In this 2-part episode, learn how the health of your gut, from intake to exit, depends on your personal medical history and diet, and, we are now learning, the diversity and character of your gut bacteria — the microbiome. Highlights: Colonoscopies get a surprisingly good rap these days, stool samples are amazingly useful, and your diet is important because it feeds and influences not only you and your gut, but also your 100 trillion bacteria friends.

Part 1: Upper and Lower Gastrointestinal (GI) Disease and Screening

Guest: Alan Smith, MD Gastroenterologist, Confluence Health, Wenatchee Valley Hospital and Clinics

Part 2: You Are What You Eat: The Role of the GI Microbiome in Health.

Guest: William R. DePaolo, PHD Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Washington, Director of the Center for Microbiome Sciences & Therapeutics