Health
Experts reveal 5-step approach to a healthier gut and stronger immunity
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A healthier gut could start with one letter.
Some medical experts recommend using the “5R approach” to help restore the gut’s biodome, which may improve mood, reduce inflammation and alleviate some chronic health conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and autoimmune disease.
First coined by the Institute for Functional Medicine in Washington, the plan focuses on five components of gut healing to help restore overall digestive health.
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These include removing toxins and harmful triggers, replacing depleted digestive enzymes, reinoculating “good” bacteria in the gut, repairing the gut lining and rebalancing lifestyle.
Dr. Sydne Ford-Norton, a board-certified family medicine physician and co-founder of Spark Performance and Wellness in Atlanta, Georgia, said the 5R approach has helped her patients boost their energy levels, reduce bloating and improved bowel movements within a month.
Some medical experts recommend using the “5R approach” to help restore the gut’s biodome. (iStock)
The gut-health connection
Poor diet, certain medications, environmental exposures and food sensitivities can all disrupt the gut microbiome, physicians told Fox News Digital.
This can lead to symptoms like gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel and joint pain.
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The condition can also cause the cell lining in the gut to “leak” poorly digested food particles and inflammatory cells into the bloodstream, triggering inflammation and autoimmune reactions.
“The GI tract is the biggest immune organ of the body,” Dr. Joel Evans, chief of medical affairs at the Institute for Functional Medicine, told Fox News Digital in an interview.
“When you have problems with your gut, not only do you not feel good, but you end up with problems with your immune system, which can lead to autoimmune disease.”
To rebalance, a doctor recommends getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night and using stress management tools such as yoga, meditation and walks. (iStock)
Jesús M. Luévano, M.D., an Atlanta gastroenterologist and spokesperson for the American Gastroenterological Association, confirmed the role that gut balance plays in overall health.
“What we eat affects how we feel, from the microscopic level where it promotes cellular health, to the balance of our gut microbiome with our own homeostasis,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Providing our gut and our microbiome with the right forms of energy and avoiding pro-inflammatory agents — such as fried and fatty foods, alcohol, tobacco and ultraprocessed foods — is a key component for good gut health.”
“The GI tract is the biggest immune organ of the body.”
Dr. Alan Weiss, medical director of Annapolis Integrative Medicine in Maryland, agreed there is “no question” when it comes to gut’s influence on overall health.
“Your GI tract has about 80% of your body’s immune tissue in it, and your gut produces about 85% of the body’s neurotransmitters,” Weiss told Fox News Digital.
What are the 5Rs?
The 5R approach relies on the following essential steps to restore a healthy gut balance.
Remove
Removing stressors, foods and toxins considered to be inflammatory triggers is the first step, according to Ford-Norton.
These typically include gluten, dairy, sugar and processed foods. Testing can be performed to detect any food sensitivities or allergies.
“What we eat affects how we feel, from the microscopic level where it promotes cellular health, to the balance of our gut microbiome with our own homeostasis,” an expert told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
Replace
This component involves replacing depleted digestive enzymes, vitamins and minerals.
“A lot of people are not producing the enzymes that are needed to properly break down food and get the nutrients we need,” Ford-Norton said.
Reinoculate
Reinoculation involves introducing good bacteria to the gut through prebiotics and probiotics.
“If you go back in time, people knew that fermented foods were important,” Ford-Norton noted. “As we’ve gotten more busy in society and moved away from eating a more natural diet, we stopped eating those foods and replaced them with processed foods.”
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The expert encourages people to get their prebiotics through food rather than a separate supplement.
Fiber-rich foods, as well as fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, are rich sources ofese nutrients, she advised.
Repair
Repairing the gut lining is essential to improving nutrient absorption and reducing inflammation.
“Inflammation is the underlying imbalance that leads to most of the complex chronic diseases in the population, and then it affects our emotional well-being through the gut-brain connection,” Evans said.
