A healthy gut is essential for your whole body, but many issues start when the gut is unhealthy. Doctors often suggest eating foods with probiotics and prebiotics, exercising, drinking water, and eating more fiber to keep your body healthy.

A specialist, Dr. Saurabh Sethi, MD, MPH, a gastroenterologist (a doctor who specializes in the digestive system) and liver expert, highlights five early signs that your gut might be in trouble. If you notice these signs, it's time to pay attention to your gut health.

5 Signs Of Unhealthy Gut

According to Dr. Sethi, these are the signs that indicate your gut bacteria are out of balance or struggling:

Gas and Bloating After Meals

If you constantly feel gassy or bloated right after you finish eating, it is a key warning signal from your body. This discomfort usually means that the bacteria living in your gut are imbalanced and are having a difficult time properly breaking down the food you consume.

Irregular Bathroom Habits

The consistency and frequency of your bowel movements are a direct sign of how healthy your gut is working. Dr. Sethi says that constant, long-term problems like severe constipation (not being able to go) or frequent diarrhoea, or loose stools, is your gut sending an alert that something is seriously wrong.

Constant Tiredness or Unexplained Fatigue

If you feel exhausted and tired all the time, even when you have gotten enough sleep, your gut might be the problem. Poor gut health can stop your body from absorbing the vital nutrients and energy it needs from your food, which is why you are left feeling drained.

Food Sensitivities

If certain foods often make you feel sick, crampy, or cause general discomfort, this is a warning sign you should notice. It suggests that the tiny good bacteria in your gut may be struggling to process those specific foods correctly, which indicates compromised gut health.

Catching Colds Easily (Weakened Immunity)

Most people do not know that about 70 per cent of your immune system actually lives inside your gut. Dr. Sethi points out that if you often catch colds, the flu, or other infections, it could mean your gut is weak and not able to fully support your body's defenses.

How Can You Fix Your Gut Health

According to The John Hopkins Medicine, a few things that can change your gut health are shifts in your stomach acid levels, how your gut immune system works, and your gastrointestinal flora. This "flora" is the complex community of good and bad bacteria that live in your digestive system.

When this ecosystem is healthy, you are less likely to have harmful inflammation and problems with your immune system. Here are four surprising ways to protect your digestive system that involve more than just what you eat:

Focus on the Right Foods (And Enough Fibre)

Many Americans don't eat enough fibre—we only get about half of what we need. A balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables provides the fibre essential for building good gut bacteria. Also, try fermented foods like kefir or sauerkraut to boost your gut health.

Get More High-Quality Sleep

Not getting enough sleep is strongly linked to being overweight or obese - which increases your risk for digestive problems. Getting adequate, quality sleep helps control your body weight, which in turn is an important step in keeping your gut working well.

Keep Your Body Moving

Just like with almost every other part of your health, exercise is one of the best tools you have. Moving more is the most effective way to maintain a healthy body weight over time. Keeping your weight in a good range helps you ward off or prevent many common digestive system problems.

Learn to Manage Your Stress

The connection between stress and digestion is very strong. Reducing stress is fundamental for cutting down on issues like heartburn. Try relaxation therapies like deep breathing or meditation, as diet alone can't fix a gut stressed by a busy mind.

Scientists at Northwestern Medicine have made a major discovery: a much better and faster way to help bones heal. They wrote about their work in the science journal Nature Communications. We have always known that the loss of bones and teeth can be a permanent one, while we have artificial methods to fix the irregularities, we can no longer grow this tissue back.

However, this new method is very exciting because it could totally change how doctors create implants, the plates, screws, or replacement parts used in surgery. The main goal is to improve healing by getting the body to use its own natural tools to repair itself.

Can We Regrow Our Bones?

Guillermo Ameer, ScD, the lead researcher, believes this technique could revolutionize surgeries for bones and joints, (orthopedic) and for the face and skull (craniofacial). Instead of just being a passive structure, these new implants actively encourage healing using the body's own cells and repair mechanisms.

Dr. Ameer noted that damage from injuries is very common. Usually, doctors put in artificial materials like metal or plastic to fill the gap. He explained that their work, called regenerative medicine, is focused on helping the body regrow its own natural tissue to fix the damaged area permanently.

