Episode 117: How Hidden Toxins & Gut Health Impact Chronic Disease with Martha Carlin

Episode 117: How Hidden Toxins & Gut Health Impact Chronic Disease with Martha Carlin

In this episode, Mind-Body Psychic Medium & Executive Intuitive Coach Kara Lovehart interviews Martha Carlin, microbiome researcher and founder of BiotiQuest, to explore how environmental toxins, stress, and gut health may contribute to chronic illness, neurodegeneration, nervous system dysregulation, and inflammation.

In This Episode

•  The connection between toxins, stress, and the microbiome 
•  Parkinson’s disease and the gut-brain connection 
•  How glyphosate, mold, heavy metals, and chemicals affect health 
•  Why detox pathways and bowel health matter for healing 

Meet Our Guest
 Martha Carlin is a pioneering citizen scientist, systems thinker, and founder of BiotiQuest and The BioCollective. After her husband’s Parkinson’s diagnosis, she shifted from a successful corporate career into microbiome research, helping bridge cutting-edge science with practical healing solutions focused on gut health, environmental toxins, and chronic disease.

Who Should Tune In

•  Anyone struggling with chronic illness or mystery symptoms 
•  People interested in gut health, detoxification, and nervous system healing 
•  Wellness seekers curious about the microbiome and environmental toxins 

Connect
 Guest Website: https://biotiquest.com
Guest YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BiotiQuest
Martha’s Quest Blog: https://marthasquest.com
Martha's Book: "Connected: Love, Loss, and the Unseen Forces Behind Chronic Disease"

• Amazon Digital Book Link
• B&N Paperback Book

Connect with Kara:
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Transcript

[00:00:00] Introduction to the Microbiome & Chronic Illness

HOST: Welcome back everyone to the Mind Body Detox Podcast. I’m your host, Mind-Body Psychic Medium & Executive Intuitive Coach Kara Lovehart, and I’m excited to bring another guest on today where we’re diving into the topic of the microbiome and environmental toxins.

If you’ve struggled with chronic illness, mystery symptoms, nervous system dysregulation, or diagnoses that haven’t improved despite treatment, this episode takes a systems-based approach to healing.

Today’s guest is Martha Carlin, founder of BiotiQuest and The BioCollective. After her husband’s Parkinson’s diagnosis, Martha left a successful corporate career to investigate the connections between the microbiome, metabolism, environmental toxins, and chronic disease.

[00:03:45] Martha’s Parkinson’s Journey

GUEST: My background was in accounting and auditing, so I was trained to never take anything at face value. In 2002, my healthy 44-year-old husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and I immediately thought, “How does a young healthy person get an old person’s disease?”

The medical system basically told us:
 “You have a degenerative disease. Here’s a pill. We’ll see you in six months.”

I started looking at this as a systems problem.

I began researching food, water, environmental exposures, and eventually discovered the microbiome after reading the book Missing Microbes by Dr. Martin Blaser.

That changed everything.

[00:07:30] The Gut-Brain Connection & Kara’s Story

HOST: When I first learned about the microbiome nearly 15 years ago, it completely changed my life.

I had experienced lead poisoning, mold toxicity, years of antibiotics, and severe nervous system dysregulation. My son also struggled with ADHD symptoms and sensory issues connected to gut health and toxic burden.

At the time, many people dismissed these connections.

But over time, more research has confirmed how deeply connected the microbiome is to mental health, inflammation, focus, mood, and chronic disease.

[00:11:10] Constipation, Detoxification & Toxic Burden

GUEST: One of the biggest overlooked indicators of health is bowel regularity.

If you’re not having regular bowel movements, toxins are being recycled back into the body instead of eliminated.

In Parkinson’s research, chronic constipation can appear 10–15 years before diagnosis.

The microbiome produces inflammatory toxins called endotoxins, and when waste remains in the colon too long, those toxins continue circulating through the body.

[00:15:50] Environmental Toxins & the Microbiome

GUEST: Environmental toxins play a major role in shaping the microbiome.

Some major toxic burdens include:

•  Heavy metals 
•  Mercury 
•  Glyphosate 
•  Mold toxins 
•  Dry cleaning chemicals 
•  Household cleaners 
•  Water contamination 

Glyphosate in particular damages beneficial gut bacteria and interferes with pathways responsible for producing key amino acids involved in neurotransmitter production.

HOST: Many people don’t realize toxins are everywhere — food, water, household products, personal care items, and even the air we breathe.

[00:21:20] Stress, Trauma & Nervous System Dysregulation

HOST: Chronic stress and trauma impact the microbiome deeply.

When the nervous system is dysregulated, digestion slows, detox pathways weaken, and inflammation increases.

GUEST: Stress hormones also feed certain bacteria in the gut, creating feedback loops that influence mood, anxiety, and nervous system function.

There’s a strong gut-brain connection through neurotransmitters and microbial signaling.

[00:27:10] Chronic Diseases Linked to the Microbiome

GUEST: Nearly every chronic illness now has microbiome research connected to it.

Conditions include:

•  Parkinson’s disease 
•  Alzheimer’s 
•  IBS and Crohn’s 
•  Diabetes 
•  Depression 
•  Anxiety 
•  Schizophrenia 
•  Cardiovascular disease 
•  Autism spectrum disorders 
•  Rheumatoid arthritis 

The microbiome impacts inflammation, immunity, neurotransmitters, metabolism, and detoxification.

[00:34:30] Weight Loss, Toxic Load & Detoxification

HOST: Many people don’t realize rapid weight loss can release stored toxins from fat cells.

GUEST: Fat storage is one way the body sequesters toxins. If detox pathways aren’t functioning well, releasing toxins too quickly can overwhelm the body and nervous system.

Supporting elimination pathways, hydration, minerals, sweating, and bowel health becomes very important during healing.

[00:40:15] BiotiQuest & Healing the Microbiome

GUEST: Our research eventually led us to develop probiotic formulations designed to restore missing microbial functions.

We created products supporting:

•  Blood sugar balance 
•  Stress response 
•  Sleep 
•  Cardiovascular health 
•  Antibiotic recovery 
•  Pathogen resistance 

The goal is restoring microbial teamwork within the gut ecosystem.

[00:47:40] Psychedelics, Neuroplasticity & Gut Health

HOST: I’m curious about research involving psychedelics, neuroplasticity, and the microbiome.

GUEST: There’s growing interest in how these therapies reduce stress burden and support nervous system healing. I think we’ll continue seeing more research emerge connecting these systems together.

[00:52:00] Systems Thinking, Environmental Healing & Hope

HOST: I often describe the microbiome like a garden. Biodiversity matters.

The health of our environment affects our bodies, and the health of our bodies affects the world around us.

GUEST: I truly believe microbes and fungi may help us repair much of the environmental damage we’ve created.

Healing is possible.

The microbes are our allies if we learn how to support them.

[00:58:00] Final Wellness Practices & Detoxing Glyphosate

HOST: What wellness practices are helping you most right now?

GUEST: I prioritize:

•  Meditation 
•  Yoga 
•  Mineral support 
•  Filtered water 
•  Nervous system regulation 
•  Supporting the microbiome daily 

HOST: If you could detox one thing from the world right now, what would it be?

GUEST: Glyphosate.

I don’t think most people understand how pervasive and damaging it truly is.

[01:05:00] Closing Thoughts

HOST: Thank you so much for being here, Martha. This conversation was incredibly insightful and hopeful.

Listeners, if this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who may benefit from hearing it.

Thank you for listening to the Mind Body Detox Podcast.

Educational content only — not medical advice.