Heal Your Gut Holistically with Nutrition: Trauma, Stress & Autoimmune Disease

In this powerful conversation, Sherry sits down with Josh Dech—holistic nutritionist and gut health specialist—for a deep exploration of joy, inflammation, trauma, nutrition, and the true root causes of chronic disease.What begins as a lighthearted exchange about energy and joy quickly unfolds into one of the most comprehensive, grounded discussions on gut health you’ll hear—blending science, clinical experience, and humanity.Joy Is a State, Not a Circumstance Josh opens by sharing why it feels natural for him to say life is “great,” even during stressful seasons. Joy, he explains, is not the absence of hardship—it’s a chosen state of being. Happiness may change with circumstances, but joy can exist alongside difficulty. This mindset alone sets the foundation for healing.From Paramedic to Root-Cause Healing Josh shares his journey from paramedic to holistic nutritionist, witnessing firsthand how Western medicine often manages symptoms without restoring health. A pivotal moment came when he worked with a 57-year-old woman on 26 medications who—through lifestyle and nutrition changes—went on to break powerlifting world records. That experience shattered the myth that it’s ever “too late” to heal.Inflammation Is Not the Enemy One of the most important reframes of the episode: inflammation is not the problem—it’s the signal. It’s your body trying to heal. The real question becomes, what is the body responding to? You can’t numb pain and expect healing; you must remove the thorn.The Gut Disease Spectrum Josh explains how gut dysfunction exists on a spectrum—from bloating, constipation, and diarrhea to IBS, Crohn’s, and colitis. When root causes go unaddressed, irritation can progress into autoimmune disease, leaving many people mislabeled as “genetic” or “incurable.”Why Gut Disease Is Exploding In the last 30 years, gut disease has increased fivefold worldwide. Over 50% of cases are in North America, alongside rising pesticide exposure, ultra-processed foods, chronic stress, trauma, and hustle culture. This is not genetics—it’s environment.Trauma, Stress & the Nervous System Josh explains how emotional trauma, grief, chronic stress, and even generational experiences can directly impact gut bacteria, immune response, hormones, and inflammation. Healing must address both biology and lived experience.Functional Medicine vs. Sick Care Western medicine asks, “What’s the diagnosis?” Functional medicine asks, “Why did this begin?” Healing requires understanding history, not just assigning labels.Is There a Point of No Return? Josh answers clearly: only if an organ has been removed. Even autoimmune disease is only about 25% genetic. The rest is modifiable. He shares stories of people reversing decades of Crohn’s and colitis—becoming symptom-free and medication-free.Nutrition Is Not One-Size-Fits-All Food is a tool, not a religion. Plant-based and animal-based approaches can both be healing depending on context, gut integrity, and nervous system state.How You Eat Matters Digestion begins before the first bite. Eating in stress shuts digestion down. Chewing, slowing down, and eating in safety are foundational to healing.Food Quality & Modern Farming Josh emphasizes prioritizing food quality, reducing pesticide exposure, and choosing real food over convenience.Hormones Are Downstream Hormonal imbalances are symptoms—not root causes. Address inflammation, gut health, and stress, and hormones often regulate naturally.Listen to more episodes at makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube.Listen to more episodes at www.makepeacewithfood.com/podcast or subscribe to me on Spotify, Podcast, and YouTube so you never miss an episode!Join my Facebook Community: www.myfoodfreedomlifestyle.com Work with me: www.sherryshaban.com/transform Go deeper: www.makepeacewithfood.com Share your biggest takeaway and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn