches so bad.
What can I do?
What, you know, should I look?
Even if you did ask, you know, should I look at my diet?
(21:00):
Could it be my exercise?
What would your doctor say?
Mine would say, like, you have four minutes left.
You know, like, would you want asperger or a leave, right?
I mean, you just don't have the time.
So I think we need to be our own sleuths.
We need to take care of ourselves like we were nurturing young children.
(21:22):
I tell my clients all the time, today's a healing day.
You are three.
Change yourself like you are three.
Put yourself to bed like you are three.
And be gentle with yourself like you are three.
You know, if we, if we as adults took care of ourselves half as well as we would have taken
care of a three-year-old today, you know, we would have made time.
(21:42):
We would have stopped and played in the puddle.
We would have had a little extra time for lunch and we wouldn't have just had a sandwich
for lunch, right?
We would have had three cut-up strawberries and four carrots, nicks.
Which little bit of that goes a long way, right?
We just need to, we need to take better care of ourselves and we need to not give our power
away.
We need to do our own research and we need to really ask and take a look at the foundations.
(22:06):
We call it foundational medicine, which is how are we sleeping?
How are we eating?
How are we, how is our mindset?
What's our exercise look like?
And how are we hydrating?
And for me, how are we pooping?
Every day, those are the things that need to be in the forefront of our mind because that's
what's going to make our body run the best.
(22:28):
And when our body runs great, we feel great.
We can do it all.
I mean, that is helpful because sometimes I think like this big world of gut health feels
overwhelming for folks.
And like you said, when you're in chronic pain and we live in a world that just is all about
suppressing symptoms rather than looking at root causes.
(22:50):
Sometimes it's hard to look at those things.
So how you captured it there to make little adjustments and how we care for ourselves,
it really goes a long way.
We love to ask our guest, Melissa, if there's one of the archetypes that speaks to you in
the name of the show, the Virgin, the Beauty or the Bitch.
(23:10):
Yes, for sure.
I'm going to choose Virgin time and time again.
You know, when I think of Virgin, I think of whole and pure and untouched.
I think of the ways I counsel my clients to always choose a whole food.
You know, I choice this week.
I had two different clients.
One sent me a picture of a bottle of lemon juice in the glass and the other is some packets
that she got, these little tiny packets of lemon juice.
(23:32):
And they were like, how about this?
And I said, how about a lemon?
Like why?
Right?
Like, Virgin, whole food, take it back to nature, go get some sunshine, take a walk.
I don't need you to join a million dollar gym.
You don't need a private Pilates instructor.
You don't need a private chef.
You don't need a food service.
(23:53):
You need whole foods.
You need clean water.
You need good bedtime rituals.
So take it back.
Like, parent down.
Simple change is better choices is what I say.
They said the other day, we all wind up at Wendy's.
It happens.
I have kids, right?
Like I'm in carpool.
(24:14):
I have stuff going on.
And I'll tell you, I don't choose the double cheeseburger, French fries, and Coke.
I try to make the best choice that I can for myself.
And I will tell you that sometimes I do have the cheeseburger.
I rarely finish it, but sometimes I'll look at the, what I ate for the day, what I have
coming up, how many calories do I really need and am I going to burn off and what time
(24:35):
of day it is.
And then I make a good choice for myself.
And I don't beat myself up and then I move on to the next choice.
Right?
But if we keep it virgin, if we keep it clean, if we
always go back to nature and whole, I think we'd all be a lot better.
Hey, so love what you had to say there because we with our guests, like the word virgin has
meant so many things to so many people.
(24:57):
So what you had to say there really, really adds to that conversation that we have going
on in our show.
And I love one of the things you said because you touched on morning routines.
But for nighttime, you said like a nighttime or a bedtime ritual, could you leave us with
a little wisdom on what you find to be a healthy nighttime ritual?
Yes, let's all be three tonight.
(25:19):
Let's all be three tonight.
That is my wish for us all.
Book, bath, book and bed.
That's it.
A nice hot bath.
And some epson salt, a little baking soda, 20 minutes until you start to sweat, rinse
off in the shower, put something gentle on your body like a hobo oil, something virgin,
like a coconut oil, right?
(25:39):
Something clean.
Put on your pajamas, don't go to bed in what you wore during the day, it should be sacred,
right?
