Reversing Crohn's and Colitis Naturally

Josh examines the scientific criteria used to define autoimmune diseases and explains why he believes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are more accurately described as immune-mediated conditions rather than classic autoimmune diseases. He discusses antibodies commonly associated with IBD, the role of the immune system, and why identifying environmental triggers may be more important than simply suppressing inflammation.
The conversation also explores genetics, explaining why inherited susceptibility is only one piece of the puzzle. Josh reviews research involving identical twins, immigrant populations, and changing disease rates across industrialized nations to argue that environment, lifestyle, and the microbiome play a significant role in disease development.
You'll also learn about common risk factors—including antibiotics, smoking, ultra-processed foods, environmental toxins, mold exposure, and nutrient deficiencies—and how each may influence gut health, inflammation, immune system function, and the intestinal microbiome.
Finally, Josh introduces his root-cause framework for restoring health through identifying triggers, replenishing deficiencies, repairing the gut lining, rebuilding the microbiome, and supporting healthy immune regulation.
Whether you're living with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or simply interested in functional medicine and root-cause healing, this episode offers a thought-provoking perspective on gut health, chronic inflammation, the microbiome, and the future of IBD treatment.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:
Autoimmune Theory And Why It's Challenged
Root-Cause Model Of Crohn's And Colitis
Genetics Versus Environmental Influences
Environmental Toxins And Modern Lifestyle
Gut Microbiome, Microbes, And Immune Responses
Antibiotics, Smoking, Birth Control, And Other Risk Factors
Leaky Gut And Immune Dysregulation
The Five R Framework For Recovery

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Schedule a call with me and my team
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Visit our Website:
gutsolution.ca

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In this episode, IBD specialist and functional medicine consultant Josh Dech breaks down the three most well-studied dietary approaches for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): the Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet (CDED), the Ulcerative Colitis Exclusion Diet (UCED), and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). Josh explains the clinical evidence behind each approach, including research demonstrating steroid-free remission rates, improved mucosal healing, and strategies for supporting the gut microbiome while reducing inflammation.
You'll also learn when an elemental diet becomes necessary—an advanced nutritional intervention used when severe inflammation makes normal eating nearly impossible—and why cleaner elemental formulas may offer advantages over conventional hospital products.
Throughout the episode, Josh challenges conventional recommendations commonly given during IBD flares, discussing why many standard hospital diets focus only on reducing digestive workload while overlooking the role of processed foods, additives, sugars, and other factors that may influence gut health and the microbiome.
Most importantly, Josh explains why dietary therapy alone is rarely the complete answer. While therapeutic diets can help reduce inflammation and induce remission, long-term recovery requires identifying and addressing the underlying root causes driving chronic immune dysfunction.
If you're looking for evidence-based nutrition strategies, a deeper understanding of gut health, microbiome balance, inflammation, immune system function, and root-cause healing for Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, this episode provides a practical roadmap grounded in both clinical research and functional medicine principles.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:
CDED (Crohn's Disease Exclusion Diet)
UCED (Ulcerative Colitis Exclusion Diet)
Hospital Diets and Criticism of Conventional Nutrition Advice
Elemental Diets and Severe Flare Management
Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)
Root-Cause Healing vs. Symptom Management
Gut Microbiome, Dysbiosis, and Bacterial Mechanisms
Foods to Include vs. Foods to Eliminate During Flares

Want help with your IBD?
Schedule a call with me and my team
Join the Reversing Crohn's and Colitis Naturally Community

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gutsolution.ca

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Facebook: @joshdech.health
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Josh challenges several conventional assumptions surrounding Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis while presenting a root-cause approach focused on identifying the underlying drivers of chronic inflammation. He discusses how toxins, microbial imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, environmental exposures, stress, and immune system dysfunction can interact to influence gut health and recovery.
Listeners will learn why healing often occurs in layers, how biofilms can temporarily release toxins as they're disrupted, why the microbiome changes throughout recovery, and how immune system shifts may produce new symptoms even when overall health is improving. Josh also explains the roles of nutrient replenishment, nervous system regulation, detoxification pathways, hormone fluctuations, and individualized treatment protocols in creating the non-linear healing patterns many people experience.
Throughout the episode, he emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between expected healing responses and signs that a protocol may need to be adjusted. Rather than chasing symptom suppression alone, Josh encourages listeners to investigate the root cause of inflammation while using data, testing, clinical history, and individualized strategies to guide treatment decisions.
If you've ever wondered why your gut health seems to improve one week and worsen the next, this episode provides a framework for understanding the complexities of healing, the microbiome, inflammation, immune system function, and the root-cause approach to long-term digestive wellness.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:
Why healing is not linear
Root-cause model (toxins, microbes, deficiencies)
Immune system shifts during healing
Biofilms and toxin release
Detox pathways and healing reactions
Microbiome changes during recovery
Nutrient depletion and replenishment
Nervous system regulation and healing

