Episode Description
Dr. Dean Mitchell speaks with Dr. Barbara Cordell, author of "My Gut Makes Alcohol" and a researcher with over 30 published academic papers, including three specifically on auto brewery syndrome. Dr. Cordell brings both professional expertise and personal experience to the conversation, having navigated the condition through her husband's years-long medical ordeal before a diagnosis was ever reached.
The discussion covers what auto brewery syndrome actually is, which organisms are responsible for fermentation in the gut, and why factors like antibiotic use, high-carbohydrate diets, proton pump inhibitors, and processed food intake appear to create conditions for the syndrome to develop. Dr. Mitchell draws parallels to candida overgrowth and small intestinal fungal overgrowth, and both physicians explore how these conditions may exist on a shared spectrum of microbiome dysregulation.
Practical topics include the published diagnostic protocol involving glucose challenge and blood alcohol testing in an observed clinical setting, the role of culture-based antifungal treatment, dietary management during recovery, and why fermented foods may not be appropriate for certain patients. Dr. Cordell also addresses the legal consequences many patients face, including DUI charges, and describes her work testifying as an expert witness and connecting affected individuals with attorneys familiar with the condition.
Contact Dr. Mitchell:
Email: care@mitchellmedicalgroup.com
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