You should be setting yourself up for sleep, close your blinds, no lights, temperature cold,
65, 66 degrees.
Melatonin, I'm a huge fan of Dr. Russell Ryder, R-E-I-T-E-R.
(26:00):
Thank you.
He has so much wonderful information to share about beauty of melatonin.
That's my bedtime ritual every night.
And then I'll read a little bit, whether it's for pleasure or something for work, but I
usually don't get too far because after that bath and coming into a cold room, it's like
lights out.
That's beautiful.
(26:21):
I love that.
We want people to seek you out and you have so much knowledge and valuable information
to share.
So tell us where can people find you?
Well, my name is my website, Melissa Hall Klepacki, hard to spell, but if you google it,
I think it'll come up.
Digestivediscovery.com is the website you can go to to download your own labs, get your
(26:47):
own labs ordered, and start poopingbetter.com is my ebook where you'll find those eight root
causes of constipation along with an interesting at home gut transit test you can do and the recipe
for my good poop vegetable soup.
That I love.
Nice.
Beautiful.
Oh my God.
(27:07):
Do you have a license plate, poop?
No, but I really should probably consider it.
That would come up great on a brown color, right?
Right?
Just branding.
Done.
Melissa, this has been, I think when we first spoke a while back, I mentioned that this is
(27:29):
something that I personally have been dealing with for quite a long time.
So I was very excited to have this conversation with you and learn from someone with your
experience, especially what you have gone through yourself and have taken yourself beyond
those issues.
So I cannot thank you enough and appreciate your information enough.
(27:53):
We cannot say it from the heart deep enough to say thank you.
So welcome.
It's my honor.
It's been such a pleasure to have you, Melissa.
Thank you so, so much.
A true joy.
Stay well.
Get a good night sleep.
We will, we have your instructions.
(28:13):
And you have been listening to the Virgin, the Beauty and the Bitch.
Find us like us.
Share us.
Come on back.
We'll go into places that you actually want to go to, but may not go to on your own.
So come on back.
To become a partner in the VBB community, we invite you to find us at virginbeautybitch.com.
(28:38):
Like us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
And share us with people who are defiantly different.
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(upbeat music)
[Music]
Virgin.
(00:02):
Beauty.
Bitch.
Podcast.
Inspiring women to overcome social stereotypes and share unique life experiences without fear
of being defiantly different.
Your hosts.
Christopher and Heather.
Let's talk, shall we?
Heather and I believe that one of the strongest qualities that make Virgin Beauty
(00:26):
Bitch podcast unique is our eagerness to talk about taboo or uncomfortable topics.
It's a quality people say they appreciate.
So today we get to the bottom of uncomfortable as we welcome functional gut health expert Melissa
Hall Klepacki to Virgin Beauty Bitch.
Melissa, welcome.
(00:47):
Thank you.
You got my name right.
Good job.
Thank you so much.
It always makes me sweat.
So Melissa, your clients lovingly and I emphasize lovingly call you the Poop Whisperer.
But how did you get, how did bowel movements, toilet camping, bloating, and gas, topics that
(01:08):
most people are ashamed to discuss even when they're suffering symptoms,
how did the gut become your profession?
Well, that's a really good question Christopher because if you had told the girl who graduated
from acupuncture school back in 1996 that I would talk about poop, that I would say the word
poop, you would never have been able to convince me.
(01:29):
But it took me getting very, very sick in my forties.
I was sick with Lyme disease and co-infections complicated by parasites and mold and was
on a bunch of antibiotics which took down my gut health left me.
I feel almost as sick with gut problems as I was sick with Lyme disease.
And it wasn't until I got to the root of the gut health issues and all the damage that I
(01:53):
had done with the drugs that I had been on and was able to repair it that I was able to
continue healing.
Because if we're not moving our bowels every day and we're trying to do anything, kill anything
in our bodies, whether it's a virus, whether it's a bacteria, we're going to get sicker
because they're going to sit in our intestines and leak toxins as they sit there.
(02:16):
So I did a lot of work and I still continue to do a lot of work with chronically ill people,
a lot of people who are undiagnosed and suffering with multiple symptoms and no diagnosis.
And almost all of them don't poop.
And so I can't do anything for them.
I can't help them.
I can't eradicate anything from their body until they're what we call drainage pathways
(02:38):
are open, right?