Reinoculation involves introducing good bacteria to the gut through prebiotics and probiotics. (iStock)
In most cases, Ford-Norton noted, the gut experiences some degree of harm — perhaps from medications, such as antibiotics, or chronic stress.
She typically prescribes omega-3 fatty acids, the amino acid L-glutamine, zinc supplements, and anti-inflammatory herbs such as aloe vera to repair the gut lining.
“It’s all about rebalancing your emotions, your nervous system and your digestive system.”
Eating foods rich in omega-3s, including chia seeds, hemp seeds and walnuts, can also be helpful.
It’s important to check with a physician before taking supplements to avoid any interactions with underlying conditions, Ford-Norton added.
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Rebalance
Rebalancing is “the key component that a lot of people miss,” according to Ford-Norton.
“A lot of people want to just take supplements, [and] feel better without their sleep.”
Hands, pills and bottle in closeup for person with drugs, routine and schedule for health in home. Elderly patient, container and pharma product for supplements, wellness or benefits in retirement (iStock)
To rebalance, the doctor recommends getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night and using stress management tools such as yoga, meditation and walks.
“It’s all about rebalancing your emotions, your nervous system and your digestive system — it’s all playing together,” she said.
Guidance is key
When implementing 5R, Ford-Norton said it is important not to skip any portion.
“I’ve seen so many people who do the elimination diet, but they don’t do the Replace or Reinoculate component, so they have an incomplete treatment,” she told Fox News Digital.
It is important to perform the approach under the guidance of a trained practitioner, experts advised. (iStock)
Evans and Ford-Norton agreed that while the 5R approach is not a guaranteed cure for health conditions, they have seen improvements in many patients’ symptoms — and in some cases, reversal of chronic diseases.
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It is important to perform the approach under the guidance of a trained practitioner, they advised.
Weiss noted that while the 5R approach is a good resource, it is also vital to see a doctor to rule out infections or other diseases that could contribute to a person’s symptoms.
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A deadly, drug-resistant fungus already spreading rapidly through U.S. hospitals is becoming even more threatening worldwide, though there may be hope for new treatments, according to a new scientific review.
Candida auris (C. auris), often described as a “superbug fungus,” is spreading globally and increasingly resisting human immune systems, Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) researchers said in a review published in early December.
The findings reinforce prior CDC warnings that have labeled C. auris an “urgent antimicrobial threat” — the first fungal pathogen to receive that designation — as U.S. cases have surged, particularly in hospitals and long-term care centers.
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Approximately 7,000 cases were identified across dozens of U.S. states in 2025, according to the CDC, and it has reportedly been identified in at least 60 countries.
Candida auris is a drug-resistant fungus spreading in hospitals worldwide. (Nicolas Armer/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
The review, published in Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, helps explain why the pathogen is so difficult to contain and warns that outdated diagnostics and limited treatments lag behind. It was conducted by Dr. Neeraj Chauhan of the Hackensack Meridian CDI in New Jersey, Dr. Anuradha Chowdhary of the University of Delhi’s Medical Mycology Unit and Dr. Michail Lionakis, chief of the clinical mycology program at the National Institutes of Health.
Their findings stress the need to develop “novel antifungal agents with broad-spectrum activity against human fungal pathogens, to improve diagnostic tests and to develop immune- and vaccine-based adjunct modalities for the treatment of high-risk patients,” the researchers said in a statement.
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“In addition, future efforts should focus on raising awareness about fungal disease through developing better surveillance mechanisms, especially in resource-poor countries,” they added. “All these developments should help improve the outcomes and prognosis of patients afflicted by opportunistic fungal infections.”
Candida auris can survive on skin and hospital surfaces, allowing it to spread easily. (iStock)
First identified in 2009 from a patient’s ear sample in Japan, C. auris has since spread to dozens of countries, including the U.S., where outbreaks have forced some hospital intensive care units to shut down, according to the researchers.