Want help with your IBD?
Schedule a call with me and my team
Join the Reversing Crohn's and Colitis Naturally Community

Visit our Website:
gutsolution.ca

Video Podcast:
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Follow me on Social Media:
Facebook: @joshdech.health
Instagram: @joshdech.health

Join my free Facebook group: IBD Support and Solutions

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Antibiotics have transformed modern medicine and remain essential for treating serious bacterial infections—but are they being overused? In this episode, Josh explores the growing concern around unnecessary antibiotic use and what it means for your gut health, microbiome, immune system, and long-term recovery from chronic digestive conditions.
Drawing on CDC statistics, Josh explains why many antibiotic prescriptions may be avoidable and how repeated exposure can contribute to microbiome disruption, dysbiosis, inflammation, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections. He also explains the science behind how antibiotics work, including their effects on bacterial cell walls, protein synthesis, DNA replication, and metabolic pathways.
Josh emphasizes a root cause approach to gut health, encouraging listeners to become informed advocates for their own care by asking better questions before starting antibiotics while recognizing that life-threatening infections still require conventional medical treatment.
If you're looking to better understand the relationship between antibiotics, the microbiome, inflammation, immune function, and chronic digestive disease, this episode provides a practical framework for making more informed decisions about your health.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:
Antibiotic overuse and CDC statistics
How antibiotics affect the gut microbiome and immune system
How antibiotics work biologically
Natural antimicrobials and their mechanisms
Oregano, garlic, berberine and other natural options
Biofilms, quorum sensing and bacterial resistance
When antibiotics are absolutely necessary

Want help with your IBD?
Schedule a call with me and my team
Join the Reversing Crohn's and Colitis Naturally Community

Visit our Website:
gutsolution.ca

Video Podcast:
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Follow me on Social Media:
Facebook: @joshdech.health
Instagram: @joshdech.health

Join my free Facebook group: IBD Support and Solutions

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Is taking probiotics really the best way to restore your gut microbiome—or could it actually be keeping you stuck?
Josh explains how the gut microbiome develops, why modern lifestyles contribute to chronic inflammation, immune dysfunction, and microbial imbalance, and how factors like ultra-processed foods, chronic stress, environmental toxins, poor sleep, mold exposure, and repeated antibiotic use influence long-term gut health.
He also discusses why many probiotics are transient rather than permanent colonizers, why aggressive "kill-the-bad-bacteria" protocols can sometimes worsen symptoms, and how drainage pathways, detoxification, nutrient status, and gut lining repair all influence whether beneficial bacteria can successfully thrive.
Whether you're living with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS, chronic digestive symptoms, or persistent inflammation, this episode offers a functional medicine perspective on why lasting healing requires more than simply adding another supplement. You'll learn why the order of healing matters and how creating the right internal environment may be the missing piece in rebuilding a resilient microbiome naturally.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:
Root causes of gut dysbiosis and microbiome imbalance
Why probiotics often fail to create lasting change
The 5R gut healing framework
Environmental factors affecting gut health (toxins, mold, processed food, stress)
How the microbiome develops from infancy through adulthood
Drainage pathways, detoxification, and congestion
Why antimicrobial protocols can backfire

Want help with your IBD?
Schedule a call with me and my team
Join the Reversing Crohn's and Colitis Naturally Community

Visit our Website:
gutsolution.ca

Video Podcast:
Watch the video podcast on YouTube

Follow me on Social Media:
Facebook: @joshdech.health
Instagram: @joshdech.health

Join my free Facebook group: IBD Support and Solutions

Support the show