How we get things out of our bodies which is with our breath, with our sweat, with our
urine and with our poop.
Being the biggest one.
And it's a big deal for a lot of people.
A lot of America is constipated and constipation is defined by me as not moving your bowels daily.
There needs to be a good daily bowel movement.
(02:59):
Preferably in the morning.
Every other day that counts as a little constipated.
The docs will tell you as long as you're moving your bowels three times a week.
It's not enough.
It's really not enough for optimal and ultimate health.
Is the modern medicine actually understand what is going on in there?
(03:19):
I wish.
I wish because then all the people wouldn't be calling me saying my doctor told me he doesn't
know what causes constipation and to just take Miralax, drink more water and eat more
fiber.
And that's what I was told in 2016 when I went to the gastroenterologist with tons of problems.
I was handed some medicine and said come back in a couple months.
We'll see how it goes.
How?
(03:40):
I actually asked.
How long will I be on this medicine?
And he said until you're better.
And I said, well, what's going to make it better?
And he just made a little note and walked out the door.
And that's the care a lot of people are getting, you know, because Miralax does work.
Miralax does work if you take it every day for the rest of your life.
But you are also doing tons of damage.
(04:01):
You're getting a lazy bowel.
You're dumping all of your minerals and your vitamins and your amino acids right into
the toilet.
You know, talk about wasting away.
It's just not, it's not doable.
It really isn't.
If you've ever been there, if you've ever had to do that, if you're listening to this and
you're like, oh my god, that's my life.
I do that every day.
You got to get off that roller coaster.
(04:24):
We got to figure out the root problem.
And that's what my job is.
And that's what I do with people every day.
We figure out the root cause.
We heal it.
And then people move on.
Can you go over with us what some of like the, I don't know if this is even a thing,
like the common root causes are and how to help people identify that and maybe even help
them to heal it.
(04:45):
Yes.
Now, it's very exciting for me because I wrote a very short little ebook.
It's at startpoopingbetter.com and it lists all of these.
And I'm actually getting into a larger book this summer, hoping to publish by the end of
the year about this so that people who have been told that they don't understand why
they're constipated actually can find out the reason.
(05:06):
So we start with probably the number one reason for Americans, which is lack of water, lack
of hydration.
Right?
Sometimes we're doing it right.
We're drinking lots of water, but we're still not really hydrating ourselves because that
water needs to get into the cell.
In order to get into the cell, it needs electrolytes.
I'm sure you've heard about them.
They're all over social media.
(05:27):
Everybody's got a newfangled flavor and a new color and a new way to take them.
But my biggest advice when we get some electrolytes every morning, it'll help you hold
water in your body, especially if you're one of those people that is just on the toilet
all the time, because they're trying to drink more and more water.
If it's going right through, it's not doing its job.
So we address that number one with all of my clients, making sure they're drinking enough
(05:49):
water, drinking the right kind of water.
I don't recommend
any carbonated beverages for people who are constipated because you're putting more gas
into your system.
You probably already have some backed up gas.
So it's about drinking the right water and the right amount.
That's a big one for people.
Number two is nutrition.
Another really big one.
And it really is more than just eat fiber.
Otherwise, people would be fine.
(06:11):
If you take a constipated system and you add more fiber, you are going to create a giant
problem.
Right?
Until that super highway is open and moving regularly, we really cannot introduce more fiber.
So what do we do for diet?
Lots of things.
But number one, the number one thing I do for most people.
If you're listening to this and you're constipated, take dairy out of your diet.
(06:36):
Cow dairy.
Most people do okay with sheep and goat.
But cow dairy, which is yogurt and butter and cheese and milk, really can constipate people.
I have so many people come through that say, "I don't have any problems with dairy."
And I say, "Yeah, but you can't poop.
That's your symptom right there."
(06:56):
So sure enough, they take out dairy and they do better.
But it's usually not, and let me say this all with a grain of salt.
There are eight root causes, but usually you have a few if not all of them.
So hydration, nutrition, stress and anxiety is another really big one at the top of my list
(07:17):
for us in this country.
You know, we are trying to set a rhythm so that we're moving our bowels in the morning.
That's how it's meant to be.
You get up, you move your bowels, you take a shower, and then you start filling your body
back up throughout the day.
And then the next morning you release it again and you start filling your body back up.