Can We Use Cells To Rebuild Bones?

Dr. Ameer’s team had previously developed a unique implant. Its surface isn't smooth; it has tiny, engineered micropillars (small bumps). When special repair cells called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) stick to the implant, these tiny bumps physically push on and change the shape of the cell's center, called the nucleus.

The big new finding from this latest study is that these cells—whose nuclei have been squished—start to release special healing proteins. These proteins actively promote bone growth in other nearby cells, not just the ones touching the implant.

How Can You Regrow Bones?

In their most recent experiment, the scientists watched closely to see exactly how the new implants caused bone to grow. They found that when the MSCs had their nuclei changed by the micropillars, they quickly increased their release of proteins that organize the extracellular matrix (ECM). Scaffolding is the process of construction where a temporary structure is made to support the workers while they do the construction. The ECM is basically the natural, supportive scaffolding around all tissues in the body

This newly organized scaffolding then tells other nearby MSCs to start making bone, even if they aren't directly on the implant. It's like a secret instruction being passed through the structural environment.

To test this in a real situation, the team placed the micropillar implants into mice with small holes in their skull bones. They saw that the cells on the implants made much more of a key protein called collagen, which is the main building block of bone structure. The result was significantly faster and better bone healing in the injured area.

What Is Cellular Communication?

These results show a special way cells talk to each other, called matricrine signaling. Instead of using direct contact or typical chemical messages, cells influence their neighbors by changing the extracellular matrix which is the scaffolding around them.

Dr. Ameer explained that when a cell's nucleus is deformed, its internal structure is rearranged. This makes the cell favor the production and release of proteins that tell other cells, "Start making bone!" He clarified that these released proteins actually change the environment (the matrix) surrounding nearby cells, instructing them to support new bone growth. This discovery opens up huge possibilities for designing implants that don't just act as supports, but actively guide and speed up the natural healing process.

Dr. Ameer also mentioned that this idea might be useful for repairing other tissues in the future, such as cartilage.

He stressed that losing cartilage, particularly in conditions like arthritis, is a major issue because the body has trouble regrowing it on its own. He noted that his team is already working on ways to use 3D printing to apply a similar strategy and help the body regenerate damaged cartilage.

Denying all the claims of bad health, including the recent claims of doctors questioning President Donald Trump's cognitive health, he once again, at 79, has been pronounced in "excellent health".

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This was a medical evaluation done at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. White House released a statement by Friday night, confirming the report. His personal physician Dr Sean Barbabella, described the visit as part of the "scheduled follow-up evaluation" and said the president remains "fit for duty".

Barbabella, a US Navy captain, reported that Trump continues to demonstrate strong cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological and physical performance. The report also emphasized that Trump maintains a "demanding daily schedule without restriction". Not only that, the report has gone so far to declare Trump's cardiac age as 14 years younger than his actual age after an electrocardiogram.

Trump, who sides with the anti-vaxxer RFK Jr., the health secretary, has also received a flu shot, and updated COVID-19 booster during the visit.

Why Did Trump Need Another Checkup So Soon?

Friday's assessment was his second visit to Walter Reed in six months, which has raised questions among medical experts and political observers. Why is it unusual? Typically, US presidents undergo one annual physical, unless an urgent medical issue arises.

Check Out Trump's Last Medical Report: Is Donald Trump ‘Fully Fit’ To Serve As President Of United States?

Jonathan Reiner, who is a cardiologist and once treated the former Vice President Dick Cheney, said, "Are they following up on the swelling that was noted in his legs earlier this year, or are there new concerns?"

However, the latest report mentioned no such swelling or Trump's previously disclosed diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency - a mild but chronic condition that causes swelling in the legs and is common in older adults.

Read: US President Trump Is Diagnosed With A Chronic Vein Condition, Venous Insufficiency, Confirms White House

White House officials said the visit was routine and aligned with Trump’s “ongoing health maintenance plan.”

