Dr. Michelle Solomon | Connecting The Gut & Skin

Hi, I’m Michelle 👋 If you’re new here, welcome! I’m so glad you found this space. What I do: I’m a chiropractor, acupuncture provider, and functional medicine doctor. At the heart of my work is helping people feel like themselves again. Whether that means finally understanding your gut issues, balancing your hormones, or recovering from an injury that’s been holding you back, my focus is on helping you connect the dots and create lasting change. How I help: In treatment, I blend hands on techniques like fascial release, acupuncture, and joint mobilizations and adjustments to get the body moving and healing the way it’s meant to. Through functional medicine, I look deeper to uncover what’s really going on beneath the surface because your symptoms are always communicating something. Beyond the clinic: My most important job is being mom to my two girls 🤍 Like most moms, I’m juggling it all and learning as I go. Around here, it’s about balance, not perfection. Real life and sustainable habits that actually fit into your day. If you love learning about: Wellness and functional medicine Low-tox living Supporting your body naturally Enjoying your life while feeling your best Then you’re in the right place. Follow along for simple, evidence-based ways to feel your best, inside and out 💛

About 2.5 years ago I had the worst perioral dermatitis flare I have ever had. I have had flares in the past and always just applied the prescription creams the doctors gave me, without looking deeper into the root cause of the issue (or what the point of these creams were). This flare came after a trip where I drank more alcohol than I normally do, ate gluten - because I felt like too much of a burden/ embarrassed asking for ‘gluten free’ food, and was in general more stressed in my life. Looking at those pictures I see how sad I was, and if you are struggling with your skin I totally feel you, I was embarrassed, insecure, couldn’t wear makeup to cover it up, and felt lost. All I could think about was - if all people were looking at was my skin. Heres how I healed my skin (with no major flares since, but posting this is making me anxious that I am going to jinx myself and cause a flare, if you have struggled with skin issues you will get this haha) 🛑STOPPED using all my products when this initially happened. I have a completely new regimen and am extremely mindful of what I put on my skin and why - less is more. Stop following trends you see on tiktok when it comes to skincare. I also changed products like my toothpaste, shampoo/conditioner, and makeup. You’d be shocked at how the ingredients in so many of these products affect our skin - even the ones that are “clean”. Diet: I eat a relatively balanced diet. I stay away from refined sugar, processed food and I don’t eat gluten. Gluten is a trigger for me, and I don’t know why I ever thought or cared that my choices would annoy or affect someone else. Gut Health: I have been working on my gut health and getting to the root of what is happening beneath the surface. I have done several functional medicine protocols that have helped improve my gut and overall health so much. I hope anyone struggling with a skin issues finds this helpful. If you have any specific questions let me know because I would love to help you :). I’m currently working with patients who feel like they have tried everything, and seeing their progress is so rewarding for both of us. #perioraldermatitis #skincareroutine

If you are scrolling on your phone right now, STOP and SAVE this one! If I was worried about ‘text neck’ I would start with these exercises! I would do each exercise for 8-10 reps and 3 sets. Always think about your breath, core engagement, and alignment! Let me know if this was helpful and if you want to see more posts like this one 🙂

1. Spinal manipulation isn’t the whole answer. Adjustments can absolutely help. They improve mobility, reduce pain, and shift input to the nervous system quickly. But if you’re not also addressing fascia, movement patterns, and the nervous system, those changes don’t last. That’s where the deeper work happens. This is also where I bring in things like acupuncture and movement based work in practice. 2. Not everyone needs to be on a probiotic. Strain matters: for example: lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is not the same as Lactobacillus acidophilus. Taking a random gut health probiotic without knowing what you actually need is often just expensive hope. This is where testing matters. Understanding what’s actually going on in your gut will always be more effective than guessing. 3. You cannot detox without regular bowel movements. Period. Before you start any type of detox, you need to be having consistent, regular bowel movements. Your liver processes toxins, sends them through bile, and into your intestines. If you’re not having at least one complete bowel movement daily, you’re reabsorbing what your body already tried to eliminate, including hormones that should have left. 4. Anti inflammatory diet is not a specific diet. Inflammation is a process, not a universal food list. What triggers you might not trigger someone else. More restriction is not always better. Less is usually more. Simple works. Root cause over symptom management, always.

Sometimes it’s not one big incident… it’s the accumulation of everything you’re doing throughout the day without thinking twice about it. The way you’re carrying your bags on one shoulder. The awkward position you get into picking up your kids. The way you’re hunched over the kitchen table. The couch slouch at the end of the night. When patients come in and can’t pinpoint why they’re in pain, this is always the conversation we have. Because your body keeps score of every repetitive position and movement pattern and eventually it lets you know. Even I catch myself doing it. Carrying too much on one side, letting my daughter climb on me like a jungle gym … we are all guilty of it. The difference is knowing what’s causing it means you can actually address it instead of just wondering why you feel off. If you’ve been waking up stiff and tight or just feeling like your body is constantly fighting you it might be time to look at what your daily life actually looks like.