However, if you set your alarm for 630, jump out of bed, turn on the shower, brush your
(07:43):
teeth real quick.
Shower, shave, put on some makeup, blow dry your hair, put on your clothes, feed your dogs,
grab your cup of coffee and run out the door by 6:55.
There was no time to poop.
We're not giving ourselves ample morning routines that really do the job to allow us to wake
(08:05):
up in a parasympathetic, relaxed state and get the job done.
So we talk a lot about mindfulness, we talk a lot about morning routines, slowing things
down, which of course starts with going to bed earlier, right?
If we want to have a really good morning routine, we've got to get a good night's sleep.
And I talk a lot about sleep, even though it's not a root cause of constipation.
(08:29):
If we have the best intentions and we set out our water picture and we have this great,
fiber-rich, beautiful breakfast there for us, and we wake up and we're not rested and
we're feeling miserable.
That other stuff is out the door.
It's really hard to go for it when you're exhausted.
So stress and anxiety is another big one.
(08:49):
Kind of along the lines with that with this Americans and our busy, busy ways and
our poor diets and the excess alcohol is liver fatigue.
Once we start getting a fatty liver or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the bile isn't flowing
properly and that really impacts digestion.
So we take a good look at if someone comes in with blood work, we'll look at liver enzymes,
(09:10):
we'll talk about liver function and how they're doing, what their alcohol intake and diet
looks like around that.
There are beautiful herbs that can help to repair and stimulate the liver that we can
also use in the beginning stages of remedying constipation.
Let's see, that was four.
Mold and parasites is a big one for a lot of people.
(09:31):
Mold is a big deal.
So if you are living in a house that smells moldy, if you are concerned you have mold, I suggest
you go into your bathroom right now and you lift up that back, you know, whether that back
plate on your toilet, take a look in there.
If it smells funky, black, you have a mold problem because mold grows where water is
dormant in water sits and that's a great place for water to sit.
(09:54):
The best one to check is the toilet you use the least.
However, if you've got a problem there, you've got a problem in your air.
I mean, if you've got a problem in there and your air, you've got a problem in your
body and mold loves to shut down everything for us.
It shuts down your immune system, it shuts down.
You mentally, a minute really does a number on your bowels and same with parasites, you
know, parasites that are living in your digestive tract reminder, don't just live in the
(10:19):
hollow tube of your intestine.
That's why when you go for a colonoscopy, like I did, and when I asked, did you see any worms?
And he just shook his head and laughed at me.
However, few months after my colonoscopy, I passed a tapeworm.
I don't know.
Yeah, so they don't live in the tube, they live in your tissues, but they also do affect,
(10:43):
they do also affect your constipation, your bowel movements.
Low mineral content is another one.
I really work hard with people to replace minerals.
You know, there was a campaign in this country for a very long time, one a day, take your vitamins,
everybody needs a vitamin.
And in fact, we were probably doing a pretty decent job at getting our vitamins if we had
(11:05):
a well-rounded diet, but what we were missing all along has been the minerals.
Our soil isn't what it used to be, our vegetables don't contain the same content.
It's a very hard for us and we are burning up minerals, especially magnesium.
And magnesium and bowels, you know, magnesium, there's many forms, but it can help to, to
(11:25):
relax tissues, which can help with bowel movements.
Magnesium citrate in particular helps to pool water into the bowels and can help with bowel
movements.
If you're one of those people that has hard, dry stools and you feel like you're drinking
a ton of water, maybe it's because you don't have enough minerals on board and you're not
holding onto that water.
Like we talked about with electrolytes, it goes a little bit further than that.
(11:46):
So we really look at minerals.
And then another place that I really looked at seems so basic, but when people come in on
four and five medications, which most Americans over the age of 50 are on a few meds, a lot
of those meds are slowing bowels down.
And just they never were counseled about it.
So we just go over any meds that people were on and then they go back to their doctors
(12:09):
and they say, "I'm on XYZ.
I need something else because I believe it's constipating me."
Sometimes that can help to make a big difference too.
So that, so that and in that cell, those are the really the root causes and it's just about
exploring all of those and coming up with new routines, right, some new diet strategies,
making sure you're getting your water movement comes into play as well for not moving our bodies.
(12:34):
A lot of us are sitting at tasks all day and if we're not moving our bodies, we're not
moving our bows.
So a simple 10 minute walk after a meal does so much for your blood sugar, but also for
your bowles and your digestion.
Thank you so much.
Honestly, that is so helpful and I think that it just creates such a bigger picture of
(12:55):
all of these elements that we can think about to improve our gut health, which is such a
hot topic.
I would say for the last, you know, three years it's really been skyrocketing and just how
important it is for overall health and how it can affect your brain and how all these
other cells function in your body. So it really is the root cause or the common denominator
(13:18):
for so many other issues.
I would love to hear your thoughts because I know another element that people hear about
a lot lately is around fungi and like tinctures with different types of fungi.
Have you dove into that in your in your research and your practice?
So two things, fungi, when you say fungi, I automatically think mold.
(13:39):
Right.
You mean like mushrooms, medicinal mushrooms like racially in lion's mane.
I don't work with too many because I really, I really am highlighting working with constipation
and there really isn't a role for those, especially because without knowing specific lab
work and I want to talk about that for a second, but this, you don't know if someone already
has a fungal problem and so you don't want to add fungus to an already fungal situation.
(14:03):
Somebody could have sebo, somebody could have candida.
I do run a lot of labs for my clients. There's a lab that I prefer out there called the GI
map test. You can run it in the privacy of your own home.
It's a simple stool test. FedEx delivers it and FedEx comes and picks it up and that's
it.
And it gives you so many digestive health markers.
(14:25):
It tells me how you're processing gluten, talks about your immune system, talks about your
levels of inflammation.
You no longer will have to guess at what probiotics you need because it gives you a list
of the hallmarked probiotics that are supposed to be in our guts and the levels of them.
I can tell a lot about people's diet by looking at the phyla, the bacterial phyla in their
(14:45):
guts.
And then the whole host of the bad things that we do not want there, it picks all of those
up.
And so from those we get to make a protocol to eradicate them once people start pooping
better and we can start killing things in their body, then we can rebalance their microbiome.
So the first part is really understanding the root causes and for a lot of people one of
(15:09):
the root causes is what we call dysbiosis, which is, and a lot of times it's because I'm seeing
more and more, it's because people have really weak digestive capacity.
They don't have strong enough acid in their stomach so their food's not breaking down properly.
So it's slowing down when it, once it hits their intestines, not properly digested and
it's still trying to digest as it goes through their intestines.
(15:32):
It's leaving them with SIBO, small intestine bacterial overgrowth, depending on what kind
of organisms made it to the small intestine.
But definitely, right, causing constipation when you don't have the acid to break your
food down.
That's a big problem.
So I'm seeing more and more with clients just very weak digestive capacity.
(15:54):
There was a quote that is several hundred years old by Greek physician, Hippocrates.
All health begins in the gut?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
So many years ago to have known that.
And I think we are like what you said research is coming fast and furiously about the gut.
(16:17):
There are new, I have a whole host of books that I'm pouring through and research every
day and I listen to webinars and they're talking about amazing things like looking at the gut
microbiome of heart disease patients.
They all have similarities.
What about a microbiome transplant, right?
We know fecal transplants are really effective for people who have something called Z-Diff,
(16:39):
which is a really toxic bacteria.
You can actually transplant the stool from a healthy person done in a hospital setting,
of course, into somebody who's sick and reverse their symptoms.
Now imagine if you could replace someone's microbiome who's ailing with something hearty and strong
and bring them back to life with that.
(16:59):
That's future medicine and that's not that far off.
There was a Netflix documentary actually about that recently and one of the people featured
in that was actually doing the feces trade with her brother.
It was not in a medical facility that this was being done.
(17:21):
However, she did see differences.
I believe her brother had acne.
She didn't, but after starting to use his feces as medicine, she developed.
It was that powerful.
The research is coming pretty furiously.
They're always discovering new strains.
(17:42):
I mean, I had a gut test in 2016, which was nine years ago, night and day.
I have so much more information for my clients today.
In 2016, it helped me immensely.
But what we do now is just much more powerful.
I actually created a website called digestivediscovery.com.
(18:02):
You can go there and order your own test.
You don't need an expensive doctor's appointment.
You can take a look at what's happening in your own gut.
You can get a breakdown of your own probiotics.
You can take a look at whether or not you're sensitive to gluten.
I have so many people who say, "I don't have any problems with gluten."