The fungus poses the greatest risk to people who are already critically ill, particularly those on ventilators or with weakened immune systems. Once infected, about half of patients may die, according to some estimates.
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Unlike many other fungi, C. auris can survive on human skin and cling to hospital surfaces and medical equipment, allowing it to spread easily in healthcare settings.
“It is resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, and it tends to spread in hospital settings, including on equipment being used on immunocompromised and semi-immunocompromised patients, such as ventilators and catheters,” Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone, previously told Fox News Digital.
Scientists say the unique cell wall structure of C. auris makes it harder to kill. (iStock)
It is also frequently misdiagnosed, delaying treatment and infection control measures.
“Unfortunately, symptoms such as fever, chills and aches may be ubiquitous, and it can be mistaken for other infections,” Siegel said.
In September, he said intense research was ongoing to develop new treatments.
Only four major classes of antifungal drugs are currently available, and C. auris has already shown resistance to many of them. While three new antifungal drugs have been approved or are in late-stage trials, researchers warn that drug development has struggled to keep pace with the fungus’s evolution.
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Despite the sobering findings, there is still room for cautious optimism.
The fungus can cling to skin and hospital surfaces, aiding its spread. (iStock)
In separate research published in December, scientists at the University of Exeter in England discovered a potential weakness in C. auris while studying the fungus in a living-host model.
The team found that, during infection, the fungus activates specific genes to scavenge iron, a nutrient it needs to survive, according to their paper, published in the Nature portfolio journal Communications Biology in December.
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Because iron is essential for the pathogen, researchers believe drugs that block this process could eventually stop infections or even allow existing medications to be repurposed.
“We think our research may have revealed an Achilles’ heel in this lethal pathogen during active infection,” Dr. Hugh Gifford, a clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter and co-author of the study, said in a statement.
New research is underway to develop better treatments and diagnostics for C. auris. (iStock)
As researchers race to better understand the fungus, officials warn that strict infection control, rapid detection and continued investment in new treatments remain critical.
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Health experts emphasize that C. auris is not a threat to healthy people.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the CDI researchers and additional experts for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Angelica Stabile contributed reporting.
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The New York State Department of Health reported a record surge in influenza activity, with 71,123 positive flu cases recorded statewide during the week ending December 20.
Health officials said the figure represents the highest number of flu cases ever reported in a single week since influenza became a reportable disease in New York in 2004.
State health data show the weekly total reflects a 38% increase from the previous reporting period, signaling a rapidly intensifying flu season.
There have been 189,312 reported positive flu cases so far this season, while influenza-related hospitalizations rose 63% in the most recent week.
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New York reported the highest weekly total of cases ever recorded since influenza became reportable in 2004. (iStock)
“We are seeing the highest number of flu cases ever recorded in a single week in New York state,” Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a press release.
There have been 189,312 reported flu cases so far this season, with influenza-related hospitalizations increasing 63% in the most recent week. (iStock)
Earlier this month, the department declared influenza prevalent statewide, a designation that requires unvaccinated health care workers to wear masks in patient care settings.
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Health officials continue to emphasize that vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent severe illness and hospitalization from influenza.
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New Yorkers who have not yet received a seasonal flu shot are still encouraged to do so, with experts saying vaccination can offer protection even later in the season.
Health officials continue to urge New Yorkers to take preventive steps, including vaccination and staying home when sick, to limit further spread. (iStock)
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To help limit further spread, the department advises individuals experiencing flu-like symptoms — including fever, cough, sore throat, or body aches — to stay home. State health officials also recommend frequent handwashing, using hand sanitizer, and avoiding close contact with sick individuals.
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For those who become ill, officials say antiviral medications are available and are most effective when started within 48 hours of symptom onset.
Health officials also added that people at higher risk for complications should contact a health care provider promptly for evaluation and possible treatment.
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The department noted that flu activity typically peaks in January, meaning case counts could continue to climb in the weeks ahead.
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