She had tried everything. Facials, products, different routines but nothing was working. Prescription medication wasn’t a route my patient wanted to take, which is when she reached out to me. Here’s what I’ve learned from being in practice: when nothing is working, your body is trying to tell you something. So instead of treating her skin, we looked deeper. We ran a GI map a comprehensive test that shows us exactly what’s happening inside the gut microbiome, including any infections, imbalances or inflammation that could be driving symptoms on the surface. What shows up on your skin is often a reflection of what’s happening inside. We also took a thorough history and had an honest conversation about the emotional weight that comes with struggling with your skin. Because acne isn’t just a physical experience it affects your confidence, your relationships, how you show up in the world. That matters just as much as the clinical findings. From there, we built a plan tailored specifically to her and in 12 weeks, we were able to make substantial shifts that you can see reflected right on her skin. If this sounds like your story, you’re not broken and you’re not out of options. Watching her not only see her skin transform but feel better overall that is why I do what I do. My patient is beautiful inside and out, and there is truly no greater privilege than helping someone feel more confident and at home in their own skin. If you’ve tried everything and nothing is working your skin might be trying to tell you something.

Your sunscreen might be doing more harm than good 👀 It’s crazy to think something you are buying to protect yourself from sun damage can be causing systemic problems. Most chemical sunscreens contain ingredients like oxybenzone, homosalate, and octocrylene. These don’t just sit on the surface of your skin they absorb into your bloodstream. A 2019 FDA study confirmed it, so this isn’t just me being dramatic lol. The good news: there’s a better option. Mineral sunscreens (zinc oxide + titanium dioxide) work as a physical barrier they sit ON TOP of your skin, they don’t absorb systemically, they’re reef-safe, and they work the moment you apply them. The caveat with mineral sunscreen I have found is that it’s hard to find one that applies well and doesn’t leave a white cast. These are the ones we use in our house. Here’s what I personally use and recommend: ☀️ Necessaire The Sunscreen- I use this on my body, it is great and perfect for sensitive skin. ☀️ Solara Suncare- great for body and can be used on the face as well. ☀️ Green Beaver Kids Spray - what I use on my girls, it doesn’t leave that white cast that is impossible to wash off. ☀️ ClearStem- this is what I use everyday on my face and it is great for acne-prone skin!

I’m always adjusting my supplements depending on what my body needs, my goals, and the phase of life I am in. But these are the ones that never seem to change. BodyBio PC: phosphatidylcholine is the building block of every cell membrane. It supports cellular repair, mitochondrial energy production, brain function, and liver detox through bile flow. One of the few supplements the whole family takes especially important for developing brains. Floramyces: a probiotic yeast that survives antibiotics completely intact. With young kids you never know when someone will need antibiotics and I always want this ready. Mag Glycinate: the most bioavailable form of magnesium, a cofactor in 300+ enzymatic reactions. Regulates cortisol and supports deep sleep. Digestive Enzymes: non-negotiable in my bag when I’m eating out, traveling, or eating food I didn’t make myself. When I have no control over ingredients or prep these make sure your body can actually break it down without the bloating after. NAC: I reach for this when I’m run down, before a social night out, or anytime I want antioxidant support. It gives your body what it needs to produce glutathione, which clears toxins, fights oxidative stress, and keeps inflammation in check. Acerola Supreme: whole food vitamin C from the acerola cherry, one of the most concentrated natural sources on the planet. Comes with natural bioflavonoids your body actually recognizes. Essential for collagen synthesis - I’ll always choose food form over synthetic. I love sharing with you guys what I do and why but remember what works for me may not for you. I’m a practitioner but not your practitioner. Always check with your own healthcare provider before starting anything new, especially for children. LINKS IN BIO

STRAWBERRIES & CREAM COCONUT CHIA PUDDING The base: In a bowl whisk together: 1 can coconut milk ¼ cup chia seeds The strawberries: 1 cup frozen strawberries Simmer on medium-low until soft and broken down (10-15 min). Let cool completely, then blend until smooth. Mix into your chia pudding. I add one full scoop to my individual portion to know exactly how much protein I am getting (20 grams). I used @equipfoods vanilla protein powder. OR you can just mix it into the entire batch but you won’t be getting as much protein per serving that way. Optional: add sliced kiwis with skin on for extra fiber and to help you go to the 💩. Don’t waste your money on chia pudding, making it at home is SO easy, a fraction of the price and will taste much better!

I used to think discipline meant waking up early no matter what. Workout. Routine. Get ahead of the day. But..The most anti-inflammatory thing I’ve done in this pregnancy is… sleep in… and let’s be clear this sleep in is waking up at 7am instead of 5:45 am (we aren’t sleeping in until noon over here haha but wouldn’t that be lovely). Getting older is realizing “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” was never the flex we thought it was. This doesn’t mean I have become lazy, it just means that I am prioritizing what my body currently needs. Trust me, there will be a time when I start waking up before the kids to workout and get my day started how I used too. But recognizing that isn’t right now has been huge for me. Sleep is when your body lowers inflammation, regulates cortisol, supports blood sugar, and actually repairs. If your body is asking for more rest… that might be the work.

My secret is out but I’m doing it for them 😂 Using a ground beef blend with organ meat mixed in is one of the easiest ways to amp up any dish, and you genuinely cannot taste the difference. My husband and kids had no idea…until now haha. Organ meat is the most nutrient dense food on the planet. One serving gives you more bioavailable iron, B12, and vitamin A than most supplements combined. I aim for once a week, and if you’re pregnant like me, this is actually a great way to boost your iron stores , I just got my bloodwork back and mine are low. Just keep liver portions moderate since it’s high in preformed vitamin A. For the rest of your family though? This is one of the easiest nutrition upgrades you’ll ever make.

Here are different foods you can start incorporating into your diet everyday that will have a direct impact on how you look and feel. Make food less boring by adding nutrient dense additions too it. Adding things to your meals or snacks will keep you full longer, more vibrant, and I’m telling you, you’ll be able to see it on your skin as well.