Their numbers are off the chart.
Their information is sky high.
People don't want to change their diet.
(18:23):
On my intake form for every single client, it's like, "How willing are you to exercise?"
People are like, "Yes."
It's like, "Meditate or do some mindfulness.
Okay.
Change your diet."
Oh.
It is.
It is.
It is.
But you know that we are just not just because you're not eating the right foods.
You haven't been for so long that your microbiome has changed.
(18:47):
Yeah.
I think we have a very ignorant understanding of the stomach.
It's like a furnace.
We throw things down there, it burns it up, and on we go.
We don't really understand how much impact it has on all of it.
Well, I think we don't understand the impact that food has.
We don't understand food as medicine yet in this society.
We don't.
It always goes back to what you're putting in your system.
(19:08):
If you drove a Lamborghini, would you put cheap gas in it?
Well, wouldn't.
You just wouldn't.
Right?
And then the same thing, I love car analogies because people don't understand cars.
But I know this about my car.
When the red light comes on, I take it to the shop.
Right?
What if your red light came on and you put a little piece of duct tape over it and just
(19:32):
kept driving?
That's what we do.
Our body throws us signals all the time and we're like, yeah, but, oh, I had a headache,
but I'm okay today.
Oh, that stomach pain was really, really bad.
But it's gone now.
We just ignore it.
Those are symptoms.
Those are little knocks on the door before you get your diagnosis.
(19:53):
Or we go through the doctor and he puts a little tape over it.
Often, right?
With a band-aid, with a medication that just takes the pain away.
Yeah.
You're right.
Yes.
For you, right?
We didn't want to get into a big pharma.
However, what chances, I mean, it takes a specialist like you, who with an open mind, what
(20:15):
chances do people have going to the regular process of doctors have of actually coming up with
solutions to these issues?
I don't have a great answer for you on that one.
You know, we've given away our power and we look to doctors with our hands out for the medication.
(20:38):
We go in.
The commercial tells you, ask your doctor.
Ask your doctor for this great pink pill that will make everything go away.
They trained us.
That's TV programming, right?
And so that's what we do.
We don't go to the doctor and say, I have had a string of headaches so bad.
What can I do?
What, you know, should I look?
Even if you did ask, you know, should I look at my diet?
(21:00):
Could it be my exercise?
What would your doctor say?
Mine would say, like, you have four minutes left.
You know, like, would you want asperger or a leave, right?
I mean, you just don't have the time.
So I think we need to be our own sleuths.
We need to take care of ourselves like we were nurturing young children.
(21:22):
I tell my clients all the time, today's a healing day.
You are three.
Change yourself like you are three.
Put yourself to bed like you are three.
And be gentle with yourself like you are three.
You know, if we, if we as adults took care of ourselves half as well as we would have taken
care of a three-year-old today, you know, we would have made time.
(21:42):
We would have stopped and played in the puddle.
We would have had a little extra time for lunch and we wouldn't have just had a sandwich
for lunch, right?
We would have had three cut-up strawberries and four carrots, nicks.
Which little bit of that goes a long way, right?
We just need to, we need to take better care of ourselves and we need to not give our power
away.
We need to do our own research and we need to really ask and take a look at the foundations.
(22:06):
We call it foundational medicine, which is how are we sleeping?
How are we eating?
How are we, how is our mindset?
What's our exercise look like?
And how are we hydrating?
And for me, how are we pooping?
Every day, those are the things that need to be in the forefront of our mind because that's
what's going to make our body run the best.
(22:28):
And when our body runs great, we feel great.
We can do it all.
I mean, that is helpful because sometimes I think like this big world of gut health feels
overwhelming for folks.
And like you said, when you're in chronic pain and we live in a world that just is all about
suppressing symptoms rather than looking at root causes.
(22:50):
Sometimes it's hard to look at those things.
So how you captured it there to make little adjustments and how we care for ourselves,
it really goes a long way.
We love to ask our guest, Melissa, if there's one of the archetypes that speaks to you in
the name of the show, the Virgin, the Beauty or the Bitch.
(23:10):
Yes, for sure.
I'm going to choose Virgin time and time again.
You know, when I think of Virgin, I think of whole and pure and untouched.
I think of the ways I counsel my clients to always choose a whole food.
You know, I choice this week.
I had two different clients.
One sent me a picture of a bottle of lemon juice in the glass and the other is some packets
that she got, these little tiny packets of lemon juice.
(23:32):
And they were like, how about this?
And I said, how about a lemon?
Like why?
Right?
Like, Virgin, whole food, take it back to nature, go get some sunshine, take a walk.
I don't need you to join a million dollar gym.
You don't need a private Pilates instructor.
You don't need a private chef.
You don't need a food service.
(23:53):
You need whole foods.
You need clean water.
You need good bedtime rituals.
So take it back.
Like, parent down.
Simple change is better choices is what I say.
They said the other day, we all wind up at Wendy's.
It happens.
I have kids, right?
Like I'm in carpool.
(24:14):
I have stuff going on.
And I'll tell you, I don't choose the double cheeseburger, French fries, and Coke.
I try to make the best choice that I can for myself.
And I will tell you that sometimes I do have the cheeseburger.
I rarely finish it, but sometimes I'll look at the, what I ate for the day, what I have
coming up, how many calories do I really need and am I going to burn off and what time
(24:35):
of day it is.
And then I make a good choice for myself.
And I don't beat myself up and then I move on to the next choice.
Right?
But if we keep it virgin, if we keep it clean, if we
always go back to nature and whole, I think we'd all be a lot better.
Hey, so love what you had to say there because we with our guests, like the word virgin has
meant so many things to so many people.
(24:57):
So what you had to say there really, really adds to that conversation that we have going
on in our show.
And I love one of the things you said because you touched on morning routines.
But for nighttime, you said like a nighttime or a bedtime ritual, could you leave us with
a little wisdom on what you find to be a healthy nighttime ritual?
Yes, let's all be three tonight.
(25:19):
Let's all be three tonight.
That is my wish for us all.
Book, bath, book and bed.
That's it.
A nice hot bath.
And some epson salt, a little baking soda, 20 minutes until you start to sweat, rinse
off in the shower, put something gentle on your body like a hobo oil, something virgin,
like a coconut oil, right?
(25:39):
Something clean.
Put on your pajamas, don't go to bed in what you wore during the day, it should be sacred,
right?
You should be setting yourself up for sleep, close your blinds, no lights, temperature cold,
65, 66 degrees.
Melatonin, I'm a huge fan of Dr. Russell Ryder, R-E-I-T-E-R.
(26:00):
Thank you.
He has so much wonderful information to share about beauty of melatonin.
That's my bedtime ritual every night.
And then I'll read a little bit, whether it's for pleasure or something for work, but I
usually don't get too far because after that bath and coming into a cold room, it's like
lights out.
That's beautiful.
(26:21):
I love that.
We want people to seek you out and you have so much knowledge and valuable information
to share.
So tell us where can people find you?
Well, my name is my website, Melissa Hall Klepacki, hard to spell, but if you google it,
I think it'll come up.
Digestivediscovery.com is the website you can go to to download your own labs, get your
(26:47):
own labs ordered, and start poopingbetter.com is my ebook where you'll find those eight root
causes of constipation along with an interesting at home gut transit test you can do and the recipe
for my good poop vegetable soup.
That I love.
Nice.
Beautiful.
Oh my God.
(27:07):
Do you have a license plate, poop?
No, but I really should probably consider it.
That would come up great on a brown color, right?
Right?
Just branding.
Done.
Melissa, this has been, I think when we first spoke a while back, I mentioned that this is
(27:29):
something that I personally have been dealing with for quite a long time.
So I was very excited to have this conversation with you and learn from someone with your
experience, especially what you have gone through yourself and have taken yourself beyond
those issues.
So I cannot thank you enough and appreciate your information enough.
(27:53):
We cannot say it from the heart deep enough to say thank you.
So welcome.
It's my honor.
It's been such a pleasure to have you, Melissa.
Thank you so, so much.
A true joy.
Stay well.
Get a good night sleep.
We will, we have your instructions.
(28:13):
And you have been listening to the Virgin, the Beauty and the Bitch.
Find us like us.
Share us.
Come on back.
We'll go into places that you actually want to go to, but may not go to on your own.
So come on back.
To become a partner in the VBB community, we invite you to find us at virginbeautybitch.com.
(28:38):
Like us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
And share us with people who are defiantly different.
Like you.
Until next time, thanks for listening.
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Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.