The pancreas is a digestive organ that is tucked beneath the stomach. It has a digestive (exocrine) portion and a hormonal (endocrine) portion. In this article I will focus on the digestive part.

We, the collective of humans who make up Hive Mind Medicine, come from varied backgrounds but each of us recognizes we operate from a level of significant privilege.

We have spent the last few weeks intently listening to the voices of others with less or different privilege than ourselves.

We respond to this listening to briefly speak, because we recognize that our silence may be perceived as complicity.

The gastrointestinal (GI) system is a largely independent, self-maintaining tract. In addition, the GI tract communicates with the nerves and brain to fine tune its activity. Reflexes are pre-set nerve and muscle responses that control many processes in the body.

I would like to introduce you to two GI reflexes that are essential for proper digestion and absorption of food as well as efficient elimination of waste. Keep in mind that the word stomach refers to the small bag- like organ at the bottom of the esophagus, rather than the entire abdominal area below the ribs.

Ok, let’s be honest. Bone broth is great for you, but some people feel a bit blah about the taste. Not to fear, it’s time to take your bone broth to the next level. Try different add-ins for extra taste and nutrition. Here are a couple of combinations to try; feel free to play with ingredient amounts to see what tastes best to you.

A standard question I ask when taking a history of a patient with celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome is “what is your lifetime history of food poisoning, traveler’s diarrhea or gastroenteritis?”

What I have discovered about this bread is that it is very forgiving – I can switch out a variety of ingredients and amounts & it comes out quite tasty every time – even the first “granola” batch was eminently edible. The takeaway is don’t put off making this because you lack one or two ingredients.

Your immune system, when functioning optimally, is constantly at work -- screening, filtering, and processing the vast amount of foreign particles that enter our body on a regular basis. The following are five evidence based strategies to optimize your immune system so it can fight off invaders, prevent illness, and help you recover faster if you get sick.

As the news stream continues to flow and you are home from work, you may find yourself, like many others, feeling a mix of emotions -- confusion, irritability, restlessness, fear, even panic. With familiar routines disrupted and a sense of isolation, it is no wonder many are feeling increased anxiety.

First of all, social distancing. This means stay away from people. Work from home if you can, take time off from your regularly scheduled gatherings. See if you can switch to an online version of church, book club, friend’s night, networking etc. If you must go out into the world, where there are other people, stay at least 6 feet away from them. You can still say ‘hi!’ and smile if that is your desire, and a little kindness in this time of unease is helpful.