Questions Around The Test Results

As per Barbabella, Trump's evaluation including advanced imaging, laboratory testing, and preventive health screening, which was conducted by a team of specialists. the results were "in exceptional conditions". However, many medical experts question on the inclusion of his "cardiac age" and are asking for the results if advanced coronary imaging were conducted.

On the revelation of his cardiac age, former White House physician Jeffrey Kuhlman, who served under Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama, said it’s unusual for such data to be highlighted without additional context. “For a 79-year-old, best practice would be to include advanced coronary imaging to evaluate plaque buildup,” Kuhlman said. “The White House said he underwent imaging but didn’t release the results.”

Public Scrutiny Over Trump's Health

Trump is the oldest person ever elected as the US President and so he has long faced public scrutiny over his health. In July, the White house confirmed his chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis after noticing swelling on his leg and a recurring hand bruise, yet there was no mention of it in his health report. Some experts have articulated that this was the result from daily aspirin use and frequent handshaking.

In April, Trump underwent a comprehensive three-page physical, where Barbabella described him as "fully fit" to execute presidential duties, noting his “active lifestyle” and “frequent victories in golf tournaments” as indicators of his fitness. That exam also revealed he had lost 20 pounds since 2020 and scored a perfect 30 out of 30 on a cognitive assessment designed to screen for dementia.

“I don’t know what to tell you other than I got every answer right,” Trump quipped afterward.

Are People Really Surprised by These Reports?

Trump has time and again maintained a tradition of secrecy around his health.

In 2015, he famously dictated a letter claiming he would be “the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.” He also concealed his COVID-19 diagnosis in 2020 for several days, reportedly developing a more serious case than initially disclosed.

It is very easy for people to miss signs of declining health. However, many times, despite witnessing the symptoms, people choose to ignore it and hope that it goes away. But one must understand, even for illnesses like a simple fever, one needs some type of treatment, even if it is simply rest. Ignoring your health will only lead to worse problems in the future.

One such aspect of health that people often ignore is their leg health. In a recently posted video, Dr. Rema Malik, a Board-Certified Vascular Surgeon in Houston, explained that people often ignore their leg health, the title of the video being, “You Are Your Worst Enemy When It Comes To Your Leg Health.”

The surgeon highlights a pattern of self-sabotage where people frequently ignore or downplay signals from their legs, which can indicate serious circulation problems.

3 Key Symptoms of Declining Leg Health

According to the surgeon, people become their own worst enemy by creating "normal" excuses for symptoms that are actually abnormal. This dismissal stems from the fear of facing a potential circulation issue. The surgeon points out common examples of how people brush off serious signs:

Calf Cramps: Dismissing a recurring, nagging calf cramp as merely a "charley horse."

Swelling: Attributing swollen ankles at night to simply being "on your feet a lot today."

Varicose Veins: Choosing to hide new, painful varicose veins instead of finding out the underlying cause.

The surgeon stresses that while it feels easier to ignore the "whisper from the legs," the moment a person stops making excuses, they become their own best advocate for a future of easy mobility and freedom.

Why Is Leg Health Important?

According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, the strength and quickness of leg muscles (leg power) are connected to common long-term health problems in older adults, specifically osteoarthritis (joint pain), diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (heart problems).

The main goal was to see what current research says about how these diseases affect leg power, especially since research suggests that older people with these conditions can improve their leg power through exercise.

The team ended up analyzing 16 studies in total: 5 on osteoarthritis, 5 on diabetes, and 6 on heart disease.

Most studies suggested the same thing: older adults with these chronic diseases generally have lower leg power compared to those who don't have the diseases.

The existing research generally shows that osteoarthritis, diabetes, and heart disease are connected to weaker leg power in older adults.

However, scientists can't make strong conclusions yet because the studies reviewed were too different and didn't use the same ways to measure leg power.

Why You Shouldn’t Dismiss Leg Symptoms Especially After 40?

This pattern of ignoring leg symptoms is risky at any age, but the stakes are significantly raised for individuals over the age of 40.

After 40, the risk of developing progressive vein disease and Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) increases exponentially. These conditions involve serious circulation problems that worsen over time if left untreated.

The surgeon encourages individuals to shine a light on any leg symptom they have been ignoring.