In This Edition:
- What’s New at FMP Essentials: Stay updated on upcoming courses, practitioner meet-ups, exciting announcements, and new educational content.
- The Gut–Kidney Axis: Discover how gut dysbiosis and leaky gut contribute to CKD progression—and why targeting the microbiome may be key to preventing kidney damage.
Private Mastermind Podcast Spotlight: Don’t miss Dr. Majd Isreb’s powerful conversation with Dr. Elyaman on the functional medicine approach to chronic kidney disease. -
Blog Feature: This month’s blog explores how TMAO links the gut microbiome to cardiovascular risk—and how functional medicine can help reduce it through testing, diet, and targeted interventions.
- New Webinar: Evaluation of Chronic Kidney Disease—Dr. Elyaman reviews key diagnostic tools and early detection strategies, now available in the Mastermind.
Stay informed, engaged, and ahead of the curve with this month’s updates!
What's New At FMP Essentials?
- Quest Webinar: In collaboration with Quest Diagnostics, Dr. Elyaman recently presented a webinar on early identification of MASLD and cardiometabolic disease—a critical discussion on how to catch liver dysfunction before it progresses. 👉 Watch the webinar here
- Xymogen Xperience: We had a great time at Xymogen Xperience in Dallas last month! It was such a pleasure to host our first FMP Essentials booth and connect with so many incredible practitioners. Dr. Elyaman’s presentations were well received and sparked meaningful conversations around cognitive health and the functional medicine approach to dementia. We’re grateful to have been part of such an inspiring weekend.
- A4M Spring Congress: Dr. Elyaman delivered two impactful talks on dementia and chronic kidney disease at the A4M Spring Congress in April, highlighting practical, root-cause strategies for these complex conditions.
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Tony Robbins: And in a powerful moment for functional medicine, Dr. Elyaman also spoke at a Tony Robbins event, bringing awareness of functional medicine to a wider, high-energy audience.
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Mastermind: We continue to work on our Silver and Gold memberships which are set to launch in the fall, offering advanced clinical content and leadership development tools. Click here to join the waitlist!
The Gut-Kidney Axis in CKD: How Dysbiosis Drives Disease
Emerging research is shining a light on the powerful connection between the gut and kidneys. In chronic kidney disease (CKD), dysbiosis—an imbalance in gut bacteria—can increase the production of uremic toxins like indoxyl sulfate and p-cresyl sulfate. These harmful compounds worsen renal inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial damage, accelerating disease progression.
The leaky gut often seen in CKD allows endotoxins (like LPS) into circulation, triggering systemic inflammation and further stressing kidney tissues. Urea accumulation also leads to excess ammonia in the colon, which damages the intestinal lining, promotes “leaky gut,” and fuels the inflammatory cascade.
But there’s good news: targeting the gut microbiome shows real promise. Studies suggest that prebiotics, probiotics, high-fiber diets, and even fecal microbiota transplantation may help reduce toxin load, strengthen the gut barrier, and modulate immune activation. These interventions could offer a complementary path to slow CKD progression—highlighting the microbiome as both a marker and a modifiable target in kidney health.
🔬 The Functional Medicine Lens
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Evaluate gut integrity and microbial diversity in patients with CKD—especially declines in SCFA-producing strains like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus.
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Screen for gut-derived toxin load, including indoxyl sulfate, p-cresyl sulfate, and TMAO, which are linked to vascular inflammation and poor outcomes.
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Use high-fiber, plant-forward diets to promote SCFA production (e.g., butyrate) and support tight junction integrity.
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Incorporate prebiotics, probiotics, and detox support early—consider resistant starches and synbiotics to address dysbiosis and improve transit time.
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Address constipation to reduce toxin retention and minimize gut-derived burden on the kidneys.
🎓 Want to Learn More?
We're currently developing a Chronic Kidney Disease Deep Dive Course exploring underlying drivers, advanced lab testing, and functional interventions for CKD.
👉 Sign up for the waitlist to be the first to know when it launches.
References:
Check Out This Month's Podcast Episode
🎧 New Podcast Episode: The CKD Crisis: Root Causes, Early Clues, and Functional Strategies to Intervene Now
This month on The FMP Essentials Show, Dr. Yousef Elyaman sits down with Dr. Majd Isreb—integrative nephrologist and functional medicine practitioner—for a deep dive into the epidemic of chronic kidney disease and what conventional and functional providers alike need to know.
Here’s a glimpse of what they cover:
- The Silent Epidemic – Why 1 in 7 adults has chronic kidney disease, and most don’t even know it.
- Beyond Creatinine – The role of eGFR, cystatin C, albuminuria, and advanced testing in early CKD detection.
- Root Causes & Functional Drivers – How insulin resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and gut dysbiosis contribute to CKD progression.
- Therapeutic Strategies – From plant-dominant diets and protein restriction to CoQ10, glutathione, and targeted antioxidant support.
- Bridging Disciplines – How functional medicine practitioners can work alongside nephrologists to address CKD at its root—before dialysis becomes inevitable.
This episode is packed with practical takeaways and big-picture insights you won’t hear anywhere else.
How to watch/listen: Log into your account, select the Bronze Mastermind, and scroll down to the "Expert Interviews, Insights & Podcasts" section to find the episode.
Check Out This Month's Blog Post
TMAO and Cardiovascular Risk: A Functional Medicine Guide
TMAO is a gut microbiome-derived metabolite that plays a critical role in heart disease risk—yet it’s often overlooked in conventional care. This month’s blog explores how TMAO is formed, why it contributes to atherosclerosis, how to test for it, and what to do when levels are high. Discover functional medicine strategies to reduce TMAO through dietary changes, microbiome support, and targeted nutraceuticals.
Click here to view the article!
New Webinar Added to the Mastermind!
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-The FMP Essentials Team
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